In February 1513, Alphonsus De Albuquerque Went From Goa Towards The
Straits Of Mecca With Twenty Ships, And Arriving At The City Of Aden,
Battered It With His Cannon, And Passing The Straits Entered The Red Sea,
And Wintered At The Island Of Camaran.
This was the _first_ Portuguese
captain who gave an account of the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, which
are of great importance in regard to trade.
In May 1514, Pedro Arias de Avila was sent out from St Lucar, as governor
of Castilia del Oro, or the Golden Castile, for so the Spaniards named
the countries of Darien, Carthagena, and Uraba. He carried with him
fifteen hundred men and seven ships; and Vasco Nunnes de Balboa, who
discovered the South Seas, was sent out at the same time as admiral of
the coasts of that newly discovered sea. In the beginning of the year
1515, de Avila sent Gaspar Morales with 150 men to the Gulf of St Michael,
to discover the islands of Tararequi[27], Chiapes, and Tumaccus. A
cacique, the friend of Balboa, gave him many canoes, or boats made of one
tree, with which they passed to the Isle of Pearls, where they were at
first resisted; but Chiapes and Tumaccus pacified the cacique of that
island, who submitted himself, and received baptism, taking the name of
the governor, Pedro Arias, and presented Morales with a basket of pearls
weighing 110 pounds, some of which were as large as hazel nuts, weighing
20, 25, 26, and even 31 carats, each of four grains; and one of these
pearls was sold for 1200 ducats. In March 1515, de Avila sent Gonsalva de
Badajos, with 80 soldiers, to discover new lands, who went to Nombre de
Dios, where he was joined by Lewis de Mercado with a reinforcement of 50
men. They resolved to proceed to the south, as the richest country; and
taking some Indians as guides, they found some slaves along the coast
marked with the irons used by the Portuguese. They marched a considerable
way through the country with much difficulty, but made a considerable
booty in gold, and took forty serviceable slaves. But a cacique, named
Pariza, attacked them and slew or took most of the party. After this the
governor sent out his son, John Arias de Avila, to be revenged and to
explore the country. This party went westwards to Cape de Guerra, in
little more than 6 deg. N. and thence to Punta de Borica, and to Cape Blanco,
in 8 deg. 30' N. having, as they affirm, discovered 250 leagues; and besides
this they founded the city of Panama.
In the month of May 1515, Alphonsus de Albuquerque, the Portuguese
viceroy of India, sent Fernando Gomes de Limos from Ormus, as ambassador
to the Xec or Shah Ismael, king of Persia; and it is said they travelled
300 leagues through a country as pleasant as France. This Xec, or Shah
Ismael, went much a-hunting, and was fond of trout fishing, which are
abundant in the rivers of his kingdom.
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