Consulta do Conselho Ultramarino a D. João IV, rei de Portugal sobre o pedido de António de Teve para reformar um alvará da concessão de uma viagem à China
This abstract is for a historical document transcription from the Portuguese colonial archive, dated 26 March 1647 and 26 May 1647, concerning a petition for a royal decree (alvará) related to trade with China. The document comprises two parts: the first is a formal petition from António de Lexe (or...
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| Format: | Manuscripts |
|---|---|
| Published: |
1647-03-26
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://macau-legacy.usj.edu.mo/docs/VTUIJ4RZ/viewer_VTUIJ4RZ.html |
| _version_ | 1877197620660666368 |
|---|---|
| archiveLocation | PT/AHU/CU/062/0001/00059 |
| building | Portugal. Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino |
| collection | Portugal. Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino |
| description | This abstract is for a historical document transcription from the Portuguese colonial archive, dated 26 March 1647 and 26 May 1647, concerning a petition for a royal decree (alvará) related to trade with China. The document comprises two parts: the first is a formal petition from António de Lexe (or de Sousa/Sequeira) to the Portuguese Crown, requesting the renewal of a decree originally granted in 1582 that permitted him to undertake a voyage to China as a ship's boy (grumete). The petition notes that the original decree was issued before the acclamation of the current monarch and was confirmed by the King of Castile, and it includes a certified copy from the India House (Casa da Índia). The second part is an administrative note recording a request for a decree to formalise a commercial share in a voyage to China. The document is signed by several officials, including João Gomes de Mendonça, and bears the stamp of the Overseas Historical Archive in Goa. Archival references place the document within the Macau collection (Gaveta 1, document 59). This material provides primary evidence of the bureaucratic processes governing Portuguese colonial trade, individual petitions for commercial privileges, and the administrative mechanisms of the Macau-based China trade during the mid-seventeenth century. Obs.: Resolução favorável do rei. |
| first_indexed | 2026-05-17T17:35:36Z |
| format | Manuscripts |
| fulltext | [transcription]
{{PAGE:1}}
[Page]
H59
[Marginalia — top left]
Macau
26 Março 1647
[Marginalia — top right]
Sacos
[Marginalia — left margin, near top]
Companhia. Aº. 2. d’o S.º D. 97. (Antonio de lexe fez petição Neste con C. Magualdo)
[Main text]
q/ no ano antes daquelle aclamado de 1582, vim nou a India hũ aluara por q/ Dmªg the fez Merce debuia Viagem dachina Nauagante dos gromidos antes de mgo de Mayo do ano de 1582: e por q/ aquelle Estado lho Nao quiserão guardar p/ chegar la senda Vmª ja aclamado Neste seos Reynos, e hui a finado por d/ Rey de castella
Pede a Dmªg the feça Merce Mandar lho reformar para hir Nestas embarcações
Com a petição referida por vento o Regido do dito aluara tirado dos Livros da casa da India e afinado pello Provedor e officiõ della, p/ q/ conste a fazer felhe Merce dada a Viagem dachina Nauagante a fina declarada
[Main text]
Parece q/ Dmªg the faça Merce Mandar q/ lhe reforme o dito aluara em Nome de Dmªg, visto o quelega La Aº 26 de Março 1643
[Signature]
João Gomes de Mendoça
F. Jorge de Lapa
F. Jorge de Albuquerque
João de Silva
F. João de Borba
F. Bernardo
[Stamp — center left, below signature area]
[HISTÓRICO ULTRAMARINO - GOA]
[Archival mark — bottom left]
[UNCLEAR: faint handwritten numerals or marks]
{{PAGE:2}}
[Page]
2
[Marginalia — top left]
26 de m. de 1647
[Marginalia — top center]
Bofont. ultramarino
[Main text]
Antonio deixue pede Velhere forme o aluacacio
Degibo offereco de hua Viagem dachina
[Signature]
H
[Marginalia — right side, vertical]
Maceau, G.1, doc 59
[Marginalia — bottom right]
f.13i
[translation]
{{PAGE:1}}
**TRANSLATION**
[Page]
H59
[Marginalia — top left]
Macau
26 March 1647
[Marginalia — top right]
Sacks [or Bags]
[Marginalia — left margin, near top]
Company. Year 2. of the said Lord D. 97. (Antonio de Lexe made a petition in this [matter] with C. Magualdo)
[Main text]
That in the year before that acclaimed one of 1582, there came to India a royal decree [alvará] by which Your Majesty granted him the favour of the voyage to China, sailing as a ship's boy [grumete] before the month of May of the year 1582; and because that State [of India] did not wish to honour it for him, since Your Majesty had already been acclaimed in these your Kingdoms, and [the decree] had been confirmed by the King of Castile,
He petitions Your Majesty to grant him the favour of ordering it to be renewed, so that he may go on these vessels.
