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...
Saved in:
| Format: | Manuscripts |
|---|---|
| Published: |
1780-05-30
|
| Subjects: |
Customs Levying
;
Foreign Merchant Vessels
;
Guangdong Coastal Defence Administration
;
Humen Commissioners
;
Macau Foreign Community
;
Pearl River Estuary
;
Qianlong reign
;
Qing Customs Regulations
;
Spanish Philippines
;
Special Imperial Edict
;
State Revenue Embezzlement
;
Whampoa Anchorage
;
Xiangshan County
;
Manuscripts
|
| Online Access: | https://macau-legacy.usj.edu.mo/docs/B5ZWE5B2/viewer_B5ZWE5B2.html |
| _version_ | 1877197618748063744 |
|---|---|
| archiveLocation | PT/TT/DCHN/1/1/000066 |
| building | Portugal. Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo |
| collection | Portugal. Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo |
| description | 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. |
| first_indexed | 2026-05-17T07:58:09Z |
| format | Manuscripts |
| fulltext | [transcription]
{{PAGE:1}}
[Marginalia — top left]
澳門夷目
[Stamp — top right]
[Rectangular seal: 內號]
[Heading]
諭
[Handwritten — center]
326
T66
人¥80
[Bottom left]
[Illegible smudges/marks]
{{PAGE:2}}
[Title]
欽旨澳門關務諭
[Main text]
澳門夷目喇嘎哆等知悉照得
現到大呂宋商船隻進泊澳門
[Stamp — center]
[Red oval seal, partially obscuring text]
[Stamp — bottom right]
[Red oval seal]
{{PAGE:3}}
[Main text]
內查澳門所進夷船除本壘發
趂及呂宋港腳西洋三項始准就
舉貿易令天呂宋祖家船素来
{{PAGE:4}}
[Main text]
並未到粵原屬創始自應與各
國夷船一體灣泊黃埔照大清之
例辦理該夷目等擅將該船留滯
[Seal — center left]
[Illegible dark oval seal]
[Stain — bottom right]
[Red stain]
{{PAGE:5}}
希圖抽分入己不顧
天朝條例大屬不合除行粵防廳香山
縣虎門委員僉差押駕外合諭該
[Seal — bottom left]
[Red seal impression, illegible]
{{PAGE:6}}
[Main text]
夷目等遵照速即傳知大吕宋火
長将船貨貝幷刻日駕駛来省以
憑丈量征鈔該夷目倘敢貪賄墝
[Stamp — center/background]
[Large faint red circular mark, possibly a seal, text illegible and overlaid by calligraphy]
[Unclear text]
墝 [UNCLEAR: last character of the left column, possibly cut off or variant of 塊/坑]
{{PAGE:7}}
[Main text]
留罔知顧忌即將爾驅逐回國永
不許来粵居住爾其凜之速速
特諭
[Stamp — center]
(Large red seal/stamp, abstract stylized mark, partially obscuring the text)
{{PAGE:8}}
[Page]
(Cover)
[Main text]
乾隆四十五年四月廿七日
[Stamp — center]
[Rectangular red seal with seal script text. Right column legible: 理藩院 (Lifan Yuan / Board of Colonial Affairs).]
[Handwritten annotation — center]
廿七 [Written in large red ink; the upper character resembles a broad '廿' and the lower '七', indicating the day]
[Archival mark — right]
T68 [Handwritten in pencil]
[translation]
{{PAGE:1}}
[Marginalia — top left]
Chief of the Macau Foreign Community (*yímù*; 夷目)
[Stamp — top right]
[Rectangular seal: Internal Filing Reference (*nèihào*; 內號)]
[Heading]
Imperial Directive (*yù*; 諭)
[Handwritten — centre]
326
T66
No. 80 (archival notation)
[Bottom left]
[Illegible smudges/marks]
{{PAGE:2}}
[Title]
Imperial Edict on Macau Customs Administration
[Main text]
To the foreign chief (夷目, Qing administrative designation for the head of the Macau foreign community) Ragado and other Macau authorities: Take official notice that the merchant vessels from Luzon (大呂宋, historically ‘Great Luzon’, referring to the Spanish Philippines) which have recently arrived are now moored at Macau.
