of the famous fort of Wurungul, appears in its capture by the sooltan. Koolly Kootub Shah did not enter into the quarrels which were maintained among the other kings of the Deccan. The only act of interference that can be traced to him is the dispatch of a contingent force to assist Ameer Bereed, in 1532-33, an act which drew upon him the retaliation of the King of Beejapoor in the siege of Kovilcóndah, in 1534; in the campaign connected with which, he received a wound in the face, which terribly disfigured him for the rest of his life. Towards the close of his reign, the king, content with the dominions he had gained, applied himself earnestly to the regulations of their civil government. He had attained the great age of nearly ninety years; and retained perfect enjoyment of his faculties, though he was infirm. Some years before, he had imprisoned his son Jumsheed for conspiracyan act which the young man never forgave; and as the king was kneeling down to prayer in the mosque of the fort, on Sooltan September 4, 1543, he was killed by the commandant, Koolly at the instigation of the prince, who, as had been pre- assassinated, viously arranged among the conspirators, succeeded him. Kootub Shah 1543. succeeds, of Scotland. Sooltan Koolly Kootub Shah was in his ninetieth year, and had reigned as king forty-four years. Very little detail is Jumsheed given of the events of the reign of Jumsheed. He Kootub Shah assisted Boorhan Nizam Shah in a war against Beeja- 1543. poor, when he invested the fort of Etgeer, or Yatgeer, Mary queen near the Bheema; but being obliged by Assud Khan, the Beejapoor general, to raise the siege, was pursued by him to his capital with great loss in men and camp-equipage. After this event, he withdrew himself from Deccan politics, and entered into minor wars with Hindoo chiefs, many of whom he reduced. Latterly, however, he fell ill, and became cruel and morose, and died in 1550, after a reign of nearly seven years, being succeeded by his son Soobhan, a boy of seven years; when the celebrated general Seif Khan, who was in exile at Ahmednugger, was recalled as regent. This arrangement was not, however, popular, and the Ibrahim nobles at court offered the crown to the late king's crowned,1550. brother, Ibrahim, who had been residing at Beejanugger Pope Julius under the protection of Ramraj. In pursuance of this III. invitation, Ibrahim arrived at the capital, which he entered in state, and was crowned on July 27, 1550. Shah Jumsheed Kootub Shah dies, 1550. Is succeeded by his son Soobhan, who is deposed. Early trade with India by Egypt. CHAPTER XXII. OF THE PORTUGUESE IN INDIA, A.D. 1415 To 1501. Trade by land It is impossible to estimate the antiquity of the trade between India and Europe. From the dim ages of the Assyrian and Egyptian monarchies it had continued to the Grecian, and Alexander's invasion gave it an enormous impetus. Through the Romans, and by the Emperor Justinian, who, in A.D. 531, introduced the culture of silk into Italy, down to the Venetians and the Genoese, the trade descended with unflagging increase and prosperity. The spices, the manufactures, the sugar, the silk, and the pearls and precious stones of India, were welcome and indispensable commodities in all European markets; and the manner of the quickest and safest route of transport became a question of the highest national importance. The channels of trade were many. Through Afghanistan and Central Asia, merchandise from Northern India went through Asia. first to Kabool or Kandahar, and thence, by Balkh, Sarmacand, Astrakhan, and the Caspian, reached the Black Sea. A more southern line was through Persia to Damascus, or Alexandria; and, in a greater or less degree, the whole of the coast of Asia Minor and Syria served as an entrepôt for the IndoEuropean trade. From Central and Southern India, as well as from its eastern portion, the sea was the only means of communication, and was largely used; and long before the Christian era, the Hindoo (Aryan) ships of Bengal took its productions to Ceylon, and at the proper season stretched across to Africa and Egypt. The western coast of India, from north to south, seems, from the earliest times, to have been a busy scene of export in the north-east monsoon, and of import in the south-west. The Indian vessels leaving Cochin, Calicut, Goa, Dabul, Choule, or Guzerat, from November to Janumy or February, with a fair wind, made