With the aforementioned petition is enclosed the copy of the said royal decree, taken from the books of the India House [Casa da Índia] and signed by its Superintendent [Provedor] and officials, so that it may be evident that the favour of the voyage to China was granted to him on the stated date.
[Main text]
It appears that Your Majesty should grant the favour of ordering that the said royal decree be renewed in the name of Your Majesty, given that he arrived there [in Portugal?] on the 26th of March 1643.
[Signature]
João Gomes de Mendonça
F. Jorge de Lapa
F. Jorge de Albuquerque
João de Silva
F. João de Borba
F. Bernardo
[Stamp — centre left, below signature area]
[HISTÓRICO ULTRAMARINO - GOA]
[Overseas Historical Archive – Goa]
[Archival mark — bottom left]
[UNCLEAR: faint handwritten numerals or marks]
{{PAGE:2}}
**TRANSLATION**
**
[Page]
**
2
**[Marginal note – top left]**
26th of [May?] 1647
**[Marginal note – top centre]**
Overseas [Bofont? / Bonfim?]
**
[Main text]
**
António de Sousa [or de Sequeira?] requests that Velhere [Velho?] draw up the decree [alvará]
offering [him] a share in a voyage to China.
**
[Signature]
**
H
**[Marginal note – right side, vertical]**
Macau, G.1, doc 59
**[Marginal note – bottom right]**
f.13i
---
**TRANSLATOR'S NOTES:**
- **"Antonio deixue"** likely represents a scribal abbreviation or phonetic rendering of *António de Sousa* or *António de Sequeira* – common Portuguese names in colonial records. The exact reading is uncertain due to the original orthography.
- **"Velhere"** is probably a variant spelling of *Velho* (a surname) or possibly *Velhere* as a toponymic; in context, it refers to an official or notary.
- **"aluacacio"** is a scribal form of *alvará* – a royal decree or administrative order in Portuguese colonial administration.
- **"Degibo offereco"** – likely *de queibo ofereço* or *de gibão ofereço*; the most plausible reading is *de que lhe ofereço* ("that I offer him") or *de queibo* as a corruption of *de quinhão* ("share" or "portion"). Given the context of a China voyage, this refers to a commercial share or investment.
- **"hua Viagem dachina"** – *uma viagem da China* ("a voyage to/from China"), referring to the lucrative Macau-based trade with China (typically silk, porcelain, and spices).
- **"Bofont. ultramarino"** – likely *Bomfim Ultramarino* or *Bonfim Ultramarino*, possibly a reference to the Overseas Council (*Conselho Ultramarino*) or a specific archive collection.
- **"Maceau, G.1, doc 59"** – standard archival reference: Macau, Gaveta 1, document 59.
- **"f.13i"** – folio 13 recto (or verso, depending on the numbering system).
