The Portugues Asia, or, The history of the discovery and conquest of India by the Portugues containing all their discoveries from the coast of Africk, to the farthest parts of China and Japan, all their battels by sea and land, sieges and other memorable actions, a description of those countries, and many particulars of the religion, government and customs of the natives, &c. : in three tomes / written in Spanish by Manuel de Faria y Sousa ... ; translated into English by Cap. John Stevens.

CHAP. VIII.

The Government of the Viceroy D. Michael de Noronna Count De Linnares, from the Year 1629, till 1635.

1. THis Year sailed from Lisbon D. Mi∣chael de Noronna Count de Linnares, Viceroy of India, with three Ships and six Galleons. One of them was cast away near the Cape of Good Hope, * 1.1 and not a Man of 400 that were aboard saved.

2. When the Count arrived at Goa, Nun∣no Alvarez Botello was gone for Malaca, and all Men promised themselves good success, when about the beginning of the Year came

the News of the Victory by him obtained. The Viceroy returned Thanks to the King of Pam for the Succours he carried to Ma∣laca, and sent him Presents. In the same manner he endeavoured to oblige the Neigh∣bouring Kings, and honoured the Admiral Antony Pinto de Fonseca for his good Ser∣vice.

3. Constantine de Sa, who Commanded in Ceylon, puffed up with the Honour of ha∣ving destroyed the City Candea, and relying too much upon the Fidelity of the Christian Chingala's, who underhand held Correspon∣dence with that King for our Destruction, gave too much Credit to Theodosius their Captain, by whom his Head was promised to the King, at the same time he promised D. Constantin to deliver the King into his hands. D. Constantin had more faith in that Traytor than in the Franciscan, who being among the Enemy sent him intelligence, or in his own Officers who foresaw his Ruin, which soon followed.

4. He marched from Columbo, leaving that Fort with almost no Garison, entred the Kingdom of Uva with 400 Portugueses, and destroyed the Capital City. As he re∣turned after this Victory, the King of Can∣dea, who had left that Town as a Bait to draw him on, meets him with a great Power. D. Theodosius and his Chingala's no sooner discovered the King's Forces, but they went over to him and faced the Portu∣gueses, whom they served the moment be∣fore.

5. The 400 Portugueses and 200 Natives that remained with them fought three days with incredible bravery. The General D. Constantin having done more than Man, was slain, and then his Men being broke, many were put to the Sword, and many made Prisoners. The King of Candea understan∣ding how weak the Garison of Columbo was, sate down before it with 50000 Men, and a number of Elephants, believing the Natives had (as was agreed) murdered those few Portugueses left there. But they seeing far∣ther than their General, had destroyed those were to kill them, and so the King was dis∣appointed. The Death of D. Constantin being known, Lancelot de Seixas succeeded him in the Command, and being in that Di∣stress, did more than could have been expe∣cted from so small a Force.

6. He distributed 400 Men, which was his whole Strength, including the Religious, among the most important Posts, who beha∣ved themselves so well, the King found he had a harder Task in hand than at first he had imagined. But Hunger was a more dange∣rous Enemy within the Walls, than the other without. This was much increased by the useless multitude of Women and Children, notwithstanding D. Philip Mascarennas Com∣mander of Cochin sent a Ship loaden with Provision and Ammunition to their Relief, D. Blas de Castro five from St. Thomas, and the Viceroy one. Yet all their Hope was in Nunno Alvarez Botello, not knowing, as yet, of his unfortunate End.

7. The Inhabitants of Cambolim à Penin∣sula, 40 leagues from Goa, and in sight of Cananor, offered the Viceroy leave to build a Fort there upon certain Conditions. Iames de Fonseca, Commander of Zofala, was sent to carry on that Work. Being begun, it was interrupted by Virabadar Hayque, the Usurper of the Kingdom of Canara. After much opposition, finding it could not be obstru∣cted, he made a Virtue of Necessity, and seemed to be well satisfied it should go on.