safe and rapid voyages to the Persian Gulf, or to Aden, perhaps also to the coasts of Egypt; and discharging their cargoes at Berenice, Cossien, Mocha, or Jeddo, in the Red Sea, Busheir or Bassora, in the Persian Gulf, returned with equal certainty on the change of wind to the southwest. The emporiums for the southern trade were Alexandria, Smyrna, and other ports in the Mediterranean; and from these the Venetians first, and afterwards the Genoese, had almost a monopoly of the carrying trade to Europe. When Constantinople Trade by sea from the western coast. was taken by the Turks, in 1453, the special protection the Genoese had received from the Greek emperors ceased, and the Venetians enjoyed a renewal of their prosperity for a considerable period. Agincourt. But other means of communication with India were, after many attempts, considered practicable. Prince Henry Portuguese of Portugal, in 1415, before the birth of Columbus, had enterprises. explored much of the west coast of Africa, and had Battle of indicated a route by which its southern point might be passed; and it was well argued, that once Africa could be crossed, there was nothing to prevent access to India. Subsequently Columbus discovered America, but not, as he had hoped, a passage westwards to India; and it was Alonzo V., and after him King John II., who followed up the course of previous Efforts of West African exploration. Portugal was poor, and King John II. the expense of fitting out expeditions very considerable. King John, therefore, offered shares in the discoveries that might be made to several European courts, on the condition that they should assist him, or otherwise allow him the full benefit of his national exertions. None, however, felt sufficient confidence in King John's theories to venture ships and men in their elucidation, and he determined to pursue them himself. He Portuguese obtained the sanction of the Pope to his proceedings: under Diego and sent an expedition, under Diego Cam, who explored the coast of Africa to latitude 22° south, whence he dispatched messengers to find out where the Venetians obtained their drugs and spices. One of them, Pedro de Covillam, succeeded in reaching India, but before his discoveries were known in Portugal, Bartholomew Diaz, who had followed Diego's track in Second 1486, found he had rounded the Cape while driven attempt by out to sea in a storm; for when he again made land, Diaz. he found it trended north-east, lying on his left hand, while to the east all was open ocean. His crew now mutinied, and, to his infinite mortification, refused to enter upon the unknown sea. On his way homeward by the coast, he discovered the southern Cape of Africa, which he called the Cape of Storms, but which was afterwards named the Cape of Good Hope. Cam. No immediate result followed this remarkable voyage. The attention of the European world had been temporarily dazzled by the discovery by Columbus of the American continent, and it was not till after King's John's death that his successor King EmEmmanuel determined to continue the discoveries of manuel sends an expedition Diaz. An expedition of three small vessels, carrying under Vasco 160 men, was fitted out under Vasco de Gama, already favourably known by his qualities as a seaman, and Diaz ac de Gama. companied him in a subordinate capacity. The ships sailed from the Tagus on May 8, 1497. Diaz quitted the expedition at Santa Maria: and Vasco de Gama, pursuing his voyage, rounded the Cape of Good Hope on November 20 of the same year. By Christmas he had discovered that part of the south-east coast which he named Tierra de Natál, and having stretched out to sea to avoid dangerous currents, he missed Sofala, then an emporium of trade with India, but reached He reaches Mozambique, a Mahomedan city, and then Melinda, a Melinda, larger city than any hitherto met with. Ships from India were lying in the harbour, and there was every evidence of large trade in the Indian manufactures and commodities with which they were laden. Here he obtained the services of a Guzerat pilot, Mélémo Kana, as he is styledmost probably Maalim Khan-and sailed for India on April 22, 1498. Vasco de Gama sails, 1497. and thence sails for India. Vasco de Calicut. The pilot proved an excellent navigator, and was familiar with the use of the Portuguese quadrant, and other nautical instruments; and on Friday, May 17, the high land of India was