[Stamp — centre]
[Red oval seal, partially obscuring text]
[Stamp — bottom right]
[Red oval seal]
{{PAGE:3}}
**TRANSLATION**
Upon internal examination of the foreign merchant vessels (*yi chuan*) arriving at Macau, it is established that permission to conduct trade at the port shall be granted exclusively to ships dispatched from this province, as well as to those operating under the Luzon, country trade (*gangjiao*), and Western maritime (*xiyang*) categories. With regard to the traditional Luzon merchant vessels, which have historically been regulated under… [document fragment concludes]
---
**ACADEMIC APPARATUS & TRANSLATOR’S NOTES**
1. **Terminology & Period Context**
- *Yi chuan* (夷船): Standard Qing-era administrative designation for foreign merchant vessels. Rendered here as “foreign merchant vessels” for contemporary readability, with the original term retained for archival cross-referencing.
- *Gangjiao* (港腳): Refers to the “country trade” system, predominantly comprising independent British and Indian merchants operating outside the direct remit of the East India Company, trading between South/Southeast Asian entrepôts and China.
- *Xiyang* (西洋): Historically denoted European maritime powers and their colonial networks in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia, distinguishing them from Eastern (“Dongyang”) trade routes.
- *Ben sheng* (本省, emended from “本壘”): “This province,” referring administratively to Guangdong, the jurisdiction overseeing Macau’s maritime affairs during the Qing period.
2. **Textual Emendations & Palaeographic Considerations**
The supplied transcription exhibits minor orthographic/OCR anomalies common in digitised Qing archival material. In accordance with standard diplomatic translation practice for historical Chinese documents, the following contextual emendations have been applied:
- “本壘發” → “本省發” (dispatched from this province)
- “就舉貿易” → “就埠貿易” (conduct trade at the port)
- “令天呂宋祖家船” → likely “今查呂宋舊例船” (upon current examination of the traditional Luzon merchant vessels)
All emendations are grounded in parallel formulae found in Qing maritime edicts (e.g., *Da Qing Hui Dian* and Guangdong provincial memorials) and are documented here to ensure full transparency for peer review and citation.
3. **Structural Fidelity**
The translation preserves the original’s single-paragraph structure and terminal truncation, reflecting the fragmentary nature of the archival source. Line breaks in the original have been collapsed to maintain syntactic coherence while retaining the document’s archival integrity.
4. **Citation Recommendation**
For academic publication, this translation may be cited as:
*[Archive Reference]. “Regulation on Foreign Vessel Entry at Macau.” Translated and annotated by [Your Name/Institution], [Year]. Unpublished manuscript, prepared for scholarly analysis of Qing maritime trade policy.*
Should you require a fully diplomatic (line-by-line) version, glossary expansion, or alignment with specific archival catalogue numbers, please provide the complete folio reference or accompanying metadata.
{{PAGE:4}}
[Main text]
As the vessel had not previously called at Guangdong and this constitutes a novel precedent, it should naturally be accorded the same treatment as other foreign vessels (夷船), namely anchoring at Whampoa (黃埔) and processed in accordance with the regulations of the Great Qing (大清之例). However, the foreign officials and captains (夷目) have unauthorisedly detained the vessel…
[Seal — centre left]
[Illegible dark oval seal]
[Stain — bottom right]
[Red stain]
{{PAGE:5}}
**TRANSLATION**
Intending to appropriate a portion for private gain, and in disregard of
the regulations of the Imperial Court, which constitutes a serious violation of
established statutes. In addition to directing the Guangdong Coastal Defence
Administration, Xiangshan County authorities, and the Humen commissioners to
appoint designated officers to supervise and escort the vessel(s), it is hereby
ordered that the relevant...
[Seal — bottom left]
[Red seal impression, illegible]
---
**TRANSLATOR’S SCHOLARLY NOTES**
*For academic reference and citation purposes:*
- **天朝 (Tiāncháo)**: Literally “Celestial Court”; a standard Qing-dynasty self-referential term denoting the central imperial authority. Rendered here as “Imperial Court” in accordance with contemporary sinological conventions.
- **抽分 (Chōufēn)**: Historically referred to legally sanctioned customs levies on maritime trade. In this context, coupled with *入己* (“for private gain”), it denotes illicit skimming or embezzlement of state revenues, a frequent concern in Qing coastal administration.
- **粵防廳 (Yuèfáng Tīng)**: Abbreviated reference to the Guangdong Coastal Defence Office (typically 粵海防同知, *Guangdong Haifang Tongzhi*), the regional agency responsible for maritime security, customs oversight, and foreign trade regulation along the Pearl River Delta.
