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



355 



year he would give for the king of Portugal of the best that there 

 was in his country, which was cinnamon and elephants, and that 

 if he wished he would at once order the ships to be loaded with 

 cinnamon, and with two elephants, and that in the bond he should 

 say that as son of the viceroy he had concluded this peace with 

 him, and that every year he would send him a ship-load of cinna- 

 mon and two elephants. 9 Diogo d' Almeida replied, that he 

 also must give his bond for what he had said and promised, 

 signed with his own hand, and by his prince and governors, " and 

 the bond that you ask for," he added, " order it to be written 

 on your olas, and the captain will sign them." This seemed good 

 to the king, and he immediately had his bond drawn up on a strip 

 of gold, of what he thus promised to give every year, and signed 

 it with his prince and governors, and by one of these sent it to 

 Dom Lourenco, who received it with many honours that he showed 

 to the governor, who thereupon drew from a cloth a strip of silver 

 which he gave to Dom Lourenco, who wrote thereon his bond of 

 the peace that he was concluding with him, and because the ink 

 would not adhere to the silver, it was written on paper pasted on 

 the strip of silver, all written as Diogo d' Almeida had said, and 

 Dom Lourenco signed it, and sealed it with the seal of the arms 

 in ink. This deed the governor likewise wrote on his olas, which 

 Dom Lourenco also signed ; and he sent the king a piece of scarlet 

 cloth, and another of black velvet, and to the governor he gave a 

 piece of red satin, and six scarlet barret-caps. With which the 

 king was greatly pleased, saying that Dom Lourenco had given him 

 more than double the value of what he had to give him. Then the 

 king sent him a present of provision for the whole armada, consist- 

 ing of many fowls, and figs, 10 and coconuts which are eaten shell 

 and all, 11 and sweet oranges, of which all the woods are full, and 

 lemons, and other fruits, and sweet herbs, and the rest of the 

 natural forest consists of cinnamon trees, which are low with 

 slender stems : a very salubrious country, and abounding in big 

 springs and very large streams of excellent water, and throughout 

 the forests bees' nests with much honey, wild birds and beasts of 

 every kind in the world, so much that they wander amongst the 

 houses. 12 The island is about three hundred leagues in circum- 

 ference, 13 and the whole is ruled by four kings, 14 but this 

 one is the principal, because only in his kingdom does the cinna- 

 mon grow. 



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when Dom Lourenco came here , the price of cinnamon 



the bar, which is equal to four quintals, was one cruzado, whereas 

 it is now worth eight or ten. 15 



* * * * * * * 



But to return to my subject, I have to say that the Moors of 

 Calecut, whose ships Dom Lourenco had captured, seeing that 

 the evil things they had told of us availed them nothing, and that 

 the king had already concluded peace with Dom Lourenco , seeking 

 some means of getting back their ships, collected a great present, 

 and brought it to the king and his governors, begging him not to 



