— 89 — 



less definitively with the numerous islands of which they are 

 the chief, it may be worth while to offer a brief sketch of the 

 life of one of the most energetic of European rulers in Asia. 

 The first notice of him that I have found is his arrival at 

 Cochin in 1512, whither he preceded the advent ofGrarcia 

 Noronha, commander in chief of a fleet of six vessels which 

 left Lisbon on the 19th of April 1511. Pour of these ships 

 had wintered at Mozambique while two had been sent to 

 India, the one to Cananor the other to Goa ; and as Masca- 

 renhas reached Cochin alone, it is possible, though this is 

 merely a conjecture, that he might, when separated from the 

 fleet, have met with and named one or more of the islands 

 with which he was afterwards associated. This conjecture 

 seems to be supported by my friend and former colleague Mr. 

 Major, in his learned and admirable Life of Prince Henry the 

 Navigator, 



It may be objected to this : That as Mascarenhas was going 

 to Cochin to assume the duties of Governor, he would proba- 

 bly have made all possible speed to reach his destination, and 

 not have diverged so far from a direct course as my sugges- 

 tion supposes. But this objection is curiously met by the 

 fact that when several years later, he was appointed to the 

 Vice-Eoyalty of India he deferred the importance of an im^ 

 mediate assumption of his functions to his taste for maritime 

 adventure. So restless indeed were his energies that imme- 

 diately after his arrival at Cochia he derrained to take part 

 in an expedition which Albuquerque, the successor of Fran- 

 cisco D' Almeida as Viceroy of India, was preparing to make 

 against Goa with 16 ships. Having entrusted his government 

 to a lieutenant he joined the Viceroy's fleet, and at the siege 

 of Goa distinguished himself by such amazing courage that 

 Albuquerque in the excitement of the moment kissed him on 

 the cheek, before the whole army, and afterwards conferred 

 upon him the more substancial honor of the Government 

 of Goa. 



In 1524 we read of him, in the Governor-ship of Vasco da 

 Gama, commanding 300 men in an attack on Calicut and 

 later on in the same year we find him as Governor of Malacca 



