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The documents from 1906-1908 detail a jurisdictional exchange between João Paulino d'Azevedo e Castro, Bishop of Macau, and the Apostolic Prefect of Canton. Mandated by Pontifical Decrees (February 3, 1903; March 16, 1904), the Diocese of Macau was to cede Hainan Island in exchange for the Shao-King (Shew-ing) district. Despite an agreement in 1906, the Prefect of Canton, supported by French missionaries, created delays. The French government, through Foreign Minister S. Pichon, alleged the exchange was stalled by the Bishop of Macau's refusal to pay a 41,073 pataca indemnity for property value differences—a claim Bishop Azevedo e Castro vehemently denied. To resolve the impasse, Bishop Azevedo e Castro traveled to Rome in May 1907. On July 19, 1907, Cardinal Secretary of State Merry del Val issued a definitive decision ordering the exchange to proceed without delay. By March 1908, the French Foreign Ministry instructed its prefect to comply.