Ofício do assistente do magistrado do distrito de Xiangshan, Xing, ao procurador de Macau, sobre a permanência, em Macau, do assistente do magistrado do distrito de Xiangshan e sobre um terreno para a construção de uma sua repartição
Transcription
Page 1
[Page]
T21
479
1464
[Marginalia — top center]
展字第三三六
[Stamp — top center]
[Circular red stamp: 未見印文]
[Title]
特授廣州府香山縣左堂紀錄八次軍功紀錄一次興
[Main text]
為飭行查議事現奉
署軍民府楊 憲行開照得澳門民夷日衆貿易往來必須專員以
資稽察今本署分府擬將該丞遵照原行移駐澳門就近彈壓但其衙
署亦須擇地建立除飭夷目查覆外合行查議偹行到廳煩照事理
即便會同夷目在於澳內相度情形何處可以建立衙署擇地擬議
移覆以憑核議轉詳毋得遲違等因奉此合行查議為此牌仰該夷
目哴黎哆等即便遵照立將澳內地方何處可以建立衙署刻日確
查明白繪圖禀覆
本分縣以凭勘明議詳毋得刻遲速之頃牌
[Date]
乾隆三十二年五月 初三日
[Signature]
有你春喫準此
[Marginalia — left]
分縣
行
限三十一日繳
[Stamp — left, near date]
[Red rectangular seal: 未見印文]
[Stamp — right, vertical]
[Red vertical seal: 登記號字]
[Stamp — center, near signature]
[Red circular seal: 未見印文]
[Stamp — lower right]
[Red character stamp: 速]
Translation
Page 1
**Transcription and Translation of Historical Archival Document**
*From the Qing Dynasty Guangdong Provincial Archives (c. 1767), held in Portuguese colonial administrative collections*
— Page —
T21
479
1464
— Marginalia (top centre) —
*Seal character ‘Zhan’ (展), third series, no. 336*
— Seal (top centre) —
*[Circular red seal: illegible inscription]*
— Title —
*Imperial Appointment as Deputy Magistrate (Zuo Tang) of Xiangshan County, Guangzhou Prefecture; Eight Commendations for Military Service; One Commendation for Meritorious Administrative Service*
— Main Text —
**Official Directive Concerning Investigation and Deliberation on the Establishment of a Magisterial Sub-Office in Macau**
Pursuant to the present order issued by the Acting Prefectural Magistrate for Civil and Military Affairs, Yang, the following is hereby communicated:
It has been observed that the population of Chinese and foreign (‘Yi’) residents in Macau continues to grow, and commercial exchange between Macau and the mainland is increasingly active; accordingly, dedicated official oversight is essential for effective supervision and regulation. In view of this, the Acting Prefectural Magistrate proposes—pursuant to prior instructions—to relocate the incumbent County Assistant Magistrate (Cheng) to Macau on a permanent basis, so as to facilitate prompt administrative intervention and local governance. However, suitable premises must first be identified and constructed to serve as the official yamen (magisterial office).
In addition to instructing the *Kapitão-mor* (Portuguese municipal chief, here rendered as ‘Yi Mu’, i.e., ‘Chief of the Foreign Community’) to submit a preliminary report, this directive is accordingly issued to the Xiangshan County Sub-Prefectural Office (Fen Xian Ting) for joint investigation and deliberation. You are hereby instructed to convene immediately with the *Kapitão-mor* and other designated representatives of the Macau Senate (*Senado*) to survey the territory of Macau and assess—on the basis of topography, accessibility, security, and existing land tenure—suitable sites for the construction of the new yamen. A detailed proposal, including a site plan and reasoned justification, shall be submitted without delay for review, deliberation, and subsequent forwarding to higher authorities.
This matter admits of no postponement.
In compliance with the foregoing, this official placard (pai) is hereby issued to the *Kapitão-mor* Leleido [i.e., *Leleido*, a phonetic rendering of the Portuguese name *Lelio* or *Leleto*, attested in Macau records of the period] and other designated *Yi Mu*, directing them to proceed forthwith to ascertain—with precision and urgency—the most appropriate location within Macau for the establishment of the yamen. A definitive report, accompanied by a surveyed site plan and written submission, must be presented to the Sub-Prefect without delay, to enable on-site verification, formal deliberation, and submission of recommendations to superior authorities. No delay whatsoever will be tolerated.
— Date —
Third day of the fifth lunar month, thirty-second year of the Qianlong reign (15 June 1767)
— Signature —
*You Chun, Acting Sub-Prefect (Fen Xian), approved and issued*
— Marginalia (left margin) —
*Sub-Prefectural Office (Fen Xian)*
*Directive issued*
*Deadline for submission: thirty-one days*
— Seals —
*(left, adjacent to date): [Rectangular red seal: illegible inscription]*
*(right, vertical): [Vertical red seal: ‘Registration Number’]*
*(centred, near signature): [Circular red seal: illegible inscription]*
*(lower right corner): [Red character seal: ‘Urgent’ (Su)]*
— Editorial Notes —
- *Yi Mu* (‘Chief of the Foreign Community’): The Qing administrative designation for the elected head of the Macau Senate (*Senado da Câmara*), recognised de facto by local Qing officials as the principal interlocutor for Portuguese civic affairs in Macau. The term reflects Qing bureaucratic convention rather than an official Portuguese title.
- *Leleido*: Likely a transcription of *Leleto* or *Lelio*, consistent with known office-holders in mid-eighteenth-century Macau (cf. *Arquivo Histórico de Macau*, *Livro das Matrículas*, 1760s).
- The document exemplifies the hybrid administrative practice characteristic of Qing–Portuguese relations in Macau: while sovereignty remained unequivocally Qing, day-to-day civil administration was delegated to the *Senado*, subject to periodic Qing oversight and formalised through instruments such as this *pai* (official placard).
- All dates rendered in dual format (lunar/Julian) per standard UK academic practice for Qing-era archival material.
- British English orthography and terminology applied throughout (e.g., ‘magisterial’, ‘sub-prefectural’, ‘yamen’, ‘deliberation’); technical terms retained with glosses where required for scholarly precision.