Ofício do magistrado do distrito de Xiangshan, Yang, ao procurador de Macau, sobre a compra de rapé, para ser enviado a corte
This archival document is an Imperial Edict issued on the 27th day of the seventh month in the forty-second year of the Qianlong reign (1777 CE), addressed by Magistrate Yang, Presiding Magistrate of the Prefecture, to foreign headmen in Macau—including Amsa Tó and others. The edict concerns the reg...
Saved in:
| Format: | Manuscripts |
|---|---|
| Published: |
1777-08-27
|
| Subjects: |
Archival Document Provenance
;
Historical Weights and Measures
;
Macau Foreign Headman
;
Magisterial Authority Guangdong
;
Opium Confiscation
;
Opium Valuation
;
Qianlong Reign Imperial Edict
;
Qing Dynasty Maritime Policy
;
Silver Currency Transactions
;
Sino-Foreign Joint Oversight
;
Tobacco Trade Governance
;
Manuscripts
|
| Online Access: | https://macau-legacy.usj.edu.mo/docs/H9EKHA34/viewer_H9EKHA34.html |
| _version_ | 1877197618863407104 |
|---|---|
| archiveLocation | PT/TT/DCHN/1/1/000059 |
| building | Portugal. Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo |
| collection | Portugal. Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo |
| description | This archival document is an Imperial Edict issued on the 27th day of the seventh month in the forty-second year of the Qianlong reign (1777 CE), addressed by Magistrate Yang, Presiding Magistrate of the Prefecture, to foreign headmen in Macau—including Amsa Tó and others. The edict concerns the regulation and valuation of opium, tobacco, and silver currency transactions under joint Sino-foreign oversight. It records the submission of one *lá* of superior-grade opium (part of a ten-*lá* consignment) at six silver taels per *lá*, totalling sixty taels; details expenditures on silver flowers (*hua yin*) amounting to 160 *yuan*; specifies two chests of tobacco totalling 205½ *lá*, valued at 571 *yuan*; and confirms the confiscation of snuff and tobacco valued collectively at 571 silver taels, with payment dispatched via domestic servant and receipt (*lingzhuang*) required. Marginalia include administrative notations (e.g., ‘T59’, ‘two-fifths outstanding’), red-ink annotations indicating inspection and edict validation, and a central imperial stamp. The text employs period-specific units (*lá*, *yuan*, *tael*), colonial-era transliterations, and terminology reflective of Qing-era commercial governance in Macau, offering primary-source evidence for scholarly analysis of Sino-foreign regulatory frameworks, fiscal administration, and opium trade logistics in late eighteenth-century maritime China. |
| first_indexed | 2026-05-17T07:58:00Z |
| format | Manuscripts |
| fulltext | [transcription]
{{PAGE:1}}
[Marginalia — left]
月二十七日先一領
二分頭未覆
[Stamp — top center]
諭
[Marginalia — center]
T59
人≠≠≠
{{PAGE:2}}
[Stamp — top right]
[Red ink seal, partially visible: characters unclear]
[Main text]
正堂楊 諭澳門夷目唵寨哆等知悉現
據該夷目等呈稱遵照協同管煙夷
目備辦上烟壹辣一瓶共十辣每辣連
瓶花銀六員該花銀六十員一辣二
{{PAGE:3}}
[Main text]
共十辣每辣連瓶花銀六員半該
花銀六十五員一辣四瓶共五辣
每辣連瓶花銀七員該花銀三
十五員通共花銀一百六十員另
{{PAGE:4}}
[Main text]
另二烟二桶一桶一百零二辣一桶
一百零三辣半共二百零五辣半
每辣花钱二员共花钱四百一十
一员二共花银五百七十一员等
{{PAGE:5}}
[Main text]
情除将鼻烟查收外所有通共
烟价花银五百七十一员现差家
丁赍赴给候该夷目等即将收
到银两备具领状禀缴
{{PAGE:6}}
[Main text]
本縣備查毋違特諭
[Annotation — red ink]
[Red circle around character: 查]
[Red checkmark below final character: 諭]
{{PAGE:7}}
[Stamp — center]
[Red square seal with illegible Chinese characters]
[Marginalia — left side, vertical]
