congratulations upon our safe arrival! but the commander of the brig was
disagreeably undeceived by finding himself upon the deck of a Brazilian
ship. The despatches put me in possession of the enemy's plans and
intentions, and from them I learned that some reinforcements had already
reached, independent of those which had been intercepted in the recent
chase; thus shewing the great importance attached by Portugal to the
preservation of the wealthy and influential province of Maranham.

To the surprise of Captain Garcaõ--now a prisoner of war--I offered to
release him and his vessel on condition of his carrying sealed letters
to the Governor and Junta in the city--a proposition gladly accepted.
Previous to his departure--by a fiction held justifiable in war, and,
indeed, necessary under our peculiar circumstances, as having only a
single ship to reduce a province--he was duly impressed by the relation
of an imaginary number of vessels of war in the offing, accompanied by
transports filled with troops, which the superior sailing of the
flagship had enabled her to outstrip. Captain Garcaõ being a seaman and
well able to judge as to the sailing qualities of the _Pedro Primiero_,
was easily impressed with this story, and returned to the city with
intelligence of an irresistible force about to disembark for its
reduction.

My letters to the Governor and Junta were to the same effect; for--as
before noticed--having only a single ship, it was necessary to impress
on their imagination--that a fleet and army were at hand to add the
province to Brazil. As this is the only instance within my knowledge of
a military force surrendering itself and the province which it defended,
to a stratagem of this nature, I shall append the documents by which a
result so desirable was effected.