Page 35 - Anglo Portuguese Rivalry in The Gulf_Neat

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J the mouth of the straits of Bab-el-Maiidib until the the hampering effect of the presence of Botelho’s
end of April, when they left for Muscat as originally squadron, whose mere existence forced the English
planned; they thus just missed encountering an equal and Dutch to sail in company with each other, and
number of Dutch ships, which had sailed for Mocha even then in large fleets. Nothing was seen of the
at the beginning of the month under the command of galleons however, and in fact Portuguese shipping in
Herman Van Speult who died there. From Muscat, the Gulf was limited to a little flotilla of eight oared
where Ruy Freyre was busy strengthening the forti­ vessels under Dom Gon^alo da Silveira, who was
fications, they sailed for the West coast of India in cruising off Ormuz; Ruy Freyre himself being still
September, “ and being nowe but six shipps, discrying busy with the remainder of his armada at Muscat.
the Dutch a day before their coming in with the land, Accordingly the English and Dutch returned safely to
used their best endeavour to have encountered them ; S.wally in March, 1627, after rejecting the annual
which the Dutch (having advantage of winde) in Persian proposal for an attack on Muscat.
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regard of their laden shipps avoided, though provoked During the whole of the year 1626, Ruy Freyre had
I by sundry challenging shott from the enemies admirall.” been busily employed in strengthening the fortifications
Botelho having thus failed to bring the Dutch to action, at Muscat, and, in accordance with the orders of the
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stood in for Damao, and on hearing that the outward- Viceroy at Goa, he had not resumed the siege of Ormuz.
bound English fleet had reached Swally early in Early in 1627 it was resolved to make a great effort to
October, he sailed with his galleons for Diu. Mean­ capture that stronghold before the appearance of the
while, the allied commanders at Swally had revived the English and Dutch ships in December ; and accordingly
idea of an expedition against Bombay, whither they Botelho with his galleons left for Muscat in May of
proceeded with twelve sail, hoping to trap Botelho this year, in order to co-operate with Ruy Freyre in
in the harbour, being unaware that he had gone for the intended siege. There is every likelihood that
i; Diu. Being baulked of their expected prey, they this expedition would have been successful, but for
! ! landed a force which burnt and sacked what little the fact that Botelho’s squadron was shattered and
property there was on shore, and then returned to partially destroyed by a terrible storm which it
Swally, content with this somewhat barren exploit.1 encountered on the 29th May, 1627. Three of
In December, 1626, another strong Anglo-Dutch Botelho’s galleons were lost with all hands in the
j fleet of eleven sail left for the Gulf in order “ to raging seas, whilst his own flagship and the remainder
i! prosecute the Persian trade.”. * They half expected to • f
| struggled into Tiwai completely dismasted and practi- .
! meet with the Portuguese galleons, and the English cally in a sinking condition.1 From Tiwai the
f factors in their letters home, bitterly complained of
‘ 'Father Manoel Xavier, S. J., in his Historic do Govemador da India Nuno
; 1Dctailcd contemporary accounts of the sack of Bombay are to be found in Alvarez Botelho, (Lisboa, 1633) has much to say of his heroic conduct on
;i: Foster, op. cit., pp. 142 fig. An account from the Portuguese side in Faria y this occasion. For fifteen days his galleon drifted at the mercy of the waves,
whilst the pumps and bails had to be kept going incessantly in order to keep
Sousa, Asia Portugueza, Vol. III.
the water-logged vessel from foundering. Both food and water supplies
'Palsgrave, Dolphin, William, Blessing, Discovery and Morris (English), ran short, scores of men dying from sheer thirst, whilst others went raving
i and the Zierickzee, Wapen van Zeelandt, Mauritius, Hollandia and Engelschc mad and leapt overboard. On finally sighting land at Cape Ras al Hadd.
Beer (Dutch). the crew clamoured that the ship should be run ashore, but Botelho rallied
M: their spirits and at length brought his ship to Tiwai.
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