Page:The Three Voyages of Vasco da Gama and His Viceroyalty.djvu/71

Rh and English exceeded the duties of the Company, which were enjoyed by Spain. Azevedo received an order from Madrid to dispose of all offices within his jurisdiction by public sale, and to apply the money to the maintenance of his government. Azevedo, on going from Goa to Diu, met four English ships, and shunned the encounter, from fear of the blow to the state of Portuguese India if he should lose the great galloon: such was the poverty of the Portuguese exchequer in Asia; but even supposing that it could not bear the loss of a single galloon, yet Azevedo was very rich. One day he complained of the great losses he had suffered in his merchant ships, about the latter period of his government; and one of his officers observed that he must still have got 400,000 or 500,000 ducats: to this he replied — "I have still got more than that value in flocks only." Though the Spanish ministry seemed to have abandoned India, they looked at the success of the English and Dutch with great resentment; as Azevedo had not routed them, he was summoned home, where he was despoiled of all his riches, and condemned to prison, in which he died: whilst in prison he was supported by the Jesuits, who afterwards buried him honourably, on account of their gratitude for the support he had given them. Azevedo used to throw his prisoners off the point of Malvana to the crocodiles, for his and his soldiers' amusement. Still greater decadence followed the governorship of Azevedo: the fortresses were stripped of their territory, shipwrecks increased the losses of the Portuguese. The