 The fall of Macau would also leave the Spaniards in the Philippines without means of support and make it easier for the Dutch to mount an attack on Manila.Despite the raids, the Portuguese authorities had not raised an extensive defensive system for the city, because of interference by Chinese officials.Macau defense in 1622 consisted of a few batteries, one at the west end of the Macau Peninsula (later site of the São Thiago da Barra fortress), and one at each end of the southern bay of Praia Grande (São Francisco on the east and Bom Parto on the west), plus a half-completed Fortaleza do Monte that overlooked the Cathedral of St. Paul.