Sailing from Maranham on the 20th of September, the _Pedro Primiero_ arrived at Rio de Janeiro on the 9th of November--the Emperor doing me the honour to come on board to welcome me. I immediately forwarded to the Minister of Marine a recapitulation of all transactions since my departure seven months before; viz. the evacuation of Bahia by the Portuguese in consequence of our nocturnal visit, connected with the dread of my reputed skill in the use of fireships, as arising from the affair of Basque Roads; the pursuit of their fleet beyond the Equator, and the dispersion of its convoy; the capture and disabling of the transports filled with troops intended to maintain Portuguese domination in Maranham and Parà; the device adopted to obtain the surrender to the _Pedro Primiero_ alone of the enemy's naval and military forces at Maranham; the capitulation of Parà with the ships of war to my summons sent by Captain Grenfell; the deliverance of the Brazilian patriots whom the Portuguese had imprisoned; the declaration of independence by the intermediate provinces thus liberated, and their union with the empire; the appointment of Provisional Governments; the embarkation and final departure of every Portuguese soldier from Brazil; and the enthusiasm with which all my measures--though unauthorised and therefore extra official--- had been received by the people of the Northern provinces, who--thus relieved from the dread of further oppression--had everywhere acknowledged and proclaimed His Imperial Majesty "Constitutional Emperor."
The powers which I had taken upon myself to exercise during this eventful period, were, no doubt; in excess of those conferred by my orders, but, knowing that everything depended upon the annexation and pacification of the Northern provinces by the expulsion of the enemy--setting aside my own interests--I considered it better for the welfare of the empire to exceed my instructions, than to entail the continuance of civil war by confining my operations within their scope. In the exercise of this self-imposed duty it may be said that I had also exercised Imperial functions, but this was only in the unavoidable absence of Imperial instructions, which it was my constant endeavour to anticipate rather than to exceed; that I judged and acted rightly, the elevation to the title of Marquis of Maranhaõ, before reaching Rio de Janeiro--the vote of thanks of the legislature, and the warm acknowledgment of His Imperial Majesty on landing, sufficiently testify. In addition to the gracious reception accorded by His Majesty, I received from his own hands a decoration of the Imperial Order of the Cruizeiro, and, though a foreigner, was subsequently nominated to the high office of Privy Councillor--the greatest honour in the Imperial gift to bestow.