41. Order for the delivery of money to the gatekeeper of the Tangier exchequer

National Archive of Torre do Tombo (Portugal)
Corpo Cronológico, Parte II, mç. 37, doc. 77
SENDER: Pedro Babilão
ADDRESSEE: André Dias
PLACE OF DEPARTURE: Tangier (Morocco)
GENERAL INFORMATION: Dated 1513.

As paper was a constant necessity, this register shows the complex bureaucratic system in force for its supply. In this document, the auditor of the fortress of Tangier (Morocco), Pedro Babilão, orders tax officer André Dias to pay 320 reais to António de Reboredo, gatekeeper of the exchequer, so he could buy one ream of paper. The gatekeeper signed the back of the document to confirm that he had received the money for the purchase. As we have seen elsewhere (see doc. 27 above), Portugal was one of the main gateways for communication, information and trade between the Mediterranean basin, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. The outpost in Tangier was a strategic hub that connected the Mediterranean basin with the Portuguese Atlantic and Indian sea routes.

(Roger Lee de Jesus)