The Armada Rebellion 1893

The Holliday and The Armada Rebellion.

In 1893 erupted the rebellion of the Navy against the recently established republic in Brazil. The Navy was loyal to the ancient monarchy regime, and disagreed with most acts of the provisory government. So, Admiral Luiz Felipe Saldanha da-Gama leaded the rebellion against the government and for many days a constant bombing happened between the land fortresses and the war ships in the Guanabara Bay, forcing all merchant ships to stand off the port at the bottom of the bay. Gama is told to have said " If I were in Brazil when they proclaimed the republic, things wouldn't have happened that way". Four years before in 1889, when the army took the government and exiled the Emperor D.Pedro II and his family, Gama was serving in the U.S.A. as military attache to the embassy of the Brazilian Empire. But the movement didn't result as expected and the government troops defected the rebels after a few time of navy confrontation, with the ships exchanging shots with the land fortresses, and started hunting their leaders. It was told then that James and Elizabeth gave protection to Saldanha da Gama and some of the officials, and kept them in the house's basement, till things get a little more calmer, and even was told that Elizabeth claimed that "government troops won't enter this house unless they face my gun". Later was told that government troops indeed went looking for the rebels in the island but it seems that they weren't there anymore, even this way they wanted James and Elizabeth to come with them to the city in order to make a statement to the army. She refused to leave the island without her children, the two boys, George was eight and Jimny was only one , and ordered the maids to prepare and pack the things. Facing the negative and probably the fact that they were British subjects, the soldiers back off and left.
This version which is known only by the family is supported by a historic version published by the Brazilian writer Rocha Pombo in his 'Brazilian History", vol.lX that says that at a certain moment of the conflicts of the "Armada Rebellion", witch was the name given to this episode, Admiral Saldanha da Gama had completely disappeared and nobody seemed to know were he was, but they know that he would certainly be in one of the islands of the many in Guanabara Bay. Besides this, Patrick Holliday still keeping today, the glass with the name "Luiz Felipe", Gamas first names, and a little cane presented to James and Elizabeth, by Saldanha da Gama.