On St. John's Day, 1022, a large Dutch force succeeded in landing, while the Dutch fleet bombarded the place from the sea. The defeat of the Dutch, who suffered heavy loss, is one of the most stirring pages in the history of Macao, and on the 24th of June, every year, the city of Macao commemorates the re-. pulse of the Netherlanders. An old monument stands in the place where the Dutch were routed. The Dutch then established a fort on Formosa Island, from which they waylald Portuguesa ships plying between Macao and Japan as they had already been doing for two decades.
Even more serious. was the anti- Christian persecution in Japan. Hun- dreds of Christians fled from that coun- try sceking refuge in Macao. In the Ittle Portuguese colony they were given sanctuary, even as others were given employment to build a facade for the Church of St. Paul, and it still stands In Macao, a monument to the devotion of the community and to testify to the skill of the artisans who laboured at its construction over three hundred years
ago,
THE HOLY CITY
Other churches were built, the majo- rity of which may still be seen. Some of them have been rebuilt, losing their original charm and beauty, but some retain the characteristics which were given to them by the Portuguese pioneers. These sacred edifices gave to Macao the noble title of the "Holy City"
When the Chinese Ming dynasty were attacked by the Manchus from the north-east, help was offered from Macao. The ruling class in Peking were long in accepting it but eventually they accepted a number of cannon, and the services of Portuguese bombardiers to teach the Chinese how to use the Portuguese ordnance. Expeditionary forces were also sent from Macao to assist the Mings in the 'struggle against the invaders. All that is left to recall the services rendered by the Portuguese is a tomb-stone in Peking, where one of the Portuguese was buried. FOREIGN-TRADERS
The ships of other nations began visit- ing Macao, seeking China's trade, but it was a long time before the volume of this trade was great enough to arouse the enthusiasm of Europe. This did not take place until the middle of the eigh- teenth century, when the English East India Company obtained permission to set up residences in Macao for its om- cials, Officers of of the East India Companies of other nations followed the example of the English, and it is still possible to see, in Macao, the buildings which were occupied by the Dutch and Swedish officials, while those occu- pled by the French and others cannot be traced.
From the accounts of Macao left by these foreign visitors, it can be seen that they were generally, charmed with the place. Not long ago an English writer tried to recapture the charm which was Macao's. To him Macao is "utterly fan- tastic, in its own outmoded way, almost perfect. From a ship it looks white and calm against the iron grey mountains of the China coast which stretch away on either hand in nameless heaps of rock. It sits and erowns a fragment of China with European splendour at the mouth of the Canton river. When you land and walk its awkward streels, you will and yourselves in a small pros-- perous Mediterranean port in which there appear to be an extraordinary number of Chinese. For its soldiers, its merchants and priests, all dead now.. have built upon this five square miles as if they were no more than a day's march by mule from their own beloved Lisbon. There are narrow streets which open suddenly into, say, a tiny square from which a pompous stairway rises to a shuttered convent. There are long blank walls, a little decayed, with a
H.E. Bir Alexander Grant- ham, K.C.M.G., Governor of Hong Kong, disembarking at Macso recently.
Grandstand of the Macao Football Grounds, during a recent interport game with a Hong Kong team.
: Pavilion bullt by the Chin- ese community in honour of the
present. Governor. of
Macro.
His Excellency the Governor entertaining
ان
New Governmen
course of gor
H.E. Lleutenant-General Bir E. C. RobertTM Manse K.B.E., ` C.B. M.C. on a recent vialt to'. Macao.