This document is a brief administrative note from the Portuguese colonial bureaucracy in Macau, recording a request for a decree to formalise a commercial partnership for a trading voyage to China. The date (26 May 1647) places it during the period of the Portuguese Restoration War and the decline of the Macau–Japan trade, making China voyages increasingly important for the colony's economy. |
| fulltext_transcription | {{PAGE:1}}
[Page]
H59
[Marginalia — top left]
Macau
26 Março 1647
[Marginalia — top right]
Sacos
[Marginalia — left margin, near top]
Companhia. Aº. 2. d’o S.º D. 97. (Antonio de lexe fez petição Neste con C. Magualdo)
[Main text]
q/ no ano antes daquelle aclamado de 1582, vim nou a India hũ aluara por q/ Dmªg the fez Merce debuia Viagem dachina Nauagante dos gromidos antes de mgo de Mayo do ano de 1582: e por q/ aquelle Estado lho Nao quiserão guardar p/ chegar la senda Vmª ja aclamado Neste seos Reynos, e hui a finado por d/ Rey de castella
Pede a Dmªg the feça Merce Mandar lho reformar para hir Nestas embarcações
Com a petição referida por vento o Regido do dito aluara tirado dos Livros da casa da India e afinado pello Provedor e officiõ della, p/ q/ conste a fazer felhe Merce dada a Viagem dachina Nauagante a fina declarada
[Main text]
Parece q/ Dmªg the faça Merce Mandar q/ lhe reforme o dito aluara em Nome de Dmªg, visto o quelega La Aº 26 de Março 1643
[Signature]
João Gomes de Mendoça
F. Jorge de Lapa
F. Jorge de Albuquerque
João de Silva
F. João de Borba
F. Bernardo
[Stamp — center left, below signature area]
[HISTÓRICO ULTRAMARINO - GOA]
[Archival mark — bottom left]
[UNCLEAR: faint handwritten numerals or marks]
{{PAGE:2}}
[Page]
2
[Marginalia — top left]
26 de m. de 1647
[Marginalia — top center]
Bofont. ultramarino
[Main text]
Antonio deixue pede Velhere forme o aluacacio
Degibo offereco de hua Viagem dachina
[Signature]
H
[Marginalia — right side, vertical]
Maceau, G.1, doc 59
[Marginalia — bottom right]
f.13i |
| fulltext_translation | {{PAGE:1}}
**TRANSLATION**
[Page]
H59
[Marginalia — top left]
Macau
26 March 1647
[Marginalia — top right]
Sacks [or Bags]
[Marginalia — left margin, near top]
Company. Year 2. of the said Lord D. 97. (Antonio de Lexe made a petition in this [matter] with C. Magualdo)
[Main text]
That in the year before that acclaimed one of 1582, there came to India a royal decree [alvará] by which Your Majesty granted him the favour of the voyage to China, sailing as a ship's boy [grumete] before the month of May of the year 1582; and because that State [of India] did not wish to honour it for him, since Your Majesty had already been acclaimed in these your Kingdoms, and [the decree] had been confirmed by the King of Castile,
He petitions Your Majesty to grant him the favour of ordering it to be renewed, so that he may go on these vessels.
With the aforementioned petition is enclosed the copy of the said royal decree, taken from the books of the India House [Casa da Índia] and signed by its Superintendent [Provedor] and officials, so that it may be evident that the favour of the voyage to China was granted to him on the stated date.
[Main text]
It appears that Your Majesty should grant the favour of ordering that the said royal decree be renewed in the name of Your Majesty, given that he arrived there [in Portugal?] on the 26th of March 1643.
[Signature]
João Gomes de Mendonça
F. Jorge de Lapa
F. Jorge de Albuquerque
João de Silva
F. João de Borba
F. Bernardo
[Stamp — centre left, below signature area]
[HISTÓRICO ULTRAMARINO - GOA]
[Overseas Historical Archive – Goa]
[Archival mark — bottom left]
[UNCLEAR: faint handwritten numerals or marks]
{{PAGE:2}}
**TRANSLATION**
**
[Page]
**
2
**[Marginal note – top left]**
26th of [May?] 1647
**[Marginal note – top centre]**
Overseas [Bofont? / Bonfim?]
**
[Main text]
**
António de Sousa [or de Sequeira?] requests that Velhere [Velho?] draw up the decree [alvará]
offering [him] a share in a voyage to China.
