Page:A Comprehensive History of India Vol 1.djvu/210

 176

lIISTOilV OF INDIA.

[Book I.

tiaiis.

An Egyptian flejt fitted out.

AD. 1507 transport and taxation to l^uar, that they could not possibly wjmpete with tiie

comparatively inexpensive i)rocess of a single voyage, however long, from the

port of lading to the port of delivery. The Venetians thas found themselves

Intrigues of undersold in every European market, and became perfectly aware that they

theveue- j^yj^t, either destroy the Portuguese trade or be destroyed by it. Their first endeavour was to work upon the fears of the King of Portugal and the pope, by instigating the sultan to send a tlireatening letter t(^ Lisbon and Rome, inti- mating that if the Portuguese did not forthwith relinquish the new course of navigation, by which they had penetrated into the Indian Ocean, and cease from encroacliing on a commerce which had been carried on from time imme- morial between Asia and his dominions, he would put to death all the Chris- tians in Egyi^t, Syria, and Palestine, bum their churches, and demoli.sh the holy sepulchre itself

This menace having failed to produce the effect anticipated, the Venetian.s did not scniple to urge the sultan to take the remedy into hLs own hands, and. in accordance with the invitation given by the zamorin, become a powerful auxiliary in the crusade against the Portuguese. There was only one difficulty. The Egyptian fleet in its actual state was overmatched by that of Portugal. If the war was undertaken, the first thing necessary would be to build a new fleet. Egypt had no proper timber for the purpose. How, then, was it to be obtained ? The Venetians were not to be balked of their object by such an ob.stacle. Had they not whole forests of naval timber in Dalmatia? and ha'ing gone so far why need they scruple to place them at the disposal of the sultan, who. after hewing down as much as he required, might easily transport it by a well known route to the Red Sea? Such was the plan actually adopted; and Europe saw the maritime power which had taken a prominent part in the cnisade of Christian piinces against Mahometans, as zealously engaged in promoting a Mahometan crusade against Christians.

By these extraordinary means a fleet of twelve ships of war ha^^ng been built and fully equipped, set sail for the Indian coast in 1507. It carried 1500 men, and was commanded by an experienced officer, whom Ferishta calls Ameer Hoosseiu, and the Portuguese Meer Hashim. It sailed first to Gujerat, where Mullik Eiaz, admiral of Mahmood Shah I., who was then reigning sovereign of that kingdom, was prepared to join it with a squadron which would more than double its numbers and streng-th. Almeida seems not to have been aware of the danger which threatened liim till he was almost overtaken by it. His tactics obviously should have been to attack the Tirrkish fleet on its passage. In this way it might not liave been difficult for him to beat his enemies in detail. He may have been prevented by obstacles of which we are not aware ; for after he had resolved to pursue this obvious course it was found to be too late. His son Lorenzo, whom he had despatched with eleven sail to intercept the sultan's fleet, having been detained, first off Cananore, where he

It^ arrival in lii:lia.