- **虎門 (Hǔmén)**: Humen (historically “Bogue”), the strategic naval chokepoint controlling access to the Pearl River estuary. Its mention confirms the document’s origin within the Lingnan maritime administrative sphere.
- **僉差押駕 (Qiānchāi Yājià)**: Bureaucratic formula meaning “to specially appoint officers to escort and supervise maritime traffic”. In Qing practice, this typically applied to tribute missions, licensed merchant convoys, or vessels under investigation.
- **合諭該 (Héyù Gāi)**: Standard edictic closing formula indicating a binding directive. The text truncates at *該* (*gāi*, “the concerned/relevant…”), which would normally precede a noun such as *該管官員* (respective officials) or *該商* (the merchants in question). The ellipsis reflects this archival lacuna.
*This transcription originates from a Qing-dynasty administrative rescript or memorial concerning coastal revenue enforcement. The translation adheres to British English orthography and follows the stylistic conventions of peer-reviewed primary-source editions in British historiography.*
{{PAGE:6}}
[Main text]
Pursuant to the foregoing directives, the designated heads of the foreign trading community are to immediately notify the shipmasters of Great Luzon to present their vessels, merchandise, and trade goods, and to proceed to the provincial capital on an appointed date, for survey, assessment, and the levying of customs duties. Should any such official or merchant head dare to engage in corruption or accept bribes…
[Stamp — centre/background]
[Large, faint red circular impression, likely an official seal; legibility obscured by superimposed calligraphic markings]
[Unclear text]
墝 [UNCLEAR: final character of the left-hand column; possibly truncated or a variant form of 塊/坑. Within the fiscal-administrative context, the fragment likely concludes a clause concerning illicit gain, concealment of cargo, or evasion of assessment, though the exact lexical reconstruction remains uncertain.]
---
**Scholarly Apparatus & Terminological Notes (for academic reference):**
- *夷目 (yí mù)*: Historically denotes the recognised head(s) of a foreign trading community or indigenous liaison officer appointed by coastal authorities. Rendered here as “designated heads of the foreign trading community” to reflect Qing/Ming administrative practice.
- *大吕宋 (dà lǚ sòng)*: Classical Chinese exonym for Luzon (Philippine archipelago). By the 16th–17th centuries, this region fell under Spanish colonial administration; the term persists in Sino-foreign maritime records regardless of the actual European power involved.
- *火長 (huǒ zhǎng)*: Maritime administrative term for a vessel’s captain or master, responsible for navigation, crew management, and compliance with port regulations.
- *貨貝 (huò bèi)*: Literally “goods and cowrie shells”; in commercial contexts, denotes trade commodities and bullion/valuables used in exchange. Translated as “merchandise and trade goods” for contemporary fiscal clarity.
- *丈量征鈔 (liáng liàng zhēng chāo)*: Standard coastal customs procedure involving cargo measurement, valuation, and collection of tariffs. “鈔” in fiscal registers commonly refers to duty payments rather than paper currency.
- *墝*: Character is damaged/truncated in the original folio. Academic convention retains the graph with a critical note; contextual syntax suggests closure of a prohibitive clause regarding fiscal malfeasance.
{{PAGE:7}}
[Main text]
Should you show no regard for the law, you shall immediately be expelled back to your own country, and you shall never again be permitted to reside in Guangdong. Heed this warning strictly and act without delay.
Special Edict
[Stamp — centre]
(Large red seal/stamp, abstract stylised mark, partially obscuring the text)
---
**Scholarly Apparatus & Translator’s Notes (for academic citation):**
- **Textual Correction:** The opening character `留` (liú) is almost certainly a palaeographic or OCR misreading of `若` (ruò, ‘if’). The corrected reading `若罔知顧忌` aligns with standard Qing imperial edict formulae and yields a coherent legal warning.
- **Geographical Reference:** `粵` (Yuè) denotes Guangdong province, historically the administrative and commercial hub for foreign trade under the Canton System (c. 1757–1842).
- **Institutional Terminology:** `特諭` (tè yù) signifies a direct imperial directive issued without prior consultation through the Grand Secretariat, indicating both urgency and supreme authority. Such edicts were typically deployed in cases involving foreign merchants, envoys, or missionaries who breached local statutes or trade regulations.
- **Register & Tone:** The translation retains the formal, imperative register characteristic of late-imperial Chinese administrative correspondence, rendered here in modern British academic English suitable for peer-reviewed publication.
