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This 17th-century administrative petition, dated 15 March 1649, forms part of the deliberations of the Overseas Council (Conselho Ultramarino) concerning Luís de Miranda Henriques, a Portuguese subject resident in Macau. Submitted through legal representation, the document records Henriques’ request for the revocation and renewal of two royal warrants (*alvarás*) originally issued on 22 March 1643, granting him rights to a voyage from India to China for the benefit of his daughters, Donas Catharina and Leonor de Miranda, with the facultative right to renounce them. The petitioner asserts that due to ongoing military conflict and continuous service to the Crown in the Indian territories, he was unable to return to Portugal within the stipulated two-year period to renew the warrants. The Council recommends reissuing the *alvarás* under the same conditions, extending the renewal deadline by an additional two years and allowing succession by lawful heirs should the beneficiaries predecease their entitlement. Endorsed by officials including Salvador de Sá de Meneses and Diogo Lobo do Amaral, the document reflects bureaucratic procedures governing colonial trade privileges and royal patronage within the Portuguese Empire. Located in the Arquivo Histórico Colonial (reference AHU, Macau, Cx. I, doc. 63), this record provides insight into imperial administration, familial inheritance strategies, and the logistical constraints affecting colonial subjects’ compliance with metropolitan legal requirements during the mid-17th century.

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.

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.

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 1642 handwritten dispatch, addressed to King D. João IV of Portugal and attributed to Pórciamodelamnceclabreu, forms part of the Portuguese colonial administrative correspondence originating from Macau. The document, received from the Casa da Índia and bearing marginal annotations in Portuguese, outlines pressing commercial and political challenges affecting Portuguese interests in Asia during the early years of the Iberian Union. It details disruptions to trade networks, particularly with China and Japan, citing restrictions imposed by local authorities (possibly referencing Ming dynasty policies), logistical failures, and internal administrative instability. Central concerns include the loss of ciphered communications, insufficient military reinforcement, famine in key territories such as Lendre, and the collapse of a commercial negotiation due to the panic-induced failure of agent Fernão G. L'estas. The text also references the strategic importance of the settlement known as "the city of the Name of God" (likely Macau), highlighting its economic value, defensive vulnerabilities, and symbolic role within the Estado da Índia. Despite orthographic irregularities, encrypted terms (e.g., *segofas*, *Camo*, *Haixada*), and partial lacunae, the document reflects authentic 17th-century colonial documentation practices. Its structure, language, and allusions to ecclesiastical authority, divine providence, and Company-supported embassies align with known administrative genres of the period. This transcription preserves original features including script, layout, and physical markings, offering scholars a valuable primary source on mid-17th century Luso-Asian trade, governance, and imperial diplomacy.

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.