THE BRAZILIAN REVOLUTION.

North Otago Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 6952, 30 January 1890, Page 3

THE BRAZILIAN REVOLUTION.

A correspondent of The Times sends from Bio do Janeiro an account of the late revolution in Brazil. For some time back (the correspondent writes) the army had been greatly dissatisfied at its treatment by the civil authorities, who snubbed the officers, and as long as three years ago a dispute arose which led to the removal of a War Minister. After this the military clement began to assort itself, and continued to do so until the new Ministry was formed in June last, granting to the army a place in the Cabinet, and conferring a similar favor on the navy. The representative of the army, however, was practically a nonentity, and the administration of military affairs devolred upon Sefihor Oaijdido de Oliveira, a most able but opinionated and imprudent man, who resented most bitterly the ill-will from the army. He carried political vengeance into the ranks, and, not content with individual persecution and injustice here and there, he re-established the old National Guard, his organs ostentatiously stating that this militia would neutralise the power and influence of the army sooner or later. The Government, indeed, made no secret of their opinions that the army had begun to be dangerous, and, accordingly, they settled as their policy its dispersal through the vast empire. At any rate, Sefihor Oliveira had qrdered to another distant provinae the 7th Battalion of Infantry, which should have left Rio de Janeiro on the 20th November, and it was this order which was the immediate cause of the enforced abdication of the Emperor. The army leaders, believing that the Cabinet intended to diepeine the army from Rio, leaving only two or three battalions there, resolved to resist to the point of deposing the Ministry. The Republicans, who were well a ware of the plot, and probably were ite principal though indirect promoters, also made ready to take advantage of the situation thus to be created. But, though the plot was pushed forward with the utmost secrecy, the Government was informed of it on the 14th, and without measuring its extent and import, and with blind self-assurance, resolved to despatch the battalion on the next day, the 15th, instead of the 20th. The Cabinet met late at night on the 14th,^d at daybreak on the 15th the Miners of the Navy, Foreign Affairs, Justice, and the Prime Minister were at the arsenal witnessing the landing of the naval battalion which had been ordered to mount guard at the barracks, where the greater part of the army then in Rio was quartered. At half-past Q o'clock, as the naval battalion arrived there, the whole Cabinet met at tfrp War Office, and three infantry battalfpna were already formed before the extensive frontage of the buildings ; and later on several regiments of the cavalry and the whole police force joined them. At about a quarter past & o'olook, when the Cabinet thought that Ahoy had nufticient force at their coinßiand to compel