乾隆四十二年七月
[Marginalia — lower center, vertical, red ink]
為
[Marginalia — lower center, vertical, black ink]
日諭
[Marginalia — right of red character, faint pencil]
T59
[translation]
{{PAGE:1}}
[Left-hand marginalia]
27th day of the month: one item issued in advance
Two-fifths outstanding (i.e., 40% of the total quantity remains undelivered)
[Central stamp, top of page]
Imperial Edict
[Centre marginalia]
T59
Personnel—[illegible characters]
{{PAGE:2}}
[Stamp — top right]
[Red ink seal, partially legible: characters indistinct]
[Main text]
Magistrate Yang, Presiding Magistrate of the Prefecture, hereby notifies the foreign headmen of Macau—namely, Amsa Tó and others—of the following:
It has been reported to this office by the aforementioned foreign headmen that, in accordance with instructions jointly issued by the Chinese authorities and the foreign superintendent responsible for the regulation of opium, they have duly prepared and submitted one *lá* (a unit of measure) of superior-grade opium, contained in a single bottle; that the total consignment comprises ten *lá*; and that the stipulated price is six silver taels per *lá*, inclusive of the bottle. Accordingly, the aggregate sum payable amounts to sixty silver taels, at the rate of one *lá* per two taels.
{{PAGE:3}}
[Main text]
Ten *lā* (a unit of weight, equivalent to approximately 37.5 g) of silver flowers (*hua yin*), each *lā* inclusive of its container, amounting to six and a half *yuán*;
sixty-five *yuán* of silver flowers, four *píng* (containers), and five *lā*;
each *lā*, inclusive of its container, valued at seven *yuán*, yielding thirty-five *yuán*;
the total sum expended on silver flowers amounts to one hundred and sixty *yuán*, plus an additional sum.
{{PAGE:4}}
[Main text]
Two chests of tobacco: one containing 102 *lá*, the other 103½ *lá*, making a total of 205½ *lá*.
At two *yuán* per *lá*, the total expenditure amounted to 411 *yuán*;
together with an additional 160 *yuán*, the overall sum expended was 571 *yuán*.
*Note on terminology*:
– *Lá* (also transcribed as *la* or *lá*) was a unit of weight used in late imperial and early Republican China, particularly in commercial contexts involving imported goods such as tobacco; its precise value varied regionally but commonly approximated 1.25–1.5 kg. It is retained here in transliteration (with diacritic to reflect historical Portuguese orthographic conventions found in colonial records) alongside explanatory gloss for scholarly precision.
– *Yuán* (standard modern Mandarin pinyin; rendered as *yuan* in British English academic usage where unaccented romanisation is preferred) denotes the silver currency unit standardised under the Qing dynasty and continued into the early Republic. In contemporary British academic writing on Chinese economic history, ‘yuan’ is conventionally italicised when used as a technical term and accompanied by contextual clarification on first use.
{{PAGE:5}}
[Main text]
In addition to the confiscation of the snuff, the total value of all tobacco seized amounts to 571 taels of silver. A domestic servant has now been dispatched to deliver this sum to the relevant foreign officials; upon receipt of the silver, those officials are required to submit a formal receipt (‘lingzhuang’) to the authorities for official record.
{{PAGE:6}}
This order is to be duly noted by the county authorities; compliance is required—by special edict.
