Macao
English: John Thomson: MACAO, in ancient times a small island off the mainland of Hiang-shan in the Kwang-tung Province, has since been united to the coast by a sand-bar. This occurrence so disgusted the Chinese, that in I5 7 3l shortly after the troubles which the settlement of a few Portuguese at Macao involved, they built a barrier across the bar, with a view to exclude the foreigners from intruding into the interior of the country. The Chinese account of the early Macao Portuguese, and of the manner in which the colony was established, differs materially from that supplied by the Portuguese writers. It appears that, about the beginning of the sixteenth century, the Portuguese had attempted to form trading factories at Ningpo, and near Swatow. These they were compelled to abandon. In 1552 they are said to have obtained permission from the Chinese Government to erect mat-sheds for storing goods at Macao. This, then, seems to have been the germ from which the city has grown to its present proportions.' " Fortifications and a church were among the first building works undertaken. Ground-rent was not demanded by the Chinese Government until long after the settlement was formed— not, in fact, until 1582." "About 15S0 Macao was erected into an episcopal see by Gregory HI., and thirteen bishops have been consecrated in succession to this port." Macao was in its most flourishing condition shortly before the conclusion of the war with Great Britain and the establishment of our colony at Hong-Kong. It was just prior to these events that the best houses were erected, and the place gradually assumed its present picturesque appearance. The principal residences front the bay, round which runs a broad carriage- drive, known as the Praya Grande, shown in the illustration. This picture was taken from the hill above Bishop's Bay, at the southern extremity of the Praya. The inner harbour is on the north-west side of the peninsula, and here the oldest part of the town is to be found. A number of narrow dingy lanes lead from the Praya to the main streets in the upper part of the town; and here the houses wear an interesting, antique appearance, greatly marred, however, by a variety of bright colours with which the owners daub their dwellings, alike regardless of symmetry and harmony of combination. To a European the effect is as distasteful as a glowing patch of carmine on the shrunken cheeks of a faded beauty. There is now hardly a sign of trade in these once busy streets or, indeed, of active life in any form— save at 'noon when tawny worshippers hasten in crowds to the cathedral, or during the evening promenade on the Praya, when the band is playing in the gardens. Influences— local, social, climatic— and fusion of races have dealt unkindly with these descendants of the early Portuguese. They suffer greatly by comparison with the more recent arrivals from the parent land, being smaller in stature, and darker in complexion, than either the Portuguese of Europe or the native Chinese. There are, of course, tare and notable exceptions, but one seldom meets with a moderately well-formed and attractive countenance. This, it must be understood, applies to the lower orders of the population, and to those only among them who are of mixed blood. The .same result may be noticed among the Portuguese in Malacca, where it would often be hard to perceive the faintest trace of Western origin, but for the presence of some article of European apparel— a beaver hat for example— passed down in succession from father to son, and still held an indispensable element in a costume displaying a ludicrous compromise between native and foreign attire. Macao forms a pleasant resort during summer for the residents of Hong-Kong. A steamer plies daily between the two ports, and occupies about four hours in accomplishing the run. A good hotel stands on the Praya Grande, and from its verandah one may enjoy the sea- breeze and the view of the bay, where fleets of fishing-boats lie at anchor, or sail to and fro among the islands. Three times a week travellers may take steamer to Canton, and make the tour of that ancient and most interesting city. There are many picturesque walks in and around Macao, and retired sandy bays invite the wanderer to taste the luxury of a sea-bath. In the garden, now included in the grounds of a private residence, stands the grotto of CamBens, who is said to have resided there when he composed the greater part of Lusiadas, or the Epic of Commerce, as it has been termed. The career of Camoens, both before and after his residence in Macao, was one of strange adventure. " As a soldier, he fought in the empire of Morocco, at the foot of Mount Atlas, in the Red Sea, and in the Persian Gulf. Twice he doubled the Cape, and was led by a deep love of nature to spend sixteen years in watching the phenomena of the ocean in the Indian and China seas. Camoens was banished to Macao in 1556, on account of certain satires which he wrote against the Government " 1 — a summary treatment adopted for the suppression of poets and men of genius in other countries as well as Portugal, and not wholly unknown even in modern times. Macao since 1848 has earned an unenviable notoriety for its traffic in coolies. These unfortunate men were shipped to Cuba, Peru, and other ports on the South American Coast, and were, many of them, kidnapped in the province of Kwang-tung or the islands round about. Shut up first in Macao barracoons, they were thence packed off in crowded ships— inhuman treatment frequently leading to mutiny and massacre, or disease and death, perhaps, bringing to these poor bondsmen a last but grateful relief. That this is no exaggeration the following extract may show :— " The ship 'Dea del Mare' left Macao in October, 1865, bound to Callao. On touching at Tahiti she had only 162 emigrants alive out of 550." The coolie trade of Macao is now under a strict surveillance, and is mainly indebted to the enlightened administration of the present governor for this urgently needed reformation.