1737. Carta de Francisco Afonso Barbosa para Francisco Carnoto Vilas Boas.

Private letter from Francisco Afonso Barbosa to Francisco Carnoto Vilas Boas

The author excuses himself for not paying a debt; he explains that the drought forced him to stop his sugar mill.

This is one of the four letters found in the proceedings of Francisco Carnoto Vilas Boas, after libeling Francisco Afonso Barbosa due to a debt collection. Around 1735, Francisco Afonso Barbosa, a business man and a "familiar" of the Holy Office, borrowed money to Colonel Manuel de Brito Casado through his friend, Francisco Carnoto Vilas Boas. Manuel de Brito Casado sent him 4380 “réis” and Francisco Carnoto Vilas Boas paid the Colonel the total amount. However, not trusting that Francisco Afonso Barbosa would be punctual in his payment, he sent him a letter, in November 1736, ordering to pay his debt (PSCR1518). Francisco Afonso Barbosa answered in that same letter, reassuring his punctuality in the payment (PSCR1519). Nonetheless, he kept giving numerous excuses to delay the payment, as can be seen in the other two letters. In one of the letters, addressed to Francisco Carnoto Vilas Boas, he complaints that the drought damaged his production (PSCR1516). In the second letter, addressed to Colonel Manuel de Brito Casado (PSCR1517), he demands that boats of wood be sent to him since his sugar cane mill is out of order and, therefore, he cannot sell his sugar canes. Despite the evidences, Fernando Afonso Barbosa deliberately postponed the payments. The proceeding was started in 1736 but only ended in 1781, when all the intervenors had passed away.