THE DIFFICULTY BETWEEN GERMANY AND BRAZIL.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 133, 13 March 1872, Page 3

THE DIFFICULTY BETWEEN GERMANY AND BRAZIL.

A German correspondent, in a letter dated Rio Janeiro, Oct. 21, gives the following highly-coloured narrative of the affray between several officers of the German corvi ttc Nympho and the Brazilian police, which has'led to an international complication : —A quarrel which was forced upon the officers of the Nymplie on October 11), has assumed graver dimensions than is usually the case with seaport brawls. Several days previously three German sailors had been attacked in a house, and, as they assert, without any provocation. The sailors first turned their assailants out of doors, then defended the house against forty policemen—a class in very bad repute here—and knocked down seven of the rascals, hut were at last obliged to surrender. The sailors were led off to prison, hut reported themselves on board the next morning. It is also stated that several officers of the Nymplie had been attacked by a number of policemen whilst bathing, and were only rescued by the energy of the captain. The temperature of the air, therefore, was already rather warm, and what followed was perhaps only an act of revenge for the former affair. On the evening of the day before yesterday, a midshipman of the Nymplie, who has the character of being a sensible and brave young man, was quietly enjoying a glass of wine with four warrant officers, a mate, the gunner, a boatswain, and an engineer, whom lie had accidentally met at the Hotel Central, a respectable restaurant. They talked German, were not making any noise, or giving any other cause of offence. Several well-dressed men entered the room, and conversed partly in English and partly in French. One of them went out again, returned about ten minutes after-

wards, slammed the door, and, screaming and gesticulating, rushed up to the German sailors, who at tho same moment thought they heard many voices outside the door. The Germans listened quietly to this violent man, who spoke Portugese, but without understanding one word of his declamation. Suddenly, he seized the glasses of the Germans, poured their contents together, threw the whole over the head of the engineer, giving him at the the same time a box on the cars. This officer had watched the behaviour of the stranger in silent astonishment up to this time, but now he began to understand the state of the case, and knocked his assailant down. The other persons in plain clothes immediately attacked tho Germans, one of them whistled, the door was thrown open, about twenty armed policemen, and at least lifty other persons with life-pre-servers and knives rushed in, and a bloody fight commenced. The thin walking sticks of the Germans broke after a few blows. The mate, in remembrance of former rows, bad provided himself with a pocket life-preserver ; the other four defended themselves with chairs. The boatswain, who was nearest the door, succeeded in getting out with two of his assailants hanging on to him. rushed down the stairs, got possession of his sword, and fought his way through to the land-ing-place, where the rascals left him. The gunner was attacked first by a Frenchman, but knocked him down with a chair which was broken to pieces by the blow. Two police officers and a Brazi'ian major attacked the n idslnpman. Her Von Mutterheim. The latter snatched a sword from one of liis assailants, and dealt the major such a severe blow on the forehead that he fell at once, and if report says 'true is now dying. After this he wounded both policemen ; but at last, after a struggle of nearly half an hour, the Germans were obliged to yield to the superiority of force. The gunner and engineer were knocked down and led away ; the mate with his life preserver

fought his way to the door, throwing off his assailants as a boar throws off tho dogs. When ho had reached the door his strength failed him and he sank, upon which the crowd belaboured him with their sticks till they could drag him off in a slate of unconsciousness. The midshipman at last remained alone. Several cuts on the head and four stabs in the right hand obliged him to throw away the Brazilian sword, but he still continued to tight like a Hun with the leg of a chair, till lie suddenly felt his arms fall powerless at his side. The brave young fellow then put his head against tho wall in the coiner of the room, and turned his hack upon the rabble. The police then continued to beat him with their sidearms until lie fell, and was carried off to prison. He was confined with the warrant officers, and their numerous wounds were dressed. Some kind Germans succeeded in obtaining access to them, when it appeared that they were all in a condition to take the sustenance provided in a basket of provisions. There is a hope, therefore, that none of their wounds will prove mortal. But how they have punished their adversaries ? The whole harbour is full of it, and the newspapers call out to heaven. People know now in Rio what German blows are. According to the papers, besides the major, these fivo Germans have knocked down fifteen civilians. and wounded, more or less severely, six rascals of the police. A priest, who sprang out of the window at the beginning of the fray, has broken both his legs. The midshipman, Von Stutterhcim, is stated in the Rio papers tc be a nephew of Prince Bismarck.— Newcastlc-on-Tync C/iorinclc.