This article focuses on contraband in the eighteenth century, with special reference to Rio de Janeiro and the South Atlantic. It discusses not merely the mechanics of contraband and the participants in this illegal trade, but the many factors that contributed to Portuguese metropolitan and colonial measures to curb clandestine trade. I am particularly intrigued by the degree to which such measures represented a compromise between different interests. The role of the monarch, the integrity or malleability of royal authority, the latitude in enforcement of such legislation and the range of penalties imposed on infractors raise questions as to what constituted legal or illegal actions, as well as broader issues of ethics and public morality in colonial Brazil.
contraband trade; mentalities; mercantilism