[34] Lagartos in the original.

* * * * *

Note.—­In the Novus Orbus of Simon Grynaeus, p. 202-211, there is an article entitled, Short Account of India, by Joseph, an Indian Christian, who accompanied Cabral[A] to Lisbon in 1501.  We were inclined to have inserted this account at this part of our collection as an ancient and original document:  But, on an attentive perusal, it is so jejune, contused, and uninstructive as not to merit attention.  It evidently appears to have been penned by some person in Cabral’s ship during the voyage home, from repeated conferences with Joseph:  But, as the writer of this article informs us himself, many particulars were unknown to Joseph, because he had little intercourse with the idolaters, or because the reporter could not understand the answers which Joseph made to his inquiries.—­E.

[A] In Grynaeus, Pedro Alvarez de Cabral, is named Peter Aliares.—­E.

SECTION IV.

Voyage of John de Nueva, being the third made by the Portuguese to India.

Is the same year 1501, supposing all differences to have been settled amicably at Calicut by Cabral, and that a regular trade was established both there and at Sofala and Quiloa, the king of Portugal dispatched three ships and a caravel from Lisbon, under the command of John de Neuva, a native of Galicia in Spain, who was accounted a valiant gentleman; having under his orders, Francisco de Navoys, Diego Barboso, and Hernando de la Pyna, as captains of three of the ships.  Two ships of this fleet were destined to carry merchandize to Sofala[1], and the other two to Calicut, and all the four contained only eighty men[2].  The instructions given to Nueva were, that he was to touch at the island of St Blas, where he was to wait ten days if any of his ships had separated.  He was then to proceed for Sofala, where, if a factory were settled he was to deliver the goods destined for that place before going to India.  If a factory were not already settled there, he was to do every thing in his power for that purpose, leaving Alvaro de Braga there as factor, with the merchandize embarked in the caravel for that market.  From Sofala, he was to proceed to Quiloa; and thence directly to Calicut.  He was farther directed, in case of meeting with Cabral, to obey him as general, and desire him to settle a factory at Sofala, if his own attempt should fail.

Nueva left Lisbon on this voyage in March, four months before the return of Cabral, and arrived in safety at the isle of St Blas; where he found a letter in an old shoe suspended from the branch of a tree, written by Pedro de Tayde[3], informing him that the fleet of Cabral had passed this island on its way back to Portugal, and giving an account of what had happened at Calicut, of the good treatment the fleet had received at Cochin, where some of our men remained, and of