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JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XIX. 



his reign (see B 7), were apparently never carried out ; for 

 we should then have been able to realize the details of Dom 

 Lourenco's " discovery " far better than it is possible to do 

 from the descriptions of that event. 



Owing to the non-arrival in India in 1506 of any of the 

 ships that sailed from Portugal that year, the viceroy, 

 when he wrote at the end of December to the king, had not 

 received Dom Manuel's letter of March or April 1506 (see A 21), 

 in which he was ordered to go in person to Malacca and build 

 a fortress there, and on the return voyage to call at Ceylon, 

 erect a fortress, and make that the principal viceregal residence, 

 this order being based upon sentimental as well as practical 

 reasons. From the summary of the viceroy's letter referred 

 to it appears that Dom Francisco when he wrote was desirous 

 of building a fortress at Columbo, which he described as 

 admirably suited for the purpose. In fact, as stated already, 

 it would seem that he sent Lopo Chanoca thither to carry 

 out this work, which, however, for some reason not stated, 

 was not accomplished. Whether King Manuel in writing 

 to the viceroy in 1507 renewed his request, I do not 

 know, since his letter of that year appears to have perished ; 

 but in February 1508, having in his mind what Dom 

 Francisco had written on the subject, Dom Manuel, in 

 his instructions to Diogo Lopes de Sequeira (see C 2) , ordered 

 him when going to Malacca to call at Ceylon, where he evi- 

 dently thought the viceroy would ere then have erected 

 the proposed fortress. That it had not been built was not 

 owing to any change of mind in the viceroy, as is evident 

 from the manner in which he wrote to the king at the end 

 of 1508 respecting its desirability (see C 5). It must be inferred, 

 therefore, that the cause of the non-execution of the work 

 lay in opposition on the part of the king of Cota.* 



But, though apparently favourable to the idea of having 

 a fortress in Ceylon, Dom Francisco de Almeida was opposed 

 to the multiplication of Portuguese fortresses in the east.f 



* Cf. the statements of Bar. and Cast, in the extracts C 3 and C 4, infra. 



f In writing to the king at the end of 1508 he says (Cor. i. 906) : 

 " Regarding the fortress there in Coulao, the more fortresses you have, 

 the weaker will be your power : let all your strength be on the sea, 



