THE REVOLUTION IN BRAZIL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2001, 30 January 1890, Page 4

THE REVOLUTION IN BRAZIL.

With regard to the recent revolution in Brazil, a prominent Brazilian, who has been interviewed in Paris by the Times correspondent, considers that the only surprising thing is that the event has not occurred before. “ Dor more than sixty years,” he says, we have been in latent revolution. From 1835, immediately after the proclamation of Pedro 11., from the first regency of Deigo Feijo, from that of Aranjo Cime to our own time, Brazil has never been anything but a federation constantly in conflict, and com- . posed of rival parts aspiring to supremacy. We occupy a territory 15 times as large as France, and we have not one-fourth of its population. How could you expect that an Empire could remain united under such conditions ? Tou will see that this Empire which is so vast and so thinly peopled will split up into small Republics, which will increase the number of the periodical revolutions of South America. It was foolish to expect that we alone should remain a Monarchy in the midst of Republics. It was inevitable that we should succumb to the Republican contagion. Our Emperor, whom we all love, has done nothing to prevent us taking this course. He is a savant, or, rather, a sickly student, who devoured everything and digested nothing. It was expected for along time that he would abdicate but that would have been of no use. The Comte d’Eu has remained a foreigner to us, and we strongly blamed the Emperor for not having presided over the emancipation of the slaves. From the execution of such measures a sovereign ought not to be absent. Besides, the Emperor has not sought to win the prestige of Imperial rank. For a long time the Brazilians have looked upon him as an amateur monarch. No one seems to have interfered in this strike except those who defended their position, and who thought they were defending their heads. I am convinced that there will soon be excesses, and at the same time it is a serious and permanent revolution.”