The brother of the Marquis of Pombal, who had been sent out as Captain-General of _Maranham_ and _Pará_, was no less hostile to the Jesuits than was that minister himself. He either could not see their proceedings fairly, or he was determined to misconstrue their acts. The Fathers were accordingly accused of obstructing the settlement of the border-line in the north as they had been in the south. In consequence of the reports of the governor, two regiments were sent out from Portugal, and the feeling against the Order ran very high; all the old grievances against them being now revived, since it was known that they had such a powerful enemy as well at _Pará_ as at Lisbon. Orders were sent to the governor to deprive all the missionaries of their temporal authority, and to form the most flourishing _Aldeas_ into towns and the smaller ones into villages. It was the desire of Pombal to emancipate the Indians and to blend them with the Portuguese of _Brazil_. With this view, a law was promulgated, abrogating all edicts whatsoever which permitted Indian slavery under any plea, and declaring all Indians in _Pará_ and _Maranham_ to be free, and that henceforth the price of labour should be regulated by the governor and the judicial authorities of _Pará_ and _S. Luiz_. At the date of these edicts there were within the State of _Maranham_ and _Pará_ threescore Indian _Aldeas_, of which five were administered by the _Mercenarios_, twelve by the Carmelites, fifteen by the Capuchins, and twenty-eight by the Jesuits. Not content with seeing the Jesuits deprived of their temporal power in Northern _Brazil_, the Captain-General played into the hands of his brother by stirring up, or listening to, a series of charges against them, to answer which a number of the most able of the Fathers were sent home as State prisoners. The whole body, as indeed were likewise the other Orders interested, were reduced almost to penury by the edict which deprived them of their means of support; and the governor of _Pará_ turned a deaf ear to their reasonable application for assistance from the Treasury. Nothing therefore remained for them but to depart, their places being supplied by secular clergy. With a view the more thoroughly to blend the Indians with the Brazilians, the Captain-General was required to appoint a director for each Indian settlement, taking care that he was versed in the Indian tongue. This director was to act independently as a government agent to see that the authorities carried out the laws, and he was to report to the governor and the Minister of Justice. The King’s chief desire was to Christianize and civilize the people, and to effect this must be the main object of the directors, who were especially charged to establish the use of the Portuguese language. It may be added that in this last respect they were successful, the _Tupi_ language being suppressed.