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This 17th-century Portuguese colonial administrative document, dated 10 January 1673 and originating from Macau, comprises fragmented correspondence addressed to a high-ranking authority, likely the Prince Regent or Viceroy. The text, written in cursive script typical of late 17th-century Iberian bureaucratic practice, records urgent appeals concerning the deteriorating condition of the settlement, including territorial vulnerability, economic decline, and administrative strain. It references the geometric delineation of land boundaries, insufficient resources for sustainability, legal regulation under a recent commission, and invocation of divine mercy amid crisis. Key figures include J. Damello de Silva, Alferes (Ensign) and municipal officer of Macau, alongside signatories António, Frigue Grimaldo (or variant), and M. G. de Lusa/Lusia. Marginal annotations contain partial, illegible entries, while a printed seal identifies the “Colonial Historical Archive of the House” beneath the main text. Archival markings, including references such as “Macau, Cx. 1, doc. 75”, suggest provenance from a later cataloguing system, possibly the Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino. Due to orthographic irregularities, faded passages, and linguistic corruptions—such as “grum”, “cuzar”, and “felend”—the document presents significant interpretative challenges. Nonetheless, it offers critical insight into the political, economic, and ecclesiastical pressures facing Portugal’s Asian territories during a period of imperial instability, particularly amid war, trade disruption, and internal governance crises.

1 anexo.

This 17th-century administrative correspondence, originating from the municipal council (Câmara) of Macao and dated between August and December 1666, comprises a series of petitions addressed to the Portuguese monarch concerning the severe economic and political crisis afflicting the settlement. The documents detail the catastrophic impact of a Chinese imperial edict—issued under the Qing (Tartar) government—that prohibited maritime navigation and forced coastal populations to relocate inland, effectively severing Macao’s commercial lifelines, particularly its trade with China. Council members, including Rafael Arias de Morales and other assessors, report widespread famine, isolation, and the collapse of local markets, exacerbated by the absence of military and financial support from the Viceroyalty of India. They urgently petition for the dispatch of a royal embassy to the Court of Peking as the only viable remedy to restore trade and safeguard Portugal’s strategic and religious interests in the region. The text further describes the detention of Jesuit, Dominican, and Franciscan missionaries in Canton and the suppression of Christian proselytisation. Endorsed with official seals of the Arquivo Histórico Colonial and Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino, these records form part of the Portuguese colonial archive and offer critical insights into the challenges faced by European enclaves in East Asia amid shifting imperial policies in early Qing China.

This 17th-century Portuguese colonial document, dated 23 May 1664, constitutes a formal copy of a royal communication from the Prince (likely referring to King Afonso VI during his transitional reign) addressed to the Count of India. Originating from Lisbon and preserved in the Arquivo Histórico Nacional with archival references “K70 A4” and “A.53”, the text responds to reports from the Senate of the Municipal Council of Macau regarding severe disruptions to trade and widespread hardship among Portuguese vassals due to ongoing military conflicts in China. The correspondence emphasizes the necessity of maintaining commercial routes between Macau and the Philippines under historical privileges established during the reign of Dom Sebastião, while strictly prohibiting the transport of East Indian goods by foreign agents, particularly Spaniards, to prevent economic prejudice. It underscores the Crown’s obligation to protect its loyal subjects and calls for urgent measures to secure maritime commerce amid regional instability linked to the Ming-Qing transition. Despite an apparent scribal anomaly in the date (“664”), contextual evidence confirms its authenticity within the mid-17th century Portuguese imperial framework. The presence of official seals from both the National Historical Archive and the Overseas Historical Archive (AHU) affirms its provenance. This document provides critical insight into Iberian colonial administration, inter-Asian trade dynamics, and diplomatic protocols within the Portuguese Empire during a period of geopolitical upheaval in East Asia.

This 17th-century Portuguese colonial document, dated circa 1654, is an administrative or military dispatch originating from Macau, China, and held within the Historical Archive of Macau. It comprises a formal letter addressed to a high-ranking colonial official, likely the governor, invoking religious and dynastic legitimacy in the context of Portuguese imperial authority in Asia. The text references key figures including Dom Brás—interpreted as a scribal error for Dom João IV—and allusions to Dom Afonso Henriques, symbolising national restoration and divine providence following the end of the Iberian Union (1580–1640). Central themes include the moral and spiritual justification of Portuguese rule, the deposition of tyranny, and appeals to divine intervention for relief from political and material hardships afflicting Macau. The document mentions obscure geographical terms such as "ascatorpens" and "Lande Ingatto," alongside the "route of the Six Reigns," possibly denoting trade or military routes in maritime Asia. A marginal archival reference ("Macau, Cx. 4, doc. 65") indicates its provenance within a classified colonial archive. Seals bearing inscriptions from the Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino confirm its institutional custody. Written in early modern Portuguese with archaic orthography and syntactic irregularities, the document reflects post-Restoration nationalist rhetoric interwoven with Catholic providentialism. It serves as a valuable source for studying Portuguese colonial ideology, administrative practices, and discourses of sovereignty in 17th-century Asia.

