bravery, and were opposed with much resolution by the enemy, headed by
the king; and after some time both parties were so much fatigued by the
heat as to be under the necessity of taking some respite, as by mutual
consent. After a short rest, the attack was renewed, and the king being
shot through the thigh, of which wound he died six days afterwards, his
men lost heart, and great numbers of them being killed and wounded, they
fled leaving a complete victory to the Portuguese. During the whole
engagement, Reis Xarafo looked on from his vessel as an unconcerned
spectator; but when afterwards the body of the deceased king was carried
over to Lasah for interment, he went there and cut off his head, which
he sent to Ormuz. In this engagement the Portuguese had seven men killed
and many wounded, but the island was effectually reduced. For this
exploit, Correa had the title of Bahrayn added to his name, and was
authorized to bear a kings head in his coat of arms, which is still
borne by his descendents.

In this same year 1521, the zamorin of Calicut made war against Cochin
at the head of 200,000 men; and although only forty Portuguese were in
the army of Cochin, and but thirty of these armed with muskets, the
enemy retired in dismay. At this time likewise Diego Fernandez de Beja,
who had been left before Diu, came to join Sequeira at Ormuz, having
been attacked by some vessels belonging to Malek Azz, whose double
dealing was now apparent. To prevent certain frauds that had been
practised by the native officers of the customs at Ormuz, Sequeira
thought proper to appoint Portuguese officers in that charge, which so
exasperated the natives that they endeavoured to shake off the yoke, as
will appear hereafter.

Being determined to resume the plan of establishing a fort at Diu,
Sequeira sent back Beja to that place with four stout vessels, with
orders to hinder all ships from entering the port. Beja executed these
orders for some time effectually, and even took some vessels; but Malek
Azz came against him with a number of ships well armed with cannon, sunk
one of the Portuguese galleons and did much damage to the others which
were becalmed; but on the wind springing up, the vessels of the enemy
were forced to retire. While Sequeira was on his voyage from Ormuz
against Diu, he captured a vessel by the way, and divided the Moorish
crew among his ships. Those who were put on board the ship commanded by
Antonio Correa, set fire to the powder-room, by which the poop was blown
into the air and the vessel sunk; in which miserable catastrophe the
brave conqueror of Bahrayn perished. [164]. Owing to these misfortunes,
Sequeira desisted from the enterprise against Diu, and went to _Chaul_
where he found Ferdinando Camelo, who had brought permission from Nizam
al Mulk to build a fort at that place, chiefly to favour the importation
of horses for his own use, as that trade was then confined to Goa. The
building of the fort was accordingly begun without delay. As Malek Azz
suspected that the establishment of the Portuguese at this place might
lessen greatly the trade of Diu, he made his appearance off Chaul with
above fifty vessels, and sunk a large Portuguese ship just come from
Ormuz. Azz continued to blockade the port of Chaul for three weeks,
doing much damage to the squadron which was opposed to him; yet the
construction of the fort went on with all diligence. Learning that his
successor was arrived at Cochin, which rendered his presence necessary
at that place, Sequeira forced his way through the enemy, leaving his
nephew Henry de Menezes to command the fort, and Antonio Correa with the
charge of the ships.

[Footnote 164: Yet only a few lines afterwards, Antonio Correa is found
to be alive and commanding a squadron off Chaul. Having no means to
correct this contradiction, the text is left as published by
Stevens. - E.]

After the departure of Sequeira for Cochin, Aga Mahomet who commanded
the fleet belonging to Malek Azz did every thing in his power to hinder
the construction of the fort. To secure the entrance of the river, the
Portuguese had erected a redoubt or bulwark on the side opposite the
fort, which was commanded by Pedro Vaz Permeo with a garrison of thirty
men. Mahomet sent 300 of his men by night to surprise this bulwark, but
they were so valiantly opposed by the small garrison, though the captain
and several men were slain, that they maintained their ground till
relieved by Ruy Vaz Pereira with a reinforcement of sixty men, who put
the enemy to flight after having lost a hundred men. By this success the
enemy were much daunted, and particularly one Sheikh Mamud, a great man
in the city, who pretended to be a friend to the Portuguese, yet did
every thing in his power secretly to molest them. On occasion of the
defeat of Aga Mahomet, the sheikh sent to congratulate Antonio Correa;
who well knowing his treachery, sent him back the heads of his
messengers, and hung up their bodies along the shore. The sheikh was
astonished at this act, and now proceeded to open hostilities,
encouraging Aga Mahomet to persevere in the blockade, giving him
intelligence that the Portuguese were in want of ammunition. But Don
Luis de Menezes arrived with reinforcements and a supply of ammunition
and provisions, to whom Correa resigned the command.

