Two opponents in the battle for independence: the navies of Brazil and Portugal according to a female diary Part II May 1823

In her diary Maria Graham described her voyage to Brazil and gave interesting information about the war of independence in Brazil and of the navies of both sides. In 1823 the British Lord Cochrane commanded the Brazilian navy after his Chilean adventure and before his adventure in Greece. The Portuguese Royal family fled towards Brazil in 1807 due to the threat of a French invasion of their country. Among the ships which transported the Royals was the 74 gun ship of line Martim de Freitas, which later became the Brazilian Dom Pedro I (Pedro Primeiro).

3 May 1823 Mrs. Graham took over apparently a speech of the Emperor which includes some notes dealing with the navy: ‘The fleet consisted only (1821?) of the frigate Piranga, the called the Union, not fitted; the corvette Liberal, only a hull; and of a few other small and insignificant vessels. Now we have the ship of the line, Pedro Primeiro; the frigates Piranga, Carolina, and Netheroy; the corvettes Maria da Gloria and Liberal, ready; a corvette, in Alagoas, which will soon be ready, named the Massaió: of the brig of war, Guarani ready, and the Cacique and Caboclo under repair; besides several ships in ordinary and various schooners. I expect six frigates of fifty guns, manned and armed, and completely formed for action, for the purchase of which I have already given orders; and according to the information I have received they will not cost above thirteen contos of rees. In the dock-yard, the works are following: -all the ships now actually employed have been repaired; gun-boats and others of small size, which I need not name, have been built; and many others, which, altogether, are numerous and important” (Graham, p. 238).

Thirteen days later Mrs. Graham was able to read some newspapers dealing with the situation.

See also my “Some notes dealing with the navy of Brazil in 1823-1836”, published on this weblog. One of those newspapers was the Idade d’Ouro dated 25 April with in the supplement lists of the Brazilian and Portuguese squadrons. She, fortunate, took over those lists in her diary with remarks that the Portuguese didn’t tell the whole truth about the Brazilian naval strength (Graham, p. 247-248).

Brazilian ships

ship of the line D. Pedro I, 64 guns, really 78 guns

frigate Uniao, 44 guns, really 50 guns.

frigate Carolina, 36 guns, really 44 guns

frigate Successo (now Nitheroy), 36 guns, really 38 guns

corvette Maria da Gloria, 32 guns, really 32 guns

corvette Liberal, 22 guns, really 22 guns

schooner Real, 16 guns, really 16 guns

Nightingale, really 20 guns

Total 250 guns, really 300 guns

Besides one fire-ship and one gunboat

Portuguese ships

ship of the line D. Joao, 74 guns, Commandante Capitao de Fragata Joaquim José da Cunha

frigate Constituicao, 50 guns, Capitao de Fragata Joaquim Maria Bruno de Moraes

frigate Perola, 44 guns, Capitao de Fragata José Joaquim d’Amorim

corvette Princeza Real, 28 guns, Capitao Tenente Francisco Borja Pereira de Sá

corvette Calypso, 22 guns, Capitao Tenente Joaquim Antonio de Castro

corvette Regeneracao, 26 guns, Capitao de Fragata Joao Ignacio da Silveira e Motta

corvette Dez de Fevereiro, 26 guns, Capitao de Fragata Miguel Gil de Noronha

corvette Activa, 22 guns, Capitao Lieutenaant Isidoro Francisco Guimaraes

brig Audaz, 20 guns, Capitao Tenente Joao da Costa Carvalho

corvette S. Gaulter, 26 guns, 1e Lieutenant Graduado Manoel de Jesus

Corvette Principe do Brazil, 26 guns, Lieutenant Antonio Feliciano Rodrigues

Corvette Restauraçao, 26 guns, 1e Tenente Graduado Flores

Sumaca Conceiçao, 8 guns, 2e Tenente Carvalho

Total 398 guns

14th May wrote Mrs. Graham (p. 250) that “as might have been expected, from the haste in which the squadron was equipped, the ships had to encounter some difficulties at first. Some of the sails and cordage, which had been seventeen years in store, were found almost unserviceable; the guns of some of the ships were without locks, as the Portuguese had not adopted them: the cartridges were mostly made up in canvass: but the real evil was the number of Portuguese, both men and officers, among the crews, which kept them in a continual state of discontent, if not mutiny”. While Lord Cochrane was waiting for anchor with his ships in the port behind the Moro of Sao Paulo and in this way controlling the channel behind Itaparica, he fitted the schooner Real out as a fireship. Two fireships were to be expected from Rio but didn’t arrive yet. When Cochrane intended to attack with the Real the Portuguese squadron lying off Bahia on 4th May, both squadrons collided. The Brazilian squadron met several problems as Mrs. Gragam (p. 251) wrote: “The slow sailing of the Piranga and Netheroy kept them farther behind the Pedro than their brave commanders wished; the others were forced to keep aloof, it is said, by the conviction that their crew could not be trusted against the Portuguese. As to the crew of the Admiral’s ship, two of the Portuguese marines went into the magazine passage, and with their drawn swords impeded the handing up the powder”. After some gunshots exchanging both squadrons were separated. The Brazilian returned to the Moro of Sao Paulo, where Cochrane decide to take measures. “The officers and English seamen of the Piranga and Nitheroy [were taken] on board the Pedro, so that now he has one ship he may depend on; he has exchanged the eighteen-pound guns of the main-deck, for the twenty-four pounders of the Piranga, and has placed guns along his gang-ways” (Graham, p. 252).

See also my “Some notes dealing with the navy of Brazil in 1823-1836”, published on this weblog.

Sources

Maria Graham. Journal of a voyage to Brazil and residence there, during part of the years 1822, 1822, 1823, London, 1824, p. 238, 247-248, 250-252. Digitalized by Google.

www.en.wikepedia.org/wiki/Pedro_I_of_Brazil

Quite interesting are the articles Brian Vale published online www.irlandeses.org in July 2006 ‘English and Irish Naval Officers in the War for Brazilian Independence and ‘his book dealing with this topic.

Note

1. The Brazilian emperor (1822-1831) Pedro I of the royal Portuguese house of Bragança (1798-1834) married with Maria Leopoldina of Austria (1797-1826.