Coutinho (João Gonçalves da Camara)

His appointment as governor and captain-general of Madeira was dated August 19, 1777, and he took office on September 15 of the same year. He made several interesting communications to the central government regarding the indiscipline of the garrison troops, the state of the fortifications, the administration of justice, and other public services. He had a serious conflict with Bishop D. Gaspar Brandão, caused by the arrest of the bachelor Antonio Xavier Pimentel, which was resolved by the interference of the mainland government. This led to extensive correspondence between the minister Martinho de Melo, the governor, and the prelate. Like some of his predecessors, he repeatedly asked the mainland government to precisely determine the powers and jurisdiction of the captains-general to avoid conflicts that sometimes arose between some authorities in this archipelago.