Don Duarte de Menezes entered upon the government of India on the 22d of
January 1522, John III. being then upon the throne of Portugal. Having
dispatched his predecessor with the homeward trade, and sent off
commanders to the different establishments in India, he began to
experience the bad effects of Sequeira having appointed Portuguese
officers to the custom-house at Ormuz; as he received advice that the
Moors of that place had taken arms and killed some men, and had even
besieged the fort. He immediately sent his brother with relief, and
appointed Simon de Andre to command at Chaul, who began his career by
taking two Turkish gallies, and gaining a victory over the people of
Dabul, by which that city was reduced to pay tribute. Malek Azz was
terrified by these successes, and withdrew his fleet from before Chaul.

As formerly mentioned, the late governor Sequeira had appointed
Portuguese officers to collect the revenue of Ormuz, which in fact had
been done contrary to his own private judgment, but by command of the
king of Portugal. These officers conducted themselves oppressively to
the natives, from whom they made many undue exactions to satisfy their
own cupidity, and behaved to them with much insolence and violence, even
forcing from them their wives and daughters. Unable to endure these
oppressions, the inhabitants of Ormuz and its dependencies formed a
conspiracy against the Portuguese, and broke out into open insurrection
against them suddenly at Ormuz, Bahrayn, Muscat, Kuriat, and Zoar[165],
all in one night by previous concert, by a private order from the king
of Ormuz. This attack was so sudden and well concerted, that above 120
of the Portuguese were slain on that night, and one _Ruy Boto_ was put
to the torture by the Moors in defence of the faith. The Portuguese at
Ormuz, where Don Garcia Coutino then commanded, exerted themselves as
well as they could to defend themselves, and secured the ships which
happened to be at that place under the protection of the fort, which was
immediately besieged. Of these events immediate intelligence was sent by
Don Garcia to Cochin and other places for relief, fearing he might be
constrained to surrender for want of provisions and water; and in fact
two of the Portuguese vessels were burnt by the Moors under the guns of
the fort.

[Footnote 165: These three last mentioned places are all on the
north-eastern point of Arabia, near Cape Rasaigat, and appear to have
been then dependent on the kingdom of Ormuz. - E.]

Tristan Vaz de Vega and Manuel de Souza happened to be then at Muscat in
their ships, and immediately made sail to the relief of Ormuz. Tristan
Vaz arrived first, and made his way to the fort through 160 sail of
Moorish vessels by which it was blockaded. Two days afterwards the ship
commanded by Manuel de Souza was seen at anchor at the distance of two
leagues. It was very dangerous for those at the fort to assist him, and
yet it was absolutely necessary for the common safety that he should be
relieved; wherefore Tristan Vaz adventured with his ship to his aid,
forcing his way as before through the vast Moorish fleet, eighty of
which pursued him in full sail, and even De Souza, thinking him at first
an enemy did him some harm. The king of Ormuz, to inspire his people to
exert themselves in the capture of these two ships, exhibited a large
heap of gold as his intended reward for such of his subjects as should
take Tristan and Manuel prisoners; while at the same time he set apart a
heap of female attire, to be worn in disgrace by those who might not
behave valiantly. Actuated at the same time by desire of reward and fear
of disgrace, the Ormuzians manned 130 of their vessels, with which they
furiously assailed the two Portuguese ships: yet they both made their
way through showers of bullets and arrows to the fort, to the great joy
and relief of the governor and garrison. Despairing of being able to
shake off the Portuguese yoke, and dreading the punishment of his
revolt, the king of Ormuz abandoned his city and retired to _Kishom_ or
_Queixome_, an island about 15 leagues in length and 3 leagues from
Ormuz, close to the shore of Persia. This island is sufficiently fertile
but very unhealthy. On his retreat, he gave orders for all the
inhabitants of Ormuz to follow him, and to set their city on fire, which
burnt furiously for four days and nights. Even at this time some of the
Portuguese gentlemen in the fort of Ormuz were in private correspondence
with the king, giving him instructions how to conduct himself with the
succeeding governor, so as to ensure his restoration; which they did on
purpose to enrich themselves by exacting presents from the king in
recompence of their services.

