During his years in France, David Lopes was able to participate in the cultural and scientific research environment in history and topics of Eastern interest that dominated that country. His works Extracts from the Conquest of Yemen (1892), the Chronicle of Zinadim and the History of the Portuguese in Malabar (1898) date from this period. In order to contextualise them, it was necessary to carry out a careful study of Portuguese chronicles and archival documents in Portugal and other European countries. The research resulted in the collection of numerous examples of the expansion of the Portuguese language in territories where the peoples corresponded and dialogued with other foreigners, such as the Dutch and English. The publication of Chronica dos reis Bisnaga, its translation by Robert Sewell and extensive correspondence with Ronald Ferguson led to the publication of Cartas de Rajá Singa II, rei de Cândia, aos holandeses (1636-1660) (Letters from Rajá Singa II, King of Candia, to the Dutch), Boletim da Sociedade de Geografia de Lisboa (1907), in which the Sinhalese monarch corresponded in Portuguese with the Dutch. At the same time, David Lopes continued his research in this area, collecting numerous sources on trips to Paris, London and the Netherlands. It was only in 1936 that he published A expansão da Língua Portuguesa no Oriente nos séculos XVI, XVII e XVIII (The Expansion of the Portuguese Language in the East in the 16th, 17th and 18th Centuries).

Upon reaching retirement age in 1937, David Lopes was replaced by Joaquim de Abreu Figanier (1898-1962), who taught at the Faculdade de Letras [School of Arts and Humanities] until 1945. That year, a university reform moved the teaching of Arabic and Sanskrit to the Colonial Higher School (later renamed the Higher Institute of Overseas Studies and then the Higher Institute of Social and Political Sciences). With the reduction in his salary, Joaquim Figanier had to apply for a position as a French teacher in secondary education, but he agreed to continue collaborating with the Institute. He maintained the same research topics and methodology as David Lopes. He was the author of an extensive bibliography and, among many works, published the History of Santa Cruz de Cabo de Gué (Agadir) 1505-1541 (1945).

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