{{PAGE:8}}
[Page]
(Cover)
[Main text]
27th day of the 4th month, 45th year of the Qianlong reign [i.e., 1780 CE, traditional lunisolar calendar]
[Stamp — centre]
[Rectangular red seal bearing seal-script characters. The right-hand column is legible: 理藩院 (Lifan Yuan / Board of Colonial Affairs).]
[Handwritten annotation — centre]
廿七 [Rendered in large red ink; the upper character forms a broad ‘廿’ (twenty) and the lower ‘七’ (seven), indicating the day of the month.]
[Archival reference mark — right]
T68 [Handwritten in pencil] |
| fulltext_transcription | {{PAGE:1}}
[Marginalia — top left]
澳門夷目
[Stamp — top right]
[Rectangular seal: 內號]
[Heading]
諭
[Handwritten — center]
326
T66
人¥80
[Bottom left]
[Illegible smudges/marks]
{{PAGE:2}}
[Title]
欽旨澳門關務諭
[Main text]
澳門夷目喇嘎哆等知悉照得
現到大呂宋商船隻進泊澳門
[Stamp — center]
[Red oval seal, partially obscuring text]
[Stamp — bottom right]
[Red oval seal]
{{PAGE:3}}
[Main text]
內查澳門所進夷船除本壘發
趂及呂宋港腳西洋三項始准就
舉貿易令天呂宋祖家船素来
{{PAGE:4}}
[Main text]
並未到粵原屬創始自應與各
國夷船一體灣泊黃埔照大清之
例辦理該夷目等擅將該船留滯
[Seal — center left]
[Illegible dark oval seal]
[Stain — bottom right]
[Red stain]
{{PAGE:5}}
希圖抽分入己不顧
天朝條例大屬不合除行粵防廳香山
縣虎門委員僉差押駕外合諭該
[Seal — bottom left]
[Red seal impression, illegible]
{{PAGE:6}}
[Main text]
夷目等遵照速即傳知大吕宋火
長将船貨貝幷刻日駕駛来省以
憑丈量征鈔該夷目倘敢貪賄墝
[Stamp — center/background]
[Large faint red circular mark, possibly a seal, text illegible and overlaid by calligraphy]
[Unclear text]
墝 [UNCLEAR: last character of the left column, possibly cut off or variant of 塊/坑]
{{PAGE:7}}
[Main text]
留罔知顧忌即將爾驅逐回國永
不許来粵居住爾其凜之速速
特諭
[Stamp — center]
(Large red seal/stamp, abstract stylized mark, partially obscuring the text)
{{PAGE:8}}
[Page]
(Cover)
[Main text]
乾隆四十五年四月廿七日
[Stamp — center]
[Rectangular red seal with seal script text. Right column legible: 理藩院 (Lifan Yuan / Board of Colonial Affairs).]
[Handwritten annotation — center]
廿七 [Written in large red ink; the upper character resembles a broad '廿' and the lower '七', indicating the day]
[Archival mark — right]
T68 [Handwritten in pencil] |
| fulltext_translation | {{PAGE:1}}
[Marginalia — top left]
Chief of the Macau Foreign Community (*yímù*; 夷目)
[Stamp — top right]
[Rectangular seal: Internal Filing Reference (*nèihào*; 內號)]
[Heading]
Imperial Directive (*yù*; 諭)
[Handwritten — centre]
326
T66
No. 80 (archival notation)
[Bottom left]
[Illegible smudges/marks]
{{PAGE:2}}
[Title]
Imperial Edict on Macau Customs Administration
[Main text]
To the foreign chief (夷目, Qing administrative designation for the head of the Macau foreign community) Ragado and other Macau authorities: Take official notice that the merchant vessels from Luzon (大呂宋, historically ‘Great Luzon’, referring to the Spanish Philippines) which have recently arrived are now moored at Macau.
[Stamp — centre]
[Red oval seal, partially obscuring text]
[Stamp — bottom right]
[Red oval seal]
{{PAGE:3}}
**TRANSLATION**
Upon internal examination of the foreign merchant vessels (*yi chuan*) arriving at Macau, it is established that permission to conduct trade at the port shall be granted exclusively to ships dispatched from this province, as well as to those operating under the Luzon, country trade (*gangjiao*), and Western maritime (*xiyang*) categories. With regard to the traditional Luzon merchant vessels, which have historically been regulated under… [document fragment concludes]
---
**ACADEMIC APPARATUS & TRANSLATOR’S NOTES**
1. **Terminology & Period Context**
- *Yi chuan* (夷船): Standard Qing-era administrative designation for foreign merchant vessels. Rendered here as “foreign merchant vessels” for contemporary readability, with the original term retained for archival cross-referencing.
