This book also bears an English and a Chinese title: Historical Sources on Macau in the Historical Archives of Goa. XVI to XIX Centuries: A Catalogue, and Guo'a tianlu. Guo'a lishi dang'anguan cang Aomen shiliao mulu, shiliu zhi shijiu shiji 果阿天祿. 果阿歷史檔案館藏澳門史料目錄，十六至十九世紀. It contains four parts: a preface by Rui Martins, vice rector (research) of the Universidade de Macau (University of Macau); an introduction by the editor; a prólogo by Artur Teodoro de Matos; the catalogue as such (260 pages); and a detailed index. Several scholars were involved in the catalogue project: Filipa Ribeiro da Silva, Francisco de Abreu Peixote, Miguel Rodrigues Lourenço, Tereza Sena and (Vivian) Zang Xiaohua 藏小華.
In his preface, Rui Martins links the publication of the present book (in 2021) to the fortieth anniversary of the Universidade de Macau, earlier known as the Universidade da Ásia Oriental, which was founded in 1981 as a private institution. This link involves a symbolic dimension. Although Macau now forms part of China, its history remains very much tied to the ancient Estado da Índia and thus to an essentially peaceful ensemble of ports and small territories, which the Portuguese had gradually acquired in the sixteenth century. Commercial and spiritual elements determined its cosmopolitan setting and that shows up in the catalogue.
The author of the elegantly written introduction, A. Vasconcelos de Saldanha, has published many authoritative works on nineteenth-century Macau (including a huge collection of documents, edited by him and others). In his contribution to the present volume, he discusses the importance of archival records for the history of Portugal's presence in the Far East. Among other things, he mentions several earlier catalogues of traditional sources, which are relevant for research on Macau's past. Most of these bibliographical tools were published before the year 2000. Readers interested in them and in different archives more generally, may also consult, for example, the old guide by Rui Manuel Loureiro, Guia de história de Macau 1500–1900 (Macau, 1999), pp. 223–40.
More importantly, the introduction indicates that scholars working on Portuguese activities in the Far East rarely made use of the textual material available in Goa. This material, now in Panaji, contains a large number of documents related to Macau and several locations, which were in touch with that port. Apparently, the underutilization of these sources has to do with bureaucratic obstacles. In spite of such unfavourable conditions, far-sighted scholars based in Macau began investigating the matter at an early point in time. In his prólogo, A.T. de Matos, who once directed the Department of Portuguese at the Macau University, refers to these initiatives. One idea was then that studying the documents in Goa would be essential for writing a new history of Macau.
Saldanha's introduction picks up that point. It draws attention to several modern works in Portuguese such as the impressive collection edited by A.H. de Oliveira Marques, História dos Portugueses no Extremo Oriente, 6 vols (Lisbon, 1998–2003), but underlines that a more balanced history of Macau remains to be written. It also takes a critical view of Chinese-language works on Macau's past, which have come out in large numbers during the last two or three decades. In sum, a new and profound history of Macau is a desideratum. Although scholars recognized this need a long time ago, the original plan of providing information on Macau-related sources in Goa remained on ice for several years. The project was only revived after 2014, based on material collected earlier, in late 1990. Among the scholars involved in these new efforts was Miguel Lourenço, who re-arranged the extant files and went to India for further in situ research.
Here, then, we can turn to the catalogue itself. It offers individual summaries of 917 documents, along with their dates and authors (senders and recipients), as well as their precise locations (sub-collections, folio numbers, etc.) in the Historical Archives of Goa. In some cases, there are quotations from the sources. Furthermore, keywords tell users of the catalogue what one can expect to find in each text. These keywords form the basis of the index. They refer to names of persons, places and ships, institutions and offices, commodities and trade, events, and religious and many other aspects. The arrangement of the catalogue as such follows a chronological order. Sixteen pieces date from the sixteenth century. Almost 60 pieces fall into the period 1600 to 1640. Thus, the early cycle of Macau's history, often considered as its golden age, is amply present in this catalogue. The latest piece, a letter of the Estado's governor-general to the Macau governor, bears the date of 27 June 1892.
Scholars will find many interesting themes covered by all these texts. Here are just some examples. Several documents address administrative and other problems in the period of the Iberian double-monarchy. This concerns the Macau–Manila axis. There is scattered information on the Portuguese in Macassar, Solor and Timor and on their links to Macau. Other texts deal with demographic and social issues, for instance the role of women in Macau. Piracy, British threats and the activities of Miguel de Arriaga are recurrent themes as well. There is also much on embassies, opium, Macau's neighbourhood, and Portugal's Chinese partners.
Clearly, the present catalogue is a fine tool. It should be particularly useful for scholars working on Macau in the post-1640 period on which there is less research than on Macau's golden years. Indeed, this book is a welcome and precious item that libraries and individuals interested in South China and Macau should acquire.
