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This 1891 diplomatic dispatch, dated 23–24 June and originating from the Portuguese Consulate in Canton, documents escalating anti-European and anti-missionary unrest in southern China amid a broader wave of hostility spreading from central regions. The Viceroy of Canton, responding to inflammatory placards and public agitation, requested foreign consulates to suspend missionary activities to prevent violence, while an attempted arson attack on a missionary residence heightened tensions. With no warships present for protection, the consular corps coordinated emergency evacuation plans, designating the British consulate as a rallying point. A separate incident involving Agostinho de Jesus, a man of uncertain origin regarded as Portuguese, aboard the steamer *Honan*—in which he allegedly attacked a Chinese passenger—sparked exaggerated rumours of murder, prompting fears of mob retaliation. The situation was defused by preventing the steamer’s landing and dismissing the individual. The document attributes the wider disturbances not to organised political resistance by the Cau-lau-hui secret society, but to bands of disbanded soldiers and brigands exploiting anti-foreign sentiment to justify plunder. Authorities in Canton responded with repression, imprisoning those criticising Europeans. The anonymous correspondent, likely a Portuguese consular official, urges reinforcement of the naval presence in Chinese waters, arguing that existing forces are inadequate to protect Portuguese interests across Shanghai, Canton, Macau, and Hainan, particularly given the fragile security climate and potential for renewed violence linked to compensation claims.
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This is a collection of official Qing dynasty proclamations and imperial decrees from June to July 1891, translated by the Portuguese Consulate in Canton for diplomatic dissemination. The documents include a proclamation issued on 4 July 1891 by Mang, acting Treasurer of Kwang-tung and First-Class Mandarinate official, and Ngo, Second-Class Mandarinate official and Criminal Commissioner under the Provincial Judge of Kwang-tung, addressing the circulation of anonymous anti-foreign religious placards and pamphlets in urban and rural areas. It reaffirms state-sanctioned tolerance of foreign missionaries, warns against public unrest, and urges local populations to maintain order and avoid complicity in disturbances. Complementing this is an imperial decree dated 23 June 1891, transmitted via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which responds to the arson attacks on Christian churches at M-hu (Fu-hui), Tau-yang (Kiang-su), and M-sue’ (Hu-fei) earlier that year. The decree asserts the government’s obligation under treaty provisions to protect foreign missions, attributes the violence to a coordinated bandit conspiracy exploiting sedition for robbery, and commands provincial authorities across Hu-kwang, Kiang-su, Ku-hui, Hu-peí, and Quiangos to arrest and execute perpetrators, suppress false rumours, and safeguard missionaries. Officials are instructed to expedite unresolved mission-related legal cases and ensure protection of foreign lives and property in treaty ports, with negligence subject to imperial scrutiny. Translations and certifications were carried out by Eduardo Marques, Interpreter, and Edmundo Marques, Consul, at the Portuguese Consulate in Canton between 26 June and 5 July 1891.
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