58 



Journal, r.a.s. (ceylon). 



[Vol. XX. 



he took from ships of Moors that were there he departed, and 

 put in to Calecare 1 , where he had an interview with the lord 

 of the territory, and agreed with him in regard to the carrying 

 on of the fishery of seed-pearl, which is fished in those shoals 

 of Ceilam, at a fixed price, and with the obligation that he 

 should pay every year three thousand parddos, in return for 

 which the governor of India would send and keep guard over 

 the fishers during the time of the fishery 2 , as captain of which 

 at that time there went Diogo Rabello with some ships. 

 And because the inhabitants of Care 3 , a place adjoining Cale- 

 care, where seed-pearl is also fished, had murdered Joao Mores, 

 captain of the guard of that fishery 4 , Martim Afonso 

 proceeded thither, and destroyed it 5 , and thence went to 

 Paleacate. 



Couto. 



Dec. IV., Bk. iv., Chap. v. 



But what we are able to ascertain regarding this 6 



is, that whilst the governor was in the course of preparing to 

 send men to Francisco de Sa, there arrived an ambassador 

 from the king of Cota, a vassal of the king of Portugal's, to 

 beg the governor on behalf of the king to succour him, 

 because his brother Madune sought to deprive him of the 



1 Kilakarai, in Portuguese times the headquarters of the pearl fishery 

 in the Gulf of Mannar. In Dutch times Tuticorin took its place. 



2 Castanheda (u.s.) also records this agreement with the chief of 

 Kilakarai. 



3 This is, I think, a misprint or mislection for Cael (on which place 

 see Hob. -Job. s.v.). 



4 Joao Flores we have met with in III. n. ii. (p. 40). The killing of 

 him and his companions by the Moors is described in detail by Correa 

 iii. 235-6; see also C. Lit. Reg. iii. 205-6. 



5 None of the other historians records this. 



6 Couto has been expressing doubt regarding the accuracy of Casta- 

 nheda's statements (in VII. lxv.) that the governor requested Martim 

 Affonso to go to Sunda to erect a fortress, and that he declined because 

 Francisco de Sa had already been intrusted with the task, but consented 

 on pressure from the governor. 



