Ofício do mandarim da alfândega de Cantão, Tu, ao procurador de Macau, sobre um navio espanhol, atracado no porto de Macau, de partida para Whampoa, para tratar da sua medição
This document comprises a Special Imperial Edict (*tè yù*) dated the 27th day of the fourth month in the forty-fifth year of the Qianlong reign (1780 CE), addressed to Ragado, Chief of the Macau Foreign Community (*yímù*), and other Macau authorities. The edict regulates the administration of foreig...
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| Format: | Manuscripts |
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| Published: |
1780-05-30
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| Subjects: |
Customs Levying
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Foreign Merchant Vessels
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Guangdong Coastal Defence Administration
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Humen Commissioners
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Macau Foreign Community
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Pearl River Estuary
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Qianlong reign
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Qing Customs Regulations
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Spanish Philippines
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Special Imperial Edict
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State Revenue Embezzlement
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Whampoa Anchorage
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Xiangshan County
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Manuscripts
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| Online Access: | https://macau-legacy.usj.edu.mo/docs/B5ZWE5B2/viewer_B5ZWE5B2.html |
| Summary: | This document comprises a Special Imperial Edict (*tè yù*) dated the 27th day of the fourth month in the forty-fifth year of the Qianlong reign (1780 CE), addressed to Ragado, Chief of the Macau Foreign Community (*yímù*), and other Macau authorities. The edict regulates the administration of foreign merchant vessels (*yi chuan*) arriving at Macau and the Pearl River estuary, specifically concerning ships dispatched from Great Luzon (the Spanish Philippines). It establishes protocols for trade permissions, mandating that vessels anchor at Whampoa and undergo survey, assessment, and customs levying (*liang liang zheng chao*) in accordance with Great Qing regulations. The text addresses allegations of illicit conduct, including unauthorised vessel detention and embezzlement of state revenues (*choufen*) for private gain by foreign officials or merchant heads. Consequently, the directive orders the Guangdong Coastal Defence Administration, Xiangshan County authorities, and Humen commissioners to appoint officers to supervise and escort the vessels. Strict penalties are prescribed for non-compliance, warning that offenders shall be expelled from Guangdong and barred from future residence. The transcription preserves the fragmentary nature of the source, retaining original terminology such as *gangjiao* (country trade) and *xiyang* (Western maritime), alongside marginalia and archival notations including reference numbers T66/No. 80 and T68. This record documents Qing administrative responses to irregularities in foreign vessel processing and customs collection at Macau and Whampoa, highlighting protocols for surveillance, tariff assessment, and punitive measures against malfeasance. |
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