20 



JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). 



[Vol. XX. 



BARROS. 



DECADE I. 

 593-1506 a.d. 



Beginning with the rise of Islam in 593, Barros describes 

 the occupation of Spain by the Moors, the elevation of Portu- 

 gal to a separate kingdom, and the expulsion of the Moors 

 from Europe. He then treats of the navigator Prince Henry, 

 and the various Portuguese voyages of discovery during the 

 15th century, culminating in the pioneer voyage to India of 

 Vasco da Gama in 1497. The subsequent expeditions to India 

 are then described, including that of the first viceroy D. 

 Francisco de Almeida, in 1505 ; and almost at the end of the 

 Decade we are told of the " discovery " of Ceylon by the 

 viceroy's son, D. Lourenco de Almeida. 



For several years after Vasco da Gama's pioneer voyage to 

 India, 1497-9, the Portuguese, though well aware that the 

 finest cinnamon came from Ceylon, made no attempt to open 

 up direct communication with that island. The reasons for 

 this I have explained fully in my paper on ' ' The Discovery of 

 Ceylon by the Portuguese in 1506," and need therefore here 

 only say that the principal reason was that they were able to 

 obtain a sufficiency of cinnamon for their homeward ships 

 from the Moorish merchants at Calicut and Cochin, and that 

 the Malabar ports supplied them with abundance of pepper, 

 whictajspiee always formed the bulk of their cargoes for 

 Europe. 



Sinhalese Rulers in Ceylon. — Vira Parakrama Bahu VIII., 

 1485-1505 (Kotte) ; Vijaya Bahu VII., 1505-34 (Dondra and 

 Kotte). 



Dec. I., Bk. v., Chap. vi. 

 He 1 learnt that from Cochij, a city some twenty 



miles from there, had set sail a ship, which had come from the 



1 Coge Cemecerij, a leading Moor of Calicut, who was jealous of the 

 greater confidence placed in his rival Coge Be qui j by the Portuguese 

 factor Aires Correa, and sought for some means of revenge. The time 

 is October 1500. 



