1546. Carta de Francisco Dias para Bartolomeu Garcia.

Private letter from Francisco Dias to Bartolomeu Garcia.

The author gives some news about private issues.

The defendant in this process is António Fernandes, arrested by the Inquisition in 1548. In 1546, António Fernandes, knight of the Infante, pilot and factor, arrived at the São Domingos river (Cacheu, Guiné), at the port of Bugendo, and, pretending to be empowered by the Holy Office for this purpose, arrested Manuel Garcia, the previous factor, seizing all his properties. Manuel Garcia denounced António Fernandes, since in fact the latter had no power to arrest him, and presented among his witnesses the authors and the recipient of the letters PSCR1207 to PSCR1210 (Francisco Dias, Diogo Lopes and Bartolomeu Garcia). António Fernandes, for his part, presented these letters to demonstrate the bonds of friendship between the denouncer and these witnesses, whom he claims to be his enemies. He therefore intended to invalidate their statements. António Fernandes also presented the letters PSCR1211 and PSCR1212, which he himself had sent to Pedro Carrilho, to demonstrate that there was a conflict between them and, thus, annul the unfavorable testimony of Pedro Carrilho. Once these two letters were analysed, it was concluded that, in addition to the handwritting of the envelopes possibly not corresponding to the body of the letter, they had been written after Pedro Carrilho testified against António Fernandes, and therefore they were not considered. In the process of António Fernandes, it is alleged, among other accusations, that, a few days before he arrived at Cacheu, Manuel Garcia had been involved in fights with a bombard with a man named João Álvares Chaquinho, and had killed three white men and a local citizen, and a black gentlewoman and other people. Besides, he had risen and had broken the king's deal. Nevertheless, as António Fernandes was not empowered by the Holy Office to arrest Manuel Garcia, in December 1548 he himself was sentenced to two years of exile, and he was given orders to hand over the properties that he had seized.