During His Government He Refused Uniformly To Accept Any Of The
Numerous Presents Offered Him By The Eastern Princes; And
Conducted
himself with such perfect integrity in every transaction, that at his
death his whole treasure amounted only to thirteen
Rials and a half; and
he had even expended the whole of his patrimonial estate during the
short continuance of his government of Portuguese India, chiefly in
rewarding the merits of his officers.
SECTION VII.
Continuation of the Portuguese Transactions in India, from 1526 to
1538.
At his death in January 1526, Don Enrique de Menezes left a paper sealed
up, by which the succession to him in the government was to be
regulated, in case the person nominated for that purpose by the king
should happen to be absent. That paper was lost, yet it was known that
he had named Francisco de Sa, then commanding in Goa, as his provisional
successor. The second royal nomination was now opened, in which Pedro de
Mascarenas was appointed successor to Don Enrique; but Mascarenas
commanded at Malacca, which was at a great distance, and the season of
the year did not admit of that navigation. On opening the third patent,
Lope Vaz de Sampayo was the person there named, who was accordingly
invested in the government, having, engaged on oath to resign to
Mascarenas on the arrival of that officer from Malacca.
At this time George Zelo and Pedro de Faria blockaded the port of
Cananor, in which lay a fleet belonging to the zamorin. Sampayo
immediately sent orders to Antonio de Sylveria and Christopher de Souza,
then at Goa, to join the other two officers at Cananor to prevent the
escape of the enemy, and went in person with seven ships and a
considerable land force to endeavour to destroy them. Cutiale, the
admiral of this fleet belonging to the zamorin, used every effort to
defend himself, both by disposing his ships in formidable order, and by
intrenchments and batteries on shore, where he had a land force of
10,000 men. Having made proper dispositions, Sampayo landed with about
1300 soldiers, leaving orders with Pedro de Faria to set the paraos
belonging to the enemy on fire. The trenches of the enemy were carried
after an obstinate resistance, and with great slaughter of the Moors,
and seventy paraos were destroyed. By this signal victory, above eighty
brass cannon were gained; but Sampayo spared the town, as it belonged to
the king of Narsinga, with whom the Portuguese were then in peace.
Having dispatched several officers on command to different places,
Sampayo sailed for Ormuz with five ships and 300 men. In his way thither
he reduced the towns of Kalayat and Muscat, which had revolted owing to
the exactions of Diego de Melo. His only transaction at Ormuz was to
compose some differences that had arisen between Melo and Reis Xarafo,
to receive the tribute due by the king of Ormuz, and to take along with
him the ambassador whom George de Lima had brought from Abyssinia.
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