Page 31 - Anglo Portuguese Rivalry in The Gulf_Neat

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had for the first (and last) time really held their own discuss this matter, two points of view were put
in the face of an equal, or even slightly superior forward. The first of these was that the galleons
opponent at sea, and their morale was no whit impaired should come and cruise off the West coast of India in
by the hammering they had received. In these battles September, in order to lay in wait for the outward-
1 V 1 bound Anglo-Dutch Indiamen off Swally; whilst the
i they had regained that confidence in themselves which contrary view was that they should stay in the Gulf
\ 1! they had lost after Ruy Freyre’s defeats off Jask in
1621; and for the first time since the appearance of the to assist Ruy Freyre, who otherwise would not have
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Anglo-Dutch fleets in Eastern waters, they had given sufficient men and munitions to undertake the siege of
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■ ■ battle on equal terms without losing a ship or being Ormuz with any prospect of success. After long and
driven off the scene of action in confusion. For this earnestly debating the point, it was decided to leave
result they had Nuno Alvarez Botelho to thank, and the decision in the hands of Botelho and Ruy Freyre at
i him alone. Thanks to his dauntless courage, inde­ Muscat; and this information was sent by the six sail
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fatigable zeal and dogged perseverance, he had inspired under the command of Gaspar Gomes, which left for
his men with much of his own spirit; and they followed Muscat on April nth, 1625, with large supplies of
and fought for him even more willingly than they did money, provisions, timber and munitions for the
for the equally gallant, but harsher spirited Ruy Freyre. Armada.1
Botelho had taken special care before leaving Goa, to The council of war convened to debate the matter
have as many Europeans and as few half-castes or at Muscat, finally decided by a majority vote in favour
natives as possible amongst his crews, whilst he also of Ruy Freyre’s view that the galleons should proceed
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* ! paid special attention to securing competent gunners to Swally in September, there to waylay the English
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and sailors—points usually neglected by the average and Dutch Indiamen, as if these were prevented from '
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Portuguese captain, who thought only of filling his sailing to the Gulf, the fall of Ormuz was bound to
ship with a horde of ill-disciplined and sea-sick soldiers. follow sooner or later ; whilst there would not be time
So high, indeed, was the quality of his crews, that both for Botelho’s galleons to join Ruy Freyre in blockading
English and Dutch refused to believe that they were Ormuz, and then proceed to India to intercept the
Portuguese, and alleged they must be mainly “ English, outward-bound allied shipping. Botelho himself was
Scotch, Irish and Dutch runnagadoes. ” 1 of a contrary opinion, and offered to serve as a volunteer
For the nloment the initiative in the Gulf was in with 600 musketeers from his crew under Ruy Freyre’s
the hands of the Portuguese, and the question now arose [ command in the siege, before sailing for Swally in
i;: as to what use to make of Botelho’s armada. At a September, whence he calculated he could return to
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full council meeting, called by the Viceroy in Goa to the Gulf in November after defeating the English and
Dutch.1 All his captains however sided with Ruy
•Foiter's, English Factories, 1624-1629, p. 50. Manoel Xavier, S. J.,
1 Historia do Governador da India, Nuno Alvarez Botelho, (Lisboa, 1633), pp. 1Lctter of the Conde da Vidigueira, Goa, 29/11/1626, in Livro da* Monfoes,
80-81. It i* amusing to note that the English made similar and equally no. 22 fls. xi4-119. The reinforcement* were conveyed in two galleon*.
unfounded statements, after the heroic stand made by Dom Manoel de Sao Pedro and Sao Salvador, two carrack* and two pinnace*.
Menerc* in the S3o JuliSo in a three day* fight against four English *hip* off
. •Letter of the Conde da Vidigueira, Goa, 29/U/1626. Among the
! the Comoro island* m 16x6. Egerton Manu»cript iri the British Museum,are two letter* written by Botelho
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