**
[Signature]
**
H
**[Marginal note – right side, vertical]**
Macau, G.1, doc 59
**[Marginal note – bottom right]**
f.13i
---
**TRANSLATOR'S NOTES:**
- **"Antonio deixue"** likely represents a scribal abbreviation or phonetic rendering of *António de Sousa* or *António de Sequeira* – common Portuguese names in colonial records. The exact reading is uncertain due to the original orthography.
- **"Velhere"** is probably a variant spelling of *Velho* (a surname) or possibly *Velhere* as a toponymic; in context, it refers to an official or notary.
- **"aluacacio"** is a scribal form of *alvará* – a royal decree or administrative order in Portuguese colonial administration.
- **"Degibo offereco"** – likely *de queibo ofereço* or *de gibão ofereço*; the most plausible reading is *de que lhe ofereço* ("that I offer him") or *de queibo* as a corruption of *de quinhão* ("share" or "portion"). Given the context of a China voyage, this refers to a commercial share or investment.
- **"hua Viagem dachina"** – *uma viagem da China* ("a voyage to/from China"), referring to the lucrative Macau-based trade with China (typically silk, porcelain, and spices).
- **"Bofont. ultramarino"** – likely *Bomfim Ultramarino* or *Bonfim Ultramarino*, possibly a reference to the Overseas Council (*Conselho Ultramarino*) or a specific archive collection.
- **"Maceau, G.1, doc 59"** – standard archival reference: Macau, Gaveta 1, document 59.
- **"f.13i"** – folio 13 recto (or verso, depending on the numbering system).
This document is a brief administrative note from the Portuguese colonial bureaucracy in Macau, recording a request for a decree to formalise a commercial partnership for a trading voyage to China. The date (26 May 1647) places it during the period of the Portuguese Restoration War and the decline of the Macau–Japan trade, making China voyages increasingly important for the colony's economy. |
| genre | Manuscripts |
| genre_facet | Manuscripts |
| hierarchy_browse | Cx. 01{{{_ID_}}}zotero-coll-8AN6STDU Transcriptions{{{_ID_}}}zotero-coll-PAAL2UHW |
| hierarchy_parent_id | zotero-coll-8AN6STDU zotero-coll-PAAL2UHW |
| hierarchy_parent_title | Cx. 01 Transcriptions |
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| institution | zotero_group |
| last_indexed | 2026-09-24T07:28:05Z |
| latest_content_date | 2026-09-24T07:28:05Z |
| publishDate | 1647-03-26 |
| publishDateRange | 1647 |
| publishDateSort | 1647 |
| record_format | zotero |
| spelling | Consulta do Conselho Ultramarino a D. João IV, rei de Portugal sobre o pedido de António de Teve para reformar um alvará da concessão de uma viagem à China This abstract is for a historical document transcription from the Portuguese colonial archive, dated 26 March 1647 and 26 May 1647, concerning a petition for a royal decree (alvará) related to trade with China. The document comprises two parts: the first is a formal petition from António de Lexe (or de Sousa/Sequeira) to the Portuguese Crown, requesting the renewal of a decree originally granted in 1582 that permitted him to undertake a voyage to China as a ship's boy (grumete). The petition notes that the original decree was issued before the acclamation of the current monarch and was confirmed by the King of Castile, and it includes a certified copy from the India House (Casa da Índia). The second part is an administrative note recording a request for a decree to formalise a commercial share in a voyage to China. The document is signed by several officials, including João Gomes de Mendonça, and bears the stamp of the Overseas Historical Archive in Goa. Archival references place the document within the Macau collection (Gaveta 1, document 59). This material provides primary evidence of the bureaucratic processes governing Portuguese colonial trade, individual petitions for commercial privileges, and the administrative mechanisms of the Macau-based China trade during the mid-seventeenth century. Obs.: Resolução favorável do rei. Manuscripts Portugal. Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino PT/AHU/CU/062/0001/00059 1647-03-26 António de Lexe Casa da Índia China Trade Petition Grumete Voyage João Gomes de Mendonça Macau Collection Overseas Historical Archive Goa Portuguese Colonial Archives Royal Decree Renewal {{PAGE:1}} [Page] H59 [Marginalia — top left] Macau 26 Março 1647 [Marginalia — top right] Sacos [Marginalia — left margin, near top] Companhia. Aº. 2. d’o S.º D. 97. (Antonio de lexe fez petição Neste con C. Magualdo) [Main text] q/ no ano antes daquelle aclamado de 1582, vim nou a India hũ aluara por q/ Dmªg the fez Merce debuia Viagem dachina Nauagante dos gromidos antes de mgo de Mayo do ano de 1582: e por q/ aquelle Estado lho Nao quiserão guardar p/ chegar la senda Vmª ja aclamado Neste seos Reynos, e hui a finado por d/ Rey de castella Pede a Dmªg the feça Merce Mandar lho reformar para hir Nestas embarcações Com a petição referida por vento o Regido do dito aluara tirado dos Livros da casa da India e afinado pello Provedor e officiõ della, p/ q/ conste a fazer felhe Merce dada a Viagem dachina Nauagante a fina declarada [Main text] Parece q/ Dmªg the faça Merce Mandar q/ lhe reforme o dito aluara em Nome de Dmªg, visto o quelega La Aº 26 de Março 1643 [Signature] João Gomes de Mendoça F. Jorge de Lapa F. Jorge de Albuquerque João de Silva F. João de Borba F. Bernardo [Stamp — center left, below signature area] [HISTÓRICO ULTRAMARINO - GOA] [Archival mark — bottom left] [UNCLEAR: faint handwritten numerals or marks] {{PAGE:2}} [Page] 2 [Marginalia — top left] 26 de m. de 1647 [Marginalia — top center] Bofont. ultramarino [Main text] Antonio deixue pede Velhere forme o aluacacio Degibo offereco de hua Viagem dachina [Signature] H [Marginalia — right side, vertical] Maceau, G.1, doc 59 [Marginalia — bottom right] f.13i {{PAGE:1}} **TRANSLATION** [Page] H59 [Marginalia — top left] Macau 26 March 1647 [Marginalia — top right] Sacks [or Bags] [Marginalia — left margin, near top] Company. Year 2. of the said Lord D. 97. (Antonio de Lexe made a petition in this [matter] with C. Magualdo) [Main text] That in the year before that acclaimed one of 1582, there came to India a royal decree [alvará] by which Your Majesty granted him the favour of the voyage to China, sailing as a ship's boy [grumete] before the month of May of the year 1582; and because that State [of India] did not wish to honour it for him, since Your Majesty had already been acclaimed in these your Kingdoms, and [the decree] had been confirmed by the King of Castile, He petitions Your Majesty to grant him the favour of ordering it to be renewed, so that he may go on these vessels. With the aforementioned petition is enclosed the copy of the said royal decree, taken from the books of the India House [Casa da Índia] and signed by its Superintendent [Provedor] and officials, so that it may be evident that the favour of the voyage to China was granted to him on the stated date. [Main text] It appears that Your Majesty should grant the favour of ordering that the said royal decree be renewed in the name of Your Majesty, given that he arrived there [in Portugal?] on the 26th of March 1643. [Signature] João Gomes de Mendonça F. Jorge de Lapa F. Jorge de Albuquerque João de Silva F. João de Borba F. Bernardo [Stamp — centre left, below signature area] [HISTÓRICO ULTRAMARINO - GOA] [Overseas Historical Archive – Goa] [Archival mark — bottom left] [UNCLEAR: faint handwritten numerals or marks] {{PAGE:2}} **TRANSLATION** ** [Page] ** 2 **[Marginal note – top left]** 26th of [May?] 1647 **[Marginal note – top centre]** Overseas [Bofont? / Bonfim?] ** [Main text] ** António de Sousa [or de Sequeira?] requests that Velhere [Velho?] draw