sighted, and on the 20th they cast anchor near the beautiful city Gama reaches of Calicut. Here De Gama sent ashore one of the criminals whom he had brought with him to be employed on desperate services, who, not being able to make himself understood, was taken by the people to the house of a Moor of Tunis, who spoke both Portuguese and Spanish. This man went off to De Gama's ship, and on approaching it cried out from his boat, 'Good luck, good luck! many rubies, many emeralds! Thou art bound to thank God for having brought thee where there are spices, and precious stones, and all the riches of the world.' This fortunate meeting with one who could speak their language filled the Portuguese with joy: and De Gama lost no time in reporting his arrival to the Zamorin. or sovereign of the country, who, being absent at a welcomes the little distance, sent him a courteous invitation and Portuguese. welcome, and had his ships conveyed to a safe anchorage. On May 28 De Gama set out with twelve men to pay his respects to the prince, but not without many misgivings on the part of his crew. He was, however, honourably placed in a palankeen, and, attended by an immense concourse of people, finally reached the Zamorin's palace, at Poniany. The magnificence by which the Zamorin was surrounded, seems to have struck De Gama and his companions with amazement: and the public reception having been concluded, they were taken into a private apartment, where they detailed the object of their mission, which was favourably listened to. Next day the Portuguese presents were to be delivered, and were The Zamorin They meet with an interpreter. The Portu guese presents. certainly in nowise calculated to impress the Zamorin with the importance or wealth of the European strangers. Four pieces of scarlet cloth, six hats, four branches of coral, six almasars, a parcel of brass, a box of sugar, two barrels of oil and one of honey, were selected from the stock; and, as may be supposed, these homely articles were laughed at, while the Moors, jealous of any interference with their trade and privileges, commenced an intrigue in the palace, in which they represented De Gama to be a pirate. The letters sent by Portuguese. the King of Portugal, one of which was fortunately written in Arabic, were, however, honourably received by the Zamorin, who gave permission to De Gama to open trade. The Moors intrigue against the The Portuguese narrative of subsequent proceedings is very interesting, as well exhibiting the meanness and intrigue of a small Hindoo court; and De Gama was delayed on one pretence or other till August 10. His two officers, Diego Diaz and Braga, had been detained by the Zamorin; but on their release, Vasco de there was no further pretext for remaining, and he Gama quits weighed anchor, followed by a fleet of forty ships, which had been assembled to capture him, taking with him four natives. The Portuguese guns kept the enemy's fleet at a distance, till a breeze springing up, De Gama escaped in safety, and in September 1499 reached home. Calicut. The exredi Cabral. A new expedition was now organised, under Pedro Alvarez Cabral, consisting of 13 vessels and 1,200 men, which sailed on March 9, 1500. De Gama had for the tion under present retired; but Bartholomew Diaz and his brother Diego accompanied Cabral. On the voyage out, Brazil was discovered; and between that country and the Cape, a Diaz drowned violent storm overtook the fleet, in which Bartholomew at sea. Diaz's ship foundered with all on board. The remainder, on the recurrence of fine weather, had, it was found, doubled the Cape of Good Hope without knowing it; and the fleet soon The expediafterwards anchored at Melinda, where, as before, tion reaches Guzerat pilots were obtained, and under their guidance the Portuguese arrived at Calicut on September 13. Cabral was received with the same imposing ceremonies as and is well his predecessor; but the Mahomedans of Calicut were, if possible, more hostile and intriguing. Nevertheless permission was given to establish a factory, whereupon disagreements increased, till the Mahomedans one day stormed the Mahomethe factory unawares, and killed Ayres Correa, the officer in charge of it. Cabral's retaliation was severe. He took ten large vessels belong to the Mahomedans, and after Cabral transferring their cargoes to his own ships, set them on Calicut, received. Hostility of dans. retaliates. |