58 4 embassy TO CHINA.
Macao grga£ politeness by the I governor of Maca#. Thi?
tugueZe settlement is situated at the southern! extremity
of a n ;extensive island, separated, oiily by rivets from
the, southern continent of China. . T h is . southern extremity,
Ayhich, together with the harbour formed by ,it; had
beefr paptedfby the ^tne^goyiepiment; to the Portu-
gueze.is connected only with the remainder of the island
by a .longjneck of. landi not exceeding a hundred ya*ds
aetpss; (which w^.ptobabl^:>|hrmed by the sand thrown
up by the opposite, beating,of the waves on cash side.
AefQss iC*a wall,has befeni erf#bi*: which p ^ fp s -,?|nt6
the yrater at' each end, with a gate and guardhot^gjin
middles, for Chinese soldiers.. This wall is constructed of
oyster shells, , which ate found, .in those sea?, o f an: enormous
size, and- are the same that, when divided intotlnn
laminae and polished, seryc in the windows at Macao and
tte southern parts of; China, as Corea paper ;does/in the,
northtern, provinces,, and .glass in Europe.) \ beypnd>this
boundary p f the possessions qf the.Portuguezq, they are
seMprb perniittedjP pasSi Their territory oxbthis island,
isscarcely,'eight miles in circuit. Its greatest length,
from north-east to south-west, being under three miles ;
and-its breadth less than a mile. In this small spot the
Po-rtugueze, to whom it was granted at the period of their
pqwep and enterpriz<e!, carried on for a long time a considerable
trade, not only w ith the Chinese empire,, where
they, almost alone' of all Europeans, then resorted; but
■ ;TbH Miftu 885
U^e wisejwith other; cquntrj^-ih:,Eastern; Asia, pattiout
lady Japan, to thefjp%t, -^nd tTunrquin.'Co^iaa-Gjhina,
andiSiam,>t0 tlie•^uth-wjssq.qf Chq|a.. In,this traffic
they^sobn.] qnriqbedthems,elvqs >5 ;the; marks fop whi;eh
remain in .many, larg^'anabho^tLy: public a,nd priyatf'
b.uilflings in Macao, se^fj|al nojy m r a^neglqcted ,^ate,;
It was so much st .colonypf cqmmerce^thal^itsigjoyera;-;
ment, often lentmpnqyctq ?individuals itOf^earryJJti
at^a -certain fate’of interest, wjaiqh ;^he^profits»of
Yqy^ges .enabled them to;, pay. At derLgt^hiXbryyffl-
lo(wed wealth. The spirit of .the,whqle/^ortugpezd>fta?
tidn declined.'. Those of Macao Were;,enervated\byjjtiLe ef-
feqtsof a climate within' the,.tropic^ Ey|xifc^J:pqfc fi&wt
which' depriyedth'em of all intq^!Ott)$se yrith Japan,
great -§oqrP%‘Pf theiij, advantages,. vh§yqlntjqns^in
countries .whqres thefi traded;- r€^^ered>s)pecnl‘ation?,thelr;q
precarious-,and * often unfortunate to, t^ .un^ertakffifl
The1 settlement gradually-fgll Jrpnqits former-pjqsperijtyy
The PortUguezeSetderSy still fit out‘a ƒ§&$$$$$!&) ^nd
send.-cargoes^o* some^qf ?the- neighbouring;; eount^iq^
Others lend their names, for, a? triflingjcqnsideratiqn, rtQ
foreigners,,belonging, to jtlie Canton factor-jg^ yjhp’re^y^
part of -the; year- at, Macao. These, ^ q re
credit, connections','and enterprize,. are -more<$ ucoe^sfq 1;;
but require to-be nominally associated with.PqrtugugZQii
in order to be.allowed.tOf trade from theopqrtjpf1 Mao^o^
The. money spent, jin that settlemqnt; byftJlg Can>6on,faG'b