DISCOVERY OF THE SPICE ISLANDS
It was but natural that the Portuguese, flushed with victory, should
at once dispatch another expedition to India.
Was there some vexation in the heart of the "Admiral of India" when
the command of the new fleet was given to Pedro Cabral? History is
silent. Anyhow, in the March of 1500 we find this "Gentleman of Great
Merit" starting off with thirteen powerfully armed ships and some
fifteen hundred men, among them the veteran explorer Bartholomew Diaz,
a party of eight Franciscan friars to convert the Mohammedans, eight
chaplains, skilled gunners, and merchants to buy and sell in the King's
name at Calicut. The King himself accompanied Cabral to the waterside.
He had already adopted the magnificent title, "King, by the Grace of
God, of Portugal, and of the Algarves, both on this side the sea and
beyond it in Africa, Lord of Guinea and of the Conquest, Navigation,
and Commerce of Ethiopia, Arabia, Persia, and India."
Then Cabral, flying a banner with the royal arms of Portugal, started
on a voyage which was to secure for Portugal "an empire destined to
be richer and greater than all her dominions in Asia." Sailing far
to the west, he fell in with the South American continent and was
carried to a new land. The men went on shore and brought word that
"it was a fruitful country, full of trees and well inhabited. The people
were swarthy and used bows and arrows." That night a storm arose and
they ran along the coast to seek a port. Here Mass was said and parrots
exchanged for paper and cloth. Then Cabral erected a cross (which was
still shown when Lindley visited Brazil three hundred years later)
and named the country the "Land of the Holy Cross." This name was,
however, discarded later when the new-found land was identified with
Brazil already sighted by Pinzon in one of the ships of Christopher
Columbus.
Meanwhile, unconscious of the importance of this discovery, Cabral
sailed on towards the Cape of Good Hope. There is no time to tell of
the great comet that appeared, heralding a terrific storm that
suddenly burst upon the little fleet. In the darkness and tempest four
ships went down with all hands--amongst them old Bartholomew Diaz,
the discoverer of the Cape of Good Hope, who thus perished in the waters
he had been the first to navigate.
September found Cabral at last at anchor off Calicut. He found the
King yet more resplendent than Vasco da Gama the year before. The old
historians revel in their descriptions of him. "On his Head was a Cap
of Cloth of Gold, at his Ears hung Jewels, composed of Diamonds,
Sapphires, and Pearls, two of which were larger than Walnuts. His Arms,
from the Elbow to the Wrist and from the knees downwards, were loaded
with bracelets set with infinite Precious Stones of great Value. His
Fingers and Toes were covered with Rings. In that on his great Toe
was a large Rubie of a surprising Lustre. Among the rest there was
a Diamond bigger than a large Bean. But all this was nothing, in
comparison to the Richness of his Girdle, made with precious stones
set in Gold, which cast a Lustre that dazzled every Body's Eyes."
He allowed Cabral to establish a depot at Calicut for European goods,
so a house was selected by the waterside and a flag bearing the arms
of Portugal erected on the top. For a time all went well, but the
Mohammedans proved to be difficult customers, and disputes soon arose.
A riot took place; the infuriated native traders stormed the depot
and killed the Portuguese within. Cabral in revenge bombarded the city,
and, leaving the wooden houses in flames, he sailed away to Cochin
and Cananor on the coast of Malabar. Soon after this he returned home
with only six out of the thirteen ships, and from this time he
disappears from the pages of history.
Just before his return, the King of Portugal, thinking trade was well
established between India and his own country, dispatched a "valiant
gentleman" in command of four ships to carry merchandise to the newly
discovered country. But his voyage and adventures are only important
inasmuch as he discovered the island of Ascension when outward bound
and the island of St. Helena on the way home. So favourable was the
account of this island that all Portugal admirals were ordered for
the future to touch there for refreshments.
The news of Cabral's adventures at Calicut inspired a yet larger
expedition to the East, and Vasco da Gama, now Admiral of the Eastern
seas, was given command of some fifteen ships which sailed from the
Tagus in February 1502. The expedition, though avowedly Christian,
was characterised by injustice and cruelty. Near the coast of Malabar
the Portuguese fleet met with a large ship full of Mohammedan pilgrims
from Mecca. The wealth on board was known to be enormous, and Don Vasco
commanded the owners to yield up their riches to the King of Portugal.
