ABSTRACT
The embarkation was attended with great confusion. Many difficulties were encountered during the voyage. A storm split up the fleet. Overcrowded ships fell short of food and water. An infestation of lice required the women to shave their heads. On January 22, 1808, part of the fleet in which the prince regent traveled reached Bahia. When Dom Joao came ashore at Salvador, he was the first crowned European ruler to put his foot on the soil of the New World. His short stay in Salvador was memorable for the transaction of an important item of official business. Conscious that commercial links with Portugal were now cut off as a result of the French military occupation of the country and Britain's decision to impose a retaliatory naval blockade of Portuguese ports, the prince regent issued a decree on January 28, opening the ports ofBrazil to trade with friendly nations. The measure was momentous in that it signified the official end of the mercantilist system that had endured for three centuries. The fact that British merchants stood to gain most from a relaxation of barriers to trade made the decision appear as a payment for British naval assistance in facilitating the evacuation from Portugal. While Dom Joao was grateful for British aid, his decision to open the ports was largely an emergency response that was influenced by the pressing need to raise revenue from customs duties and prevent local merchants from resorting to smuggling on a large scale. Moreover, the measure was pleasing to local Brazilian interests, especially those that produced sugar and cotton for the export trade.
