In 1919 the residents living below the fortress wrote a letter to the Mayor of Macao requesting him to bring to stop the gun salutes from Monte Fortress, due to the disturbance it caused.
[translation]
Dear Sir,
The undersigned, who reside at the foot of the hill, respectfully beg Your Excellency to employ your good offices and ask the Governor to attend to this request:
St. Paul of the Mount’s Fortress was built many centuries ago and in that time it stood on open ground at the edge of the city. Gradually, the land was inhabited and now it is fully occupied.
The residents in this area are constantly disturbed by the shots from the fortress to the extent that it is damaging to their health and they suffer material losses. Therefore we beg you to be fair, and move the gun salutes to the edge of the sea, as is normal in all cities.
Confident of Your Excellency’s benevolence, we ask you to reach an urgent decision on this matter before our houses collapse and thereby create a serious risk to the lives of many people.
Macao, 13 March 1919
[signed by]
António Antunes, Carlos Eugénio d’Almeida, Ricardo António Egídio de Souza, Manuel Magalhães, Constantino M. de Souza, Braz António Carmen, Elysio Fernandes das Neves Tavares, Udilia M. Crestejo dos Remédios, Belino Sérgio Rodrigues, João Baptista, Themolio do Rozario
