No. 59. — 1907.] PORTUGUESE IN CEYLON. 



29a 



On 13 September the bulk of the fleet* reached its objec- 

 tive, the island of Anjadivaf on the west coast of India, where 

 King Manuel had ordered a fortress to be built. J This work 

 was begun on the 14th ; and by the 16th of October, the fort 

 being capable of defence, the viceroy (who had meanwhile been 

 in communication with the Portuguese factors at Cananor, 

 Cochin, and Coulam) left for Onor (Honawar), which town he 

 destroyed in order to punish the raja for an act of supposed 

 bad faith. On the 18th the fleet sailed for Cananor, which was 

 reached on the 22nd. Here Dom Francisco received an 

 embassy from the king of Narsinga, and, with the permission 

 of the raja, the building of a fortress on the Cananor point 

 was begun. On the 27th the fleet left for Cochin, where 

 it arrived on the 30th, and learnt that, owing to the rash 

 conduct of Joao Homem, the factor and other Portuguese at 

 Coulam had all been burnt to death by the Moors of Calecut. 

 Consequently the viceroy sent his son Dom Lourenco§ 

 with most of the ships to avenge this murder ; but, finding 

 it impossible to land, Dom Lourenco bombarded the town, 

 burnt all the Moorish vessels in the port, and returned 



* The missing captains arrived a few days later, except Lucas 

 d'Affonseca, who wintered in Mozambique, and did not reach India 

 until May 1506 (see below), and Lopo Sanches, whose vessel was lost near 

 Cape Correntes, he and most of his company subsequently perishing 

 at sea or on land. 



t Off the coast of Kanara, a little south of Karwar (see Hobson- 

 Jobsons.v. "Anchediva, Anjediva"). An illustrated description of the 

 island, by Mr. F. J. Varley, I.C.S., appeared in the GeographicalJournal 

 for April 1904, 491-96. 



% Of. A 24, infra. 



§ Dom Lourenco de Almeida was the viceroy's only son (he had 

 also one daughter, who married twice), and was of great stature and 

 strength, though still under twenty years of age. He was very dexterous 

 with the halberd ; and Correa records various instances of his prowess, 

 one of which will be found in the extract B 10 below. His name will 

 always be associated with the " discovery " of Ceylon ; and his deeds 

 and early death have been sung in immortal verse by Camoens (Lusiadas 

 x. 26-32). A short biographical notice of him, by M. Ferd. Denis, 

 will be found in torn. 2 of the Nouv. Biog. Gen. No portrait of Dom 

 Lourenco appears to be extant. 



