lifACAO', a Portuguese settlement on the coast of China, in lat. 22° 11' n., and long-. 113° 33' e., on the western part of the estuary of the Canton or Pearl river, Hong-Kong being about 40 m. distant, on the opposite side of the same estuary. The settlement, which is about 8 m, in circuit, is ou a small peninsula, projecting from the south-east ern extremity of the large island of Hiang-shan. Its position is very agreeable, nearly surrounded with water, and open on every side to the sea-breezes, with a good variety of hill and plain. The town is slightly defended by some forts. Daily steam commu nication is maintained with Hong-Kong. The principal public buildings are the cathe dral and churches. It is one of the most salubrious ports in China, with full exposure to the s.w. monsoon, and recent sanitary improvements have added greatly to its health iness The maximum temperature is about 90°, the minimum about 43°. The popula tion is about 80,000, 10,000 of whom are Portuguese and other foreigners. The Portu guese obtained permission from the Chinese authorities in 1557 to settle in Macao on account of the assistance they gave in hunting down a pirate-chief whose head-quarters were in this island. The Chinese, however, held, until recently, a lien upon the place,
requiring of the Portuguese 500 tads ground-rent, retaining also jurisdiction over their own people. The privileges obtained by England through the treaty of Nankin were subsequently extended to the Portuguese, who, by successive aggressions, have become wholly independent of the Chinese. The anchorage at Macao is defectiye. The Typa anchorage lies about 3 m. off the southern end of the peninsula; but large vessels cannot approach nearer the shore than 6 miles. After the rise of Hong-Kong, the commerce of Macao almost entirely disappeared. Some years ago a suspicious trade in coolies sprung up; but in 1873 the British government forbade ships carrying on this traffic to enter any of the treaty-ports, and on Dec. 20 of that year the Portuguese government abolished the trade. Here Camoens, in exile, composed his Lwdad.