Don Luis de Menezes, as already mentioned, was sent by his brother
Duarte, the governor-general, with ten sail to relieve and take the
command of Ormuz. On arriving at Zoar, he destroyed the town with fire
and sword, and then gave the sovereignty of it to Sheikh Husseyn, to
hold it in direct vassalage of Portugal, instead of being dependent upon
Ormuz as hitherto. In the mean time the king of Ormuz was murdered at
Kishom by his own officers, who crowned his son Mamud Shah, a youth of
thirteen. On the arrival of Don Luis, a treaty was entered Into with the
new king, by which it was agreed that the king and inhabitants were to
return to Ormuz; that the former tribute of 20,000 _Xerephines_ should
be continued, and all arrears paid up; and that the Portuguese officers
should not interfere in the government of the city or its revenues. On
the conclusion of this treaty, the king sent a present of gold, jewels,
pearls, and silks for the king of Portugal, and another for Don Luis,
but which he publicly ordered to be sent along with the other.

Some time after this, but in the same year 1522, Don Duarte went to
Ormuz to examine into the cause of the late troubles; but he punished
those who had least influence, and overlooked the most guilty. _Reis
Xarafo_, a person of great power, who had been the most active
instigator in the late troubles, was rewarded; and _Reis Xamexir_, who
had killed _Reis Xahadim_ at the instigation of Don Luis, was banished
instead of the promised reward. Duarte augmented the tribute by adding
35,000 Xerephines to the former 25,000[166], which could not be paid
when the city was in a flourishing condition, and yet 60,000 were now
demanded when it lay in ruins and its trade was destroyed.

[Footnote 166: It was only called 20,000 a few lines before. - E.]

At this time Don Luis was sent with nine ships to the Red Sea. At
Socotora he lost one of his ships. He took and burnt the town
_Zaer_[167] on the coast of Arabia, because the sheikh refused to
restore the goods of a Portuguese merchant or factor who had died there.
At _Veruma_[168] he burned some ships, and then battered the city of
Aden, after which he entered the Red Sea, where he did nothing worthy of
notice, and returned to his brother at Ormuz, but was much dissatisfied
with the conduct of Duarte at that place.

[Footnote 167: Perhaps _Shahr_ near Makulla on the coast of Yemen. - E.]

[Footnote 168: This place was probably near Aden on the coast of
Arabia. - E.]

That part of the continent of India adjoining to Goa, belonging to Adel
Khan king of Visiapour, which had been seized by Ruy de Melo during the
war with the king of Narsinga, was now lost by Francisco Pereyra
Pestana. Pestana was a brave officer, and exerted himself to the utmost;
but as Adel Khan had now no other object to employ his arms, his power
was not to be resisted. Ferdinando Rodriguez Barba indeed obtained a
signal victory over the forces of Adel Khan; and after this Pestana and
Sotomayor, with only thirty horse and a small number of foot, defeated
5000 foot and 400 horse. But in the end numbers prevailed, and the
country was reduced to the obedience of Adel Khan, and afterwards
confirmed to him by treaty.

