This Year Likewise, Peter De Anahay Built A Fort At Sofala, Of
Which He Was Made Captain.
In the latter end of this year the viceroy
commanded his son Laurenco to go to the islands of Maldivia.
Beating up
against contrary winds, he arrived at these islands which in ancient
times were called Traganae[19], but Ytterubenero by the Moors, and by us
Ceilan. Here he went on shore, and entered into treaty with the people,
and returned to Cochin. In the middle of this island there is a high rock,
having the print of a mans foot, said to have been that of Adam when he
ascended to heaven, which the Indians hold in great reverence.
In 1506, after the death of Isabella, King Philip and Queen Joan came to
take possession of the crown of Castile, and. King Ferdinand retired into
his own dominions of Arragon. In that same year Philip died, and
Ferdinand resumed the government, giving license to all Spaniards to go
to the new discovered countries; but not allowing the Portuguese to go
there. In this year, likewise, Christopher Columbus died, in the month of
May, and was succeeded in his dignities by his son Don Diego.
In March 1506, Tristan de Acunha and Alphonso de Albuquerque went to
India with fourteen ships, and refreshed by the way at Bezequiche, in the
Cape de Verd islands. Before reaching the Cape of Good Hope they
discovered certain islands, in 37 deg. S. which are now called the islands of
Tristan de Acunha. During this voyage, the fleet was dispersed by a
tempest, and Alvaro Teliz ran so far that he came to Sumatra, whence he
returned to Cape Guardafu, having discovered many islands, seas, and
countries, not known before that time to the Portuguese. At the same time,
Emanuel Telez de Meneses was driven on the outside of the great island of
St Lawrence, or Madagascar, and having surveyed its coasts, came to
Mosambique, where he met with Tristan de Acunha, who was the first
captain that wintered there. Meneses, having reported that there was
plenty of ginger, cloves, and silver in Madagascar, was sent back there,
and traversed a considerable part of the island; but not finding any
thing of value, returned to Mosambique, whence he went to Melinda, and
Brava, and thence to Socotora, where he built a fort, of which he
appointed one Antonio de Noronha to be captain. In 1507, Tristan de
Acunha returned to Europe, and Alphonso de Albuquerque remained in India
with five or six ships, to keep the command of the sea. In the course of
that year or the next, Albuquerque stood over to discover the coast of
Arabia, which he explored, and doubled the Cape of Rosalgate, which is
under the tropic of Cancer.
In 1509, Diego Lopez de Sequiera went from Lisbon for India with four
ships; and stopping at the island of Madagascar was almost a year on his
voyage. Arriving at Cochin in the month of May, the viceroy gave him
another ship, in which he went to Malacca in September passing between
the islands of Nicubar and many others.
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