Chap. II. 
Portuguese Empire in the Eaft-Indies. 
675 
of Ethiopia , that for his own Security a 0 amft Jxich j 
Neighbours as the Turks , the beft Step he could take would 
be to divert the Channel of the Nile, by cutting a Paffage 
for it into the Arabian Sea before it reached Egypt. If 
this Defign had taken Effecft, it muft undoubtedly have 
rendered the greateft Part of Egypt uninhabitable, and withal 
would have rendered it impracticable to renew the old Me- 
thod of tranfporting Eaft-InMa Commodities from the Red- 
Sea to Alexandria , which was the principal thing he had in 
View. His other Projeft was to transport three hundred 
Horfe from the IQand of Ormuz to the oppofite Coaft of 
Arabia , which is but feventeen Leagues, and this Party he 
thought fufficient to plunder the Tomb of Mohammed at 
Mecca, and to bum the Relifts of that falfe Prophet, which 
he imagined would have various good Confequences. One 
it would certainly have had, that is, it would have ftruck all 
the Mohammedans in the Eaft with Terror' and Amazement, 
and have diverted that Concourfe of People thither ; I mean 
to Mecca, which made the Commerce of Arabia famous, 
and confequently would have promoted in a great Degree 
his other Defign of refcuing the Trade of the Eaft out of 
the Hands of the Turks, and^other Mohammedan Nations. 
The Death of this excellent Commander, though at fo 
great an Age, proved fome Inconvenience to the Portu- 
gueze Affairs, and would have proved a much greater, if 
his Succeffor had not been at that Time at Cochin with a 
Squadron of ten Sail, which he had juft brought from Por- 
tugal. This General Albuquerque left all the Settlements 
then made in the Indies in perfeft Peace, and in admirable 
Order •, and he likewife left fuch a Body of regular Troops 
as were capable not only of maintaining what was already 
acquired, but alfo of adding fuch Conquefts as the King or 
his Succeffors ihould judge neceffary. His Funeral was 
performed with great Solemnity, and his Body interred in 
a Chapel dedicated to the Bleffed Virgin, which himfelf 
had built at Goa , and which was much enlarged by his Son 
Alphonfo Albuquerque, who lived to the Age of fourfcore, 
and gave conftderable Affiftance to fuch Hiftorians as have 
recorded his Father’s Aftions. 
10. The Perfon chofen to replace this great General 
was Lopez Suarez, who was come for that Purpofe with a 
Squadron of Men of War from Portugal to Cochin , where 
he" received the News of Albuquerque's Death. It feems to 
have been a Maxim, and indeed it was a very right one, 
not to leave the fame Officer too long in the Poffeffion of 
fo great a Power as it was neceffary to veil in the Viceroy, 
or General of the Indies , and without doubt it was owing 
to this Method, that fome of thefe great Officers were pre- 
vented from making an ill Ufe of their great Authority, 
and from fetting up for themfelves, which all things confi- 
dered, it is a wonder they did not, fince with a little Ma- 
nagement any enterprizing Commander might have fecured 
an Indian Iftand to himfelf, and have brought the Inhabi- 
tants to think it their Intereft to defend him. Suarez was 
no fooner entered upon his Adminiftration, but the People 
of Aden lent Embaffadors to him to let him know they were 
ready to comply with his Demands, but he took no notice 
of their Submiffion \ and having a Defign on the Egyptian 
‘Fleet, which he heard was coming down the Red-Sea , he, 
to keep his People employed till their Arrival, near the 
Streights of Bahel-mandel , attacked Zeila a Town on the 
Coaft of Africa , oppofite to Aden , and gave the Plunder to 
his Soldiers and Seamen r . 
But Suarez too late repented him of his Negleft of the 
People of Aden’s Officers, for the expected Fleet of Egyp- 
tians never appeared, and that City changed fccn after its 
Refolution of fubmitting to Portugal. To the Loft of this 
happy Opportunity fucceeded another Misfortune ; for 
Campfon the Sultan of Egypt being overcome by the Em- 
peror Selim , and his Dominions becoming part of th <zTurkijh 
Empire, the Coafts of Egypt and the Red-Sea were much 
better guarded than before, feveral new Forts being lerefted 
there, and fupplied with good Garrifons. In the mean time 
Andrada, who commanded in chief a t Malacca, made an Ex- 
pedition for fettling of Trade to the Coaft of China , where he 
was hofpitably entertained for fome Months, but his People 
growing infolent upon hiskind Reception, commuted feveral 
Violences, and he was forced to quit the Country with the Lofs 
of a great Number of his Followers. The Pwtugueze of 
India were now but in an indifferent State, and the new 
Forts lately finiffied in Ceylon , and the Kingdom of Coidan , 
were fcarce fufficient to keep the Inhabitants in their Duty, 
fo that Suarez being looked upon as unequal to fo great a 
Charge as the Government of thofe Acquifitions, was re- 
called, and James Lopez appointed his Succeffor. 
