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 178

HISTORY OF INDIA.

[Book I.

CHAPTER VIII.

Portuguese progress in the East — The viceroyships of Francisco Almeida and Alfonso Albuquerque.

CiR.

A.D. 1508,

Alfonso Al- biKinerqiie returns to India.

11 is expedi- tion to tlie Persian Uuif.

l U E Portu^iese were now fully committed to their career of oiK^uest, and successive armaments, on a grand scale, quitted I Lisbon for the East. One of the.se, under Tristan da Cunha, consisted of thirteen vessels, and 1*300 fighting men. Another, of twelve vessels, sailed under the command of Alfoaso Albu- querque, who, after performing sevei'al exploits on the African coast, and taking effectual measures to cripple the trade from India by the Red Sea, continued along the coast of Arabia, and entered the Persian Gulf, determined to stiike a still more fatal blow. There the Mahometan traffic with India was still active. Albuquerque, in whom great military and political talents were com- bined, at once perceived liow an effectual interdict might be laid upon it. The only thing necessary for this purpose was to make himself master of the city of Ormuz, situated on an island in the mouth of the gulf In this way he could

J^ completely command

the passage, and jjlace the trade at liis mercy. After the capture of Muscat, and several other places of minor importance, he pro- ceeded to the execution of his grand enterprise. His design had been penetrated; and in.stead of being able to take the city by sui'prise, as he had anticipated, he found it defended by a fleet of 400 vessels, sixty of them of large size, and by an army of 30,000 men. To show how far he was from being dismayed at these preparations, he immediately advanced into the harbour, and anchored among five of the largest ships, firing his cannon as if in defiance. After waiting for a message from the king, but receiving none, he sent him his ultimatum, which, considering the relative position of the parties, was cer- tainly of a very extraordinary and arrogant description. It was to the effect that lie had come with orders to take the King of Ormuz imder his protection,

Ormuz. — Brun et Hogenbiirg, 1374.