[Annotation — in red ink]
[Red circle around the character *chá* (‘to inspect’)]
[Red tick mark beneath the final character *yù* (‘edict’)]
{{PAGE:7}}
[Stamp — centred]
[Red square seal bearing illegible Chinese characters]
[Marginalia — left margin, written vertically]
Seventh month of the forty-second year of the Qianlong reign (1777 CE)
[Marginalia — lower centre, written vertically in red ink]
‘For the purpose of…’
[Marginalia — immediately to the right of the red character, faint pencil annotation]
T59 |
| fulltext_transcription | {{PAGE:1}}
[Marginalia — left]
月二十七日先一領
二分頭未覆
[Stamp — top center]
諭
[Marginalia — center]
T59
人≠≠≠
{{PAGE:2}}
[Stamp — top right]
[Red ink seal, partially visible: characters unclear]
[Main text]
正堂楊 諭澳門夷目唵寨哆等知悉現
據該夷目等呈稱遵照協同管煙夷
目備辦上烟壹辣一瓶共十辣每辣連
瓶花銀六員該花銀六十員一辣二
{{PAGE:3}}
[Main text]
共十辣每辣連瓶花銀六員半該
花銀六十五員一辣四瓶共五辣
每辣連瓶花銀七員該花銀三
十五員通共花銀一百六十員另
{{PAGE:4}}
[Main text]
另二烟二桶一桶一百零二辣一桶
一百零三辣半共二百零五辣半
每辣花钱二员共花钱四百一十
一员二共花银五百七十一员等
{{PAGE:5}}
[Main text]
情除将鼻烟查收外所有通共
烟价花银五百七十一员现差家
丁赍赴给候该夷目等即将收
到银两备具领状禀缴
{{PAGE:6}}
[Main text]
本縣備查毋違特諭
[Annotation — red ink]
[Red circle around character: 查]
[Red checkmark below final character: 諭]
{{PAGE:7}}
[Stamp — center]
[Red square seal with illegible Chinese characters]
[Marginalia — left side, vertical]
乾隆四十二年七月
[Marginalia — lower center, vertical, red ink]
為
[Marginalia — lower center, vertical, black ink]
日諭
[Marginalia — right of red character, faint pencil]
T59 |
| fulltext_translation | {{PAGE:1}}
[Left-hand marginalia]
27th day of the month: one item issued in advance
Two-fifths outstanding (i.e., 40% of the total quantity remains undelivered)
[Central stamp, top of page]
Imperial Edict
[Centre marginalia]
T59
Personnel—[illegible characters]
{{PAGE:2}}
[Stamp — top right]
[Red ink seal, partially legible: characters indistinct]
[Main text]
Magistrate Yang, Presiding Magistrate of the Prefecture, hereby notifies the foreign headmen of Macau—namely, Amsa Tó and others—of the following:
It has been reported to this office by the aforementioned foreign headmen that, in accordance with instructions jointly issued by the Chinese authorities and the foreign superintendent responsible for the regulation of opium, they have duly prepared and submitted one *lá* (a unit of measure) of superior-grade opium, contained in a single bottle; that the total consignment comprises ten *lá*; and that the stipulated price is six silver taels per *lá*, inclusive of the bottle. Accordingly, the aggregate sum payable amounts to sixty silver taels, at the rate of one *lá* per two taels.
{{PAGE:3}}
[Main text]
Ten *lā* (a unit of weight, equivalent to approximately 37.5 g) of silver flowers (*hua yin*), each *lā* inclusive of its container, amounting to six and a half *yuán*;
sixty-five *yuán* of silver flowers, four *píng* (containers), and five *lā*;
each *lā*, inclusive of its container, valued at seven *yuán*, yielding thirty-five *yuán*;
the total sum expended on silver flowers amounts to one hundred and sixty *yuán*, plus an additional sum.
{{PAGE:4}}
[Main text]
Two chests of tobacco: one containing 102 *lá*, the other 103½ *lá*, making a total of 205½ *lá*.
At two *yuán* per *lá*, the total expenditure amounted to 411 *yuán*;
together with an additional 160 *yuán*, the overall sum expended was 571 *yuán*.
*Note on terminology*:
– *Lá* (also transcribed as *la* or *lá*) was a unit of weight used in late imperial and early Republican China, particularly in commercial contexts involving imported goods such as tobacco; its precise value varied regionally but commonly approximated 1.25–1.5 kg. It is retained here in transliteration (with diacritic to reflect historical Portuguese orthographic conventions found in colonial records) alongside explanatory gloss for scholarly precision.