About this time the governor Duarte made particular inquiry respecting
St Thomas the apostle, in consequence of orders to that effect from the
king of Portugal; and the following is the substance of the information
he transmitted. In the year 1517, some Portuguese sailed in company with
an Armenian, and landed at Palicat on the coast of Coromandel, a
province of the kingdom of Bisnagar, where they were invited by the
Armenian to visit certain ruins of many buildings still retaining the
vestiges of much grandeur. In the middle of these was a chapel of
indifferent structure still entire, the walls of which both outside and
in were adorned with many crosses cut in stone, resembling those of the
ancient military order of Alcantara, which are _fleuree_ and
_fitched_[169]. A Moor resided there who pretended to have miraculously
recovered his sight by a visit to this holy place, and that his
ancestors had been accustomed to entertain a light in the chapel. There
was a tradition that the church, of which this small chapel was all that
remained entire, was built by St Thomas, when he preached Christianity
to the Indians, and that he and two of his disciples were here interred,
together with a king who had been converted by his miracles. In
consequence of this information, Don Duarte sent Ernanuel de Faria, with
a priest and a mason to repair this chapel. On digging about the
foundation on one side which threatened to fall, they found about a yard
below ground a tomb-stone with an inscription implying "That when St
Thomas built this church the king of Meliapour gave him the duties of
all merchandize imported, which was the tenths[170]." Going still
deeper, they came to a hollow place between two stones, in which lay the
bones of a human body with the butt and head of a spear, which were
supposed to be the remains of the saint, as those of the king and
disciple were also found, _but not so white_. They placed the bones of
the saint in a _China chest_, and the other bones in another chest,
and hid both under the altar. On farther inquiry, it appeared by the
ancient records of the kingdom, that Saint Thomas had come to Meliapour
about 1500 years before, then in so flourishing a condition that it is
said by tradition to have contained 3300 stately churches in its
environs. It is farther said that Meliapour was then twelve leagues from
the coast, whereas its ruins are now close to the shore; and that the
saint had left a prediction, "That when the sea came up to the scite of
the city, a people should come from the west having the same religion
which he taught." That the saint had dragged a vast piece of timber from
the sea in a miraculous manner for the construction of his church, which
all the force of elephants and the art of men had been unable to move
when attempted for the use of the king. That the _bramin_ who was chief
priest to the king, envious of the miracles performed by the saint, had
murdered his own son and accused the saint as the murderer; but St
Thomas restored the child to life, who then bore witness against his
father; and, that in consequence of these miracles, the king and all his
family were converted.

[Footnote 169: Heraldic terms, implying that the three upper arms of the
cross end in the imitation of flowers, while the lower limb is
pointed. - E.]

[Footnote 170: The strange expression in the text ought probably to have
been the tenths of the duties on importation. - E.]

An Armenian bishop who spent twenty years in visiting the Christians of
that part of India which is near _Coulam_[171], declared on oath that he
found what follows in their writings: That, when the twelve apostles
were dispersed through the world, Thomas, Bartholomew, and Judas
Thaddeus went together to Babylon where they separated. Thaddeus
preached in Arabia, since possessed by the Mahometans. Bartholomew went
into Persia, where he was buried in a convent of Armenian monks near
_Tebris_. Thomas embarked at Basrah on the Euphrates, crossed the
Persian Gulf, to Socotora, whence he went to Meliapour, and thence to
China where he built several churches. That after his return to
Meliapour and the conversion of the king, he suffered martyrdom through
the malice of the bramins, who counterfeited a quarrel while he was
preaching, and at length had him run through by a lance; upon which he
was buried by his disciples as formerly related in the church he had
built at Meliapour. It was likewise affirmed by a learned native of
Coulam, that there were two religious houses built in that part of the
country by the disciples of St Thomas, one in Coulam and the other at
Cranganor; in the former of which the _Indian Sybil_ was buried, who
advised King _Perimal_ of Ceylon to meet other two Indian kings at
Muscat, who were going to Bethlem to adore the newly born Saviour; and
that King Perimal, at her entreaty, brought her a picture of the Blessed
Virgin, which was kept in the same tomb. Thus was the _invention_ of the
holy relics of the apostle of India; which gave occasion to the
Portuguese to build the city of St Thomas, in the port of Palicat, seven
leagues from the ruins of the ancient Christian city of Meliapour.

[Footnote 171: Coulam is on the coast of Travancore; in which country a
remnant of the ancient Indian Christians has been recently visited by Dr
Buchannan, which will fall to be particularly noticed in a future
division of this collection - E.]

