Ofício do [mandarim sub-prefeito de Macau] ao [procurador de Macau], sobre o comércio do algodão, carregado pelos navios da praça de Macau e pelos navios estrangeiros, para Cantão
This official edict, issued on the twentieth day of the fifth month in the forty-second year of the Qianlong reign (1777), originates from the Assistant Magistrate for Maritime Defence of Guangzhou Prefecture and is preserved in the National Archives of Torre do Tombo (Portugal). The document consti...
Saved in:
| Format: | Manuscripts |
|---|---|
| Published: |
1777-06-24
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| Subjects: |
Administrative Directive to Yímù
;
Assistant Magistrate Authority
;
Canton Residence Storage Requirement
;
Cotton Export Mandate
;
Cotton Trade Regulation
;
Guangzhou Maritime Defence Administration
;
Local Shopkeeper Collusion Reporting
;
Macau Western Vessel Commerce
;
Portuguese Subject Conduct Restriction
;
Qianlong Reign Edict
;
Smuggling Prohibition Directive
;
Manuscripts
|
| Online Access: | https://macau-legacy.usj.edu.mo/docs/UX2M3PE8/viewer_UX2M3PE8.html |
| Summary: | This official edict, issued on the twentieth day of the fifth month in the forty-second year of the Qianlong reign (1777), originates from the Assistant Magistrate for Maritime Defence of Guangzhou Prefecture and is preserved in the National Archives of Torre do Tombo (Portugal). The document constitutes a formal administrative directive addressed to foreign superintendents (Yímù) and local officials concerning the regulation of cotton trade involving Western vessels in Guangzhou and Macau. It strictly prohibits Portuguese subjects from coercing or soliciting Chinese fishing boats and sampans for clandestine transport or supply; forbids the storage or transhipment of cotton in Macau; bans private trading with local Chinese subjects; and mandates that all cotton loaded by foreign vessels must be fully exported to their country of origin, with no concealment within Guangdong Province. Foreign officials are required to submit detailed quantitative inventories to the Magistrate’s Office, unload and store goods exclusively within the designated Canton residence, and maintain continuous oversight. Collusion by local shopkeepers in smuggling is to be reported immediately to the Prefectural Office for escalation to provincial authorities. The edict underscores zero tolerance for leniency, emphasising strict, immediate compliance under threat of disciplinary action. Marginalia and multiple imperial- and prefecture-level seals—including those bearing inscriptions ‘T53’, ‘Ruì # Jǐng #’, and ‘Ding 53’—attest to its bureaucratic provenance and enforcement chain. |
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