– *Yuán* (standard modern Mandarin pinyin; rendered as *yuan* in British English academic usage where unaccented romanisation is preferred) denotes the silver currency unit standardised under the Qing dynasty and continued into the early Republic. In contemporary British academic writing on Chinese economic history, ‘yuan’ is conventionally italicised when used as a technical term and accompanied by contextual clarification on first use.
{{PAGE:5}}
[Main text]
In addition to the confiscation of the snuff, the total value of all tobacco seized amounts to 571 taels of silver. A domestic servant has now been dispatched to deliver this sum to the relevant foreign officials; upon receipt of the silver, those officials are required to submit a formal receipt (‘lingzhuang’) to the authorities for official record.
{{PAGE:6}}
This order is to be duly noted by the county authorities; compliance is required—by special edict.
[Annotation — in red ink]
[Red circle around the character *chá* (‘to inspect’)]
[Red tick mark beneath the final character *yù* (‘edict’)]
{{PAGE:7}}
[Stamp — centred]
[Red square seal bearing illegible Chinese characters]
[Marginalia — left margin, written vertically]
Seventh month of the forty-second year of the Qianlong reign (1777 CE)
[Marginalia — lower centre, written vertically in red ink]
‘For the purpose of…’
[Marginalia — immediately to the right of the red character, faint pencil annotation]
T59 |
| genre | Manuscripts |
| genre_facet | Manuscripts |
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| hierarchy_parent_id | zotero-coll-6E6PR22G zotero-coll-HDYWE267 zotero-coll-PAAL2UHW |
| hierarchy_parent_title | Chapas Sínicas Maço 1 Transcriptions |
| hierarchy_sequence | 0000 0000 0000 |
| hierarchy_top_id | zotero-coll-WX87PJHD zotero-coll-WX87PJHD zotero-coll-WX87PJHD |
| hierarchy_top_title | News News News |
| hierarchytype | Default |
| id | zotero-H9EKHA34 |
| institution | zotero_group |
| last_indexed | 2026-09-24T07:28:05Z |
| latest_content_date | 2026-09-24T07:28:05Z |
| publishDate | 1777-08-27 |
| publishDateRange | 1777 |
| publishDateSort | 1777 |
| record_format | zotero |
| spelling | Ofício do magistrado do distrito de Xiangshan, Yang, ao procurador de Macau, sobre a compra de rapé, para ser enviado a corte This archival document is an Imperial Edict issued on the 27th day of the seventh month in the forty-second year of the Qianlong reign (1777 CE), addressed by Magistrate Yang, Presiding Magistrate of the Prefecture, to foreign headmen in Macau—including Amsa Tó and others. The edict concerns the regulation and valuation of opium, tobacco, and silver currency transactions under joint Sino-foreign oversight. It records the submission of one *lá* of superior-grade opium (part of a ten-*lá* consignment) at six silver taels per *lá*, totalling sixty taels; details expenditures on silver flowers (*hua yin*) amounting to 160 *yuan*; specifies two chests of tobacco totalling 205½ *lá*, valued at 571 *yuan*; and confirms the confiscation of snuff and tobacco valued collectively at 571 silver taels, with payment dispatched via domestic servant and receipt (*lingzhuang*) required. Marginalia include administrative notations (e.g., ‘T59’, ‘two-fifths outstanding’), red-ink annotations indicating inspection and edict validation, and a central imperial stamp. The text employs period-specific units (*lá*, *yuan*, *tael*), colonial-era transliterations, and terminology reflective of Qing-era commercial governance in Macau, offering primary-source evidence for scholarly analysis of Sino-foreign regulatory frameworks, fiscal administration, and opium trade logistics in late eighteenth-century maritime China. Manuscripts Portugal. Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo PT/TT/DCHN/1/1/000059 1777-08-27 Archival Document Provenance Historical Weights and Measures Macau Foreign Headman Magisterial Authority Guangdong Opium Confiscation Opium Valuation Qianlong Reign Imperial Edict Qing Dynasty Maritime Policy Silver Currency Transactions Sino-Foreign Joint Oversight Tobacco Trade Governance {{PAGE:1}} [Marginalia — left] 月二十七日先一領 二分頭未覆 [Stamp — top center] 諭 [Marginalia — center] T59 人≠≠≠ {{PAGE:2}} [Stamp — top right] [Red ink seal, partially visible: characters unclear] [Main text] 正堂楊 諭澳門夷目唵寨哆等知悉現 據該夷目等呈稱遵照協同管煙夷 目備辦上烟壹辣一瓶共十辣每辣連 瓶花銀六員該花銀六十員一辣二 {{PAGE:3}} [Main text] 共十辣每辣連瓶花銀六員半該 花銀六十五員一辣四瓶共五辣 每辣連瓶花銀七員該花銀三 十五員通共花銀一百六十員另 {{PAGE:4}} [Main text] 另二烟二桶一桶一百零二辣一桶 一百零三辣半共二百零五辣半 每辣花钱二员共花钱四百一十 一员二共花银五百七十一员等 {{PAGE:5}} [Main text] 情除将鼻烟查收外所有通共 烟价花银五百七十一员现差家 丁赍赴给候该夷目等即将收 到银两备具领状禀缴 {{PAGE:6}} [Main text] 本縣備查毋違特諭 [Annotation — red ink] [Red circle around character: 查] [Red checkmark below final character: 諭] {{PAGE:7}} [Stamp — center] [Red square seal with illegible Chinese characters] [Marginalia — left side, vertical] 乾隆四十二年七月 [Marginalia — lower center, vertical, red ink] 為 [Marginalia — lower center, vertical, black ink] 日諭 [Marginalia — right of red character, faint pencil] T59 {{PAGE:1}} [Left-hand marginalia] 27th day of the month: one item issued in advance Two-fifths outstanding (i.e., 40% of the total quantity remains undelivered) [Central stamp, top of page] Imperial Edict [Centre marginalia] T59 Personnel—[illegible characters] {{PAGE:2}} [Stamp — top right] [Red ink seal, partially legible: characters indistinct] [Main text] Magistrate Yang, Presiding Magistrate of the Prefecture, hereby notifies the foreign headmen of Macau—namely, Amsa Tó and others—of the following: It has been reported to this office by the aforementioned foreign headmen that, in accordance with instructions jointly issued by the Chinese authorities and the foreign superintendent responsible for the regulation of opium, they have duly prepared and submitted one *lá* (a unit of measure) of superior-grade opium, contained in a single bottle; that the total consignment comprises ten *lá*; and that the stipulated price is six silver taels per *lá*, inclusive of the bottle. Accordingly, the aggregate sum payable amounts to sixty silver taels, at the rate of one *lá* per two taels. {{PAGE:3}} [Main text] Ten *lā* (a unit of weight, equivalent to approximately 37.5 g) of silver flowers (*hua yin*), each *lā* inclusive of its container, amounting to six and a half *yuán*; sixty-five *yuán* of silver flowers, four *píng* (containers), and five *lā*; each *lā*, inclusive of its container, valued at seven *yuán*, yielding thirty-five *yuán*; the total sum expended on silver flowers amounts to one hundred and sixty *yuán*, plus an additional sum. {{PAGE:4}} [Main text] Two chests of tobacco: one containing 102 *lá*, the other 103½ *lá*, making a total of 205½ *lá*. At two *yuán* per *lá*, the total expenditure amounted to 411 *yuán*; together with an additional 160 *yuán*, the overall sum expended was 571 *yuán*. *Note on terminology*: – *Lá* (also transcribed as *la* or *lá*) was a unit of weight used in late imperial and early Republican China, particularly in commercial contexts involving imported goods such as tobacco; its precise value varied regionally but commonly approximated 1.25–1.5 kg. It is retained here in transliteration (with diacritic to reflect historical Portuguese orthographic conventions found in colonial records) alongside explanatory gloss for scholarly precision. – *Yuán* (standard modern Mandarin pinyin; rendered as *yuan* in British English academic usage where unaccented romanisation is preferred) denotes the silver currency unit standardised under the Qing dynasty and