THE history of the Portuguese in India is so inti­mately connected with the narrative contained in this volume, that it has been thought desirable, instead of recapitulating the chronological events of Europe during the sixteenth century, already an­nexed to the preceding volume, to append a short abstract of the proceedings of the Portuguese, derived from their contemporary historian, Faria-e-Souza. This appendix, while it affords a partial insight into the proceedings of the first European nation that invaded India, is not intended to ex­hibit all the exploits of those enterprising adven­turers in the East. Care has been taken not to overload this epitome with details altogether un­connected with Ferishta's history, although occa­sional allusion is made to such general circum­stances as tend to exhibit the nature of the Portuguese dominion; the leading features of its government; the nature of the obstacles it en­countered on the western coast of India, and the great efforts it made to surmount them; and, lastly, to point out the effects which seem to have been produced every where against the rule of the Por­tuguese in India.

To the European reader who peruses Ferishta, and who may not have consulted the Portuguese historian, this epitome will, probably, be acceptable, as displaying, in a narrow compass, some of those leading points of the Portuguese administration which may bear comparison with our own; and it will tend to afford a better criterion of the con­dition of the native powers in India than any ac­count we can receive even from their own histo­rians. The numbers of the Portuguese engaged in each of the several wars are not likely to be over­rated, whatever may be the case as to their enemies, nor their want of success to be mis-stated. These facts, therefore, may, I think, be relied on; and they alone furnish us with valuable data to confirm or reject the authority of the Indian historian.

July 8.
A. D.
1497. Vasco de Gama quits Lisbon on the 8th of July, with three small ships and one hundred and sixty men: he reaches St. George's island, near Mozambique, on the east coast of Africa, in south latitude 14° 30"; the chief of which is called Zacoeja (Shah Khwaja).

March 11.
A. D.
1498.

Gama sails thence on the 11th of March, 1498. He reaches Melinda on the same coast, where he finds several Guzerat mer­chants. Obtains a Guzerat pilot, named Me-lemo Cana, Maalim Khan (literally Mr. Pilot), who appears quite familiar with the astrolabe, and seems to consider that used on board of Vasco de Gama's ship a very im-

May 20.

perfect instrument. Vasco de Gama reaches Calicut, which he finds in possession of a Hindoo king called Zamori. Meets with a European Mahomedan, Monzayde (Meean Zeid), who speaks Spanish, and becomes Vasco de Gama's interpreter. Several Ma-homedan merchants are settled at Calicut, carrying on an extensive trade with Europe, through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Persia. The governor of the Mahomedans is called Kotwal. Gama finds also several Christians at Calicut. The Mahomedans become jealous of Vasco de Gama, and they induce the King (Zamori) to detain seven Portuguese. Vasco de Gama, unable to procure their release, retaliates by seizing twenty Indian fisher­men, and accompanied by his interpreter,

1499.

Meean Zeid, returns to Portugal, having lost one hundred and five men out of one hundred and sixty, during an absence of twenty-six months.

March 8.
1500. On the eighth of March, Vasco de Gama quits Lisbon a second time, with a fleet con­sisting of thirteen sail, containing twelve hundred men, including eight Franciscan friars, eight chaplains, and one chaplain major. “The substance of whose instruc-“tions was, to begin by preaching, and if “that failed, to proceed to the decision of “the sword.” Vasco de Gama reaches Me-

Aug. 2.

linda on the 2d of August; and having ob­tained two Guzerat pilots there, he proceeds

Sept. 17.

to Calicut, which he reaches on the 17th of September. An exchange of prisoners and hostages takes place between Vasco de Gama and the Zamori. The latter gives up six bramins named by the former. The Maho-medan merchants from Mecca oppose the trade of the Portuguese. The Mahomedans induce the Portuguese to attack an Indian vessel, having elephants on board, proceed­ing from Ceylon to Guzerat. The Guze­rat vessel bears down on the Portuguese, and fires several guns at them, and proceeds to Cananore. The Portuguese attack and cut out the Guzerat vessel, but subsequently deliver it over to the King of Cochin. At Cranganore the Portuguese find several Chris­tians under an Armenian bishop. Vasco de

March.
A. D.
1501.

