Indian Antiquary Vol 31

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 57

FEBRUARY, 1902.] LETTERS FROM PORTUGUESE CAPTIVES IN CANTON.
53
LETTERS FROM PORTUGUESE CAPTIVES IN CANTON, .
WRITTEN IN 1534 AND 1536.
BY DONALD FERGUSON.
(Concluded from p. 33.) [f.124] Copy of another letter that the same Christovão Vieyra wrote from China.
Sir,91 - Looking constantly at your letter, 92 I am much relieved of my infirmity. With the strength that your honor gives me I am moved to take the opportunity to write, Sir, in brief: the reading will not take long, repeating, Sir, in this city, in which, Sir, I say, were you but in ludin, so that the governor would send Eytor da Sylveira93 with the fleet that goes each year to tbe Strait, conveying therein three thousand men and carrying Malabars in order with them to terrify the people when they see theso Malabars. With the help of the Portuguese they would go on until they conquered half the country of China, if there were there enough people to maintain so great a city and so many towns, so weak a people are they, and they have no kind of defence.
Into this river of this city can enter only ships of two hundred tons, and every galleon however great, by reason of their drawing little water. The whole of this river, Sir, is muddy and is entirely free from rocks, so that even if it be left dry it does not matter; because the river is very high the city would remain dominated under these ships. When the sea is on the How they can put planks from the galleons and ships to the land by which the people can go out. By this river are placed the houses of the suburb, having a protection in order that the water may not overflow all, which protection is of stone filled in with earth of the height of a man or half a man, and in places none. In all parts there are very fine ways paved with fine stone, which stone would serve at present for fortresses. Fire shonld be pat, Sir, to the end of this suburb, whereby it wonld go burning all along the river, so as to leave all clear for the artillery to play, and because if it were not put (f. 124v] there the Chinese would shoot with arrows. As they would have the protection of the houses, it would be necessary to put fire to them that all might be clear without any houso remaining.
Withal, Sir, let it be well observed that the principal ladding-place is in the middle of this saburb, where is a house of the mandarins ;95 when they are going anywhore they go there to disembark and embark ; at which house there is a reception of such. The which house is enclosed around by a wall made of earth rising to the height of a remessão,86 where in this, place could assemble a number of men with an order to destroy the houses all around in order to leave a place for the fortress to be made, in order to place artillery there, making loopholes in these walls, in order to place therein great bombards, until the completion of the fortress that must be erected in that place. With the fortress standing over against the river on the one side and the gate of the city on the other, making a very strong and fine breastwork, which would go on approaching the gate of the city, so that the city would be entirely dominated,
* This heading, added by the copyist apparently, is, like that prefized to the first letter, erroneous, this second letter being by Vasco Calvo.
I have been unable to discover to whom this letter is addressed; but, from what the writer ways further on the addresses would appear to have been the commander of a ship sont to the Gulf of Tongking to try and open up communications with the Portuguese prisoners in Canton. (c. Introd.)
13 I have no information regarding this letter, nor when or how it was dispatehod
# The writer' was evidently not aware that Heitor da Silveira had been killed in February 1531 in the storming of the inland of Beth, ono of the darkest pages in the history of Portuguese Indis. (See Whiteway's Rin of Port. Porcer in India, Pp. 225-227.)
# The Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb. Heitor da Silveira had d ed several expeditions to the Ruu Sen.
. The yamar of the hoppo, doubtless, the site of whiob is not bocupied by a Roman Catholio onthedral. (So. Mid. King. I. p. 166.)
* A remessão (augm. of remeso, javelin = 104 pilmos or Fans.