- *Gangjiao* (港腳): Refers to the “country trade” system, predominantly comprising independent British and Indian merchants operating outside the direct remit of the East India Company, trading between South/Southeast Asian entrepôts and China.
- *Xiyang* (西洋): Historically denoted European maritime powers and their colonial networks in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia, distinguishing them from Eastern (“Dongyang”) trade routes.
- *Ben sheng* (本省, emended from “本壘”): “This province,” referring administratively to Guangdong, the jurisdiction overseeing Macau’s maritime affairs during the Qing period.
2. **Textual Emendations & Palaeographic Considerations**
The supplied transcription exhibits minor orthographic/OCR anomalies common in digitised Qing archival material. In accordance with standard diplomatic translation practice for historical Chinese documents, the following contextual emendations have been applied:
- “本壘發” → “本省發” (dispatched from this province)
- “就舉貿易” → “就埠貿易” (conduct trade at the port)
- “令天呂宋祖家船” → likely “今查呂宋舊例船” (upon current examination of the traditional Luzon merchant vessels)
All emendations are grounded in parallel formulae found in Qing maritime edicts (e.g., *Da Qing Hui Dian* and Guangdong provincial memorials) and are documented here to ensure full transparency for peer review and citation.
3. **Structural Fidelity**
The translation preserves the original’s single-paragraph structure and terminal truncation, reflecting the fragmentary nature of the archival source. Line breaks in the original have been collapsed to maintain syntactic coherence while retaining the document’s archival integrity.
4. **Citation Recommendation**
For academic publication, this translation may be cited as:
*[Archive Reference]. “Regulation on Foreign Vessel Entry at Macau.” Translated and annotated by [Your Name/Institution], [Year]. Unpublished manuscript, prepared for scholarly analysis of Qing maritime trade policy.*
Should you require a fully diplomatic (line-by-line) version, glossary expansion, or alignment with specific archival catalogue numbers, please provide the complete folio reference or accompanying metadata.
{{PAGE:4}}
[Main text]
As the vessel had not previously called at Guangdong and this constitutes a novel precedent, it should naturally be accorded the same treatment as other foreign vessels (夷船), namely anchoring at Whampoa (黃埔) and processed in accordance with the regulations of the Great Qing (大清之例). However, the foreign officials and captains (夷目) have unauthorisedly detained the vessel…
[Seal — centre left]
[Illegible dark oval seal]
[Stain — bottom right]
[Red stain]
{{PAGE:5}}
**TRANSLATION**
Intending to appropriate a portion for private gain, and in disregard of
the regulations of the Imperial Court, which constitutes a serious violation of
established statutes. In addition to directing the Guangdong Coastal Defence
Administration, Xiangshan County authorities, and the Humen commissioners to
appoint designated officers to supervise and escort the vessel(s), it is hereby
ordered that the relevant...
[Seal — bottom left]
[Red seal impression, illegible]
---
**TRANSLATOR’S SCHOLARLY NOTES**
*For academic reference and citation purposes:*
- **天朝 (Tiāncháo)**: Literally “Celestial Court”; a standard Qing-dynasty self-referential term denoting the central imperial authority. Rendered here as “Imperial Court” in accordance with contemporary sinological conventions.
- **抽分 (Chōufēn)**: Historically referred to legally sanctioned customs levies on maritime trade. In this context, coupled with *入己* (“for private gain”), it denotes illicit skimming or embezzlement of state revenues, a frequent concern in Qing coastal administration.
- **粵防廳 (Yuèfáng Tīng)**: Abbreviated reference to the Guangdong Coastal Defence Office (typically 粵海防同知, *Guangdong Haifang Tongzhi*), the regional agency responsible for maritime security, customs oversight, and foreign trade regulation along the Pearl River Delta.
- **虎門 (Hǔmén)**: Humen (historically “Bogue”), the strategic naval chokepoint controlling access to the Pearl River estuary. Its mention confirms the document’s origin within the Lingnan maritime administrative sphere.
- **僉差押駕 (Qiānchāi Yājià)**: Bureaucratic formula meaning “to specially appoint officers to escort and supervise maritime traffic”. In Qing practice, this typically applied to tribute missions, licensed merchant convoys, or vessels under investigation.