up the decree [alvará] offering [him] a share in a voyage to China. ** [Signature] ** H **[Marginal note – right side, vertical]** Macau, G.1, doc 59 **[Marginal note – bottom right]** f.13i --- **TRANSLATOR'S NOTES:** - **"Antonio deixue"** likely represents a scribal abbreviation or phonetic rendering of *António de Sousa* or *António de Sequeira* – common Portuguese names in colonial records. The exact reading is uncertain due to the original orthography. - **"Velhere"** is probably a variant spelling of *Velho* (a surname) or possibly *Velhere* as a toponymic; in context, it refers to an official or notary. - **"aluacacio"** is a scribal form of *alvará* – a royal decree or administrative order in Portuguese colonial administration. - **"Degibo offereco"** – likely *de queibo ofereço* or *de gibão ofereço*; the most plausible reading is *de que lhe ofereço* ("that I offer him") or *de queibo* as a corruption of *de quinhão* ("share" or "portion"). Given the context of a China voyage, this refers to a commercial share or investment. - **"hua Viagem dachina"** – *uma viagem da China* ("a voyage to/from China"), referring to the lucrative Macau-based trade with China (typically silk, porcelain, and spices). - **"Bofont. ultramarino"** – likely *Bomfim Ultramarino* or *Bonfim Ultramarino*, possibly a reference to the Overseas Council (*Conselho Ultramarino*) or a specific archive collection. - **"Maceau, G.1, doc 59"** – standard archival reference: Macau, Gaveta 1, document 59. - |
| spellingShingle | Consulta do Conselho Ultramarino a D. João IV, rei de Portugal sobre o pedido de António de Teve para reformar um alvará da concessão de uma viagem à China António de Lexe Casa da Índia China Trade Petition Grumete Voyage João Gomes de Mendonça Macau Collection Overseas Historical Archive Goa Portuguese Colonial Archives Royal Decree Renewal |
| title | Consulta do Conselho Ultramarino a D. João IV, rei de Portugal sobre o pedido de António de Teve para reformar um alvará da concessão de uma viagem à China |
| title_autocomplete | Consulta do Conselho Ultramarino a D. João IV, rei de Portugal sobre o pedido de António de Teve para reformar um alvará da concessão de uma viagem à China |
| title_full | Consulta do Conselho Ultramarino a D. João IV, rei de Portugal sobre o pedido de António de Teve para reformar um alvará da concessão de uma viagem à China |
| title_fullStr | Consulta do Conselho Ultramarino a D. João IV, rei de Portugal sobre o pedido de António de Teve para reformar um alvará da concessão de uma viagem à China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Consulta do Conselho Ultramarino a D. João IV, rei de Portugal sobre o pedido de António de Teve para reformar um alvará da concessão de uma viagem à China |
| title_short | Consulta do Conselho Ultramarino a D. João IV, rei de Portugal sobre o pedido de António de Teve para reformar um alvará da concessão de uma viagem à China |
| title_sort | consulta do conselho ultramarino a d. joão iv, rei de portugal sobre o pedido de antónio de teve para reformar um alvará da concessão de uma viagem à china |
| topic | António de Lexe Casa da Índia China Trade Petition Grumete Voyage João Gomes de Mendonça Macau Collection Overseas Historical Archive Goa Portuguese Colonial Archives Royal Decree Renewal |
| topic_autocomplete | António de Lexe Casa da Índia China Trade Petition Grumete Voyage João Gomes de Mendonça Macau Collection Overseas Historical Archive Goa Portuguese Colonial Archives Royal Decree Renewal |
| topic_facet | António de Lexe Casa da Índia China Trade Petition Grumete Voyage João Gomes de Mendonça Macau Collection Overseas Historical Archive Goa Portuguese Colonial Archives Royal Decree Renewal |
| url | https://macau-legacy.usj.edu.mo/docs/VTUIJ4RZ/viewer_VTUIJ4RZ.html |
| zotero_collection_key | 8AN6STDU PAAL2UHW |