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Cerqueira, D. L. (1612). Carta (cópia) do Bispo do Japão, [D. Luís Cerqueira], sobre a necessidade de se amparar a Igreja do Japão pertencente à coroa de Portugal e sobre o breve do Papa Paulo V que possibilitou a abertura do porto das Filipinas para o Japão e China, tanto a religiosos como a seculares. [Carta]. Portugal. Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino (PT/AHU/CU/062/0001/00003). http://43.156.68.124/docs/Y4XYK359/viewer_Y4XYK359.html

This is a diplomatic and ecclesiastical letter, dated 8 March 16[unclear: bis/6is], authored by the Bishop of Japan and addressed to a high-ranking Portuguese official—referred to as “Your Excellency”—presumably a member of the Royal Council or colonial administration in Goa or Lisbon. The document originates from Nagasaki and is preserved in the Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino (Lisbon) and Biblioteca Nacional do Rio de Janeiro. It concerns Portugal’s ecclesiastical jurisdiction over the Japanese mission amid escalating Spanish and papal intervention. The Bishop reports on a 1611 papal brief issued by Pope Paul V at the instigation of the Spanish Crown and Philippine religious orders, and with support from the Castilian Consejo de Indias, authorising clergy—including secular priests—to enter Japan and China via the Philippines, bypassing traditional Portuguese routes through Goa and Macau. He stresses the Crown of Portugal’s sovereign claim over the Japanese church, warns of potential jurisdictional conflict and pastoral discord, and encloses a memorial petitioning the Portuguese monarch to seek corrective papal briefs. Supplementary archival notes indicate related discussions on Philippines–Japan–China trade and Jesuit mobility under the same papal authorisation. The manuscript bears multiple institutional stamps and marginalia confirming its provenance and archival history.

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D. Filipe II. (1603). Alvará (cópia) de D. Filipe II, rei de Portugal e de Espanha, que concede aos moradores de Macau o privilegio de poderem eleger juiz e escrivao dos órfãos, a semelhança do que se praticava nas cidades da índia. [Alvará]. Portugal. Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino (PT/AHU/CU/062/0001/00002). http://43.156.68.124/docs/Z8NCFDCE/viewer_Z8NCFDCE.html

Royal writ issued in 1603 granting the inhabitants of Macau, within the Portuguese State of India, the right to elect a Judge of Orphans every three years, modelled on practices in Goa and other cities of the State of India. The officeholder is to serve a single three-year term and may not be re-elected unless removed for cause or misconduct. The document further authorises the election of a Clerk of Orphans, to be held for life by a qualified individual. The writ commands the Viceroy of the Indies, the Judges of the High Court (Relação), magistrates of the State of India, the Captain-General of the Fleets, and the Ombudsman (Ouvidor) of Macau—or their successors—to uphold and enforce the provisions without imposing additional conditions or impediments. It mandates the registration of this decree in the official records of the High Court and Chancellery of the State of India, as well as in the municipal books of Macau. Issued under royal authority, the writ is to be treated as legally binding with the same force as if formally signed and sealed, overriding any conflicting provisions in the Ordinances of King D. Manuel. This document serves as an administrative and legal instrument reflecting colonial governance structures, civic organisation, and imperial authority in early seventeenth-century Macau.

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Filipe I, R. (1587). Regimento (cópia) de D. Filipe I, rei de Portugal e de Espanha, ao ouvidor de Macau, com instruções para o desempenho das funções judiciais. [Regimento]. Portugal. Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino (PT/AHU/CU/062/0001/00001). http://43.156.68.124/docs/H4TRP9BU/viewer_H4TRP9BU.html

