o8
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
book termined them to reimbark at the inftant they were
'•      informed that a plot was concerted to maffacre them.
'—'----' Albuquerque, whoSe Spirit roSe Superior to  oppofition
and diScontent, reSolved to Starve the place, and de-
prive it of fuccours by cutting of all communication.
It muft certainly have fallen into his hands, had not
three of his captains fhamefully abandoned him, and
gone off with their Ships. To juftify their defertion,
they were guilty of ftill blacker perfidy, in accufing
their general of the moft atrocious crimes.
This treachery obliged Albuquerque to defer the
execution of bis defign for fome time, till he had all
the national troops at his command. As foon as he
was appointed viceroy, he appeared before Ormus
with fo ftrong an armament, that a debauched court
and an effeminate people, finding it in vain to make
any refiftance, were obliged to fubmit. The fove-
reign of Perfia had the confidence to demand tribute
ofthe conqueror. Albuquerque ordered fome bullets,
grenades, and fabres to be produced to the envoy, tell-
ing him, that this was the kind of tribute paid by the
king of Portugal.
After this expedition, the power of the Portuguefe
was fo firmly eftablifhed in the Arabian and Perfian
Gulfs, and on the Malabar coaft, that they began to
think of extending their conquefts into the eaftern
parts of Afia.
The Por tu-    The ifland of Ceylon, which is eighty leagues long,
«deform an(j tffirty at its greateft breadth, firft prefented itfelf
a fettlement                    -               °  .,        ,              „              . *                 r    -.:
at Ceylon, to Albuquerque, ln the moft remote ages ot anti-
quity, it was well known by the name of Taprobane.
We have no accounts tranfmitted to us of the revolu-
tions it has undergone. All that hiftory relates wor-
thy of remark is, that the laws were formerly holden
in fuch refped there, that the monarch was under the
fame obligation of obferving them as the meaneit of
his fubjeds. If he violated them, he was condemned
to death ; with this mark of diftindion, however, that
he did not fuffer in an ignominious manner. He was
denied all intercourfe, all the comforts and fupports or