This undated draft consultation, provisionally attributed to 1645 and originating from the Portuguese colonial administration, pertains to ecclesiastical governance in Macau during the mid-17th century. The document comprises a royal administrative dispatch, likely issued by the State Council or royal secretariat, addressing the appointment of a Bishop and Governor for Macau under the framework of the *padroado real*. It requests that the Crown appoint a suitable religious individual to the bishopric, with provision for a coadjutor享有 future succession rights (*coadiutor com futura succeßam*) to the ecclesiastical benefices (*bems*) of the see. The text further instructs the Viceroy to nominate a priest or clergyman as interim colleague (co-legate), subject to royal confirmation. Marginal annotations, including the date “28 June 1645” and references to the Senate of Macau and the Bishop of Macau, suggest archival linkage to a broader consultation, though the main body of the earlier folio remains entirely illegible. Seals bearing inscriptions associated with the Arquivo Histórico Colonial and the AHU, along with royal ciphers and archival references such as “Macau. Cx. 1, doc. 52”, confirm its provenance within the Portuguese colonial archive. The document reflects centralised Crown authority over ecclesiastical appointments and offers insight into the political and religious dynamics shaping the Lusophone Catholic Church in East Asia.

1 anexo.

Obs.: Parecer favorável do Conselho Ultramarino.

This 17th-century archival document, originating from Macau and dated 25 September 1645, comprises a formal petition addressed to the Portuguese monarch from the Municipal Council (Câmara) of Macau, with additional administrative entries and signatures from February and November 1645. The primary text, signed by Rafael Arrais de Morais on behalf of the council, emphasizes the strategic and economic importance of preserving Macau amid concerns over military vulnerability and trade instability. It argues against proposals to abandon the settlement, particularly those advanced by António Fialho, and stresses Macau’s potential for generating royal revenue through revived trade with Japan and Manila, as well as its shipbuilding capacity. The document highlights a critical shortage of gunpowder for defence and requests urgent supply, asserting that maintaining Macau serves the Crown’s interests in the Orient. A secondary communication, dated 25 November 1645, references English ships dispatched under the Count of Aveiro, whose arrival via Batavia caused diplomatic tension due to Chinese opposition to foreign vessels, prompting procedural concerns over unauthorised correspondence channels. Marginal annotations, seals bearing the insignia of Portugal and inscriptions such as “ARQUIVO HISTÓRICO COLONIAL” and “CÂMARA DE MACAU”, and multiple signatures—including those of officials like Manoel de Figueiredo e Araújo and Alvaro de Fartilho—attest to the document’s administrative provenance. Despite physical deterioration, ink bleed-through, and some illegibility, the text provides vital evidence of colonial governance, imperial diplomacy, and geopolitical anxieties within the Portuguese Estado da Índia during the mid-1640s.

3 anexos.

Obs.: Parecer do Conselho para que se devasse o procedimento do governador é favorável às concessões pedidas. Resolução régia de acordo com o parecer do Conselho. 1 anexo.

This document is a transcription of an official municipal record dated 1632, originating from Macau, then under Portuguese administration. It records a resolution passed by the municipal council (Câmara) on 7 July 1632 in the City of the Name of God (Macau), concerning the imposition of additional customs duties to alleviate the city’s financial debt. The meeting was attended by ordinary judges Francisco Rodrigues da Silva and Salvador Pinto de Moraes, councillors Diogo Vas Bavaro and Rodrigo Sanches de Paredes, and Procurator of the City Antonio Prounca. The councillor for the month, Diogo Vas Bavaro, informed the assembly that the city's debt had resulted in the detention of local merchants’ commercial goods in Japan, necessitating urgent fiscal measures. To address this, a proposal was made to increase existing duties by two per cent, bringing the total levy to seven per cent. After deliberation, the measure was unanimously approved. The record was formally drawn up and signed by Tristão Tavares Alferes, Clerk of the City. The document bears dual archival stamps from the Arquivo Histórico Colonial in Lisbon and contains marginal annotations indicating its origin and year. A second page lists officials serving under the Governor of China, with a certification of authenticity by José Joaquim Barrois, Secretary of the Senate. This primary source provides critical insight into the fiscal policies, administrative structures, and economic challenges faced by the Portuguese colonial municipality of Macau in the early 17th century, particularly in relation to trade relations with Japan.

This 1626 official correspondence, originating from the Senate of the Leal Senado (Municipal Council) of Macau and addressed to the Portuguese monarch, documents fiscal and administrative challenges within the Portuguese colonial enclave in China during the early 17th century. The letter, dated 14 November 1626 and signed by Diogo Cabral de Deus and other council officials, explains the city’s inability to comply with royal directives to fund the stipends of the Bishop and Chief Magistrate (Oidor) from the *caldeirão*, a municipal revenue fund already overextended by obligations to local and regional authorities, religious orders, charitable institutions, and military expenditures. It highlights severe financial strain caused by recent losses and debts incurred through privately funded fortifications and garrisons from Goa and Manila. The document further commends Dom Felipe Lobo, Captain-General of Macau, for maintaining stability with local Chinese Mandarins, and strongly recommends Dom Diogo de Valente, Bishop of Japan, for ecclesiastical leadership, praising his moral authority and dedication to both divine and royal service. Marginal annotations summarise key points, including strained finances and diplomatic relations. Seals from the Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino and Arquivo de Marinha e Ultramar confirm provenance from Portuguese colonial archives. This primary source provides critical insight into the fiscal constraints, governance structures, and Church-state dynamics in Portugal’s Asian territories under the Iberian Union, as well as the strategic importance of Macau in Sino-Iberian relations.