This they somewhat naturally refused to do. Whereupon the Portuguese
fired, standing calmly to watch the blazing ships with their human
freight of men, women, and children. True, one historian declares that
all the children were removed to the Portuguese ship to be converted
into good little Catholics. Another is more nearly concerned with the
money. "We took a Mecca ship on board of which were three hundred and
eighty men and many women and children, and we took from it fully twelve
thousand ducats, with goods worth at least another ten thousand. And
we burned the ship and all the people on board with gunpowder on the
first day of October."
[Illustration: THE MALABAR COAST. From Fra Mauro's map.]
Their instructions to banish every Mohammedan in Calicut was
faithfully obeyed. Don Vasco seized and hanged a number of helpless
merchants quietly trading in the harbour. Cutting off their heads,
hands, and feet, he had them flung into a boat, which was allowed to
drift ashore, with a cruel suggestion that the severed limbs would
make an Indian curry. Once more Calicut was bombarded and Don Vasco
sailed on to other ports on the Malabar coast, where he loaded his
ships with spices taken from poor folk who dared not refuse. He then
sailed home again, reaching Portugal "safe and sound, _Deo gratias_,"
but leaving behind him hatred and terror and a very quaint idea of
these Christians who felt it their duty to exterminate all followers
of Mohammed.
Conquest usually succeeds discovery, and the Portuguese, having
discovered the entire coast of West, South, and a good deal of East
Africa and western coast of India, now proceeded to conquer it for
their own. It was a far cry from Portugal to India in these days, and
the isolated depots on the coast of Malabar were obviously in danger,
when the foreign ships laden with spoil left their shores. True, Vasco
da Gama had left six little ships this time under Sodrez to cruise
about the Indian seas, but Sodrez wanted treasure, so he cruised
northwards and found the southern coasts of Arabia as well as the island
of Socotra. He had been warned of the tempestuous seas that raged about
these parts at certain seasons, but, heeding not the warning, he
perished with all his knowledge and treasure.
Expedition after expedition now left Portugal for the east coast of
Africa and India. There were the two cousins Albuquerque, who built
a strong fort of wood and mud at Cochin, leaving a garrison of one
hundred and fifty trained soldiers under the command of one Pacheco,
who saved the fort and kept things going under great difficulties.
On the return of Albuquerque, the hero of Cochin, the King decided
to appoint a Viceroy of India. He would fain have appointed Tristan
d'Acunha,--the discoverer of the island that still bears his
name,--but he was suddenly struck with blindness, and in his stead
Dom Francisco Almeida, "a nobleman of courage and experience," sailed
off with the title of Viceroy. Not only was he to conquer, but to command,
not only to sustain the sea-power of Portugal, but to form a government.
There is a story told of the ignorance of the men sent to man the ships
under Almeida. So raw were they that they hardly knew their right hand
from their left, still less the difference between starboard and
larboard, till their captain hit on the happy notion of tying a bundle
of garlic over one side of the ship and a handful of onions over the
other, so the pilot gave orders to the helmsman thus: "Onion your helm!"
or "Garlic your helm!"
[Illustration: A SHIP OF ALBUQUERQUE'S FLEET. From a very fine woodcut,
published about 1516, of Albuquerque's siege and capture of Aden. In
the British Museum.]
On the way out, Almeida built a strong fortress near Zanzibar,
organised a regular Portuguese Indian pilot service, and established
his seat of government at Cochin. Then he sent his son, a daring youth
of eighteen, to bombard the city of Quilon, whose people were
constantly intriguing against the Portuguese. Having carried out his
orders, young Lorenzo, ordered to explore the Maldive Islands, was
driven by a storm to an "island opposite Cape Comorin, called Ceylon,
and separated from thence by a narrow sea," where he was warmly received
by the native King, whose dress sparkled with diamonds. Lorenzo
erected here a marble pillar with the arms of Portugal carved thereon
and took possession of the island. He also sent back to Portugal the
first elephant ever sent thither.
Ceylon was now the farthest point which flew the flag of Portugal toward
the east. Doubtless young Lorenzo would have carried it farther, but
he was killed at the early age of twenty-one, his legs being shattered
by a cannon-ball during a sea-fight. He sat by the mainmast and
continued to direct the fighting till a second shot ended his short
but brilliant career. The Viceroy, "whose whole being was centred in
his devotion to his only son, received the tidings with outward
stoicism." "Regrets," he merely remarked, "regrets are for women."
