DISCOVERIES OF THE PORTUGUESE. 97 
which had been erected before the gate of the pa- 
lace. This throne consisted merely of Indian mats 
spread on the ground, and covered with a velvet 
carpet and cushions. The queen made the father 
sit down by her, and received a message with which 
he was charged from the viceroy, to which she re- 
turned a satisfactory answer. After so promising 
a commencement, it may easily be supposed, that 
the full conversion of her majesty was no difficult 
task. She applied herself with alacrity to gratify 
the first demand of the missionaries, which related 
to the building of a church. If the splendour of 
this edifice did not equal the expectation rationally 
formed from so powerful a monarch, the blame 
could be imputed only to the imperfect skill of her 
architects. The whole of their art amounted to 
fastening stakes in the earth, plastering them with 
mud, raising branches in the form of a roof, and 
covering these with straw or palm leaves. Such 
being the best edifice which the country could af- 
ford, there was no room for comjplaint. The first 
steps were always easy ; and the new faith being 
favoured by the queen and all her grandees, a large 
proportion of the people were quickly converted, 
or at least baptized. Due preparation being thus 
made, the queen issued the following instructions 
to her principal officers and to the governors of pro- 
vinces : " That no person should invoke or offer 
" sacrifices to the devil, or idols of any description \ 
VOL. T. g 
