696 The H iStO RT of the Book I. 
the Dutch attacked the Portugueze again in the Eaft- In- 
dies, and even endeavoured to deprive them of Goa ; but 
in this they did not fucceed : And, on the other hand, the 
Portugueze found Means to traverfe all the Attempts that 
the Dutch made to eftabliffi a Trade in China, as alfo to raife 
fuch a Storm as deprived them of the Hand of Formofa , 
which they had conquered* and which was of prodigious 
Confequence to them. 
But, in the mean time, the great Fleets they Tent to the 
Eaft- Indies, enabled them not Only to extend their Con- 
quefts, but in the Year 1661, to defeat the whole naval 
Power of the Portugueze in two general Engagements. But 
while the Publick fuffered exceffively from the Confequen- 
ces of this fatal War, fome private Merchants in Lijbon 
and in the Eaft-Indies fitted out fo many Privateers, and 
of fuch Strength, that the Dutch fuffered exceffively in 
their Trade, and therefore both Nations began to be weary 
of the War, and inclined to a Negotiation. The Crown 
of Great -Brit am interpoled its Mediation, in confequence 
of the Marriage between King Charles II. and the Infanta 
of Portugal , by which Peace was brought about in the 
Year 1661, and thereby the Portugueze were left in Poffef- 
fion of Braftl , and the Dutch accepted a Sum of Money 
-as a Satisfaction for their Pretenlions. 
In the Eaft-Indies Things were to remain as they then 
flood, and both Parties were to keep what, at the Con- 
ciufion of this Peace, fhould be in their refpe&ive Poffefffe 
ons j but the Dutch kept this no better than they did the 
former Treaty ; but,, on the contrary, in 1663, attacked 
all the Places which the Portugueze held on the Coafl of 
Malabar , particularly Cochin , which they had no fooner 
taken, than they deftroyed all the Wild or Baftard^-Cinna- 
mon, which, after the Lofs of Ceylon , had proved an ad- 
vantageous Branch of Commerce to the Portugueze. There 
were high Complaints made of this in Europe to the States- 
General, who Were either deceived by the plaufible Ac- 
counts given them by their Eaft-India Company, or pre- 
tended to be deceived, that they might, with a better 
Grace, protract the Negotiation relating to this Affair, 
till their Subjects -in the Eaft-Indies had fo fortified the 
Places they had taken, as to put it entirely out of the Power 
t)f the Portuguefe to attempt the Recovery of them *. 
Thefe Proceedings gave the finifhing Blow to the Ruin 
t>f the Portugueze , who hate never fince been able to urn 
dertake any thing of Confequence ; but, on the contrary, 
have exhaufted much of their remaining Strength in de- 
fending themfelves againft their Indian Neighbours, who, 
encouraged by the Progrefs of the Dutch , and excited 
thereto by fome of their Agents, have been fince endea- 
vouring to tear from them the fmall Remains of their Pof- 
feffions in India , and have often kept Goa itfelf blocked up 
for many Months together j in which, perhaps, they have 
■as much miftaken their own Intereft as prejudiced that of 
this Nation, the Power of which has already fo much bro- 
ken, as not to afford any juft Ground of Jealoufy either to 
Indians or Europeans. 
29. We have already, in the Courfe of this Hiftory, 
pointed out many of the Caufes of the Declenfion of that 
inighty Power which, in fo fhort a Space of Time, the 
Crown of Portugal acquired in the Eaft ; but as this is per- 
haps the moft ufeful Part of the prefent Section, it may 
not be amifs to add a few farther Obfervations on this Sub- 
ject, the rather, becaufe th t Portugueze Authors, who have 
treated fo largely of the Conquefts made by their Nation, 
have been, in a great meafure, filent on the Means by 
which they were loft. One great Caufe of their Ruin was, 
the Circumftances of their Government at home, where, 
for many Years together, they were engaged in a long, 
expenfive, and dangerous War againft the Crown of Spain, 
in Defence of their Independently, which at once employ- 
ed their whole Force, and exhaufted their whole Revenue,, 
It is true indeed, that this was rather the Misfortune than 
the Fault of the Portugueze-, fince it was what they could 
not avoid •, but it was, neverthelefs, the great Caufe of 
their Loffes in the Indies . 