In the year 1522, Antonio Miranda de Azevedo was commander of the fort
at Pisang in the island of Sumatra. On the west coast of that island
there are six Moorish kingdoms of which Pedier was the chief, and to
which those of Achem and Daga were subordinate. But in consequence of
war among themselves, Achem gained the superiority, and the king of
Pedier retired to the fort for the protection of the Portuguese[172]. On
coming to the city of Pedier with a great force, the king of Achem
endeavoured to inveigle the king of that place into his hands, and
prevailed on some of the leading men of the city to write their king
that he might come there in safety as his enemies were expelled, and he
might easily destroy them by the assistance of the Portuguese. He
accordingly went to the city, aided by eighty Portuguese soldiers and
two hundred Moors, which went by sea in small row boats, while the king
himself went along the shore with above a thousand armed elephants[173].
He was received at Pedier with feigned joy, but with a determination to
make him prisoner, which was only deferred till the arrival of the
Portuguese, that they likewise might be secured; but being apprized of
his danger, the king fled next day to the mountains with two elephants
and a few faithful followers. The Portuguese thus left on the shore
unsupported were attacked by the enemy with showers of darts and arrows,
when their commander Don Emanuel Enriquez and thirty-five soldiers were
slain, and the rest fled. Don Andres Enriquez, after this loss, found
himself unequal to defend the fort, and sent for relief to Raphael
Perestello who was at _Chittigon_ the chief port of Bengal. Perestello
immediately sent a ship for this purpose under the command of Dominick
Seixas, who landed at _Tenacari_ to procure provisions; but one _Brito_
who had succeeded _Gago_ as captain of a band of thirty Portuguese
pirates, ran away with the vessel from that port after she was laden,
and left Seixas with seventeen other Portuguese on shore, who were
reduced to slavery by the Siamese. Such is the fate of those who trust
persons who have violated all human and divine laws[174]. Don Andreas
Enriquez, being reduced to great extremity, requested the
governor-general to send him a successor, who accordingly sent Lope de
Azevedo; but Enriquez changed his mind, as the situation was very
profitable, and refused to surrender the command, on which Azevedo
returned to India. In the mean time the king of Achem overran the whole
country with fire and sword, and took possession of the city of Pisang
with fifteen thousand men, summoning Enriquez to surrender the fort.
Enriquez having sustained and repelled these assaults, set sail for
India that he might save the great riches he had acquired, leaving the
command to Ayres Coello, who valiantly undertook the dangerous service.

[Footnote 172: At first sight this appears to have been the fort of
Pisang, but from the sequel it would rather seem to have been another
fort at or in the neighbourhood of Pedier. - E.]

[Footnote 173: It is hardly possible that the lord of a petty state on
the coast of Sumatra should have so large a number of elephants, more
perhaps than the Great Mogul in the height of the sovereignty of
Hindustan. Probably Capt. Stevens may have mistaken the original, and we
ought to read "With above a thousand men and several armed
elephants." - E.]

[Footnote 174: Though obscurely expressed in the text, these thirty
pirates appear to have been employed in the ship commanded by Seixas;
probably pardoned after the punishment of their former leader Gago. - E.]

While on his voyage to India, Enriquez met two ships commanded by
Sebastian Souza and Martin Correa, bound for the Island of Banda to load
with spices; who learning the dangerous situation of Pisang, went
directly to that place. Ayres Coello had just sustained a furious
assault with some loss; and on seeing this relief the enemy abated
their fury. Eight days afterwards, Andres was forced back by stress of
weather to Pisang. One night, above 8000 of the enemy surrounded the
fort, in which there were 350 Portuguese, some of whom were sick and
others disabled by wounds, but all much spent with continual watching
and fatigue. The enemy advanced in profound silence and applied seven
hundred scaling ladders to the walls, on which they immediately mounted
with loud shouts. The dispute was hotly maintained on both sides for
some time; but some ships being set on fire enabled the Portuguese to
point their cannon with such accuracy, that many of the enemy were
slain, and the rest obliged to desist from the assault. Next morning
above two thousand of the enemy were found slain around the walls, with
two elephants; while on the Portuguese side only one woman was slain in
her chamber by an arrow. The remaining six thousand of the enemy
immediately retired, leaving half their ladders and large quantities of
fireworks. Yet taking into consideration the difficulty and expence of
maintaining this port, it was resolved to ship off all the men and
goods, and to set it on fire, leaving the large cannons filled with
powder, that they might burst when the fire reached them. Greater part
of the fort was destroyed; but the enemy saved some of the cannon, which
were afterwards employed with considerable effect against the
Portuguese. Some goods were lost in shipping, as the Portuguese were in
a great fright, and embarked up to the neck in water. By this
abandonment of their post, the Portuguese lost more reputation with the
natives of Sumatra than they had gained by their former valiant defence.
They were fully sensible of this, as they met a powerful reinforcement
at sea under Azevedo; and learnt that the king of Aru was marching by
land to their assistance with 4000 men. The king of Achem followed up
his good fortune, and rendered himself all-powerful in Sumatra, beyond
even his hopes.

About this time[175] Malacca was much straitened by the king of Bintang,