Indian Antiquary Vol 31

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 65

FEBRUARY, 1902.] LETTERS FROM PORTUGUESE CAPTIVES IN CANTON.
the houses adorned with woodwork. The province of Foquem is smaller, and has two cities less.19 [f. 131v] It will have under its rule a circuit of one hundred and sixty leagues. It is a very fine thing, and the cities and towns are also situated after the manner of this Cantão.
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These two pages in which are described these provinces must not be detached, because they accord with these things that are here about to be written down.
I, Sir, have the book20 of all fifteen provinces, how many cities each province has, and towns and other places, all written at large, and the manners and customs that prevail in the whole country, and the government thereof, as of all else, and the cities, how they are situated, and other places, and also the profits of our lord the king. Being a man, Sir, given to study, I know how to read and write the letters of the country; for I am sick, and I see the Chinese and learn the letters.
This page of drawing, Sir, is the province of Cantão, all of which shows the rivers, the cities, which are ten, 23 all given by name at the foot of this page, and a city that is called Aynão, which when one comes to this port lies on the left hand. The whole is islands, as, Sir, you will see there. on the which islands is a populous city and three cheos that are under the city, and ten towns, each of which towns is larger than the city of Evora and has ten times as many people; and another town where are stationed captains of war like those that are in your guard. From these islands to this city of Cantão will be fifty or sixty leagues.
Because, Sir, there are fifteen large cities and very large towns it is a rich affair with large revenues and with palm-groves and arecas. By reason of these arecas and palm-groves it is the best thing that there is in the country of China. Where also they fish for pearls: in no other part is. there any, but only on these [f. 132] islands. The which islands, Sir, border on the south side on the kingdom of Cauchim; and from this land of Cantão to go thither there is an arm of the sea, which with a fair-wind may be crossed in one day, and with an adverse wind in a day and a half.
Wherefore, Sir, when a fortress has been built in this city, these cities will immediately rise, and the majority of the people will take to robbing and killing one and another, because there will be no one who governs them nor whom they have to obey, because the mandarins will either be killed or will flee, since the people are very poor, and are ill-treated by the mandarins that govern.
These islands and cities, Sir, have no means of help; and when a fortress has been built in the principal city, with five hundred men stationed therein, and with much boatage to scour the arm of the sea with other five hundred men, they will become submissive to obey our lord the king; because from the method of raising the revenues that they are accustomed to pay to the king, great riches on a large scale will be derived from these cities and these islands when the country has been settled, for the revenues are very large.
You must know, Sir, that it was more difficult to take Goa than it will be to take these cities and subject them, by reason of the people's being very weak to a large extent, and they have no loyalty towards king nor father or mother; they go only with him who can do most. Which thing so good is in consequence waiting to be taken possession of. There is also great plenty of ginger: this province has much ginger very good, and cinnamon which is not very fine.
19 Galeotto Pereira says (Hakluyt, II., II. p. 68) that there were eight cities in Fukien and seven in Kwangtung: whereas Gaspar da Cruz (cap. 5) attributes to the former ten and to the latter eleven cities; while Mendosa (Bak. Soc. ed. p. 23) makes the numbers thirty-three and thirty-seven.
20 What happened to this book, it is impossible to say.
The orig. has "esta," which I take to be a copyist's error for estando.
This seems to have disappeared with the original letters.
23 Bee footnote supra.
25 Chin, chaudepartment or district. (Cf. Barros, Dec. already been mentioned by name.
Cf. Christovão Vieyra's letter supra.
"The island of Hainan seems to be meant. III., II. vii.) The three chans in question have