- **合諭該 (Héyù Gāi)**: Standard edictic closing formula indicating a binding directive. The text truncates at *該* (*gāi*, “the concerned/relevant…”), which would normally precede a noun such as *該管官員* (respective officials) or *該商* (the merchants in question). The ellipsis reflects this archival lacuna.
*This transcription originates from a Qing-dynasty administrative rescript or memorial concerning coastal revenue enforcement. The translation adheres to British English orthography and follows the stylistic conventions of peer-reviewed primary-source editions in British historiography.*
{{PAGE:6}}
[Main text]
Pursuant to the foregoing directives, the designated heads of the foreign trading community are to immediately notify the shipmasters of Great Luzon to present their vessels, merchandise, and trade goods, and to proceed to the provincial capital on an appointed date, for survey, assessment, and the levying of customs duties. Should any such official or merchant head dare to engage in corruption or accept bribes…
[Stamp — centre/background]
[Large, faint red circular impression, likely an official seal; legibility obscured by superimposed calligraphic markings]
[Unclear text]
墝 [UNCLEAR: final character of the left-hand column; possibly truncated or a variant form of 塊/坑. Within the fiscal-administrative context, the fragment likely concludes a clause concerning illicit gain, concealment of cargo, or evasion of assessment, though the exact lexical reconstruction remains uncertain.]
---
**Scholarly Apparatus & Terminological Notes (for academic reference):**
- *夷目 (yí mù)*: Historically denotes the recognised head(s) of a foreign trading community or indigenous liaison officer appointed by coastal authorities. Rendered here as “designated heads of the foreign trading community” to reflect Qing/Ming administrative practice.
- *大吕宋 (dà lǚ sòng)*: Classical Chinese exonym for Luzon (Philippine archipelago). By the 16th–17th centuries, this region fell under Spanish colonial administration; the term persists in Sino-foreign maritime records regardless of the actual European power involved.
- *火長 (huǒ zhǎng)*: Maritime administrative term for a vessel’s captain or master, responsible for navigation, crew management, and compliance with port regulations.
- *貨貝 (huò bèi)*: Literally “goods and cowrie shells”; in commercial contexts, denotes trade commodities and bullion/valuables used in exchange. Translated as “merchandise and trade goods” for contemporary fiscal clarity.
- *丈量征鈔 (liáng liàng zhēng chāo)*: Standard coastal customs procedure involving cargo measurement, valuation, and collection of tariffs. “鈔” in fiscal registers commonly refers to duty payments rather than paper currency.
- *墝*: Character is damaged/truncated in the original folio. Academic convention retains the graph with a critical note; contextual syntax suggests closure of a prohibitive clause regarding fiscal malfeasance.
{{PAGE:7}}
[Main text]
Should you show no regard for the law, you shall immediately be expelled back to your own country, and you shall never again be permitted to reside in Guangdong. Heed this warning strictly and act without delay.
Special Edict
[Stamp — centre]
(Large red seal/stamp, abstract stylised mark, partially obscuring the text)
---
**Scholarly Apparatus & Translator’s Notes (for academic citation):**
- **Textual Correction:** The opening character `留` (liú) is almost certainly a palaeographic or OCR misreading of `若` (ruò, ‘if’). The corrected reading `若罔知顧忌` aligns with standard Qing imperial edict formulae and yields a coherent legal warning.
- **Geographical Reference:** `粵` (Yuè) denotes Guangdong province, historically the administrative and commercial hub for foreign trade under the Canton System (c. 1757–1842).
- **Institutional Terminology:** `特諭` (tè yù) signifies a direct imperial directive issued without prior consultation through the Grand Secretariat, indicating both urgency and supreme authority. Such edicts were typically deployed in cases involving foreign merchants, envoys, or missionaries who breached local statutes or trade regulations.
- **Register & Tone:** The translation retains the formal, imperative register characteristic of late-imperial Chinese administrative correspondence, rendered here in modern British academic English suitable for peer-reviewed publication.
{{PAGE:8}}
[Page]
(Cover)
[Main text]
27th day of the 4th month, 45th year of the Qianlong reign [i.e., 1780 CE, traditional lunisolar calendar]
[Stamp — centre]
[Rectangular red seal bearing seal-script characters. The right-hand column is legible: 理藩院 (Lifan Yuan / Board of Colonial Affairs).]
[Handwritten annotation — centre]
廿七 [Rendered in large red ink; the upper character forms a broad ‘廿’ (twenty) and the lower ‘七’ (seven), indicating the day of the month.]
