Câmara (Paulo Perestrelo da)
Biography of Paulo Perestrelo da Câmara (1810–1854), a Funchal-born man of letters who lived in Lisbon and Brazil and wrote prolifically, including a short account of Madeira and a geographical dictionary criticised for its errors.
Life and works
He was born in Funchal in 1810 and died in the city of Rio de Janeiro on 4 February 1854. We have little information for his biography. We know only, from the testimony of Inocêncio Francisco da Silva, who dealt with Perestrelo da Câmara in person for years, that he lived for a long time in Lisbon and that in 1841 he sailed for Brazil. He returned from there in 1853 and, after a short stay in Europe, went back once more to Rio de Janeiro, where he died a few months later.
He devoted himself to a literary career and, as Dr Álvaro de Azevedo observes, ‘wrote no little, but in haste and perhaps from memory; for that reason the form of his works is neglected and inaccuracies are frequent. The author of the Diccionario Bibliographico Portuguez, in many places in his work, points out numerous errors and shortcomings in the writings of Perestrelo da Câmara, especially in the Diccionario geographico, historico, politico, etc., which would have been a very useful work had its compilation shown more diligence and more care in the study of the subjects it treats.
Nevertheless, Paulo Perestrelo da Câmara cannot be denied talent, learning, a capacity for work and a clear aptitude for literary pursuits. Among the works he published are the following:
- Descripção Geral de Lisboa..., Lisbon, 1839, iv + 190 pp.
- Breve Noticia sobre a Ilha da Madeira, Lisbon, 1841, 136 pp.
- Novo tratado de arithmetica comercial..., Rio de Janeiro, 1846, vi + 324 pp.
- Collecção de proverbios, adagios, anexins, sentenças moraes e idiotismos da lingua portugueza, Rio de Janeiro, 1848, vi + 288 pp.
- Grammatica das grammaticas da lingua Portuguêza, Rio de Janeiro
- Diccionario geographico, historico, politico..., Rio de Janeiro, 1850, vols I and II, 495 and 612 pp.
and others besides.
In this article
Time
Years mentioned · 06-
Paulo Perestrelo da Câmara was born in Funchal.
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Paulo Perestrelo da Câmara published Descripção Geral de Lisboa.
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Paulo Perestrelo da Câmara sailed for Brazil and published Breve Noticia sobre a Ilha da Madeira in Lisbon.
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Paulo Perestrelo da Câmara's Diccionario geographico, historico, politico was published in Rio de Janeiro.
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Paulo Perestrelo da Câmara returned briefly from Brazil to Europe.
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Paulo Perestrelo da Câmara died in Rio de Janeiro.
Place
Places mentioned · 04
Abroad
- Brazil
Country to which he emigrated in 1841.
Brazil is recorded in the Elucidário as a chief destination of Madeiran emigrants, including several clergy and writers. It was also a market for Madeira wine and brandy and a maker of wickerwork from Madeiran osiers. It was linked to Madeira by the 1874 telegraph cable and is the native country of the araçá.
- Funchal
Birthplace of Perestrelo da Câmara.
The capital of the archipelago and seat of the principal captaincy, where settlement began; it was made a vila c.1451–52. Its bay, the widest in the archipelago, lies between Ponta do Garajau and Ponta da Cruz and offers sheltered anchorage, though its harbour had never been studied oceanographically. The Elucidário discusses it as a health resort with climate data and records the January 1906 disturbances, the Danish prince's visit in May 1846 and recent volcanic cones in the area.
- Lisbon
Portugal. City where he lived for a long time and published early works.
The Portuguese capital, seat of the Relação court and of the Misericórdia whose privileges and statutes were extended to Funchal. Henrique Franco de Sousa studied at its Royal Academy of Fine Arts, and Luiz José Baiardo moved there in 1821.
- Rio de Janeiro
Brazil. City where he lived, published several works and died.
Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil, appears in the Elucidário as the seat of the Portuguese court and as a city where many Madeirans lived, studied, taught, published and died. Among them were Paulo Perestrelo da Câmara, João de Oliveira Sá Camelo Lampreia and João da Silveira Caldeira, who headed the Mint there.
People
People mentioned · 03- Paulo Perestrelo da Câmara1810–1854
Funchal-born writer (1810–1854) who lived in Lisbon and Rio de Janeiro and published works on Lisbon, Madeira, arithmetic, proverbs, grammar and geography.
- Álvaro Rodrigues de Azevedo1825–1898
Madeiran scholar quoted for his judgement that Perestrelo da Câmara wrote hastily and inaccurately.
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Author of the Diccionario Bibliographico Portuguez, who knew Perestrelo da Câmara personally and pointed out errors in his writings.