96 MARTIN RATTLER.

set about improving the condition of the country.
He threw open its ports to all nations, freed the land
from all marks of colonial dependence, established
newspapers, made the press free, and did everything
to promote education and industry. But although
much was done, the good was greatly hindered, especi-
ally in the inland districts, by the vice, ignorance, and
stupidity of many of the Roman Catholic priests, who
totally neglected their duties—which, indeed, they
were incompetent to perform-——-and in many in-
stances were no better than miscreants in disouise,
teaching the people vice instead of virtue.

“ Foremost among the priests who opposed advance-
ment was a descendant of the ‘man of fire.’ Padre
Caramuru dwelt for some years with an English mer-
chant in the capital of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro. The
padre was not an immoral man, but he was a fiery
bigot, and fiercely opposed everything that tended to
advance the education of the people. This he did,
firmly believing that education was dangerous to the
lower orders. His church taught him, too, that the
Bible was a dangerous book, and whenever a copy
fell into his hands he immediately destroyed it.
During the disturbances that took place after the
time of King John’s departure for Portugal, and just

before Brazil became an independent state under his