This 17th-century Portuguese colonial regulation outlines the judicial powers, administrative responsibilities, and institutional framework governing the office of the Ouvidor (royal judge) of Macao within the Estado da Índia. Dated and structured as a formal regimento (charter), the document defines the Ouvidor’s jurisdiction over civil and criminal cases, including final adjudication in first-instance matters and procedures for appeals to the Relação appellate court in Goa. It establishes the Ouvidor’s dual role as Judge of Orphans, details staffing arrangements—including two escribãos (clerks), one meirinho (bailiff), and four subordinates—and specifies protocols for issuing cartas de segura (letters of protection) with prior approval from the Captain. The text delineates hierarchical relations between the Ouvidor and other authorities, particularly the Captain of Macao, clarifying non-interference in Captaincy affairs while affirming the Ouvidor’s autonomous judicial function. Provisions address conflict resolution, suspension procedures, challenges to judicial impartiality (suspeição), and financial administration, including the collection and disbursement of fines. Salaries are to be paid quarterly through the Malacca factory, recorded officially, and verified via documentation entered into central registers. The regulation asserts supremacy over conflicting local customs or ordinances and mandates its registration in key administrative and judicial archives across the Portuguese imperial network, including Goa and Africa. Intended for scholarly analysis, this document offers critical insights into colonial legal structures, bureaucratic practices, and jurisdictional hierarchies in early modern Portuguese Asia.

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Heitor, António. (1889). Planta da península de Macau desenhada por António Heitor. [Cartas Terrestres]. Portugal. Biblioteca da Sociedade de Geografia de Lisboa (B.S.G.L., 3-J-4).

Planta da bacia geral dos rios Si-Kiang, Peh-Kian e Han-Kiang ou rios de Oeste, Norte e de Este, desde a sua origem até desembocarem no mar da China pelos estuários de Cantão e de Broadway. (1884). [Cartas Marítimas]. Portugal. Biblioteca da Sociedade de Geografia de Lisboa (B.S.G.L., 2-H-1).

Extraída da Planta da província de Cantão, levantada por J. G. Lõrcher e completada pelas Cartas da China de J. Perthes e de Williams.

Planta da península e porto de Macau com as sondagens e com o projecto do cais interior, molhe da Taipa, docas da Ilha Verde e Praia Grande, Dique da Taipa e revestimento marginal entre a Ilha Verde e Pac-Siac. (1884). [Cartas Marítimas.]. Portugal. Biblioteca da Sociedade de Geografia de Lisboa (B.S.G.L., 3-F-1).

Mapa da cidade e porto de Macau, feita por N. B. Correct. (1834). [Cartas Terrestres]. Portugal. Biblioteca da Sociedade de Geografia de Lisboa (B.S.G.L., 1-R-47).

Obs.: Na parte inferior há uma legenda indicando por meio de números as denominações de lugares e pontos mais notáveis de Macau e vizinhanças.

Souza, Miguel António de. (1829). Plano reformado do rio de Macau oferecido ao tenente- coronel e governador interino, João Cabral d’Estefique, pelo segundo-tenente da marinha e patrão-mor, Miguel António de Souza. [Cartas Marítimas.]. Portugal. Biblioteca da Sociedade de Geografia de Lisboa (B.S.G.L., 3-E-1).

Carta esférica do Rio Chon-Kiang ou Cantão, desde a sua embocadura com os canais do S.Y. So, e desde a ilha de Hong Kong até à cidade de Cantão e os planos de Macau, Canal de Chuempee, Boca do Tigre e o da ilha do mesmo nome, etc. (1815). [Cartas Marítimas.]. Portugal. Biblioteca da Sociedade de Geografia de Lisboa (B.S.G.L., 7-F-2).

Trabalho executado pelo capitão da Marinha Real Inglesa, Eduardo Belcher, em 1840, e pelo capitão da Companhia da Índia, Daniel Ross, em 1815 e 1849.

Carta marítima de Macau, ilha da Lapa, São João, Montanha, Taipa e Coloane, muito minuciosa quanto a indicações para a navegação. (1809). [Cartas Marítimas.]. Portugal. Biblioteca da Sociedade de Geografia de Lisboa (B.S.G.L., 3-J-20).

Fonseca, Joaquim Bento da. (1808). Plano topográfico da cidade de Macau, feita por Joaquim Bento da Fonseca. [Cartas Terrestres]. Portugal. Biblioteca da Sociedade de Geografia de Lisboa (B.S.G.L., D.G.T.G.).