268 



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



[Vol. XX. 



that was to carry the supplies to that fortress, the captain of 

 which was Gaspar Barbosa, and dispatched it at the beginning 

 of October with many munitions, and gave eight thousand 

 parddos in money for the pay of the soldiers and the salaries 

 of that fortress 1 : 



He * * * * * * 



Dec. X., Bk. v., Chap. x. 



Of how the galleon that was going to Ceilao was lost, and the 

 people and money were saved, and other matters. 



The galleon that was going to Ceilao having left Goa 2 went 

 making her voyage until she had doubled Cape Comorim, and 

 from Tutocori went crossing over to Ceilao with fair weather ; 

 and being already in sight of that coast, there came down 

 upon her a tempestuous wind, which the natives there call 

 cacham, which is a north wind 3 , and which is there always a 

 cross wind ; and it is so dangerous, that rarely does the ship 

 escape that it catches at sea, the which tempest was very 

 severe, and caught the galleon when already so near the land, 

 that she was forced to anchor, as she had no whither to run; 

 and they rode upon the cable for several days, in great strait 4 

 and with much risk and trouble, because the storm went on 

 increasing more every time, and the galleon with the force of 



1 From the same royal letter cited in note 3 , p. 267, it appears that 

 the inhabitants of Columbo had written to the viceroy complaining of the 

 conduct of the captains (no particular one named) of that fortress in 

 (1) coining money, and (2) meddling in the affairs of the chamber (as to 

 which body see infra, p. 414, note *). As regards (1), King Philip 

 expressed his opinion that in a place like Columbo, with such a small 

 number of persons capable of governing to choose from, it would be 

 inconvenient to exempt the chamber from the jurisdiction of the 

 captain ; and in respect to (2), the king stated, on the authority of 

 the late viceroy, that the coins used in Columbo were larins and fanams, 

 on which the captains made a large profit, and he instructed Dom 

 Duarte to inquire into the matter and do what was right. 



2 At the beginning of October 1584 (see supra, X. v. ix.). 



3 Couto seems to have here made a curious error, which he repeats in 

 X. x. viii. (p. 346). As a fact, cacham = Tarn, kaccdn, " south-west 

 wind" ; though Couto's account that follows shows that this could not 

 have been the direction of the wind that caught the galleon. (On vara 

 and cachao see Reb. de Cey. i. ; Rib. Fat. Hist. in. viii.) 



4 The printed edition has " very close in." 



