68 o 
Sanchm, They readily offered them their Affiftanee* and 
not only forced Tchang ft Lao to raife the Siege* but pur- 
fued him to Macao , and there killed him. 
The Viceroy having made a faithful Report to the Em- 
peror of this extraordinary Piece of Service, that Prince, 
out of juft Gratitude, publifhed an Edidt, by which he 
granted the Portugueze this little Eland, with the Power 
of making a Settlement there, which they joyfully accept- 
ed, and built a good Town, which they fortified after the 
European Manner, and furniftied it with near two hundred 
Pieces of Cannon. One would imagine, that this might 
excite the Jealoufy of the Chinefe , who are juftly efteem- 
ed the moft fufpicious People in the World ; but they 
have provided fo effectually for their own Security, that 
all the Force of the Portugueze is entirely at their Devo- 
tion, becaufe they have not a Day’s Provifion but what 
they received from the Chinefe , and are fo furrounded by 
their Forces, that it is impoffible for them to undertake 
any thing to the Prejudice of their Empire. The Poffeffion 
of this Place has been, notwithftanding, extreamly benefi- 
cial to the Portugueze ; for, from thence, they carried on 
for many Years, a moft beneficial Commerce with Japan , 
by Which Macao became one of the richeft and moft con- 
fiderable Places in the Indies , and many of the Nobility 
of Portugal , who had enjoyed very high Offices, chofe, at 
the Expiration of them, to fettle here, where they lived 
in great Splendor, and at the fame Time acquired vaft 
Eftates by T rade f . 
We fnall hereafter have occafion to give fome Account 
of the Caufes which brought on the total Prohibition of 
their Trade with Japan % but at prefect, we fhaH confine 
curfelves to what relates to the City of Macao. In the 
Year 1639, the Portugueze fent from thence two large 
Ships laden with Merchandize, which came to an Anchor 
in the Road of Nagazaqui •, immediately on which it was 
notified in Form to the Commodore, or, as the Portu- 
gueze ftile him, the Captain-Major Don VafcoPagliad' Al- 
meyda , that the Emperor of Japan , by his Edith:, had to- 
tally prohibited ail Commerce with the Portugueze , and 
that for thefe Reafons : Firft, becaufe, notwithftanding 
the feveral Cautions given them, they had ftill continued 
to bring over Miffionaries into his Country. Secondly, for 
that they had fupplied thofe that were already there, with 
Provifions and other Neceffaries ; and Thirdly, becaufe 
there were juft Reafons to fufpedt, that they had fome 
Knowledge of, and fome Concern in the late Rebellion of 
the Chriftians in Arima. They had alio a Copy of the 
Emperor’s Edift given them, which they were directed 
to make publick at Macao , and to inform the Inhabitants 
of that City, that thefe were the laft Ships that ftiould 
ever be permitted to anchor in any Port of Japan 3 of 
which they were to take Notice, and to remain affured, 
that if ever they came thither again, they fhould undoubt- 
edly be treated as Enemies, and put to Death without 
Mercy. 
On their Return to Macao , and making Report of thefe 
Facts, the whole City was ftruck with Confternation, be- 
ing fatisfied, that the Deftrubtion of this Trade would 
prove the Ruin of their City ; to prevent which, they re- 
folved to make one great Effort, and to fend a folemn 
Ambaffy to juftify their Conduct, arid if poffible, engage 
the Emperor to recall this Edict, or at leaft to qualify it 
fo, as that they might on certain Terms have Leave to 
fend fome Ships thither. The Difficulty was to find any 
who would charge themfelves with fo dangerous a Com- 
Book I* 
million *, but at laft the Following Perfdns offered, of their 
own Accord, to run the Iffazard, viz. Don Lewis Paez 
Pacheco , who had ferved with Honour as Commander of 
the Armies in the Indies * and who was now feventy-eight 
Years of Age; Don Roderic Sanchez de Paredez , Don 
Gonzalez Mont ay ro de Garvailho, and Don Simon Vaz di 
Pavia ; all Men of Diftin&ion, and who were moved by- 
nothing but the Defire of jollifying their Nation, and ren- 
dering Service to their Country. On the 9th of July 
1 640, the Ship that carried thefe Ambaffadors arrived in 
the Road of Nagazaqui , and fent an Account to the Ja- 
ponefe Governors of the Nature of the Commiffion with 
which they were intruded. Their Ship was immediately 
feized, and the Ambaffadors, and all who belonged to 
them, except eight Negroe Seamen, were imprifoned in 
the Eland of Kifma , till the Emperor’s Pleafure ftiould be 
known. On the return of the Courier fent to Court with 
the News of their Arrival, they were fent for before the 
Magiftrates, who treated them as Criminals, demanding 
of them, what it was that could induce them, after fo 
fair Warning as was given them the Year before, to re- 
turn thither, in direft Breach of the Emperor’s Edibl. 
