Indian Antiquary Vol 59

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 246

222
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
NOVEMBER, 1930
about what he could do.. Dom Fernando de Noronha, who had returned from the Red Sea after his fruitless endeavour to capture the fort of Dofar, went out to meet Alechelubij, and fell in with him on the 25th August, 1553,1% near Muscat. The enemy, not daring to risk a battle, endeavoured to escape with his whole fleet, but six of his vessels were captured by the Portuguese caravels. Dom Fernando de Noronha then put into Muscat, where he refitted the galleys, purcbased slaves, and appointed captains. Alechelubij was pursued by some Portuguese vessels, and driven with seven out of his nine ships, into Surat, and there hemmed in by Dom Jeronymo de Castello-Branco, Nuno de Castro, and Dom Manoel de Mascarenhas. The remaining two ships were pursued by Dom Fernando de Monroyo and Antonio Valladares, who drove them on to the coasts of Daman and Daru 13 (sic) respeotively, where they went on the rocks and were dashed to pieces."
Danvers seems to have relied chiefly on Faria y Sousa. The accounts given by Diogo do Couto and Francisco d'Andrada similarly differ in several respects from the narrative of Sidi 'Ali-naturally enough, in that they set forth the version of his opponents—but in other matters they corroborate him. For instance, Sidi 'Ali writes that he left Basrah with fifteen vessels under his command ; that he encountered the Portuguese fleet near Maskat, whenoe it issued on the 27th Ramazan 761 A.H. at dawn of day; that the Portuguege admiral was the son of the Governor of Goa; that one of his vessels was set on fire; that the Portuguese ships were all beflagged; that he escaped with nine of his vessels; and that they were eventually driven (by incessant storms, however, and not by the Portuguese) on to the coast of Gujarat. On all these points, Sidi 'Ali is borne out by Portuguese accounts. For example, do Couto says Alecheluby had fifteen vessels, of which nine escaped in the direction of Cambay; that Dom Fernando, son of Dom Affonso de Noronha, commanded the Portuguese fleet, which fought with flags dressed out. Sidi 'Ali states that he reached Surat three months after leaving Basrah, which means at the beginning of October; and as he did not enter Surat harbour till at least ten days after he had arrived at the coast near Daman, he must have reached the coast of Gujarat towards the end of September, which is consistent with d'Andrada's account. All the Portuguese accounts (possibly deriving from the same source) seem to agree in saying that seven Turkish ships took refuge at Surat. Sidi 'Ali does not tell us how many reached Surat, but he says three ran ashore on the coast; so, unless one of these was salvaged, he could only bave taken six into Surat. Again, though the Portuguese accounts state that the Turks were pursued. we are not told when the pursuit started, or what happened to the pursuing ships between Maskat and Gujarat, to prevent their reaching Gujarat before the Turks. Sidi Ali's narrative, on the other hand, would explain why his vessels were so delayed in reaching Damân in spite of the strong SW. monsoon blowing. There appears, then, to be no valid reason for disbelieving his account of his adventures by the coasts of Kirman, Makran and Kathiawad, or in fact to doubt the reliability of his narrative as a whole.
Unfortunately the period during which Sidi 'Alî arrived in Gujarat was one of the greatest turmoil and confusion in its history. Mahmûd JI had recently been murdered, and Almad Khân had been set up as Ahmad Shah II, a Sultan in little more than name, while the ministers and nobles quarrelled and fought among themselves, frequent changes occurring in the personnel of the court and local officials. Sidi 'Ali tells us that he made over the cannon and munitions saved from the stranded ships to Malik Asad, 1then in command at Damân. Some of his crew took service at once under this officer, while some went by land to Surat. He himself with such of his officers and crew as remained faithful, proceeded, at
13 1553 is clearly a mistake on the part of Danvers for 1554, as it is unmistakable from the Portu. hueso historios that the sea fight took place in August 1504. Sidi 'Ali fixes the dato in stating that it was the lailatu'l-qaur (i.e., 27th Ramazan) 761 A.K.
13 Danyer, writus "Daru," but there is no such place. The Danu of do Couto and d'Andrada is obviously Dahanu, on the coast about 35 miles S. of Damân, place ouou held by the Portuguese, where there is still an old fort. (See I.G., 8.0. Danu.)
14 Probably Asad Khan Ismail Salmani,