Carta do Cônsul de Cantão sobre a tradução do jornal Chinês Ling Man Chi Bao (Diário do Sul) que Portugal não vá vender Macau

This document comprises a translation and verification of an article from the Chinese-language newspaper *Ling Man-chi-pau* (*St. Louis Daily*), issue No. 143, dated 28 July 1891, produced by the Portuguese Consulate in Canton. The text addresses rumours circulating in foreign press reports suggesti...

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Published: Julho 1891
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Online Access:https://macau-legacy.usj.edu.mo/docs/QXIA29PW/viewer_QXIA29PW.html
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Summary:This document comprises a translation and verification of an article from the Chinese-language newspaper *Ling Man-chi-pau* (*St. Louis Daily*), issue No. 143, dated 28 July 1891, produced by the Portuguese Consulate in Canton. The text addresses rumours circulating in foreign press reports suggesting that Portugal might sell its colony of Macau as a means of settling governmental debts, a proposal allegedly extended from discussions in the Portuguese elected chamber regarding the sale of African colonial territories. The translation clarifies that while Deputy Dr Almeida had proposed the sale of certain African possessions, no such suggestion was made concerning Macau. The document underscores that Portugal cannot legally alienate Macau and emphasises the emotional and historical ties of the Macanese people—particularly those of Portuguese descent born or long resident in the colony—to their homeland. It dismisses the rumour of Macau’s potential sale as baseless and attributes its propagation to ‘fraudulent historians’. The translation was officially verified by the Portuguese Consulate in Canton on 29 July 1891, serving both as a corrective to misinformation and as a reassurance to the Portuguese community in Macau. This primary source offers valuable insight into late 19th-century colonial policy, imperial identity, and the geopolitical perceptions surrounding Portuguese holdings in East Asia.