the recalcitrant battalion to march, Mar abiil Manuel Deodoro da Fouseca, the leader of the whole movement, appeared upon tho scene. The other commanding otlieors at once r lised " hurrahs " for him and for the Ist Regiment of Cavalry, and " downs " for tho Ministry. Tho oiliceriiiwido tho barracks followed tho troope outside Just then Baron Ladario, bht naval secretary, who had gone to and was then coming from the arsenal, was invited to nurroudur himself as a prisonei of Marshal Doodoro and the army. Thereupon tho bravo admiral told the lieutenant who earned him the order, " That ih impossible ! Who is he to soi/A) mo?" And upon tho olHcer attempting to take hold of him, ho drow his pistol, and pulled tho trigger, but tho weapon misseu lire. In the meanwhile MarHhal Doodoro, who w\ts noar, orderod his soldiers to h'reatthe admiral, which thoy did, tho admiral falling in tho gutter, having received four bullets and two other wounds. Deodoro then entered tho barrack**, passing into tho room where the Cabinet had met. He sUted to the Ministers that in tho name of the army he deponed them. Tito Ministers wero detained until half past 2 in the afternoon, when they wen all releasod. Ouro Preto, tho Premier, howover, was again arrested, and subso' (pjently sent out of the country. Meantime Marshal Deodoro was parading the streets with troops and procuimiug the Republic. It whs only when the people saw tho oflicers raising "hurrahs" for the Rypublio and the old flags of tho empire beii q folded up that they realised that the sedition which had begun by deposing the Ministry, had ended by also deposing tho monarchy. Indeed, it is said that Marshal Deodoro was simply carried away. As the deposition of the Government alone might cost him doarlv, he .resolved at the last moment to cast in Inn lob with tho Republicans. The Emperor arrived at tho City Palace from Petropolis about 3 in tho afternoon, and had a protracted interview with Ouro l'reio at which it was decided that the Emperor should try and form a new Government. But while this interview was being held, a meeting of tho Republicans was also going on, at the city aiderman decided to ask Deodoro to formally proclaim that tho dynasty of Brazil had been for over abolished. Doodoro agreed to do this, and at 5 o'clock he issued the proclamation stating that the people, tho army and the navy, in perfect communion of sentiment, had decreed to abolish the Constitutional Monarchy of Brazil, and announcing the formation of a Provisional Government composed of— Marshal M. | Deodoro da Fonseca, Chief ; Aristides da Silveira Lobo, Minister of tho Interior ; Ruy Barbosa, Minister of Finances ; Lieut. -Colonel Benjamin Constant Botelho do Magalhaes, Minister of War ; Commander VVandonkolk, Minister of the Navy; Quintino Bocayuva, Minister of Foreign Affairs ; Deraetrio Riberio, Minister of Publio Works and Commerce. In the proclamation tho Provisional Government recognises all contracts made by tho monarchy, and promises assurance of life and property to both natives and foreigners. Next morning, tho 10th, -when this news wa« made known through the medium of tho press, the people were simply stunned and dumbfounded. The wonderful rapidi'y with which the Provisional Government had been organised, with their principal assistants both in Rio do Janeiro and in some of the provinces (now states), who almost incredible. Up to 11 o'clock in tho morning tho Emperor received visitors freely, but after that hour son cries were posted at the palace gates, and no one was allowed admittance or egress. The Emperor was told to prepare for his departure to Europe, and the Government chartered the national packet Alagoas, and hold it in readiness to leave for Lisbon next morning. Dom Pedro and family were requested to leave the palace, 200 yards from the landing place, at 3 o'clock in the morning. Dom Pedro at first refused to leave the country as a runaway, but yielded to his own strong desire to avoid any tumultuous scone. When the people of this capital woke up on Sunday, the 17th, Dom Pedro was on board the corvette Parnahyba, which took him by 11 o'clock to the Alagow. Ruy Barbosa assured the Emperor's secretary that the Republic would provide amply for the comfort of the late monarch, and, indeed, as the Imperial family wero about to change from the Paruahyba to tho Alagoas, a decree, signed by all the members of the Provisional Government, was handed to the Emperor granting him a lump sum of 5000 contos (L 550,000), besides his annual allowance of LBB.OOO, which will be continued. [Telegrams have since stated that the Emperor has refused to accept the 5000 contos offered him, as by taking the money he would appear to be relinquishing his right to the Crown.] The man who organised this cow>» de main is Lieutenant-Colonel Benjamin Constant Botelho do Magalhaes, who is War Minister under the now regime. He is a very quiet and modest professor of mathematics at tho military school, and has also been for many years the director of the Institution for the Blind in Rio— a Government school, Qut of tho seven Ministers only three have been deputies, and this for a short timo only. Two are military men (besides the Dictator) ; three of them were editing papers when called, one of whom is Quintino, of tho Paiz ; tho other Barbosa, of the Diario do Noticiae, of this city ; and Campos Salles, of the Provincia de Sao Paulo, So Paulo. One is a civil engineer, and the seventh in a lawyer, who, however, was a leading writer in two of tho papers. They are all very able mon, as is shown from the ease with which they made themselves at home in their respective departments. Tho Minister of Finance, Ruy BaHbosa, will be the real organiser of the new constitution. He is a most learned man, most conversant with the constitutional history of England and the United States, and is a man of great resources. As Minister, his first care was to telegraph to Europe that Brazil maintains all contracts made by tho previous regime. He visited the banks and inspired so much confidence that though, after the pronmiciamiento on the 15th and 10th business wae suspended, on Monday, the 18th, exchange on London oponod in all banksnative as well as English, at 27£d — that ia to say, the national paper currency had a small premium a» compared with gold. The late internal 4 per cent loan was , quoted at 90, tho sa*<»o price as on the I day before the revolution.