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EARLY BELGIAN COLONIAL EFFORTS - The University of Texas at ...

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Under Fontaine the colony deterior<strong>at</strong>ed rapidly. He was accused <strong>of</strong> underpaying<br />

the colonists for their work so as to drive them out <strong>of</strong> the colony in order to sell their<br />

land. He did in fact sell some <strong>of</strong> the colony’s land to a group <strong>of</strong> German colonists. 303 He<br />

seems to have been involved in smuggling, misusing its st<strong>at</strong>us as a colony to import<br />

goods into the colony without paying import duties. Lastly, Fontaine is alleged to have<br />

sold one <strong>of</strong> the two ships provided by the Belgian government for the colony. 304 He was<br />

arrested by the Brazilian government and accused <strong>of</strong> theft and smuggling. 305 He<br />

immedi<strong>at</strong>ely fled to Belgium. 306<br />

<strong>The</strong> colony was visited by Consul Charles Sheridan, who reported on the<br />

wretched condition <strong>of</strong> the colony and the colonists. 307 As a result <strong>of</strong> Sheridan’s report,<br />

Gustave LeBon took over as the head <strong>of</strong> colony, and he proceeded to seek and gain the<br />

help <strong>of</strong> the neighboring communities <strong>of</strong> Blumenthau and Joinville, containing mostly<br />

German colonists. 308 In the middle <strong>of</strong> 1847 chargé d’affaires Auguste van der Str<strong>at</strong>en<br />

Ponthoz reported to the foreign <strong>of</strong>fice th<strong>at</strong> the colony was, for all practical purposes, no<br />

longer existed. 309 After LeBon departed, the colony was left to the care <strong>of</strong> Henry<br />

Schutel, who appears to have done absolutely nothing; <strong>at</strong> this point the colony became<br />

303 Ficker, 19.<br />

304 Marsalis, 130.<br />

305 <strong>The</strong> entire crew <strong>of</strong> the Jan Van Eyck was also imprisoned although it is doubtful they were<br />

aware <strong>of</strong> the viol<strong>at</strong>ions.<br />

306 He wrote a report exculp<strong>at</strong>ing himself entitled Rapport sur la situ<strong>at</strong>ion de la Colonie Belge.<br />

Ficker, 28.<br />

307 “…however the new chargé d' affairés from Belgium in Rio, Baron Auguste van der Str<strong>at</strong>en-<br />

Ponthoz, sent a letter about the m<strong>at</strong>ter to the Foreign Minister in Brussels, severely critical <strong>of</strong> Van Lede.”,<br />

“...ficou resolvido, porém o novo Cfargé d' Afâaircé da Bélgica no Rio, Barão Auguste van<br />

der Str<strong>at</strong>en-Ponthoz, enviou um <strong>of</strong>ício sobre o assunto ao Ministro em Bruxellas, levantando as<br />

mais severas críticas contra Van Lede”, Str<strong>at</strong>en-Ponthoz to d’H<strong>of</strong>fschmidt, 22 May 184(5?). Ficker,<br />

22.<br />

308 Tschudi, 110 and 130-132.<br />

146

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