ABSTRACT
For ten years the African slave trade was a standing cause for friction between the two countries. Great Britain had closed her territory to the traffic and labored to get other nations to do likewise. She was moved partly by regard for the rights of the black man, partly by the desire to rid herself of the serious competition caused by unlimited cheap slave labor in other countries. In 1826, the British government had secured recognition of Brazilian independence by various states, including Portugal. In return, the Brazilian authorities had signed a treaty pledging abolition of the African slave trade. The treaty was to go into effect within three years after ratification and was to run for fifteen years. Unfortunately, the arrangement conflicted with the Brazilian view that economic welfare depended upon importation from Africa, since only thus could cheap labor be secured. Hence, it caused bitter resentment.3
