The Red Cloud chief., 1922-01-12
camoens' Garden in Macao.

SdUIOSHo Sai
Prepared by the National Geographic So
oiety, Washington, ID. C)
Two hills stretching to the sea 50
as to form charming hay. and be-
tween them an ancient, half-Spanish.
wholly southern city; It's roofs tufted
with verdure, rising one above anoth.
er on terraced slopes; its houses with
their once gay tints all faded, basking
I'm peaceful decrepitude in n sunshine
like that of June; the town fast
asleep; the harbor sitting up; the.
walls crumbling; the iron gratlngs
rusting; the pavements turning green;
the gables nodding like old gray heads,
tired Of listening to the same old sto-,
ries-Such is Macao, the Far Eastern
outpost Of the Portuguese traders of
the Sixteenth century, the Monte Car
10 of the Orient, and one of portugal's
few remaining possessions in Pacific
waters.
Macao is situated on the west side
of the Pearl river. Forty miles across
is UongkOng; lightweight miles to the
north lies Cautuu. seat of the South
China government. Macao was found
ed in 1891. Prior 20 1887 there APP
pears to have been no documentary,
evidence of formal CcsSion of this
territory. the Portuguese claiming,
however, that they received 1t as u
reward for destroying the horde OF
Mongolian pirates that harried the
southern coast of China; and the re-.
mains OF the old barrier across the
narrow neck of land separating the
peninsular town from the rest of the
Island OF IIeung Chan, and once guard
| ed by Chinese soldiers, gave color to
| the Portuguese claim. However. all
| doubts wCre laid tO rcst In 1887 when
formal Cession was made by China 10
the Portuguese.
macao's Rise and Fall.
So marvellous was the growth and
| prosperity Of this Portuguese settle
ment in It's youth that il excited the
envy ot the early Dutch traders who
in 1922 attempted It's conquest. The
| spot where the Dutch leader was
| killed hy II round shot from Monte
| fort, which wrote finis to that at
| tempt r. now marked by monument.
| Macao continued TO be flouriShing
mart up To 1874, the British East In
| dia company udd the Dutch company
meanwhile obtaipug foothold there.
The British free irade propaganda OF
the "FortieS" excited demand for Il
free port at Macao, Ia which the POr-
tuguese demurred Great Britain then
secured the iI0ng&ong concession.
made that free port in 1S45, and
the decline OF Macao as an entrepot
dates from that year.
Not only is Macao the site of the
first European claim made on Chinese
soil, but IL has cultural ties with Eu,
rope closer knit than the political re-
lationshipS of cOntrOvertcd areas t.
the north. Ii contains the oldest ruin
In China that Is associated with Eu
rope, and the tamarind and bnnyar
shade the gardens where the POr
tuguese Chauser Camoens compose
half of the LuSads, celebrating tho
discoveries Of the Portuguese eXplor
ors who opened up for the West thu
secrets of the East. 1t Is one of til,
half-do2en of the worlds great epics
Camoens' Place of Exile.
Luis de Camoens, the star of Lusi
tanlan poetry, became enamored o
Catharina d'Atayada, lady-in-honor e
Queen Catharna OF Portugal, whicl
50 cnraged the king that he banishe,
.he poet 20 Macao, about 1867, wher
he remained for five years as admin
istrator of the effects of deceased per
sons--a melancholy Office for poe
and lover. Returning In 1872, his YES
sci was wrecked, his small saving
were lost, but the poem which ha
been translated into every civiliZe
language WAS saved to an apprccialy
pos.erlty. a monument to Camoen
marks the spot in the grotto where h
.composed his noble epic.
Macao has snoOzed peacefully ava
ON its island in late years while COZ
troyersies have ragged around the han,
full of other foreign holdings on I'll
Chinese coast. But recently the go
ernment of Southern China Is reporte
to have demanded chat there be
: cleanup" in the city, procedur
which If carried out would entail rc
y ognitlon Of the Southern China gover
a ment as well as acceptance Of its rlgl
o 20 ruiz In what has long been cons
> cred Portuguese territory
once in Macao the traveller may r
9 main to contemplate an out-of-th'
+ way shrine Of European history. ~
u 'r.'! "-7.-,ass -.o,.