Had the affair ended here, it would probably have created no great talk, but unhappily firearms were discharged in the fracas, and a Portuguese soldier named Roque Berrache was killed, three others being wounded. Another victim was the daughter of the gaoler, a young girl named Carvalho, of twelve years of age, who, in a state of blind fright, jumped out of a window twenty feet from the ground and received severe injuries on falling.
This unfortunate loss of life naturally led to serious repercussions.
Macao was not then considered, in the proper sense of the term, an independent possession of the Portuguese Crown. It was only held conditionally, states the chronicle, of the Emperor of China, being then absolutely part and parcel of the imperial dominions, and the Portuguese were simply invested with jurisdiction within the limits of the city over their own people. The jurisdiction over subjects of other nations pertained, strictly speaking, to the sovereign of the Empire, and this jurisdiction, in the case of the British subjects, had been formally made over to the representatives of the British Crown. Mr. Summers, therefore, until the treaty entered into by Portugal as late as in 1887, and ratified in 1888, even if he had committed a cognizable offence, was, according to strict justice, amenable only to the colonial authorities at Hongkong, and it was at their hands that redress should have been demanded. On these presumptions, the Governor of Macao would appear to have exceeded his powers.
The refusal of the Governor to release his prisoner was coupled with an intimation that he would be tried "in course of law" by proper judicial authorities, and this "course of law" in Macao then was well known to be exceedingly slow. More than one instance, in fact, had actually occurred within the preceding ten years in which British subjects had died from incarceration in the very gaol where Mr. Summers had been confined, and, as the Samander was about to leave these waters, her commander seems to have had reason to conclude that no time should be lost if the life of his countryman was to be saved.
So little seriousness was attached to the affair, that the Samander's boats, after doing this piece of service, entered themselves at a regatta which was just coming off, and won sixty dollars' worth of prizes the same evening, after which the frigate sailed for Manila!
The Governor of Macao, Senhor Amaral, "displayed the utmost indignation and fury," proclaimed a public funeral for the deceased soldier, and invited to the ceremony the captain of an American frigate lying in the Roads.
The incident of the rescue of Mr. Summers naturally created considerable sensation in Lisbon, and copies of the Portuguese despatches were forwarded to the Ambassador in London with instructions to lay them before Lord Palmerston, and to request that the English Government should give such satisfaction and explanation as it might require for itself in a similar case. The Portuguese Government appeared to concur in the version which the Hongkong papers had given of the occurrence at Macao, and the people of Lisbon seemed to have condemned the Governor of Macao for detaining Mr. Summers beyond the time necessary, much as British residents in Portugal disapproved of that gentleman's attending a religious ceremony which he was not prepared to treat with the outward show of respect usual at all processions of Corpus Christi in Catholic countries.
10.
"Had the affair ended here, it would probably have creeted no great talk, but unhappily firearms were dis- charged in the fracas, and a Portuguese soldier named Roque Berrache was killed, three others being wounded. Another victim wee the daughter of the gaoler, a young girl named Carvalho, of twelve years of age, who, in a state of blind fright, jumped out of a window twenty feet from the ground End received severe injuries on falling,"
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This unfortunate loss of life naturally led to serious repercussions.
Macao was not then considered, in the proper sense of the term, an independent possession of the Portuguese Crown. It was only held oond itionally, states the chronicle, of the Imperor of Chine, being then absolutely pert and parcel of the imperial dominions, and the Portuguese were simply invested with jurisdiction within the limits of the city over their own people. The jurisdiction over subjects of other netions pertained, strictly speaking, to the sovereig of the Empire, and this jurisdiction, in the case of the British subjects, had been formally made over to the representatives of the British CrownL. Mr. Summers, therefore, until the treaty entered into by Portugal as late as in 1887, and retified in 1238, even if he had committed a cognizable offence, was, eccording to strict justice, amenable only to the colonial authorities at Hongkong, and it was at their hands that redress should have been demanded. On these presumptions, the Governor. of Maceo would appear to have exceeded his powers.
The refusal of the Governor to release his prisoner was coupled with an intimation that he would be tried "in course of law" by proper Judfaial authorities, and this “course of law" in Macao then was well known to be exceedingly slow. More than one instance, in fact, hed actually occurred within the preceding ten years in which British subjects had died from incarceration in the very gaol where Mr. Summers had been confined, end, as the Mosander was about to leave these waters, ter commander seems to have had reason to conclude that no time should be lost if the life of his countryman was to be saved.
•
So little seriousness was attached to the affair, that the Moeander's boats, after doing this piece of service, entered themselves at a regatta which was just coming off, and won sixty dollars' worth of prizes the same 'evening, after which the frigate sailed for Manila!
The Governor of Macao, Senhor Amirel, "displeyed the utmost indignation and fury," proclaimed a public funeral for the deceased soldier, and invited to the ceremony the captain of an American frigate lying in the Roeds.
1
The incident of the rescue of Mr. Summers naturally created considerable sensation in Lisbon, and copies of the Portuguese despatches were forwarded to the Ambassador in London with instructions to lay them before Lord Palmerston, and to request that the English Government should give such satisfaction and explanation as it might require for itself in a similer case. The Portuguese Goverment appeared to concur in the version which the Hongkong papers had given of the occurrence at Macao, and the people of Lisbon seemed to have condemned the Governor of Macao for detaining1⁄4r. Summers beyond the time necessary, much as British residents in Portugal disapproved of that gentleman's attending e religious ceremony which he was not prepared to treat with the outward show of respect usual at all processions of Corpus Christi in Catholic countries.
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