King Manuel merely reaped the rewards of the previous reign. His detailed analysis of Caminha's letter is noteworthy. After refuting the hypothesis of inauthenticity that was circulating at the time, Capistrano conducts his first analysis of the narrative structure, categorising it as follows: fast-forward to the discovery; a description of the initial contact with the indigenous people; a relatively minor emphasis of Mass, although he acknowledges the influence of Friar Henrique; new descriptions of the indigenous people; and comparisons between the opposing cultures. He offered a positive assessment of Caminha's narrative talent, appreciating the quantitative information and the praise of nature, while also emphasising his sympathy and favourable opinion of the indigenous people. The limitation he identifies in the scribe's text is the absence of astronomical data, which is crucial for navigation in the prevailing conditions and in largely uncharted areas.

Another classic text of colonial historiography is the concluding balance in the book Capítulos de história colonial, titled "três séculos depois" [three Centuries Later]. In it, Capistrano de Abreu perceives in 1808 an absence of... a "national and even capitanial spirit", with the country being characterised by fragmentation in a multitude of different areas. According to him, the situation would change with the transfer of the Court, which is why he maintained a positive view of King John VI. In 1808, he stated that there were "five ethnographic groups, united by an active community of language and a passive community of religion, shaped by the environmental conditions of five different regions. They exhibited great enthusiasm for the natural riches of the land and felt aversion or contempt for the Portuguese, yet did not hold any particular disdain for one another — this is the result of three centuries of history."

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