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João Da Ascensão, O. F. M. and the Cultivation of Cinnamon and Pepper in Brazil

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 December 2015

Achilles Meersman O.F.M.*
Affiliation:
Bangalore, India

Extract

In the days Portugal held sway over vast territories in Africa and in both the East and the West Indies, she made valuable contributions towards the development of these lands, not the least being the introduction of certain domestic animals, plants, both nutritional, and medicinal, and trees. Any number of plants or special strains were transported from East to West and vice-versa. Some of them have thrived so well in alien soil that today they are considered indigenous.

Type
Documents
Copyright
Copyright © Academy of American Franciscan History 1967

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References

1 Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino, India, Documentos Avulsos, Maço 9. When I ran across the documents I only made a number of notes. Subsequently Fernando Félix Lopes, O. F. M., of Lisbon was so kind as to send me a copy for which I herewith wish to express my thanks.

2 Clemente de S. Iria, O.F.M., Noticia do que obrarão os Frades de S. Francisco, Filhos da Provincia do Apostolo S. Thomé … depois que paçavão a esta India Oriental, pub. by A. da Silva Rego, Documentação para a Historia das Missões do Padroado Português do Oriente, V (Lisboa, 1951), 411. In the above we read João da Assumpção instead of João Da Ascensão. This obviously is a mistake of the copyist. From the context it is clear that the latter is indicated.

* Translation by Achilles Meersman.

3 There were two Franciscan Provinces in India, St. Thomas and the Mother of God. João da Ascensão belonged to that of St. Thomas, since he worked in the missions around Quilon which belonged to that Province.

4 Conselho Ultramarino, Council for Overseas Territories, Lisbon.

5 He must have been the Commissary and Visitor of the Missions around Quilon only and not of all the Missions of the Province.

6 The best cinnamon is grown in Ceylon. It also grows in Malabar but is of an inferior quality. Dalgado, S.R., Glossario Luso-Asiatico (Coimbra, 1919), I, 201.Google Scholar

7 Malabar was and is famous for the quality and quantity of pepper it produces. Dalgado, II, 211.

8 Dom Pedro II, King of Portugal, 1667–1706.

9 Dom João V, King of Portugal, 1706–1750.

10 Dom Caetano de Melo e Castro, Viceroy, 1702–1707.

11 José de S. Maria, O. F. M., Provincial of the Indian Province of St. Thomas, 1703–1706.

12 The Travancore Coast was that part of the Malabar Coast which ran from Quilon to Cape Comorin or Kanniyakumari.

13 João da Asensão may then have been lodged with the Friars, T. O. R., who in Lisbon maintained an Academia de Sciencias, famous throughout the country. Perhaps due to his knowledge of tropical plants he may have become acquainted with them and then decided to remain with them till his case was decided.