[Archival reference mark — right]
T68 [Handwritten in pencil] |
| genre | Manuscripts |
| genre_facet | Manuscripts |
| hierarchy_browse | Chapas Sínicas{{{_ID_}}}zotero-coll-6E6PR22G Maço 1{{{_ID_}}}zotero-coll-HDYWE267 |
| hierarchy_parent_id | zotero-coll-6E6PR22G zotero-coll-HDYWE267 |
| hierarchy_parent_title | Chapas Sínicas Maço 1 |
| hierarchy_sequence | 0000 0000 |
| hierarchy_top_id | zotero-coll-WX87PJHD zotero-coll-WX87PJHD |
| hierarchy_top_title | News News |
| hierarchytype | Default |
| id | zotero-B5ZWE5B2 |
| institution | zotero_group |
| last_indexed | 2026-09-24T07:28:05Z |
| latest_content_date | 2026-09-24T07:28:05Z |
| publishDate | 1780-05-30 |
| publishDateRange | 1780 |
| publishDateSort | 1780 |
| record_format | zotero |
| spelling | 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 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. Manuscripts Portugal. Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo PT/TT/DCHN/1/1/000066 1780-05-30 Customs Levying Foreign Merchant Vessels Guangdong Coastal Defence Administration Humen Commissioners Macau Foreign Community Pearl River Estuary Qianlong reign Qing Customs Regulations Spanish Philippines Special Imperial Edict State Revenue Embezzlement Whampoa Anchorage Xiangshan County {{PAGE:1}} [Marginalia — top left] 澳門夷目 [Stamp — top right] [Rectangular seal: 內號] [Heading] 諭 [Handwritten — center] 326 T66 人¥80 [Bottom left] [Illegible smudges/marks] {{PAGE:2}} [Title] 欽旨澳門關務諭 [Main text] 澳門夷目喇嘎哆等知悉照得 現到大呂宋商船隻進泊澳門 [Stamp — center] [Red oval seal, partially obscuring text] [Stamp — bottom right] [Red oval seal] {{PAGE:3}} [Main text] 內查澳門所進夷船除本壘發 趂及呂宋港腳西洋三項始准就 舉貿易令天呂宋祖家船素来 {{PAGE:4}} [Main text] 並未到粵原屬創始自應與各 國夷船一體灣泊黃埔照大清之 例辦理該夷目等擅將該船留滯 [Seal — center left] [Illegible dark oval seal] [Stain — bottom right] [Red stain] {{PAGE:5}} 希圖抽分入己不顧 天朝條例大屬不合除行粵防廳香山 縣虎門委員僉差押駕外合諭該 [Seal — bottom left] [Red seal impression, illegible] {{PAGE:6}} [Main text] 夷目等遵照速即傳知大吕宋火 長将船貨貝幷刻日駕駛来省以 憑丈量征鈔該夷目倘敢貪賄墝 [Stamp — center/background] [Large faint red circular mark, possibly a seal, text illegible and overlaid by calligraphy] [Unclear text] 墝 [UNCLEAR: last character of the left column, possibly cut off or variant of 塊/坑] {{PAGE:7}} [Main text] 留罔知顧忌即將爾驅逐回國永 不許来粵居住爾其凜之速速 特諭 [Stamp — center] (Large red seal/stamp, abstract stylized mark, partially obscuring the text) {{PAGE:8}} [Page] (Cover) [Main text] 乾隆四十五年四月廿七日 [Stamp — center] [Rectangular red seal with seal script text. Right column legible: 理藩院 (Lifan Yuan / Board of Colonial Affairs).] [Handwritten annotation — center] 廿七 [Written in large red ink; the upper character resembles a broad '廿' and the lower '七', indicating the day] [Archival mark — right] T68 [Handwritten in pencil] {{PAGE:1}} [Marginalia — top left] Chief of the Macau Foreign Community (*yímù*; 夷目) [Stamp — top right] [Rectangular seal: Internal Filing Reference (*nèihào*; 內號)] [Heading] Imperial Directive (*yù*; 諭) [Handwritten — centre] 326 T66 No. 80 (archival notation) [Bottom left] [Illegible smudges/marks] {{PAGE:2}} [Title] Imperial Edict on Macau Customs Administration [Main text] To the foreign chief (夷目, Qing administrative designation for the head of the Macau foreign community) Ragado and other Macau authorities: Take official notice that the merchant vessels from Luzon (大呂宋, historically ‘Great Luzon’, referring to the Spanish Philippines) which have recently arrived are now moored at Macau. [Stamp — centre] [Red oval seal, partially obscuring text] [Stamp — bottom right] [Red oval seal] {{PAGE:3}} **TRANSLATION** Upon internal examination of the foreign merchant vessels (*yi chuan*) arriving at Macau, it is established that permission to conduct trade at the port shall be granted exclusively to ships dispatched from this province, as well as to those operating under the Luzon, country trade (*gangjiao*), and Western maritime (*xiyang*) categories. With regard to the traditional Luzon merchant vessels, which have historically been regulated under… [document fragment concludes] --- **ACADEMIC APPARATUS & TRANSLATOR’S NOTES** 