They pleaded, that they were not at all within the Mean- 
ing of that Law, becaufe the Emperor forbid thereby any 
Attempt to trade, which was not their Bufinefs, having 
no Commodities of any fort on Board their Ship, but 
coming thither with the Charadters of Ambaffadors, which 
had been always efteemed facred. The Magiftrates told 
them, that this would not ferve their Turns, but that they 
had incurred the Penalty of the Edibl ; upon which they 
were inftantly bound and conducted back to Prifon. 
1 he next Day, the Ambaffadors, and all their Atten- 
dants, to the Numberof feventy-four, Portugueze , Spaniards , 
Chinefe , Canarins, and Indians 3 were again carried before the 
Magiftrates, who then told them, it was his Imperial Ma~ 
jelly’s Plealure they ftiould all fpffer Death, except thir- 
teen ; which Sentence was executed the fame Evening, 
which was the 13th of Augujl. The next Morning before 
it was light, the Governor fent for the thirteen that were 
Ipared, and having alked them whether they had feen 
their Ship burnt, inquired of them, whether they would 
faithfully report at Macao , what they were commanded 
by the Emperor to fay to them on his Behalf. Being an- 
fwered in the Affirmative, they proceeded thus ; “ You 
“ are then to inform your Fellow-Citizens, that hencefor- 
“ wards the Subjebls of Japan will not receive either Mo- 
“ ney. Merchandize, or Prefen ts, from them any more : 
“ You fee we have burnt the very Cloaths of thofe who 
“ were executed Yefterday. Let your People ufe any of 
ct ours that fall into their Hands in the fame Manner, we 
cc confent to it, and defire that you would think of ns no 
“ more than if there were not fuch a Nation as the Ja- 
“ ponefe in the World. This is what we have to fay 
“ to you. ” 
They then condubled thefe Mariners to the Place where 
the Heads of thole who were murdered the Day before 
were fixed upon Poles in three Rows the four Embaffa- 
dors firft, the Europeans next, and the Strangers laft of all. 
They likewile ftiewed them a great Iron Cheft, in which 
they told them were the Bodies of the Perfons executed, 
and obliged them to read a long Inlcription, fetting forth 
who they were, on what Account, and by whofe Order 
they were put to Death ; which Infcription ended with thefe 
Words : “ All this is fet forth as a Memorial of what has 
tc paft, and as an Advertifement for the Time to come. 
The If I STORE of the 
f I have taken all the Care I 'could to difcover whether this Nation had ever any other Settlement in China than this at Macao, but to no Pur- 
pofe, except that they traded for fome Time as other Nations did, at Canton , and at Ning-Po, which is a very confiderable Port in the Province of 
Pche-Kiang, and the firft into which Englijb Veffels were admitted. But a late Writer, one Captain Alexander Hamilton, fpeaking of this Place, 
which he calls Limpoa , inftead of Liampo, by which I find it mentioned by other European Writers, gives us the following Story, which I believe 
to be true, and which therefore I ftiali relate in his own Words : “ Here the Portugueze were once well fettled, and had a numerous Colony, when 
s ‘ the Chinefe were Matters of their own Country, and the Portugueze of the Seas. It is reported, that they had above one thoufand Portugueze Fa - 
* £ milies fettled in Limpoa, and were governed by their own Laws. Their Trade through China and Japan, which they carried in Shipping to In- 
st dia and China, made them prodigioufly rich, which brought them into Luxury and Debauchery, and at laft was the Caufe of their Expulfion from 
ts Limpoa. They began to be notorious Ravifhers of Women. They would go into the Country Villages, and carry off young Virgins by Violence, 
sf From their Parents, and when they had abufed them as long as they pleafed, fent them back to their Friends. M^ny Complaints had been made, 
44 but no redrefs could be obtained. ‘ At length, when a Parcel of Virgin-Hunters had gone into the Country, upon an Expedition of that Nature, 
41 the Peafants fell on them, and killed them every Man. This Slaughter made the Portugueze very loud in their Complaints, and demanded Juftice 
44 to be done on die Peafants. The Peafants made folid Replications to the Complaints of the Portugueze, and defired their Cafe might be laid be- 
44 fore the Emperor, which was accordingly done, and the Portugueze were ordered to clear themfelves of the Crimes laid to their Charge, and they 
44 not being able to do it, were banifhed Limpoa , but had Liberty to carry off their Effects ; and thus ended the moft opulent Colony at that Time 
45 in the World. ” 
■a 
« 
Hence- 
