Abstract
Recent historiography on administrative practices in Portuguese America has dedicated itself to institutions and those in charge of enforcing justice in different regions and captaincies. A territory conquered by the Portuguese remains, however, virtually untapped. The aim of this work is to analyze the administration of justice in French Guiana between 1809 and 1817, when this territory was under Portuguese occupation. Considered by Dom João VI as one of his “Countries”, Guiana was governed by two Portuguese agents, and it was under the control of the Grão-Pará captaincy. Through a comparison between the French and Portuguese colonial legal structures, we seek to analyze the adaptations the Portuguese promoted in order to ensure the good government of justice in Guyana, since, as stipulated by the capitulation, the French Civil Code remained in force in the colony. The article also highlights the role played by João Severiano Maciel da Costa as intendant of Guyana. The study utilizes administrative documents preserved in the National Archive of Rio de Janeiro (AN), the National Library (BN), the Historical Archive of Itamaraty (AHI), the French Overseas Archive (ANOM) and the Departmental Archive of Guyana (ADG).
Keywords
French Guiana; administration; justice