Insurrection was often attempted, especially among the Mohammedan Negroes around Bahia.  In 1695 a tribe of revolted slaves held out for a long time.  In 1719 a widespread conspiracy failed, but many of the leaders fled to the forest.  In 1828 a thousand rose in revolt at Bahia, and again in 1830.  From 1831 to 1837 revolt was in the air, and in 1835 came the great revolt of the Mohammedans, who attempted to enthrone a queen.  The Negroes fought with furious bravery, but were finally defeated.

By 1872 the number of free Negroes had very greatly increased, so that emancipation did not come as a shock.  While Mohammedan Negroes still gave trouble and were in some cases sent back to Africa, yet on the whole emancipation was peaceful, and whites, Negroes, and Indians are to-day amalgamating into a new race.  “At the present moment there is scarcely a lowly or a highly placed federal or provincial official at the head of or within any of the great departments of state that has not more or less Negro or Amer-Indian blood in his veins."[77]

Lord Bryce says, “It is hardly too much to say that along the coast from Rio to Bahia and Pernambuco, as well as in parts of the interior behind these two cities, the black population predominates....  The Brazilian lower class intermarries freely with the black people; the Brazilian middle class intermarries with mulattoes and Quadroons.  Brazil is the one country in the world, besides the Portuguese colonies on the east and west coasts of Africa, in which a fusion of the European and African races is proceeding unchecked by law or custom.  The doctrines of human equality and human solidarity have here their perfect work.  The result is so far satisfactory that there is little or no class friction.  The white man does not lynch or maltreat the Negro; indeed I have never heard of a lynching anywhere in South America except occasionally as part of a political convulsion.  The Negro is not accused of insolence and does not seem to develop any more criminality than naturally belongs to any ignorant population with loose notions of morality and property.

“What ultimate effect the intermixture of blood will have on the European element in Brazil I will not venture to predict.  If one may judge from a few remarkable cases, it will not necessarily reduce the intellectual standard.  One of the ablest and most refined Brazilians I have known had some color; and other such cases have been mentioned to me.  Assumptions and preconceptions must be eschewed, however plausible they may seem."[78]

A Brazilian writer said at the First Races Congress:  “The cooeperation of the metis[79] in the advance of Brazil is notorious and far from inconsiderable.  They played the chief part during many years in Brazil in the campaign for the abolition of slavery.  I could quote celebrated names of more than one of these metis who put themselves at the head of the literary movement.  They fought with firmness