Title: Portuguese Possessions in Oceania

Description

This book by Affonso de Castro, an infantry captain in the Portuguese Army who served as governor of East Timor (present-day Timor-Leste) from 1859 to 1863, is one of the earliest historical studies of this former Portuguese colony. The work is in two parts. The first part examines the history of East Timor from its occupation by the Portuguese in the 16th century, and recounts Queen Mena's conversion to Christianity and the disputes with the Dutch over the region. In the second part of the study, the author examines the colony’s physical, administrative, and economic conditions, including the issue of the border, which was settled by a treaty between the Portuguese and the Dutch in 1860, dividing the island into two halves.