We may add to -this their fending over Men of toe 
great Quality, as Viceroys to Goa , with a View rather to 
better their Fortunes than the publick Service, which is 
the Reafon that, of late Years* we hear nothing more of 
the Gamas, the Albuquerques, the Pereyras, or the Gal- 
vanos, but are forced to fearch for the Names of their Vice- 
roys in the private Regifters of the Palace, inftead of the 
publick Records of Hiftory : Befides, as thefe Men -have 
been, generally fpeaking, too poor to mind any thing, fo 
much as mending their own Eftates 5 fo they have been 
too well allied to be called to any Account on their Re- 
turn for their M-alad min ift ration in the Indies , When their 
Affairs began firft to decline in this Part of the World, it 
was a common Thing for a Governor of Mofambique, 
which was efteemed the firft Poll after the Vieeroyfhip, 
and with all the other Governments in the Power of the 
Viceroy, to beftow on whom he pfeaied. I fey, it has 
been common for fuch Viceroys to make, in the Space of 
three Years, Five hundred thoufend Crowns ; from 
whence we may form fome Notion of the Profits of the 
Viceroy. Now as it is impoffible fuch exorbitant Sums 
fhould be made any other Way than by oppreffmg the In- 
diatiSi and taking large Sums from the Merchants, we 
may eafily perceive, that all thefe private Fortunes wefre 
made at the Expence of the publick Intereft. 
The bad Examples of the Governors had a very bad 
Effect on all the fubordinate Officers, fo that Pride, Va- 
nity, Luxury, and a pompous Difplay of Wealth, attain- 
ed by illicit Means, took place of that generous Virtue, 
that laudable Ambition, that difinterefted publick Spirit, 
which enabled their Anceftors to lay the Foundation of fo 
large an Empire, with a very inconfiderable Part of that 
Power, which was in the Poffeffion of thofe who loft it. 
The Clergy too, followed the Example of the Laity, and 
inftead of promoting, as at the Beginning, the Conver- 
fion of the Natives to the Chriftian Faith, from the reli- 
gious View of faving their Souls, they now profecuted 
that Work from the meaner Motive of making them fub- 
fervient to their own Purpofes, and enabling them to ac- 
quire vaft Riches. This Corruption proceeded fo far by 
Degrees, that not only many of the Jefuits at Goa engaged 
in Trade, contrary to the Rules of their Order, and their 
Duty as Miffionaries, but even defeended fo low, as to 
difguife themfelves in the Habits of Faquirs, or Mohamme- 
dan Monks, that they might have an Opportunity of vifit- 
ing the Dianfiond Mines, and purchafmg Stones there of 
extraordinary Value' 7 . 
But what moft of all contributed to corrupt the Inhabi- 
tants of the Portugueze Settlements, was the little Care ta- 
ken to prevent their leaving all Things to the Care of their 
Negroes and other Slaves, and their inter-marrying with the 
People of the Country, Practices which have been, and ever 
will be fatal to all European Eftabliffiments, becaufe it not 
only foftens and effeminates the Minds of fuch as fall into 
this Way of Living, but aifo changes their Views, makes 
them lofe all regard for their Country, and inclines them 
to take fuch Meafu res as are moft likely to preferve them 
in the Enjoyment of fuch fervile Pleafures. The Portu- 
gueze at Goa have been for more than a Century paft, fo 
much addidled to this grofs and fenfual kind of Life, that 
provided they might enjoy their fine Houfes in the City, 
and their Country Palaces in its Neighbourhood, they 
gave themfelves no Pain about what happened elfe where. 
“ T he Dutch, though their Tiafi-lndia Company gained fufBcientJy by thefe Practices, fuffered very feverely, as a State, from the Jealoufies they 
excited in their Neighbours. The Fnglijh had fome Experience of a like Difpofition towards them ; and though the French had not, at that Time, 
any Grounds of Complaint in the Indies, yet they were far enough from being pleafed with the Growth of the Dutch naval Power ; and therefore 
readily joined in a War to humble them, as they pbrafed it, which was that of 1672 ; and how far the Caufe? of that War were connected with 
the Conduit of the Dutch in the Indies, may appear from a Fact charged upon them by Mr. la-vernier, who, in his Travels, relates, that the 
Dutch Factory at Gamhron in Perfia publicklv burnt the Picture of King Charles II. in a Fire, partly made of Cinnamon ; which was fuch an In- 
dignity as that Prince never forgot, and which gave a very bad Impreflion of the Dutch to the Perfians who laboured all they .could to hinder it. 
w We owe this Circumftance to the Hiftory of Holland, by M. De La Neuville, who tells us, that the Dutch being extreamly piqued at the Trou- 
ble the Jefuits gave them in China, difeovered this Pradice to the Governor of the Diamond Mines at Vifapour, who caught two of the Fathers, dif- 
guifed like Faquirs, with Stones about them to the Value of twenty-five thoufand Pounds, which he took from them, and after whipping them 
publick !y for profaning the Habit of thofe holy Men, took; fuch Meafures as prevented theis carrying on that Trade in this Shape ever after. 
or 
