The Land In Its Neighbourhood
Is Low And Intersected By Branches Of The River Into Many Islands.
The
city itself is built much after the same manner with Calicut, and is
inhabited by idolaters, with a good many Moorish strangers, who come
hither to trade from many countries, two of whom were so rich as to have
each fifty ships employed.
This country does not abound in provisions,
but produces large store of pepper, even Calicut being mostly supplied
from hence: But as Calicut is greatly more resorted to by merchants, it
is therefore much richer than Cochin. The king is an idolater, of the
same manners and customs with him of Calicut; but his country being small
he is very poor, and has not even the right to coin money, being in many
respects subordinate to the zamorin; who, on his accession to the throne
always goes to Cochin, and takes possession of that kingdom, either
retaining it in his own hands, or restoring the rajah as he may think
proper. The rajah of Cochin, consequently, is bound to assist the zamorin
in all his wars, and must always be of the same religion with his
paramount.
Having come to anchor in the harbour of Cochin, the general sent one
Michael Jogue[26] on shore with a message to the rajah, as he feared to
send Caspar on shore, lest he might run away. This person, though an
idolater and a stranger, had come aboard our fleet with the intention of
becoming a Christian, and of going into Portugal, and our general had him
baptised by the name of Michael. He was ordered to give the rajah of
Cochin an account of all that had happened at Calicut, and that Cabral
had brought great store of merchandize to barter for the commodities of
Cochin; or if the rajah were not satisfied with these, he was willing to
give ready money for what he wanted; requesting to be furnished with
loading for four of his ships in either way, as most agreeable to the
rajah. To this message the rajah[27] made answer, that he was exceedingly
glad of the arrival of the Portuguese, of whose power and valour he had
already heard, for which he esteemed them highly, and that they were
welcome to purchase what spices his country afforded, either in barter
for their goods, or for money, as they thought proper. He added, that the
general might freely send any agents he pleased on shore to make
purchases and sales, and sent two principal nayres as hostages for their
safety; conditioning only, that they might be changed daily for others,
because any of that cast who chanced to eat even once on shipboard could
never appear again in the rajahs presence. Cabral was well pleased with
this promising beginning, and immediately appointed Gonzalo Gil Barbosa
as factor, who had been assistant to Aries Correa, giving him Laurenco
Morena as clerk, and Madera de Alcusia as interpreter, with four of the
banished men as servants.
On receiving notice of the landing of Barbosa, the rajah sent the
register[28] of the city to meet him, accompanied by many of the nayres,
or principal men of the court, who brought him to visit the rajah, who
was much inferior in dress and appearance of state to the zamorin, even
the hall of audience having only bare walls, seated around like a theatre,
in which the rajah sat with very few attendants. Barbosa presented to the
rajah, in name of our general, a basin of silver filled with saffron, a
large silver ewer filled with rose water, and some branches of coral,
which the rajah received with much satisfaction, desiring his thanks to
be returned to the general; and after some conversation with the factor,
and interpreter, he gave orders for them to be properly lodged in the
city. The general gave especial orders that no more than the seven
persons already mentioned should remain on shore, thinking it imprudent
to risk a greater number, in case of experiencing a similar misfortune
with what had lately happened at Calicut. But there was here no cause for
distrust, as the rajah of Cochin was a person of truth and honour, as
appeared by his good usage of our men, the quick dispatch that was used
in loading our ships with spices, and the orders he gave to his people to
afford every assistance, which they did with much alacrity and zeal: so
that it seemed ordained of God, that the trade should be transferred from
Calicut to Cochin, for the advancement of the Catholic faith in the
Indies, and the enrichment of the crown of Portugal[29].
After the ships were laden, two Indians came to wait upon the general,
who said that they were brothers, and Christians, born in Cranganore near
Cochin, who were desirous of going to Portugal, and thence to visit the
Pope at Rome, and the holy sepulchre at Jerusalem[30]. Being asked by the
general what kind of a city Cranganore was, whether it was entirely
inhabited by Christians, and whether these Christians followed the order
of the Greek or Roman church, one of them gave the following answers.
Cranganore is a large city in the province of Malabar on the mainland,
standing near the mouth of a river, by which likewise it is encompassed,
inhabited both by idolaters and Christians, and by some Jews who are held
in small esteem. It is much frequented by strangers, among whom are
merchants from Syria, Egypt, Persia, and Arabia, who come thither to
purchase pepper, a great deal of which commodity is gathered in its
territories. It has a king of its own, to whom all the Christian
inhabitants pay a certain tribute, and have a quarter of their own in the
city, where they have a church resembling ours, in which there were
crosses, but no images of the saints, and no bells, being summoned to
prayers by the priests as in the Greek church.
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