hat
the whole trade of the coast would be attracted from their ports to
the new settlement. So strongly had this been felt, that the factors
and their party, headed by Lourenco Moreno, the Factor at Cochin, had
sent a despatch to King Emmanuel, during the period when they hoped
the Governor had been lost in his expedition to Malacca, strongly
advising the immediate abandonment of Goa.

An effort was made to dissuade Albuquerque by Diogo Correa, Captain
of Cannanore, who reported that an Egyptian fleet had set sail from
the Red Sea for India, and advised Albuquerque to go against it, and
not to the relief of Goa. After passing some weeks in a state of
forced inactivity, Albuquerque, to his great joy, was reinforced by
his nephew, Dom Garcia de Noronha, with six ships, on Aug. 20, 1512,
and directly afterwards by a further squadron of eight more ships
under Jorge de Mello Pereira. Both these captains brought with them a
large number of soldiers. They also carried many young and gallant
officers, who greatly distinguished themselves in the ensuing
campaigns, among whom Dom Garcia de Noronha held the royal commission
as Captain of the Indian {114} Seas. The arrival of this young
nobleman rejoiced the heart of Albuquerque, for it gave him a brave
and faithful adherent, who almost replaced the loss he had suffered
by the death of Dom Antonio de Noronha.

On September 10, 1512, Albuquerque set sail from Cochin with fourteen
ships carrying 1700 Portuguese soldiers. He heard on his way that the
report of the departure of an Egyptian fleet was unfounded; and he at
once entered the harbour of Goa. He never doubted of victory, and
instead of endeavouring to drive Rasul Khan out of Benastarim, he
resolved to blockade him, with his 6000 Turkish and Persian soldiers,
in the castle there. For this purpose he sent Ayres da Silva to cut
off the communications of the castle with the mainland. That captain,
with six small ships manned by picked sailors, forced his way up the
river, and after pulling up the stakes which the Muhammadans had
fixed in the stream for their defence, he bombarded the castle under
the eye of Albuquerque himself.

This operation cut off the retreat of the Muhammadan garrison, and
Albuquerque made his entry into Goa. It is mentioned as
characteristic of his extreme piety that he ordered the canopy of
brocade which the chief men of the city were carrying over his head,
to be borne instead over the Cross, which th