Reclamação do Brasil comprises a series of fifteen issues, published between January and May 1822, that discuss subjects related to the deterioration of relations between Portugal and Brazil during the lead-up to independence in September of the same year. Researchers such as Vianna and Lustosa only had access to the first fourteen of these issues from the archives of the Biblioteca Nacional. During my archival research, a hitherto unanalysed fifteenth issue dated from 31 May has been found in the Biblioteca Brasiliana.

The series is signed ‘Fiel à Nação’, meaning Loyal to the Nation, a pseudonym Silva Lisboa also used in other publications, and comprise three to four pages each. They were printed by the ‘Tipografia Nacional’ and the series is followed by six pamphlets: one edition of Defesa da Reclamação do Brasil, four issues of Memorial Apologético das Reclamações do Brasil and one issue of Falsidade do Correio e do Revérbero contra o Escritor das Reclamações do Brasil. They will be discussed separately.

Because most of them are undated, ascertaining the periodicity of the issues of Reclamação has been challenging, nevertheless Vianna claims that the first issue was published on the day of the Fico, 9 January 1822, and had an impact on this event:

Vianna assumed the last issue was number 14, which is dated 23 March, but was in fact published on 23 May 1822. This is known because Silva Lisboa comments in its epigraph on a famous speech given by Joaquim Gon.alves Ledo on 20 May 1822.