Paranhos began to write articles in support of Brazil's proactive foreign policy, which brought him close to the ruling Conservative party.[33] The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paulino Soares de Sousa (later the Viscount of Uruguai),[40] appointed the Conservative Party's main leader, Honório Hermeto Carneiro Leão (later the Marquis of Paraná),[41] as a special plenipotentiary diplomat for the Platine region.[33] Unexpectedly, Carneiro Leão decided to take Paranhos as his secretary, passing over the more experienced members of Brazil's diplomatic corps. On 23 October 1851, both departed for Montevideo, the Uruguayan capital.[42]