The principal Article of the Cambolims was, That no Religious, but those of St. Francis, should be sent thither.

At this time arri∣ved at Goa two Ships from Portugal, one of them returning, was lost upon the Bar of Lisbon.

8. It is, doubtless, those who are destined to perish unfortunately, meet their Fate even where they thought to find their safety; this will appear by the loss of the Ship St. Gonzalo, some of the Men whereof being taken up by that mentioned in the last Paragraph, were cast away in her; I will therefore give some account of the loss of the said Ship St. Gon∣zalo, in relation to the other. This Vessel having set out from Goa with two others, finding, after being parted from her Com∣pany, that she could not be kept above Water, they made the shore, and came to an Anchor in the Bay called Formosa, for its largeness being 3 leagues over, exposed to no Winds but the East, North-East, and South-East, and lies near the Cape of Good Hope.

9. Being come to anchor, they ought whilst the Weather favoured to have landed the Men and Goods that were not before cast overboard; but in stead of that, at the persuasion of some Officers, they at∣tempted to suck the Ship dry in order to sail again. Three Men were let down one after another to clear the Pump, and returned not; then a fourth being put down with a Rope about him, and brought up almost dead, it appeared the Steam of the Pepper which had taken wet killed them.

10. In order to refit the Ship, 100 Men landed, and 130 remained aboard, who af∣ter 50 days perished together with the Ship, by a sudden Storm being beaten to pieces upon the Coast. The 100 Men left ashore built Huts, because it would be long before they could find the means of going to Sea, which were only by building two small Ves∣sels out of the Wreck and the Trees on the Mountain. The Captain being old and sick, gave the Men leave to choose another, and they pitched upon Rocque Borges, who beha∣ved himself well; but one Simon de Figuey∣redo, in that misery ambitious of Command, endeavouring to kill him missed his Design, yet grievously wounded him, but Borges re∣covering, stabbed him, and all was quiet again.

11. They sowed some Seeds, and reaped the Fruit; mean while they lived upon Rice that had been saved, some Fish taken, and Cows and Sheep they bought of the Natives for Iron. The Language of these Natives

could not be understood, therefore they had recourse to Signs. They are not quite black, go naked, cover their Privy Parts with a Skin, in Winter wear Cloaks of the same, about their Necks hang Bulls Pizles, their Bodies anointed with the Dung of those Beasts, they make sudden stops in their Speech, carry Fox tails in their Hands to make Signs with; have no Towns, but wan∣der with their Cattle like the Hords of Arabs; some carry Stakes and Mats to make a sort of Tents; they use no Tillage, and offered our Men a Cake that seemed to be made of Meal of Roots mixed with Cow-Dung; they eat Flesh, but almost raw, just shewed to the Fire, which is made by rubbing Sticks together; their choicest Food is the Guts and Tripes, the Filth only squeezed out; their Weapons are Darts and Bows, no sign of Religion was discovered among them. But it was observed, that on Midsummer or St. Iohn Baptist's Day they appeared crowned with Garlands of sweet Herbs and Flow∣ers.

12. The Soil is fruitful, free from Stones, produces all sorts of Herbs, Plants, sweet Flowers, and variety of Trees. It is wa∣tered by great Rivers, and many Springs. The Spring begins in November. Summer and Winter in these Parts, as also in India, are not caused by the Sun coming near or going from the Zenith as in Europe, but by the Winds. It is Winter when it rains, and then the Sun is in his greatest Altitude; when in his greatest Declination it rains

not, and then it is Summer. Winter begins about the end of May, when the West Wind reigns, which brings great Rain, and lasts till September, during which time all Navigation ceases. From September till May the North East Winds blow, which keep a serene Sky, and this is the Summer when all put to Sea. Let us return to the de∣scription of that Country, and our Men there.