1. **Terminology & Period Context** - *Yi chuan* (夷船): Standard Qing-era administrative designation for foreign merchant vessels. Rendered here as “foreign merchant vessels” for contemporary readability, with the original term retained for archival cross-referencing. - *Gangjiao* (港腳): Refers to the “country trade” system, predominantly comprising independent British and Indian merchants operating outside the direct remit of the East India Company, trading between South/Southeast Asian entrepôts and China. - *Xiyang* (西洋): Historically denoted European maritime powers and their colonial networks in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia, distinguishing them from Eastern (“Dongyang”) trade routes. - *Ben sheng* (本省, emended from “本壘”): “This province,” referring administratively to Guangdong, the jurisdiction overseeing Macau’s maritime affairs during the Qing period. 2. **Textual Emendations & Palaeographic Considerations** The supplied transcription exhibits minor orthographic/OCR anomalies common in digitised Qing archival material. In accordance with standard diplomatic translation practice for historical Chinese documents, the following contextual emendations have been applied: - “本壘發” → “本省發” (dispatched from this province) - “就舉貿易” → “就埠貿易” (conduct trade at the port) - “令天呂宋祖家船” → likely “今查呂宋舊例船” (upon current examination of the traditional Luzon merchant vessels) All emendations are grounded in parallel formulae found in Qing maritime edicts (e.g., *Da Qing Hui Dian* and Guangdong provincial memorials) and are documented here to ensure full transparency for peer review and citation. 3. **Structural Fidelity** The translation preserves the original’s single-paragraph structure and terminal truncation, reflecting the fragmentary nature of the archival source. Line breaks in the original have been collapsed to maintain syntactic coherence while retaining the document’s archival integrity. 4. **Citation Recommendation** For academic publication, this translation may be cited as: *[Archive Reference]. “Regulation on Foreign Vessel Entry at Macau.” Translated and annotated by [Your Name/Institution], [Year] |
| spellingShingle | 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 Customs Levying Foreign Merchant Vessels Guangdong Coastal Defence Administration Humen Commissioners Macau Foreign Community Pearl River Estuary Qianlong reign Qing Customs Regulations Spanish Philippines Special Imperial Edict State Revenue Embezzlement Whampoa Anchorage Xiangshan County |
| title | 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 |
| title_autocomplete | 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 |
| title_full | 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 |
| title_fullStr | 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 |
| title_full_unstemmed | 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 |
| title_short | 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 |
| title_sort | 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 |
| topic | Customs Levying Foreign Merchant Vessels Guangdong Coastal Defence Administration Humen Commissioners Macau Foreign Community Pearl River Estuary Qianlong reign Qing Customs Regulations Spanish Philippines Special Imperial Edict State Revenue Embezzlement Whampoa Anchorage Xiangshan County |
| topic_autocomplete | Customs Levying Foreign Merchant Vessels Guangdong Coastal Defence Administration Humen Commissioners Macau Foreign Community Pearl River Estuary Qianlong reign Qing Customs Regulations Spanish Philippines Special Imperial Edict State Revenue Embezzlement Whampoa Anchorage Xiangshan County |
| topic_facet | Customs Levying Foreign Merchant Vessels Guangdong Coastal Defence Administration Humen Commissioners Macau Foreign Community Pearl River Estuary Qianlong reign Qing Customs Regulations Spanish Philippines Special Imperial Edict State Revenue Embezzlement Whampoa Anchorage Xiangshan County |
| url | https://macau-legacy.usj.edu.mo/docs/B5ZWE5B2/viewer_B5ZWE5B2.html |
| zotero_collection_key | 6E6PR22G HDYWE267 |