122 



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



[Vol. XX. 



COUTO. 



DECADE VI. 

 1545-1554 a.d. 



Portuguese Governors of India. — D. Joao de Castro, gover- 

 nor and viceroy, September 1545 to June 1548 ; Garcia de 

 Sa, governor, June 1548 to June 1549 ; Jorge Cabral, 

 governor, June 1549 to November 1550 ; D. Affonso de 

 Noronha, viceroy, November 1550 to September 1554. 



Sinhalese Rulers in Ceylon. — Bhuvaneka Bahu VII., 1534- 

 51 (Kotte) ; Dharmapala alias Dom Joao Pereapandar, 

 1551-97 (Kotte) ; Mayadunne, 1534-81 (%) (Sitavaka) ; Vira 

 Vikrama, 1542-5-(?) (Kandy). 



Tamil King in Jaffna. — Sangili. 



Portuguese Captains- Major of Ceylon. — D. Joao Henriques, 



1551- 2; Diogo de Mello Coutinho, 1552; D. Duarte Deca, 



1552- 3 ; Fernao Carvalho (acting), 1553-5. 



In this Decade we are told of the arrival in Ceylon (in 1543) 

 of the first Franciscan missionaries, and of the propagation of 

 Christianity by them on the south-western coast and in the 

 kingdom of Kandy. The duplicity of the Kandy an ruler, 

 who pretended to be inclined to uhristianity, led to the send- 

 ing to Kandy of two Portuguese expeditions (one in 1547, the 

 other in 1550), both of which had to retreat, the latter suffer- 

 ing severe loss. Mayadunne once more (1549) took up arms 

 against his brother Bhuvaneka Bahu VII. ; and a Portuguese 

 force sent to aid the latter defeated Mayadunne's troops 

 and captured his capital Sitavaka, which was sacked (1550). 

 In October 1550 the ship from Portugal conveying the new 

 viceroy of India, D. Affonso de Noronha, made accidental land- 

 fall at Columbo, the viceroy's visit being followed by important 

 consequences. In 1551, as a combined Sinhalese and Portu- 

 guese force was about to take the field against Mayadunne, 

 Bhuvaneka Bahu was accidentally killed, his grandson 

 Dharmapala being thereupon proclaimed king in his stead. 

 On this news reaching Goa, the viceroy set out with a large 

 armada for Columbo, where on landing he at once began to 



