British exploits in South America; a history of British activities in exploration, military adventure, diplomacy, science, and trade, in Latin American . n, and the enthusiasm of thewhole procedure were most mirth-provoking. The Cap-tains fears subsided: his pons asinorum was crossed,and he took breath and laughed freely. The Emperorreturned the impromptu salute with great respect, andfor the occasion, with becoming gravity. As the internal politics of Brazil tended to grow moreinvolved, the situation of the British naval commandersnaturally became proportionately difficult, more espe-cially w
British exploits in South America; a history of British activities in exploration, military adventure, diplomacy, science, and trade, in Latin American . n, and the enthusiasm of thewhole procedure were most mirth-provoking. The Cap-tains fears subsided: his pons asinorum was crossed,and he took breath and laughed freely. The Emperorreturned the impromptu salute with great respect, andfor the occasion, with becoming gravity. As the internal politics of Brazil tended to grow moreinvolved, the situation of the British naval commandersnaturally became proportionately difficult, more espe-cially when some of the provinces began to rebel againstthe central power at Eio de Janeiro, and when the Bra-zilians were occupied in severing the ties which boundthem to Portugal. A short digression is necessary inorder to explain the general situation which prevailedat that time. In the early years of the nineteenth century the Spanishand Portuguese South American colonies were respec-tively undergoing very different species of metamorpho-sis. Those of Spain were occupied in transferring them-selves into republics, while the great country of Brazil was. THE BRITISH IN BRAZIL 301 learning to be a kingdom. At this period British sym-pathies were, by force of circumstances, rather curiouslydistributed. In Spanish South America their leaningstoward the patriot cause were sufficiently patent—not-withstanding a rigid neutrality of action—to cause con-siderable irritation among the remnants of the Spanishpower in Peru. In Brazil, on the other hand, when friction arose be-tween the new kingdom and the mother country, theBrazilians were wont to complain that the attitude of theBritish was unduly favorable toward the again, there seem to have been no actual groundsfor complaint. At the same time, apart from any side-issue of sentiment or policy, it is only natural that thesympathies of the British fleet should have lain withour most ancient ally—and this notwithstanding
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectsouthamericahistory
