Carta do Senado da Câmara de Macau a [D. João IV], rei de Portugal sobre a proibição de entrada de navios ingleses ao serviço de Portugal no porto de Macau
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 te...
Saved in:
| Format: | Manuscripts |
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| Published: |
1645-11-25
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| Subjects: |
Administrative Entries
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Arquivo Inscriptions
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Batavia Arrival
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Bearing Royal Insignia
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Chinese Opposition
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Count of Aveiro
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Crown Interests
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Document Provenance
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Economic Stability
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English Ships
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Geopolitical Tensions
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Gunpowder Shortage
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Japan Manila Trade
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Macau Municipal Council
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Military Vulnerability
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Official Signatures
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Officials Manoel
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Portuguese Monarch Petition
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Rafael Arrais de Morais
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Royal Revenue
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Secondary Communication
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Settlement Abandonment
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Shipbuilding Capacity
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Strategic Importance Macau
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Trade Instability
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Manuscripts
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| Online Access: | https://macau-legacy.usj.edu.mo/docs/3TNIGGK8/viewer_3TNIGGK8.html |
| Summary: | 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. Obs.: Resolução favorável do rei de 1647-03-18. Anexo: 1647-02-19 - Consulta (cópia) do Conselho Ultramarino a [D. João IV], rei de Portugal sobre a proibição de entrada de navios ingleses ao serviço de Portugal no porto de Macau |
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