Chapter Three - Reclamação Do Brasil: Paving The Way for Independence Without Supporting It

Summary

Reclamação do Brasil comprises a series of fifteen issues, published between January and May 1822, that discuss subjects related to the deterioration of relations between Portugal and Brazil during the lead-up to independence in September of the same year. Researchers such as Vianna and Lustosa only had access to the first fourteen of these issues from the archives of the Biblioteca Nacional. During my archival research, a hitherto unanalysed fifteenth issue dated from 31 May has been found in the Biblioteca Brasiliana.

The series is signed ‘Fiel à Nação’, meaning Loyal to the Nation, a pseudonym Silva Lisboa also used in other publications, and comprise three to four pages each. They were printed by the ‘Tipografia Nacional’ and the series is followed by six pamphlets: one edition of Defesa da Reclamação do Brasil, four issues of Memorial Apologético das Reclamações do Brasil and one issue of Falsidade do Correio e do Revérbero contra o Escritor das Reclamações do Brasil. They will be discussed separately.

Because most of them are undated, ascertaining the periodicity of the issues of Reclamação has been challenging, nevertheless Vianna claims that the first issue was published on the day of the Fico, 9 January 1822, and had an impact on this event:

Atendido pelo Príncipe D. Pedro o pedido do povo, tendo os componentes da Camara Municipal voltado a seu pa.o, subiu a um monte de pedras existente perto do consistório da igreja do Rosário, à rua da vala (hoje Uruguaiana), o jovem Inocêncio da Rocha Maciel, filho do líder político e ma..nico José Joaquim da Rocha, e em voz alta, leu à multid.o entusiasmada o conteúdo do referido exemplar.

[Having the Prince D. Pedro accepted the request of the people, and the members of the City Council returned to their palace, the young Inocêncio da Rocha Maciel, son of the politician and masonic leader José Joaquim da Rocha, climbed up a pile of stones near the consistory of the Church of the Rosary, on Rua da Vala (today Uruguaiana) and read aloud to the enthusiastic crowd the contents of the aforementioned publication.]

Vianna assumed the last issue was number 14, which is dated 23 March, but was in fact published on 23 May 1822. This is known because Silva Lisboa comments in its epigraph on a famous speech given by Joaquim Gon.alves Ledo on 20 May 1822.