Page 89 - Encyclopedia Of World History Vol V

1866 berkshire encyclopedia of world history

Colonial Goa

Goa was taken by the Portuguese in 1510 from its at a beautiful Church, called Misericordia. The City
Muslim rulers and became the center of Portuguese contains many noble Churches, Convents, and Clois-
India.The Portuguese reluctantly gave it up after India ters, with a stately large Hospital, all well endow’s,
achieved independence in 1947. and well kept.The Market-place stands near the Mis-
ericordia Church, and takes up about an Acre square,
Goa, the Metropolis of India, under the Dominion of
where most Things of the Product of that Country are
the Crown of Portugal, stands on an Island about 12
to be sold; and, in the Shops about it, may be had
Miles long, and 6 broad. The City is built on the
what Europe, China, Bengal, and other Countries of
North Side of it, on a Champain Ground, and has the
less Note furnish them with. Every Church has a Set
Conveniency of a fine salt Water River, capable to
of Bells, that one or other of them are continually
receive Ships of the largest Size, where they ly within
ringing, and, being all christned, and dedicated to
a Mile of the Town.The Banks of the River are beau-
some Saint, they have a specifick Power to drive away
tified with noble Structures of Churches, Castles and
all Manner of evil spirits, except Poverty in the Laity,
Gentlemens Houses; but in the City, the Air is reck-
and Pride in the Clergy; but, to those that are not
oned unwholsom, which is one Cause why at present
used to nocturnal Noises, they are very troublesom in
it is not well inhabited.The Vice-roy’s Palace is a noble
the Nights.
Edifice, standing within Pistol Shot of the River, over
Source: Hamilton, A. (1702). A New Account of the East Indies, As quoted in H. Brown
one of the Gates of the City, which leads to a spacious (Ed.), The Sahibs (pp. 23–24), (1948). London: William Hodge & Co.
noble Street, about half a Mile long, and terminates

The foundation of the state of Melaka on the Malay diplomacy. The dimensions and capacities of the largest
peninsula and the conversion of its ruler to Islam both Chinese junks dwarfed the most advanced European,
occurred around 1400; Melaka became one of the rich- African, and other Asian shipping technology at the time.
est and most cosmopolitan trading entrepôts in the Although the direct maritime involvement of China in the
world before its conquest by the Portuguese in 1511. Indian Ocean ended with Zheng He, it presaged the
The growth of Melaka and the spread of its influence arrival of the Portuguese, who made their Indian Ocean
mark the beginning of the spread of Islam that occurred debut with the 1497–1499 voyage ofVasco da Gama.
in parts of the coastal mainland and much of insular Despite the Chinese and Portuguese forays into the
Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the Indian Ocean, Muslim traders of all nations were the
Indian Ocean the East African Swahili coastal civiliza- major mariners throughout the Indian Ocean during this
tions were expanding, and from the twelfth century period. Around 1490, Ahmad Ibn Majid wrote the
onwards they too were converting to Islam. Fawai’d, a famous nautical manual that included detailed
astronomical instructions. Over the course of the six-
The First Traders teenth century and through to the end of the eighteenth
from Outside century, improved maritime technologies and the expan-
The voyages of the Chinese treasure fleet between 1405 sion of trading networks shifted the emphasis from small-
and 1433 under the command of Zheng He signal a scale cargoes of various luxury goods toward bulk trade
change in the trading patterns of the Indian Ocean.Zheng in spices and other commodities. The increasing pil-
He’s was the first major fleet that had originated in other grimage trade that brought Muslims from throughout the
oceans to make its way into the networks of the Indian Indian Ocean region to Mecca was also a significant com-
Ocean.The size of the Chinese fleet was unprecedented. ponent of trading networks.
Over three hundred large trading vessels and a hundred Historians still argue about the significance of Euro-
supply ships manned by 28,000 sailors and soldiers pean involvement in the Indian Ocean in the early mod-
crossed the Indian Ocean for the purposes of trade and ern period. It is probable the majority of ordinary