The Ineffectual
Exertions Of The Mameluks And Turks, Instigated By Venice, To Obstruct
The Portuguese Trade In India, Will Be Afterwards Mentioned.
- E.
[8] It is difficult to say what is meant by a _cantarus_ in the text;
perhaps a quintal or 100 pounds. The castor of the text, and other
perfumes, may mean musk, civet, and ambergris. - E.
[9] Perhaps the king of Congo, or some other prince of the west coast of
Africa is here alluded to; or perhaps the xeque or prince of the Moors
at Sofala. - E.
[10] By the new gold mines Sofala seems indicated, as contradistinguished
from the _old_ gold mines of Guinea. The story of the two ships on
their voyage to India from Sofala, obviously alludes to the Guzerate
vessels, more particularly mentioned already in the voyage of Cabral
- E.
SECTION II.
_Letter from certain Merchants and Bankers of Spain,[1] to their
correspondents in the cities of Florence and Venice, respecting a treaty
of peace and league between the kings of Portugal and Calicut._
We have been informed by those who were on board of the fleet which
sailed from Lisbon to India in May 1502, and returned on the 15th
December 1503, that the king of Calicut has concluded a peace with our
sovereign on the following conditions. As a compensation for the
slaughter of our men, he is to pay 4000 _bahars_ of pepper, equal to 12,
000 quintals. That the Moors shall not be allowed to trade there from any
place whatever, excepting only those who are natives of Calicut; and that
these even shall not be permitted to trade with Mecca. That our king, if
so inclined, may build a fort at Calicut, and shall be supplied with a
sufficient quantity of stones, lime, and timber for that purpose by the
zamorin, paying for these on delivery. That the king of Calicut shall aid
and favour the Portuguese in all things, and that it shall be competent
for our king to appoint one of his own subjects to administer justice
among the Portuguese resident in that city, even with the power of life
and death, and without appeal to the zamorin. That when any of our people
shall revolt from or be disobedient to our commercial agent, they shall
immediately be delivered up to be judged by the aforesaid Portuguese
consul. If any captive Moors are detained, they shall all be delivered up
to our agent. That the two Milanese lapidaries, who had gone from Rome to
India, and who there acted as military engineers and shipbuilders in the
European fashion, to the disgrace of the Christian profession, and the
vast injury of the Christians, should be delivered up in chains to the
admiral of our fleet. That the kings or rajahs of Cochin and Cananore
shall be included in this treaty as co-allies, mutually sharing all
danger and advantages with the other contracting parties: So that if any
one shall take arms against any of the parties to this treaty, he shall
be declared an enemy to all the parties hereby confederated.
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