No. 60. — 1908.] couto : history of ceylon. 



323 



Dec. X., Bk. x., Ohap. iv. 



Of how the city of Cochim sent an armada in succour to Geilad : 

 and of how Raju took in hand to attack the fortress by sea 

 and by land : and of what took place besides. 



So much haste did Belchior Nogueira make, who left for 

 Goa with word of the siege 1 , that in a few days he arrived 2 

 at the city of Cochim, and gave the letters that he bore from 

 Joao Correa to Dom Estevao de Meneses, captain of that 

 fortress, and others to the aldermen, in which he begged 

 them to succour him, because he was in the last extremity, 

 and that this might be as speedily as possible, as the enemy 

 had come with the whole power of the island of Ceilao against 

 that fortress, in which there were not three hundred men 3 . 

 Seeing this necessity, the captain met in chamber with the 

 aldermen and principal inhabitants, who discussed this 

 matter : and as that city was accustomed, with great zeal 

 for the service of the king, to help in similar needs, without 

 sparing expenses or risks to their persons, it was at once 

 resolved to negotiate six ships filled with men and munitions, 

 the expenses of which were to be met from the sum of one 

 per cent which was set aside for the works and fortification 

 of that city 4 , as it could be spent on nothing better or of more 

 importance. And forthwith they commenced to set the 

 ships afloat and to pay the soldiers ; and as there had arrived 

 at that port during that time Nuno Alvares Datouguia in a 

 galliot that came from Coulao, where it wintered by command 

 of the viceroy, they intrusted to him this expedition, which 

 he accepted with much pleasure, and immediately began to 

 embark, and in five days sailed 5 across the bar with six ships, 

 in which he carried one hundred and eighty hired soldiers, 

 and the ships armed for three months with many munitions : 

 besides Nuno Alvares Datouguia there went Adriao Nunes 



1 See supra, pp. 297- 8, 305. 



2 Soon after the middle of July 1587. 



3 See supra, p. 293. The manuscript here has " thirty " instead 

 of " three hundred." 



4 The one per cent, was levied on the customs. Goa had a similar 

 levy ; and it appears from correspondence between the king and the 

 Goa chamber, printed in Arch. Port. -Or. i., that about this time the 

 latter body laid claim to the Cochin levy, to be employed in the fortifi- 

 cation of Goa, the arming of vessels, &c. The ground of this claim 

 seems to have been, that ships with goods for Goa, being often monsoon- 

 bound, put in to Cochin and there discharged cargo, on which this duty 

 was levied. 



5 Early in August, apparently. 



y2 



