* * * * *
Antonio de Saldanna, the last of the three commanders who were sent to
cruise in the north of the Red Sea, having lost Diego Fernandez Peteira,
came to anchor at a place called St Thomas, on the east side of the Cape
of Good Hope, which was made famous by the name of _Aquada del Saldanna_,
or Saldannas watering-place, on account of his having lost several of his
men there in endeavouring to land. At this time Ruy Lorenzo was parted
from him in a storm which drove him to Mozambique, whence he held on his
course for Quiloa, where he took some small prizes. Being ambitious to
distinguish himself, he went to the island of Zanzibar, twenty leagues
short of Mombasa, where he took twenty small vessels. After this he
appeared before the town of Mombasa, the king of which place sent out a
number of armed almadias or paraws to take his ship: But Lorenzo armed his
long boat with a crew of thirty men, which took four of the almadias and
killed a great many of the Moors. The king sent an army of 4000 men to the
shore under the command of his son, who was killed with some others at the
first volley; on which one of the Moors ran out from the ranks with a flag
of the Portuguese arms, craving a parley. Peace was soon concluded, by
which the king agreed to pay 100 _meticals_ of gold yearly as a tribute to
the king of Portugal[16].
From Mombasa, Lorenzo sailed for Melinda, the king of which place was much
oppressed by him of Mombasa, on account of his connection with the
Portuguese. On his way he took two ships and three small vessels called
_zambuccos_, in which were twelve magistrates of Brava, who submitted
their city to the king of Portugal, and engaged to give 500 meticals of
yearly tribute. On his arrival at Melinda, he found that a battle had been
fought between the kings of Melinda and Mombasa, in which neither could
claim the victory. Antonio de Saldanna likewise arrived at Melinda about
this time, and by his mediation peace was restored between these princes.
Saldanna and Lorenzo went thence to the mouth of the Red Sea, where they
defeated some Moors at the islands of _Kanakani_[17] beyond Cape Guardafu.
On the upper coast of Arabia, they burnt one ship belonging to the Moors
which was laden with frankincense, and they drove another on shore which
carried a number of pilgrims for Mecca.
[1] This seems to be the island named Chirapipil on a former occasion. - E.
[2] Thus I understand the expression in Lichefilds translation of
Castaneda, "Forty were armed with, shot." - E.
[3] Caliver is the old name of the matchlock or carabine, the precursor
of the modern firelock or musket. - E.
[4] A very ordinary precaution in India, to guard the passage of the wet
ditch in fortified places, both against desertion and surprise, is by
keeping numbers of crocodiles in the water. - E.
[5] A falcon or faulcon is described as a small cannon of two pound shot.
The following enumeration of the ancient English ordnance, from Sir
William Monsons Naval Tracts, in the reigns of Elizabeth and James the
First, is given in Churchills Collection, Vol. III. p. 803. I suspect
the weight of the basilisk, marked 400 pounds in this list, may be a
typographical error for 4000. - E.
Names. Bore. Weight. Shot. Powder. Random
inches. libs. libs. libs. paces.
Cannon-royal 8-1/2 8000 66 30 1930
Cannon 8 6000 60 27 2000
Cannon-serpentine 7 5500 53-1/2 25 2000
Bastard cannon 7 4500 41 20 1800
Demi-cannon 6-3/4 4000 30-1/2 18 1700
Cannon-petro 6 3000 24-1/2 14 1600
Culverin 5-1/2 4500 17-1/2 12 2500
Basilisk 5 400* 15 10 3000
Demi-culverin 4 3400 9-1/2 8 2500
Bastard culverin 4 3000 5 5-3/4 1700
Sacar 3-1/2 1400 5-1/2 5-1/2 1700
Minion 3-1/2 1000 4 4 1500
Faulcon 2-1/2 660 2 3-1/2 1500
Falconet 2 500 1-1/2 3 1500
Serpentine 1-1/2 400 3/4 1-1/2 1400
Rabanet 1 300 1/2 1/3 1000
[6] Two weights of that name are described as used in India for the sale
of pepper and other commodities, the small and the large bahar; the
former consisting of three, and the latter of four and a half peculs.
The pecul is said to weigh 5 1/2 pounds avoirdupois: Consequently the
smaller bahar is equal to 16 1/2, and the larger to 24 3/4 English
pounds. A little farther on in the present work of Castaneda, 4000
bahars are said to equal 1200 quintals; which would make the bahar of
Cochin equal to thirty Portuguese pounds. - E.
[7] This is a species of bark of some burthen, then used on the Malabar
coast. - E.
[8] Such is the expression of Lichefild; which I suspect ought to have
been 500 nayres of Cochin in paraws. - E.
[9] The quantity in the text is probably exaggerated considerably, as
only a few pages before, the factory at Cochin is said to have only
been able to procure 300 quintals. - E.
[10] In Astleys Collection, I. p. 55. Coulan or Koulan is said to have
been governed at this time by a _queen_ or rana. By Narsinga Bisnagar
is to be understood, which was one of the sovereignties into which the
Decan or southern peninsula of India was then divided - E.