Nevertheless he revenged the death of his son by winning a victory
over the opposing fleet and bidding his captains rejoice over "the
good vengeance our Lord has been pleased, of His mercy, to grant us."
But the days of Almeida were numbered. He had subdued the Indian coast,
he had extended Portuguese possessions in various directions, his term
of office was over, and he was succeeded by the famous Albuquerque,
who had already distinguished himself in the service of Portugal by
his efforts to obtain Ormuz for the Portuguese. Now Viceroy of India,
he found full scope for his boundless energy and vast ambition. He
first attacked Calicut and reduced it to ashes. Then he turned his
attention to Goa, which he conquered, and which became the commercial
capital of the Portuguese in India for the next hundred years. Not
only this, but it was soon the wealthiest city on the face of the earth
and the seat of the government. Albuquerque's next exploit was yet
more brilliant and yet more important.
[Illustration: A SHIP OF JAVA AND THE CHINA SEAS IN THE SIXTEENTH
CENTURY. From Linschoten's _Navigatio ac Itinerarium_, 1598.]
In 1509 he had sent a Portuguese explorer Sequira with a small squadron
to make discoveries in the East. He was to cross the Bay of Bengal
and explore the coast of Malacca. Sequira reached the coast and found
it a centre for trade from east and west, "most rich and populous."
But he had reason to suspect the demonstrations of friendship by the
king of these parts, and refused to attend a festival prepared in his
honour. This was fortunate, for some of his companions who landed for
trade were killed. He sailed about the island of Sumatra, "the first
land in which we knew of men's flesh being eaten by certain people
in the mountains who gild their teeth. In their opinion the flesh of
the blacks is sweeter than that of whites." Many were the strange tales
brought back to Cochin by Sequira from the new lands--rivers of
oil--hens with flesh as black as ink--people with tails like sheep.
Anyhow, Albuquerque resolved that Malacca should belong to the
Portuguese, and with nineteen ships and fourteen hundred fighting men
he arrived off the coast of Sumatra, spreading terror and dismay among
the multitudes that covered the shore. The work of destruction was
short, though the King of Pahang and King Mahomet came out in person
on huge elephants to help in the defence of their city. At last every
inhabitant of the city was driven out or slain, and the Portuguese
plundered the city to their hearts' content. The old historian waxes
eloquent on the wealth of the city, and the laden ships started back,
leaving a fort and a church under the care of Portuguese conquerors.
The amount of booty mattered little, as a violent storm off the coast
of Sumatra disposed of several ships and a good deal of treasure.
The fall of Malacca was one of vast importance to the Portuguese. Was
it not the key to the Eastern gate of the Indian Ocean--the gate through
which the whole commerce of the Spice Islands, the Philippines, Japan,
and far Cathay passed on its road to the Mediterranean? Was it not
one of the largest trade markets in Asia, where rode the strange ships
of many a distant shore? The fame of Albuquerque spread throughout
the Eastern world. But he was not content with Malacca. The Spice
Islands lay beyond--the Spice Islands with all their cloves and
nutmegs and their countless riches must yet be won for Portugal.
Up to this year, 1511, they had not been reached by the Portuguese.
But now Francisco Serrano was sent off from Malacca to explore farther.
Skirting the north of Java, he found island after island rich in cloves
and nutmeg. So struck was he with his new discoveries that he wrote
to his friend Magellan: "I have discovered yet another new world larger
and richer than that found by Vasco da Gama."
It is curious to remember how vastly important was this little group
of islands--now part of the Malay Archipelago and belonging to the
Dutch--to the explorers of the sixteenth century. Strange tales as
usual reached Portugal about these newly found lands. Here lived men
with "spurs on their ankles like cocks," hogs with horns, hens that
laid their eggs nine feet under ground, rivers with living fish, yet
so hot that they took the skin off any man that bathed in their waters,
poisonous crabs, oysters with shells so large that they served as fonts
for baptizing children.
Truly these mysterious Spice Islands held more attractions for the
Portuguese explorers than did the New World of Columbus and Vespucci.
Their possession meant riches and wealth and--this was not the end.
Was there not land beyond? Indeed, before the Spice Islands were
conquered by Portugal, trade had already been opened up with China
and, before the century was half over, three Portuguese seamen had
visited Japan.