Class, Creed and Colour in Administration

Abstract

The Compromissos of the Misericórdia of Lisbon were followed by the overseas branches of the brotherhood. The living conditions in the settlements of Portuguese in Asia, Africa and Brazil differed markedly from those in the mother country. The social structure of these communities and the relations of the Portuguese with other ethnic groups and followers of other creeds, varied from country to country. The branches of the Misericórdia in Gôa and Macao made their own Compromissos to cater for local conditions. It has been seen that the Misericórdia of Bahia did not formulate its own Compromisso, but boards of guardians often found it necessary to interpret, rather than follow blindly, the clauses of the statutes of Lisbon. In this respect the archives of the Misericórdia afford a fascinating insight into the more elusive and least tangible aspects of Brazilian history — the infrastructure of society and the ethnic and religious stresses and strains present in colonial Bahia.