Subject: Brazil

This 24-page book, printed in Lisbon in 1649, contains the statutes of the Portuguese General Trade Company of Brazil. Established after Portugal's independence, the company aimed to promote trade between Portugal and its Brazilian colony, utilizing the financial resources and networks of New Christians (converted Jews). Its creation was advised by Father António Vieira to revitalize the Portuguese economy, particularly in the face of Dutch competition. The company's establishment and privileges faced criticism from the Christian clergy due to the involvement of New Christians and concerns about its implications for religious orthodoxy.

A one-page letter written by José Silvestre Rebello in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Professor Joshua Cohen in Baltimore, Maryland, on July 12, 1838. Rebello requests that two barrels of sugar be given to a Mr. Nathan in Washington, D.C., for the benefit of Josephine Cohn (Cohen), an orphan under Nathan's wife's care. Rebello explains that he would send more but is financially constrained by the current government.

This 38-page pamphlet, printed in London by John Gain for Randal Taylor in 1680, details the testimony of Francisco de Faria, interpreter and secretary to the Portuguese ambassador. De Faria's sworn statements relate to the Popish Plot, a supposed Catholic conspiracy to overthrow the English government. The pamphlet includes a title page and two pages of preface. It was originally possibly bound with, and removed from, *Memorial Toward the Discovery of the Bottom of this Popifh-PLOT*. This copy was sold in pieces and purchased separately. This pamphlet offers biographical information about de Faria, who was born in Pernambuco, Brazil in 1653 to Jewish parents, and details his travels and linguistic abilities.

This archival collection contains three letters exchanged between brothers Manuel Brandão Pantoja and André Aguilar Pantoja between circa 1648 and 1650. The letters detail aspects of the sugar trade in Bahia, Brazil, during a period of conflict with Dutch forces. They provide insights into the operation of sugar plantations (engenhos), the individuals involved in the trade, and the presence of Jewish merchants who had fled the Inquisition. The collection also includes an eighteenth-century archive of seven genealogical documents on the Gouvea, Brandão, and Pantoja families, along with a typescript transcription of the three letters (approximately 50 pages). The original letters are manuscripts on paper, comprising 22 leaves. The materials are unbound and preserved in a modern archival folder. Folio (32.2 x 33.1 cm.), modern gray archival folding case. Occasional minor staining is present. The final page of the third letter has a repaired loss affecting several words. There is some weakness along folds in parts of the genealogical material.

This trade card for "Portuguese Joe Silva Mendes & Neves," located at Nº 1 Palace Square in Rio de Janeiro, advertises the business as provision merchants, shipping grocers, and general dealers. The card features elegant, ornate script for the main business name and services, with "Portuguese Joe" presented in a different, more gothic-style font. **3.