In my character of Admiral of the Brazilian Navy, Chief of the General Staff and Commander-in-Chief of the Fleet, as well as with the authority of an old sailor, who knows the rules of military and diplomatic pragmatic, I feel very happy in this moment, to speak to you, American sailors, in the name of my Government, of the Brazilian people and of my comrades of the National Navy, in order to salute and give the hearty welcome to Admiral R. Evans, the Commander-in-Chief, Admirals Charles Sperry, Charles Thomas and William Emory, the Captains, Officers and Crews of the powerful North American fleet that entered the day before yesterday in the harbour of Rio. I beg then to avail myself of this fine opportunity, when we are just gathered at the summit of Corcovado, at 800 metres above the level of the sea, to present the warmest demonstration of sympathy and friendship towards our brothers of the great Navy of the United States of America, as a general and sincere greeting spontaneously born from the core of the Brazilian's hearts. The real proof of this true assertion of mine you have just met during the solemn occasion of the triumphal entrance of your brilliant fleet, the most efficient naval strength, up to the present, that has ever been seen crossing this side of the Atlantic Ocean and getting into waters of the bay of Guanabara. Indeed, it was such an important naval scene, such a splendid maritime spectacle, that the whole of the population in Rio, of all ages, chiefly belonging to the fair sex could not avoid going out their houses to crowd the neighbourhoods of the harbour, the hills and islands around it, and all other points of view from the city of Rio and the Nictheroy side, in order to greet the passage of the American fleet and to better appreciate the interesting display of her manoeuvres. So, I may assure you, gentlemen, with my experience of a sea man, that the splendor of the scenery just alluded to, in combination with the singular and natural beauties of the bay of Guanabara, in which you were fraternally received with open arms, by the mild people all classes of our society, was of the sort of those fairy things impossible to be described, written or spoken about. Yes, gentlemen, the peaceful commission of your fleet waving the star spangled banner of the great Republic of the United States of America around this continent of ours and training the crews of her men-of-war across the largest and deepest oceans, is certainly an act of very right naval policy, chiefly on the behalf of order and discipline of industry, labor and trade, of diplomacy and fraternal comity, and, at last, it means an exchange of civilisation amongst the peoples of the several countries of the young, immense and futurous continent of both Americas.