culation
whether this difference was due to religious causes or to the
idiosyncrasies of the different nations; but the fact remains, and
gives a peculiar interest to the history of the Portuguese in the
East, as connected with the history of the extension of Christianity.

The voyage of Vasco da Gama, as well as the explorations of Prince
Henry the Navigator, was dictated by commercial causes alone.
Incidentally the Portuguese were interested in the discovery of
native Christians on the Malabar coast and of a Christian Empire in
Abyssinia. But it cannot be too strongly insisted upon that the
primary aim of the Portuguese was commercial and not religious. The
idea of empire was forced on the Portuguese by the opposition they
met with in the establishment of their commerce. Vasco da Gama had no
idea of conquering the cities he touched at on the Malabar coast; he
merely wished to open up trade relations. Cabral, who followed him,
gave evidence of his peaceful intentions by sending the first
Portuguese factor, Correa, ashore at Calicut with only a few clerks.
But the murder of Correa and the subsequent attacks on the Portuguese
factories at Cochin {147} and Quilon showed that peaceful trade could
not possibly be established in the then condition of the Malabar
coast. It was necessary to supplement factories by fortresses, and it
is significant that the first fortress built was founded by
Albuquerque during his first voyage to India.

Here Dom Francisco de Almeida wished to stop. He considered it enough
if the Portuguese had a few fortresses to protect their factors, and
commanded the sea to protect their trading ships. Albuquerque went a
step further. He held it to be inadequate for the Portuguese to
possess only fortresses, and argued that they must rule directly over
the cities and islands which were the principal seats of trade. The
history of the Dutch and English in the East shows exactly the same
progression. The merchants of those countries originally desired only
to establish trade. They next found it necessary to build fortresses
to protect their factors or agents. And finally they found it
necessary to build up, much against the will of their employers at
home, the Dutch Empire in Java, Sumatra, and the Spice Islands, and
the English Empire in India. The growth of the latter is traced in
other volumes of this series, in which the progress of the English
from traders to rulers is exhibited.

But the causes whi