13. There is an infinite number of wild Beasts, and those very large, as Deer, Wolves, Sea-Horses, Bufaloes, wild Boars, Monkeys, Tigers, and Elephants, and some Rabbets not unlike our Ferrets. They have abun∣dance of wild Turkeys, Geese, Pigeons, Turtles, and Partridges, which last build their Nests hanging on Branches of Trees. Thus much of the People and Country a∣bout the Cape of Good Hope. There lived our Shipwreck'd Portugueses, and had erected a sort of Church where Mass was said, and there were frequent Sermons, five Priests being in that Company.

14. The Ships being built, in stead of Tar they made use of Benjamin and Frank∣incense; and wanting Oyl to dissolve them, supplied it with that of Sea-Wolves. Be∣fore their departure they erected a Cross on the top of a Mountain, with an Inscription signifying their Misfortune. The Vessels were launched, the Men and Goods shipped, one Party designing for Portugal, the other for India. The former, after some days fruitless labour, were almost in the same

place they set out from, and in that condi∣tion were taken up by Antony de Sousa & Carvallo in that Ship which, as was before said, afterwards perished.

15. D. Nunno Alvarez Pereyra was Com∣mander of Moçambique, and died this Year. D. Philipa Christian was Emperor of Mono∣motapa, with whom we were in league. A Cafre, called Capranzirle, rebelled against him, who falling upon a Body of our Men as they marched to Tete, slew 300 Portugueses, the chief cause whereof was a Dispute be∣tween our Captains about Superiority. All had been lost but for Christopher de Brito & Vasconelos, who put a stop to the Current of the Victorious Enemy. Iames de Sousa & Meneses commanded Moçambique at that time in the Place of Pereyra. Soon after it was known the Cafre died of a Musket Shot he had received, and a Brother of the Empe∣ror but 13 Years of Age, and a Christian, baptized by the Dominicans by the Name of Dominick, was proclaimed King.

16. About the end of this Year a great Danish Ship entred the Port of Coulam. Emanuel de Camara & Noronna Admiral of the Canara Coast went to meet her with a Galley and eight other Vessels, she fled, he gave her chace, and coming up after a sharp Dispute, fired and then took her; what re∣mained of her was carried to Coulam.

17. In April 1631, D. Blas de Castro, who commanded 12 Sail at Negapatam, took a Dutch Ship, and soon after in a Storm lost half his Ships, and about 100 Portugueses,

who got ashore, were left in slavery. The excessive Covetousness of the Portugueses keeping the Prices of Spice so high, moved our European Enemies to seek it at a cheaper Rate in India, and their Insolencies inclined the Indians to receive those Holland Rebels into their Ports. Covetousness couched under the Pretence of Religion, carried the Por∣tugueses to conquer those remote Countries; and the insatiable Avarice of some expels and makes them esteemed less than Rebels and Pyrats.

18. Two Ships that sailed from Lisbon for India, after five Months Voyage were put back into the same River, having lost many Men by sickness. In November sailed two Pinks. The Viceroy desiring to recover Ormuz, sent Dominick de Toral and Valdez a a Spaniard, to view the Place, and confer with Ruy Freyre then at Mascate about it, but it came to nothing. However a Fort was built at Iulfar, a Fishery of Pearl 50 Leagues distant from Mascate.

19. This Year our European Ene∣mies ranging the Seas without any * 1.2 opposition took many of our Ships, and ruined our Trade. Besides they incensed the Indian Princes against us, we having no body at those Courts to disappoint their Designs. The Ruine of our Affairs proceeds from the little regard the great ones have for the lesser sort; and the covetousness of the small ones, which made them forget their Coun∣try and their Honour.

20. The Portugueses dispersed in Ceylon since the defeat of D. Constantine, gathering again considerably annoyed the Enemy. Hence it appears our own Disorders are our Ruine. The Portugueses can recover what is lost, but know not how to preserve what they gain, which is the most glorious part, it being the Work of Fortune to gain, and that of Prudence to preserve.

Notes

• * 1.1

  1629.
• * 1.2

  1632.