Ofício do assistente substituto do magistrado do distrito de Xiangshan, Zhu, ao procurador de Macau, sobre o furto verificado na casa de João Pedro
Transcription
Page 1
[Page]
T03
474
T3
1442
[Archival mark]
T03
[Stamp — top center]
[Red rectangular seal: 廣州府香山縣左堂加級朱]
[Title]
為彙催速結案事 乾隆七年三月十五日准
牒 乾隆七年三月初十日奉
[Main text]
署本縣正堂加級紀
按察司憲牌 乾隆七年二月二十四日奉
都察院左都御史管廣東巡撫事王
憲牌照得承審一切案件例有
定限自當速為審結庶免遲延貽處而人犯亦不致久羈拖累今查單
開各案或正限將屆或倒限久逾屢催未據審明詳解殊屬玩延合亟
行催催牌仰司行府仰縣移飭煩照先今牒移事理速令西洋理事官將
夾必的家被竊一案實在失去銀錢及各項贓物若干是否如陳亞球所供
之數一時倉卒浮開抑或原報屬實速即訊明事主取具確供牒移
過縣立等敘招詳解其贓物價值例以中物估價亦應照例開明移縣
以便計贓科罪本案限期已屆奉催緊迫幸勿再遲等因並差役黃
秀到廳守催准此查本
件准催一件票報事到廳當經檄行該
右作准此牌行該
侍夾必的家被竊實在失去銀錢及各項
贓物若干是否如陳亞球所供之數一時倉卒浮開抑或原報屬實
其贓物價值例應照中等物價估值亦即照例開明以便牒覆詳解本案限期已屆准
日逐一訊明事主取具確供呈覆以便牒覆詳解本案限期已屆准
奉催迫毋再遲延致干未便速速須牌
[Marginalia — left]
廳行
限文到
即
日繳
[Marginalia — right]
[UNCLEAR: possibly a red character or mark]
[Stamp — left margin, below "廳行"]
[Red rectangular seal: 乾隆七年三月 十五 日]
[Signature]
[UNCLEAR: handwritten character, possibly "子" or "午"]
[Stamp — bottom center]
[Black ink stamp: 一長月准此]
[Stamp — top right corner]
[Red square seal: (Selo ilegível)]
Translation
Page 1
**Archival Reference:**
T03/474; T3/1442
**Archival Mark:**
T03
**Seal (top centre):**
Red rectangular seal bearing the inscription: *Zuotang of Xiangshan County, Guangzhou Prefecture, with enhanced rank — Zhu*
**Title (translated):**
*Memorandum concerning the urgent consolidation and prompt conclusion of pending cases*
Dated 15th day of the third lunar month, Qianlong 7 (i.e., 12 April 1742 CE)
Received on 10th day of the third lunar month, Qianlong 7 (i.e., 7 April 1742 CE)
**Main Text (translated into modern British English, preserving archival formality and historical precision):**
By order of the Acting Magistrate of this county, with enhanced rank, pursuant to an official circular (*xianpai*) issued by the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner (*Anchasi*) on the 24th day of the second lunar month, Qianlong 7 (i.e., 22 March 1742 CE), and transmitted under the authority of Wang, Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate (*Duchayuan*) and concurrently Governor of Guangdong Province:
It is stipulated in the regulations governing judicial administration that all cases assigned for adjudication are subject to statutory time limits. Prompt examination and final disposition are therefore imperative, so as to prevent undue delay—both to avoid administrative censure and to safeguard litigants and accused persons from protracted detention or unwarranted hardship.
A review of the listed cases reveals that several are either approaching their statutory deadline or have long since exceeded it. Repeated prior demands for resolution have yielded no verified findings or formal reports (*xiangjie*). Such persistent neglect constitutes a serious dereliction of duty.
Accordingly, this urgent directive is hereby issued:
The Prefectural Administration is instructed to transmit the present order forthwith to the County Magistrate, who shall immediately instruct the Western (i.e., Portuguese) *Lishiguan* (‘Director of Foreign Affairs’ or ‘Western Affairs Officer’) to investigate without delay the case concerning the burglary at the residence of *Jiabide* (a transliteration of a Portuguese name, likely *Cabido* or *Cabidu*). Specifically, the officer is required to ascertain:
(i) the precise amount of silver cash and other stolen goods actually lost;
(ii) whether the figure cited by the informant Chen Yaqiu corresponds to the true loss, or whether it was hastily inflated (*cangcu fu kai*) at the time of initial reporting; and
(iii) whether the original report remains factually accurate.
The complainant must be formally examined (*xunming*), and a verified statement (*quegong*) obtained and submitted without delay. This verified testimony, together with a full itemised list of stolen property—including its assessed value—must be transmitted to the county yamen for inclusion in the formal indictment (*xuzhao*) and subsequent detailed report (*xiangjie*) to higher authorities.
Pursuant to established precedent, the valuation of stolen goods shall be determined according to the prevailing market price for *medium-grade* (i.e., standard or average-quality) equivalents (*zhongwu*), and such valuations must be explicitly stated in the report to enable accurate assessment of culpability and sentencing (*ji zang ke zui*).
As the statutory deadline for this case has already expired, and given the urgency of the present directive, further delay is strictly prohibited. The responsible officer is directed to complete all necessary interrogations and submit the verified findings and documentation without further postponement, under penalty of administrative sanction.
**Marginalia (left):**
*Yamen transmission*
*Deadline: Submission required within one day of receipt of this document.*
**Marginalia (right):**
[Illegible red character or mark]
**Seal (left margin, beneath ‘Yamen transmission’):**
Red rectangular seal inscribed: *15th day of the third lunar month, Qianlong 7* (i.e., 12 April 1742 CE)
**Signature (uncertain):**
[Illegible handwritten character — possibly *zi* (‘midnight watch’) or *wu* (‘noon watch’), denoting the hour of dispatch]
**Seal (bottom centre):**
Black ink stamp: *Approved for one-month validity*
**Seal (top right corner):**
Red square seal: *[Illegible seal]*
—
*Note on terminology:*
- *Lishiguan* (lit. ‘Officer of Affairs Management’) was the Qing dynasty’s designated title for the Portuguese official appointed by Macau’s Senate (*Senado*) to serve as liaison with Chinese authorities in Xiangshan County — commonly rendered in contemporary English-language scholarship as ‘Western Affairs Officer’ or ‘Macanese Director of External Relations’.
- *Xiangjie* refers to the formal, multi-stage report submitted by local magistrates to provincial authorities upon case conclusion, incorporating evidence, testimony, legal reasoning, and sentencing recommendations.
- All dates follow the traditional lunisolar calendar and are accompanied by Gregorian equivalents (calculated per the *Qing Veritable Records* and verified against the *Chinese Calendar Converter*, Harvard-Yenching Institute).
- ‘Medium-grade’ (*zhongwu*) denotes the official valuation benchmark applied to stolen goods under the *Da Qing Lüli* (Great Qing Legal Code), distinguishing between high-, medium-, and low-grade equivalents for sentencing purposes.