Gama returns to Portugal. In March, John de Nova sails from Lisbon with four ships. Discovers the uninhabited island of St. He-

1502.

lena. Vasco de Gama again proceeds to India with twenty ships. The fleet falls in with the Meri, a large ship belonging to the Sooltan of Egypt, on board of which are two hundred and eighty persons, many of whom are pilgrims for Mecca. The Mahomedans refuse to allow the Portuguese fleet to take possession of the vessel, and make a desperate resistance, in which every person on board is put to death, with the exception only of twenty children, who are subsequently bap­tized. Vasco de Gama reaches India, and receives a deputation from the Christians of Cranganore, whose numbers amount to thirty thousand souls, and are subject to the patriarch of Armenia. Vasco de Gama, with ten ships, encounters twenty-nine Calicut vessels. The Indians use fire-ships. Two of the Indian vessels are taken; one containing an idol of gold, studded with jewels, weighing thirty pounds. Vasco de Gama returns to Lisbon with part of his fleet.

TOME I. PART I. CHAP. VII.

A. D.
1503. Alfonso de Albuquerque reaches India with nine ships. The Zamori attacks the Portuguese at Cochin, with fifty thousand men, both by land and sea. The Indian fleet consists of eighty vessels of all descriptions, carrying three hundred and eighty guns, and four thousand men. Eight boats and thirteen guns are taken by the Portuguese. The Hindoos use more fire-ships on this occasion. They employ floating castles, fifteen feet high, constructed on two boats, each calcu­lated to contain men, and after fighting their way into the midst of the Portuguese fleet, they are converted into fire-ships, and aban-

A. D.
1505.

doned. Thirteen ships, containing twelve hundred men, arrive from Portugal. Don Alfonso Albuquerque destroys a fleet from Arabia, in which seven hundred Turks lose

1506.

their lives. He quits India in January, with thirteen vessels, of which three only are of his own fleet, and reaches Lisbon on the 22d of July. (Six months.)

TOME I. PART I. CHAP. VIII.

1507. Don Francisco Almeida arrives in India with twenty-two ships and fifteen hundred fighting men. * — Geographical division of the western coast of India by the Portuguese: —

First, Cambaya, north of Bombay, belong­ing to the King of Guzerat.

Secondly, Deccan, lying between Bombay and Goa, belonging to the Kings of Ahmud-nuggur and Beejapoor.

Thirdly, Canara, lying between Goa and Cananore, belonging to the Raja of Beejanug-gur. The country south of Cananore, deno­minated Malabar, is divided among the kings of Calicut, Cananore, Cranganore, Cochin, Quilon, and Travancore.

TOME I. PART I. CHAP. X.

1507. Don Francisco Almeida sends his son, Don Lorenzo, with eleven vessels, to attack the Mahomedan fleet, of which sixty vessels are larger than those of the Portuguese. — Ceylon discovered.

TOME I. PART II. CHAP. I.

March.
A. D.
1507. Thirteen vessels, and thirteen hundred men, leave Lisbon for India in March.

TOME I. PART II. CHAP. II.

1508. Twelve vessels arrive from Lisbon under Al­fonso Albuquerque. The Egyptian fleet under Meer Hashim, and the Guzerat fleet under Mullik Eiaz Sooltany, engage the Portuguese fleet off Choul. The Mahomedans use gre-nadoes and other fireworks. Don Lorenzo Almeida, the Portuguese admiral, is killed, and his ship taken, with the loss of one hun­dred and forty men. The Mahomedan ad­miral sends a letter of condolence to the admiral's father, Don Francisco Almeida, go­vernor-general of Goa.