The fall and sack of Canton, 1650
Editorial contextNieuhof tells how the Tartar army took Canton after a siege that, he says, lasted a whole year, helped by a bribed Chinese governor who opened a gate. Two Dutch gunners married to Chinese women had helped the defenders. The sack that followed lasted weeks. He arrived five years later, so this is what the townspeople told him.
It was upon the 24. of November, in the year 1650. when the Tartars upon this advantage rushed with their whole Army into the City … The whole Tartar Army being got into the City, the place was soon turned to a Map of misery … there was heard no other cry in the Streets, but Strike, Kill, and Destroy the Rebellious Barbarians
About Tartars (Qing Manchu army)
Continue in this sourceNieuhof's Dutch embassy to the 'Great Tartar Khan' in Beijing1655 to 1657 · 14 passagesTartar prisoners in Canton, called 'Tatos'
Editorial contextHere Cruz speaks as an eyewitness: in Canton he saw many Tartar captives whose only 'captivity' was serving as soldiers far from home. They wore red caps as a badge but otherwise dressed like the Chinese, and received a fixed royal pay. The Chinese, he says, call them 'Tatos' because they cannot pronounce the letter R. Chinese Dada (Tatar) is real; the missing-R explanation is his.
In the city of Canton I saw many Tartar captives, whose only captivity is to serve as men-at-arms in other parts far from Tartary. They wear red caps as a badge; otherwise they wear the dress of the Chinese among whom they live … The Chinese call these people Tatos, because they cannot pronounce this letter r.
Working translation
Original wording
Na cidade de Cantam vi eu muitos tartaros catiuos, os quaes nã tem mais catiueiro q̃ seruirẽ por homẽs darmas noutras partes longe de tartaria, e trazẽ por diuisa barretes bermelhos, no demais trazem ho trajo dos chinas com quẽ viuẽ … Chamam os chinas a estes Tatos, porque nam podem pronunciar esta letra. r.
About Tartar (Mongol) captives serving the Ming as soldiers
Keep in mind
The explanation of the name is Cruz's own.
Transcribed from the page image (corpus OCR of this blackletter print is garbled); long s normalized, the Tironian sign for 'and' given as 'e', a few contractions (de, per, pro, terra) expanded, other abbreviation marks kept as printed.
Painted giants who guard the passes of Tartary
Editorial contextDescribing officials' houses in Canton, Cruz notes huge gates painted with two giants holding staves. He saw four such figures in a temple, said to be portraits from life of men the king keeps to guard the weakest passes of Tartary, big-limbed and twelve or thirteen palms tall. What he saw were painted door gods; the frontier story is what he was told.
on the front they have some very large doors, like the gates of a city, with two giants painted on them holding staves in their hands. I saw four in a pagoda (which is a temple of idols), portrayed from life of some whom they say the King keeps to guard for him the passes [that are weakest in Tartary; they are very big-limbed, perhaps twelve or thirteen palms tall].
Working translation
Original wording
tẽ na frõtaria hũas portas muy grandes como portas de hũa cidade, com dous gigantes pintados cõ hũs bastões nas mãos: eu vi quatro em hũ pagode (que he tẽplo de idolos) tirados polo natural dalgũs q̃ dizẽ ter el Rey q̃ lhe guardã os passos
About Door-guardian figures in Canton, said to portray the king's frontier guards
Keep in mind
He saw paintings; the story that they depict real giant frontier guards is hearsay.
Transcribed from the page image (corpus OCR of this blackletter print is garbled); long s normalized, the Tironian sign for 'and' given as 'e', a few contractions (de, per, pro, terra) expanded, other abbreviation marks kept as printed; the sentence ends on the next page (n44): 'mais fracos da Tartaria, sam muy mẽbrudos, poderã ser de doze ou treze palmos dalto', given in brackets in the translation.
Under the bamboo: the Chinese cry, the Tartar is silent
Editorial contextTravelling south, Barrow saw beatings with the bamboo almost daily. He contrasts the two peoples: a Chinese cries out and thanks the official on his knees, while a Tartar bears it silently and then grumbles, disputing a Chinese official's right to flog him.
In travelling through the country, a day seldom escaped without our witnessing the application of the Pan-tsé, or bamboo… A Chinese suffering under this punishment cries out in the most piteous manner; a Tartar bears it in silence.
About Manchus and Chinese
Keep in mind
A generalisation from what he happened to see.