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Considered the most influential Western painter of the nineteenth century in the East, George Chinnery (1772–1852) lived in Macau for 27 years, a period during which he produced some of his most notable works. Through five testimonies from those who lived with him in Macau, from his arrival in 1825 until his death in 1852, a physical and psychological portrait of the English painter is traced.

This article explores the diary of an American merchant's wife written in 1853 during a voyage between the USA and China in 1853. Beyond the incidents of the long round trip, the diary also addresses the period of approximately two months that the couple spent in Macao. This type of intimate record was rare among women and was only made public some 200 years after it was written. The document provides not only information on the physical aspects of the cities of Canton and Macao, but also portrays the social fabric, including the interaction of the foreign community with the local population. As an unpublished manuscript, Sarah's Diary holds exceptional historical value. Being the only known account of its kind to date about life in Macao in the early years of the second half of the nineteenth century, it is an essential source of information for understanding the reality of the region during a period marked by multiple diplomatic initiatives and intense commercial exchanges between Asia and the West.

This work aims to provide a reading of Henrique de Senna Fernandes's *Os Dores* and, through his writing, to reveal a vision of the city of Macao and Macanese society at a time when personal and social relations were governed by social standing and stratification, as well as by the relations—or the lack thereof—between the Christian city and the Chinese city, which, side by side, teemed with life. Nevertheless, an individuality prevailed, interspersed here and there with cross-cultural relations that defied the dictates of the time and proved that such relations were possible, should one so wish. The richness of the author's writing is also highlighted, immersing us in the settings and moments of the characters' lives as though we too were part of the narrative.

Cópia.

Patronato Real

Inclui: 1802, Abril 9, Lisboa Parecer do procurador da coroa. João António Salter de Mendonça, acerca do memorial do padre António Álvares sobre o Real Padroado da Coroa de Portugal. (fls. 12-13v.)

This article analyzes the transition of the religious and geopolitical landscape in Japan at the turn of the seventeenth century, marked by the end of the Catholic monopoly and the arrival of the first Protestant Europeans. For fifty years, the Christian presence was perceived by the Japanese authorities as a unified bloc, despite tensions between the Iberian crowns. However, the arrival of the Dutch ship *Liefde* in 1600 and the subsequent protection granted by Tokugawa Ieyasu to its crew introduced a new variable into the European presence in the Far East. Drawing on documentary sources from the Society of Jesus—namely the correspondence of Alessandro Valignano and Bishop D. Luís Cerqueira—and on accounts by Portuguese contemporaries, the author examines the immediate reaction of the Jesuits and the agents of the Macau trade to the intrusion of the "red-haired men" (*kômôjin*). The study highlights the strategic importance of military technology, specifically the use of European artillery by Ieyasu at decisive moments such as the Battle of Sekigahara and the sieges of Osaka. It concludes that, although the immediate commercial threat posed by the newcomers was initially limited, their presence irreversibly altered the dynamics of influence, challenging Luso-Jesuit hegemony and laying the groundwork for new diplomatic and religious conflicts in the Japanese archipelago.

This 17th-century royal letter, dated 16 October 1643, is a manuscript document from the Portuguese Crown addressed to Jorge Mascarenhas, Marquis of Montalvão, member of the Council of State and President of the Treasury. Written in Enxoura, the document concerns the urgent preparation of ships for a voyage to India, referencing vessels described as 'coral vessels'—a term possibly indicating textual corruption or scribal error, potentially intended as *correios* (dispatch ships) or *caravelas*. The King notes a recommendation from António Ferreira Fialho, conveyed via the Marquis, that greater damage to these ships may render their voyages more advantageous, a claim requiring further examination by the Councils of Finance and Commerce. The Council of State provisionally endorsed dispatching the *Candelaria* and the *Carrias São João*, pending consultation with key officials, including Fialho and Gonçalo Ferreira de Lima. The text reflects administrative decision-making within the Portuguese imperial bureaucracy and highlights logistical and fiscal considerations in maritime operations. Archival markings include contemporary annotations, seals—both wax and ink—and later cataloguing stamps from the Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino and the Inspeção das Bibliotecas e Arquivos, indicating provenance and preservation within Portuguese colonial archives. Housed in Macau, Box 1, doc. 22, this document offers critical insight into Iberian naval administration, colonial logistics, and early modern statecraft.

This document is a 17th-century Portuguese administrative decree, dated 23 May 1641, issued during the reign of King João IV, and handled in Macau. The main text, partially legible through translation, records an order for the Council of Finance to disburse funds to the Bishop-Elect of Japan (Bispo Elleito do Japão) for the transmission of his Bulls, in accordance with the financial provisions granted to his predecessor. Marginal annotations confirm the date and location, with the notation “Macau, 23 May 1641” appearing on the left side of the page. A signature attributed to “João IV” is present in the lower left margin, alongside an unidentifiable mark. Three faded circular seals, likely wax or ink impressions, are centrally positioned, though no inscriptions are legible. A stamp marked “AHU” (Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino) appears in the lower left corner, indicating archival provenance within the Portuguese colonial record system. Additional handwritten elements include a partial annotation possibly reading “Pro Fazenda” or “Pro Fazenda d. João IV” and a small marginal mark “t”. The term “Elleito”, a period-appropriate orthographic variant of “Eleito”, reflects contemporary Portuguese ecclesiastical usage. Despite minor palaeographic variations, the document’s content, dating, and administrative context align consistently with Portuguese imperial practices in Asia following the restoration of independence in 1640. The sole anachronistic element, “a. 1. dec. 18”, is assessed as a later archival addition and not part of the original 1641 record. This manuscript constitutes a genuine primary source relevant to the study of Iberian colonial administration, ecclesiastical finance, and Lusophone Asia in the early modern period.

Livro das Monções.

Livro das Monções.

The article analyzes the representation of Macau in the novel/fictional work "As Dores" (《朵斯姑娘》) by Henrique de Senna Fernandes, understanding it as a literary device that stages the coexistence—and friction—between Portuguese and Chinese cultural matrices in the city. The authors argue that the narrative mobilizes characters and trajectories to reinscribe twentieth-century Macau into a space that is simultaneously geographic and sociocultural, marked by a symbolic division between "Chinese city" and "Christian city". Methodologically, the study proceeds with an interpretive reading of narrative and discursive elements (character configurations, settings, and cultural isotopies), articulating the textual analysis with a historical-cultural framework of Macau's unique status as Chinese territory under Portuguese administration. As results, the work reveals itself less as a mere panoramic representation of the city than as a discursive construction of intercultural relations: the circulation between spaces and identities highlights tensions, asymmetries, and persistent "distances" between communities that coexist without fully integrating their codes. It is concluded that "As Dores" transforms the urban experience of Macau into a cultural and aesthetic problem, offering a literary map of Western heritages and their local reconfigurations.

Contains transcription of the Papal Bull of Gregory XIII establishing the Catholic Diocese of Macau in 1576