98 
DISCOVERIES OF THE PORTUGUESE. 
gate of the palace. 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 returned a satisfactory an- 
swer. 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 formed from so power- 
ful 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 afford, there was 
no room for complaint. The first steps were al- 
ways 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 tlius made, the 
queen issued the following instructions to her 
principal officers, and to the governors of provin- 
ces : ** That no person should invoke or offer 
sacrifices to the devil, or idols of any descrip- 