He, on his Arrival in India , having quelled fome Infur- 
reftions there, and overcome the King of Bint am, whom 
he forced to accept a Peace on his Terms, repaired to Or- 
mouz , and defeating Mocri King of Boharim , an Hand in 
the Perfian Gulph, reduced it to the Obedience of Portugal , 
Lopez was fucceeded by Edward de Menefes in 1521, who 
reftored the King of Pacem , in the Hand of Sumatra , to 
his Dominions, on condition of his paying a Tribute, and 
giving leave for the erefting a Fort upon his Coaft. In the 
firft Year of this Viceroy’s Adminiftration died Emanuel 
King of Portugal , the greateft Prince that ever fat on 
the Throne of that Kingdom, who, having reduced to his 
Obedience not only the Coafts of all India, both within 
and without the Ganges , but of the Gulph of Perjia, and 
and of the Red-Sea , and covering with his Fleets the Ethio- 
pian and Atlantic k Oceans, fhutupthe Navigation to thofe 
Countries from all others, thereby totally excluding the 
Venetians from the Commerce of the Eaft, whofe Merchants 
had ever fince the Year 1269, to that Time, wholly engroffed 
that Trade. He alfo fubdued great Part of the Coaft of 
Barbary , making himfelf Matter of Afofia, Tita , and Aza- 
mor , near Cape Cant in , and defeated the Forces of the Em- 
peror of Morocco in feveral Rencounters. 
He was fucceeded by his Son John III. about which 
Time the Viceroy of India appointed Lewis de Menefes , 
with a ftrong Squadron, to keep the People of Ormuz in 
Obedience, and fent Garfias Henriquez with another to the 
Eaftward to make farther Acquifitions, which latter failed 
round the Hands Banda Mira and Gumanapy , and proceeding 
thence to Tidore , there fell in with one of the Ships that 
had been fent out under Magellan by the Emperor Charles V. 
to make new Difcoveries, which Henriquez attacked, and 
made himfelf Matter of, putting to Death, or making 
Slaves of all the Spaniards on Board. This done, he erefted 
a Fort in the neighbouring Hand Ternate , and ftriftly en- 
joined the Inhabitants not to vend their Spices to any other 
than the Portugueze s . 
The next Year Hector Siberia being appointed Admiral 
of the Indies , was joyfully received by the Viceroy of Goa , 
from whence he proceeded to Malacca , then befieged by 
Laquezimenes the King of Bint am s Admiral, and having 
happily raffed the Siege, detached Alonzo de Soufa to the 
Coaft of Bintam, which having ravaged, he gained a great 
Viftory over the Ships of Pahang , Pat ana , and Java , kill- 
ing great Numbers of the Enemy, and taking feveral Pri- 
* The Fleet with which this Commander failed into the Red-Sea was by much fuperior to any thing the Portugueze had ever been able to put to 
Sea before that Time, and was intirely the Effect of Don Alphonfo d' Albuquerque' s Prudence and Diligence. It confided of thirty-ieven large Snips, 
and at the fame time he arrived before Aden, there was no Force in the Indies capable of difputing with him. The Reafon that the Inhabitants or that 
City would then have fubmitted was, be.caufe a great Part of their Walls remained unrepaired, fo that they were not in a Condition to make any De- 
fence ; but when they obferved the Slownefs of the P ortugueze General, and that he did not embrace an Offer of fuch Importance with the Readinefs 
that he ought to haye done, they loft no Time in repairing their Fortifications, and putting their City in a Pofture of Defence, fo as to be no longer 
under Apprehenfions of his Power, and then they treated him with Contempt. 
s It appears from hence, that the Portugueze were the firft who attempted to monopolize the Trade of Spices ; at which the Reader may be the 
more furprized, fince we do not hear at this Time of any other European Nations that traded in thofe Parts, and therefore this forbidding the Inhabi- 
tants to fell Spices, might appear an unneceffary Precaution. To fet this Matter in a true Light, the three following Points mull be obferved : In the 
firft place, there was a great Trade for Nutmegs carried on throughout all AJia, and this the Portugueze were deiirous of keeping in their own Hands. 
In the next place, they were very apprehenfive of their being carried into the Red-Sea, and fo through Egypt t° Alexandria, to their great Rivals in 
Trade the Venetians ; to prevent which, they kept a Squadron cruizing at the Mouth of the Red-Sea. Thirdly, they were afraid of the Spaniards 
from the We fi- Indies , the Governors in America making frequent Attempts on this Side, in hopes of eftablifhing a regular Commerce between the King- 
dom of Mexico and the Moluccas', fo that it is very plain the Portugueze Viceroys had Reafon enough to apprehend their having this valuable Commerce 
taken out of their Hands, 
8 I 
Numb. XLVI. 
foners 
