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The Council of Government of the Province of Macao, Timor, and Solor, to Seu, Viveroy of Canton. The Council have had under their consideration your Excellency's replies of the 28th and 30th September, to the despatches of this Council of the 25th and 27th idem, from which it is clearly seen that your Excellency, feigning not to understand the solid and convincing reasons on which the just demands of this Council are grounded, is endeavouring to elude the principal question, avoiding an explicit and categorical answer. This Council must positively declare to your Excellency, that if you think of making the head and hand of the assassinated Governor an object of barter or exchange, to procure thereby the release of the three Chinese detained here, not imprisoned, for the purpose of carrying on enquiries, and who, when these are concluded, will be set at liberty, the Portuguese and all other civilized nations in the world would look upon such an attempt as an iniquitous and nefarious traffic, which demonstrates at least the complacency felt by your Excellency at the assassination of the Governor of Macao, the representative of Her Most Faithful Majesty; and therefore, as a fresh insult to Her said Majesty, this Council protest against your Excellency for the right of Her Majesty, outraged by your Excellency, and for the right appertaining to the family of the deceased; insomuch as the head and hand belonging to the body of the deceased, and that to his family, your Excellency, by detaining in order to traffic with them, commits a robbery, thus participating in the crime of the assassin, who, after murdering Governor Amaral, robbed him of his head and hand. The Laws of the Celestial Empire in cases of the murder of Authorities point out a different course, which is not simply to pay life for life, and your Excellency, by invoking the Authority of the same Laws with which you did not comply, has only shown that you have violated them. Lastly, the answer of your Excellency as to the principal point of the present question does not satisfy this Council, and therefore they require of your Excellency, that you state most explicitly, whether you will deliver up the head and hand of the assassinated Governor as belonging to his body, or whether you really wish to negotiate with those precious remains? Your answer, affirmative or negative, the Council expect without delay.
With regard to the three Chinese detained here, who are not so unconnected with the present question as your Excellency pretends, as soon as the reasons for their detention cease to exist, and providing no crime be brought home to them, they will be, as has already been said, set at liberty, or, in the contrary case, delivered to their authorities to be tried and punished according to the Law. Macau, 3d October, 1849.
JERONIMO, Bishop of Macao.-JOAQUIM ANTONIO DE MORAES CARNEIRO.-LUIS JOAQUIM DE FARIA NEVES.-MIGUEL PEREIRA SIDOES.-Juzь BEнnardo GuviARTE.-MANOEL PEREIRA.
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