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



295 



January, as we learn from a letter to the king from Gaspar 

 Pereira, the chief secretary at Cochin, printed in the Cartas de 

 Affonso de Albuquerque ii. 354-69. When they sailed from 

 Cananor, and when they arrived at Lisbon, we know from the 

 narratives of the two Germans mentioned in a footnote above, 

 and from the statements of Italians who were in Portugal when 

 the ships reached home, or had their information from corre- 

 spondents there. From a comparison of these authorities it 

 would appear that on 2 January 1506 Fernao Soares left Cana- 

 nor for Portugal in charge of a fleet of five* ships, viz., the S. 

 Rafael (commanded by himself), the S. Jeronimo (Ruy Freire, 

 captain), the Botafogcff (Manuel Telles, J captain ?), the Judia 

 (Antao Gongalves, captain), and the Concepgdo (Bastiao de 

 Sousa, captain). The first four of these arrived at Rastello on 



* In his instructions from the king the viceroy was commanded 

 that as soon as three ships were loaded they were to be dispatched for 

 home under a captain-major, and so with each succeeding three (see 

 Cartas de Aff. de Alb. ii. 299). Why five were sent under Fernao Soares 

 does not appear. 



f Joao Serrao , who had come out as captain of this ship , remained 

 in India in command of a galley. Varthema tells us that it was in Joao 

 Serrao's galley that D. Lourenco sent him to the viceroy at Cochin, 

 and he also mentions the execution wrought amongst the Moors in the 

 sea fight in March 1506 by " a very valiant captain loan Sarrano." 

 According to Cor., Joao Serrao was killed with D. Lourenco at Chaul 

 in January 1508 ; but it is doubtful if he was even present, and it was 

 probably he who in 1510 was sent by the king to explore Madagascar, 

 and who was so useful to Albuquerque in his expedition to the Red Sea. 



J Lopo Soares, the historians tell us, before leaving India for Portugal 

 in January 1505, formed a small coastguard fleet under the command 

 of Manuel Telles to remain behind. If, as seems certain, this was 

 the captain-major of the coastguard fleet, he was one of the few 

 Portuguese that escaped the general massacre at Coulam in October 

 1505 (see above). Regarding his name the historians are at variance. 

 Barros confidently asserts that he was " Manuel Telles Barreto, son of 

 Affonso Telles Barreto," whereas Castanheda calls him " Manuel Telez 

 de Vasconcelos," and Correa " Manuel Telles de Vascogoncellos." 

 That these two writers are correct, and that Barros is wrong, is evident 

 from the fact that (as Barros himself states) Manuel Telles Barreto 

 left Lisbon with Tristao da Cunha's fleet in March or April 1506, while 

 this Manuel Telles did not reach Lisbon until 22 May. This con- 

 fusion of men with similar names is exemplified in the case of two 

 other captains referred to below (p. 296, note f ). 



