extravagant joy. He stated himself to be in the service of the Zabaio or sovereign of Goa; a prince of great power, commanding an army of forty thousand horse, and who, he assured them, though outwardly professing the Mahometan faith, was at heart a Christian, and entertained the most longing desire to see and converse with them. He added, that if they chose to proceed to Goa, they might depend upon receiving gifts to a great extent, and handsome appointments, if they chose to reside there. This person appearing to display greater fluency and smoothness of speech than is wont to be combined with rigid honesty, Gama determined not to proceed upon his words till they should be corroborated by surer testimony. A strict inquiry then gave room to doubt, that both his character and his designs in relation to the Portuguese were of the most suspicious nature. Hereupon, the admiral caused him to be severely bastinadoed; and, when that measure yielded no important result, to be tortured in the most barbarous manner, till the confession was at last wrung out of him, that he was a spy of the Zabaio, and that this prince was busily employed in preparing a great armament, destined to destroy the Portuguese squadron. Every creek, river, and bay on the coast were full, it seems, of barks ready to co-operate, at a moment's warning, in this design. After ex

tracting such intelligence, Gama judged it high time for him to be no longer seen on this coast. Although then neither the season, nor his state of preparation, were favourable for crossing the ocean, he steered direct for Africa. The ships in this passage suffered dreadfully, both from storms and calms, and, above all, from the scurvy, a disease almost new to navigators, and for which no remedy was yet known. Gama was not permitted to land by the Moors of Magadoxo; but, on reaching Melinda, experienced the same friendly reception as before, and had an opportunity of refreshing his crew. He enjoyed then a prosperous voyage round Africa, and entered the Tagus in September 1599, after a voyage of two years and two months, and with only fifty of the hundred and eight men who had set sail along with him.

The Portuguese sovereigns had ever shewn an extraordinary elation at the success of their voyages of discovery. Their exultation then became almost unbounded, on an event which appeared to open to them all the wealth of the eastern world. The king, who had already assumed the title of Lord of Guinea and Ethiopia, hesitated not to annex India and Persia to his nominal empire. At the same time public thanksgivings were offered throughout the whole kingdom; a series of splendid fêtes were held in the capital;

Gama was invested with letters of nobility, and a large fortune to support its dignity. This was soon followed by the more substantial measure of fitting out a fleet, on a much greater scale, for the purpose of enforcing that full right to his new dominions, which was supposed to be vested in him by the Papal grant. The command of this new armament was not given to Gama. The Portuguese historians assign no cause for the change; and as it is their custom to observe a profound silence on every subject, which does not tend to reflect honour on their monarch, we may suspect some court intrigue to have been at work. The new admiral, however, was a man of merit, PEDRO ALVAREZ CABRAL, UNder whose command were placed thirteen vessels, and 1200 men, including a liberal allowance of Franciscan friars. The day of their departure formed a general jubilee, the whole population of Lisbon being poured down upon the river and its banks, which were filled with trumFets, music, colours, pennons, garlands of flowers, and all sights and sounds of rejoicing.

The commencement of Cabral's voyage was brilliant. In endeavours to shun the coast of Africa, he fell in with that of America, and discovered Brasil, an immense country, which has since become the most valuable foreign appendage of Portugal. In his voyage round Africa,

he met with various vicissitudes, and lost several of his vessels; but on the 13th September 1500, he reached the port of Calicut. He sent on shore the natives whom Gama had brought with him, and who were joyfully welcomed. Notice was then given to the king, of his desire to obtain an audience, and to make arrangements for a trade which might be advantageous to both parties; but stating, that by the instructions of the king his master, he was forbidden to land, without having previously received on board hostages. The king made a courteous answer, expressing a wish to see Cabral, and to afford to the Portuguese every opportunity for carrying on trade; but demurred as to the hostages, stating that he could send only Bramins, men advanced in life, and who viewed with horror the idea of entering a ship where, according to their law, they could neither eat, nor drink, nor perform any of their sacred ablutions. Cabral, however, stood firm to his demand, and the king, after holding out for three days, at length gave in, swayed either by the desire of trade, or, as Di Barros rather supposes, by the imposing strength of the Portuguese armament. Gama's breach of faith, however, had shaken all confidence; so that the hostages, on entering the ship, manifested the deepest dismay and fear, lest Cabral, without coming himself, should seize and carry them off. No

such intention existed in the breast of the admiral, who had desired his men to equip themselves in the handsomest attire, and to wear all the jewels in their possession, in order to inspire the Zamorin if possible with a higher idea of Portugal, than he had derived from De Gama's slender donations. The king, in order that as little time as possible might be spent in the interview, caused a gallery to be erected close to the sea, where he waited their arrival in a comparatively small apartment, but his person covered with such a blaze of jewels, as quite dazzled the Portuguese. Cabral began a speech in the usual style, stating that they had been attracted back by the great fame of the wealth and power of the Zamorin, and by the wish to possess some of the precious commodities with which his dominions abounded, in return for which they would give others, which would enrich both himself and his kingdom. This oration was accompanied with a present, consisting of several vessels of silver, and velvets richly embroidered with gold lace, which passed at least without any comments. The king expressed a friendly disposition, promised all reasonable accommodations with respect to trade, and said they might retire either to lodgings or the ships; only that there could be no delay in returning the hostages. On this ground the ships were preferred; but as soon as Cabral's