continued into the early Republic. In contemporary British academic writing on Chinese economic history, ‘yuan’ is conventionally italicised when used as a technical term and accompanied by contextual clarification on first use. {{PAGE:5}} [Main text] In addition to the confiscation of the snuff, the total value of all tobacco seized amounts to 571 taels of silver. A domestic servant has now been dispatched to deliver this sum to the relevant foreign officials; upon receipt of the silver, those officials are required to submit a formal receipt (‘lingzhuang’) to the authorities for official record. {{PAGE:6}} This order is to be duly noted by the county authorities; compliance is required—by special edict. [Annotation — in red ink] [Red circle around the character *chá* (‘to inspect’)] [Red tick mark beneath the final character *yù* (‘edict’)] {{PAGE:7}} [Stamp — centred] [Red square seal bearing illegible Chinese characters] [Marginalia — left margin, written vertically] Seventh month of the forty-second year of the Qianlong reign (1777 CE) [Marginalia — lower centre, written vertically in red ink] ‘For the purpose of…’ [Marginalia — immediately to the right of the red character, faint pencil annotation] T59 |
| spellingShingle | Ofício do magistrado do distrito de Xiangshan, Yang, ao procurador de Macau, sobre a compra de rapé, para ser enviado a corte Archival Document Provenance Historical Weights and Measures Macau Foreign Headman Magisterial Authority Guangdong Opium Confiscation Opium Valuation Qianlong Reign Imperial Edict Qing Dynasty Maritime Policy Silver Currency Transactions Sino-Foreign Joint Oversight Tobacco Trade Governance |
| title | Ofício do magistrado do distrito de Xiangshan, Yang, ao procurador de Macau, sobre a compra de rapé, para ser enviado a corte |
| title_autocomplete | Ofício do magistrado do distrito de Xiangshan, Yang, ao procurador de Macau, sobre a compra de rapé, para ser enviado a corte |
| title_full | Ofício do magistrado do distrito de Xiangshan, Yang, ao procurador de Macau, sobre a compra de rapé, para ser enviado a corte |
| title_fullStr | Ofício do magistrado do distrito de Xiangshan, Yang, ao procurador de Macau, sobre a compra de rapé, para ser enviado a corte |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ofício do magistrado do distrito de Xiangshan, Yang, ao procurador de Macau, sobre a compra de rapé, para ser enviado a corte |
| title_short | Ofício do magistrado do distrito de Xiangshan, Yang, ao procurador de Macau, sobre a compra de rapé, para ser enviado a corte |
| title_sort | ofício do magistrado do distrito de xiangshan, yang, ao procurador de macau, sobre a compra de rapé, para ser enviado a corte |
| topic | Archival Document Provenance Historical Weights and Measures Macau Foreign Headman Magisterial Authority Guangdong Opium Confiscation Opium Valuation Qianlong Reign Imperial Edict Qing Dynasty Maritime Policy Silver Currency Transactions Sino-Foreign Joint Oversight Tobacco Trade Governance |
| topic_autocomplete | Archival Document Provenance Historical Weights and Measures Macau Foreign Headman Magisterial Authority Guangdong Opium Confiscation Opium Valuation Qianlong Reign Imperial Edict Qing Dynasty Maritime Policy Silver Currency Transactions Sino-Foreign Joint Oversight Tobacco Trade Governance |
| topic_facet | Archival Document Provenance Historical Weights and Measures Macau Foreign Headman Magisterial Authority Guangdong Opium Confiscation Opium Valuation Qianlong Reign Imperial Edict Qing Dynasty Maritime Policy Silver Currency Transactions Sino-Foreign Joint Oversight Tobacco Trade Governance |
| url | https://macau-legacy.usj.edu.mo/docs/H9EKHA34/viewer_H9EKHA34.html |
| zotero_collection_key | 6E6PR22G HDYWE267 PAAL2UHW |