Editing Pedro II of Brazil (section)

=== Clash with the British Empire ===
{{see also|Christie Question}}
[[File:Familia imperial 1861.jpg|thumb|upright=1.8|alt=Photograph showing a group of men and women standing at the foot of stairs leading up to a white house with dark shutters|Pedro&nbsp;II at age 35 along with his wife and daughters visiting a farm in southern [[Minas Gerais]] province, 1861]]
At the end of 1859, Pedro&nbsp;II departed on a trip to provinces north of the capital, visiting [[Espírito Santo]], [[Bahia]], [[Sergipe]], [[Alagoas]], [[Pernambuco]], and [[Paraíba]]. He returned in February 1860 after four months. The trip was a huge success, with the Emperor welcomed everywhere with warmth and joy.<ref>See:
* {{harvnb|Lira 1977, Vol 1|pp=200–207}},
* {{harvnb|Carvalho|2007|pp=138–141}},
* {{harvnb|Barman|1999|p=188}}.</ref> The first half of the 1860s saw peace and prosperity in Brazil. [[Civil liberties]] were maintained.{{sfn|Lira 1977, Vol 1|p=200}}{{sfn|Barman|1999|p=192}} [[Freedom of speech]] had existed since Brazil's independence and was strongly defended by Pedro&nbsp;II.{{sfn|Carvalho|2007|p=84}}{{sfn|Besouchet|1993|p=508}} He found newspapers from the capital and from the provinces an ideal way to keep track of public opinion and the nation's overall situation.{{sfn|Carvalho|2007|p=79}} Another means of monitoring the Empire was through direct contacts with his subjects. One opportunity for this was during regular Tuesday and Saturday public audiences, where anyone of any social class, including slaves, could gain admittance and present their petitions and stories.<ref>See:
* {{harvnb|Olivieri|1999|p=27}},
* {{harvnb|Barman|1999|p=180}},
* {{harvnb|Carvalho|2007|p=94}}.</ref> Visits to schools, colleges, prisons, exhibitions, factories, barracks, and other public appearances presented further opportunities to gather first-hand information.{{sfn|Barman|1999|p=184}}

This tranquility temporarily disappeared when the British consul in Rio de Janeiro, [[William Dougal Christie]], nearly sparked a war between his nation and Brazil. Christie sent an [[ultimatum]] containing bullying demands arising out of two minor incidents at the end of 1861 and beginning of 1862. The first was the sinking of a British merchant [[barque]] on the coast of Rio Grande do Sul after which its goods were pillaged by local inhabitants. The second was the arrest of a group of drunken British sailors who were causing a disturbance in the streets of Rio.<ref>See:
* {{harvnb|Calmon|1975|p=678}},
* {{harvnb|Lira 1977, Vol 1|p=27}},
* {{harvnb|Carvalho|2007|p=103}}.</ref>

The Brazilian government refused to yield, and Christie [[Gunboat diplomacy|issued orders for British warships]] to capture Brazilian merchant vessels as indemnity.<ref>See:
* {{harvnb|Lira 1977, Vol 1|p=208}},
* {{harvnb|Calmon|1975|pp=678–681}},
* {{harvnb|Carvalho|2007|p=104}}.</ref> Brazil prepared for what was seen as an imminent conflict. Pedro&nbsp;II was the main reason for Brazil's resistance; he rejected any suggestion of yielding.{{sfn|Barman|1999|p=191}}{{sfn|Lira 1977, Vol 1|p=209}} This response came as a surprise to Christie, who changed his tenor and proposed a peaceful settlement through international arbitration.<ref>See:
* {{harvnb|Calmon|1975|p=685}},
* {{harvnb|Lira 1977, Vol 1|p=210}},
* {{harvnb|Carvalho|2007|p=105}}.</ref> The Brazilian government presented its demands and, upon seeing the British government's position weaken, severed diplomatic ties with Britain in June 1863.{{sfn|Carvalho|2007|p=105}}{{sfn|Lira 1977, Vol 1|p=211}}