As soon as he could decide on anything, he determined to take his throne
and his crown back to Portugal, whence he had brought them fourteen years
before, leaving his son Pedro--young, ardent, and popular--to take care of
Brazil in his stead.
But the people were not satisfied to let him go until he had given his
royal warrant to the new constitution, and just before he was ready to
depart a crowd gathered round the palace, demanding that he should give
his assent to the charter of the people's rights. He had never read it,
and likely knew very little what it was about, but he signed what they
asked for, all the same, and then made haste on shipboard, leaving Prince
Pedro as regent, and as glad to get away from his _loyal_ Brazilians as he
had once before been to get away from Junot and his Frenchmen.
Brazil again became a colony of Portugal, but it was not long to remain
so. The Cortes of Portugal grew anxious to milk the colonial cow, and
passed laws to bring Brazil again under despotic control. One of these
required the young prince to leave Brazil.
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