The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-04-30
w..

headquarters OF the trade with the Orient and
until Il was taken by the Turks In 1901.
".
In the fourth chapter OF the book before us
attention Is directed TO the fact that the actual
achievement OF Portugal. in Asia, was not a
land empire. but the overlordship OF the sea.
From 1900 to 1900 A. ID. she controlled the
between Asia and Europe by virtue
Of her maritime ascendancy. Her sphere OF
influence stretched silva 5000 miles across
the vast basin formed by the Indian Ocean
from the African coast to the Moluccas. and
northward 1000 miles from the Cane Of Good
Hope to the Persian Gulf. Her political from
tier. or. in other words. the line which she had.
more or less continuously. to hold. was not de-
Tended by rivers or mountains. II was the open
edge otthe ocean. following. at the height OF the
Portuguese power. a sinuous route from Natal
northeast to Ormuz. from OrmuZ southeast TO
Cape Comorin. from Comorin again northeast
to Bengal. then southeast to Malacca. Java and
the Spice Islands. a Jagged semicircle OF over
II. 1000 miles In length. That a small European
nation. then numbering. perhaps. not moro
than a million souls. should continue to hold
this frontier was impossible when stronger
European rivals came upon the scene. That
Portugal should have held it for a century
against the Mussulman world is an enduring
glory to herself and to Christendom.
That Portugal succeeded. even for a time. in
imposing her supremacy on the Asiatic trade
route was due to her fleet. Never was there n
more striking demonstration Of the value Of
sea power. Between 1897 and 1912. no fewer
than 806 Portuguese-built ships were employed
in the Indian trade: OF which 425 returned to
Europe. 2S5 remained permanently on the
Asiatio stations and 90 were lost. Their ordi-
-a.,, .;- go IL &c.. 1nn A. EEn -. ----I
with cannon. and fitted out for purposes both
OF freight and war. Besides the ships sent
from Europe. vessels of the hardest t~eakwood
were built in the dockyards Of Goa and Baman.
the latter being q port on the GuJarat shore.
One OF these teak vessels. constructed about
1900. doubled the Cape OF Good Hope seven
teen times. and lasted twenty-five years.
We have seen that the Portuguese had a coast
line Of over 5000 miles to control in Asiatic
waters. Their feet. however. enabled them
to choose any point along that line for attack
and to concentrate their whole force thereon.
They could deliver their blow at their own
time: il successful thew left there a garrison
II unsuccessful. they disappeared below the
horizon. having struck terror. or sometimes
compelled submission by the atrocities in
fiicted by way OF punishment for resistance.
The whole coast OF Asia, from the Red Sea to
the Eastern archipelago. was thus menaced
by an invisible foe from the ocean. whose
movements deled calculation. whose at
tack was often irresistible. and whose VEN
Reance was always cruel. No such fleets
had ever been seen In Asia. and. during the
sixteenth century at all events. the Portu-
guese saw to it that none should grow up. As
Portugal never acquired inland territories in
India proper. and as her possessions were
mainly confined to patches on the seaboard.
this aystnin auflpnJ for THAR dnfapoa lopy
after her military vigor had declined. Its eff
fectiveness. however. depended on the absence
OF any other naval force; and when the mari
time nations OF northern Europe broke in upon
the Indian Ocean the Portuguese power col
lapsed.
1t is not to be inferred. however. that Sir Will
liam Hunter undertakes the skill or the hero
ism with which the sea power OF the Portuguese
was built up. 1t may be said that. from the
orders OF King Emmanuelin 1914 for an exam
ination Of the ports. anchorages and distances
In the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. the science OF
marine surveying dates in Asia. In spite Of
discrepancies in the results. as. for instance.
with reference to the depth OF the Goa harbor. a
mass OF valuable material was collected during
the next hundred years. and geographical
names attest the exploring activity of Portugal
from the coast OF Africa to China and Japan.
The knowledge thus acquired was put to good
use for purposes OF strategy. The Portuguese
found they could command the whole Asiatic
trade routes by maintaining snuadrons al
three points on its course. to wit: the Quite,
OF the Red Sea. the passage round Ceylon
and the Straits OF Malacca. When they dis.
covered that Alden could not be captured OF
permanently held. the.tortress island of Diu. al
the point Of the kathrawar Peninsula. became
to the Portuguese from 1535 onward an Alder
nearer to their Indian base. This naval sta.
ton commanded the approach TO India from
the Persian Gulf. Just where ships rounded
into tho Gulf OF Cambay. and formed a bul.
wark against the Arab. Egyptian or Turkish
line OF attack. Portugal thus held. at Diu. Cey.
Ion and Malacca. the three corners OF tbs
great triangle. whose two southern sides
formed the route Of the spice trade.
The naval advantages won by Portuguese skill
and strategy were maintained by Portuguese,
valor. Whether the native powers covered the
sea with their small craft or strengthened theil
fleet with a huge junk carrying 1000 fighters
the most monstrous thing that was ever seen
by man. and that took three years TO make.
they went down before the Portuguese galleon.
and caravels. The bare official narratives o
such encounters read like epics. A Portuguese,
Captain whose coat OF mail caught in the peg.
as he leaped on an Indian ship RENAME,
there till he was hewn to pieces through hi:
armor. Another portuguese vessel was made
a porcupine OF" with fiery darts and assegais
Nor did the Portuguese trust alone to strateg,
or valor in order to secure their supreme,
along the Asiatic trade route. The,
struck boldly into the wars and in
trigues OF the native princes from Afri
ca to the Moluccas. securing substan
tial returns for their support. and finding IL
each dynastio claimant a stepping stone t.
power. Macaulay, in his essay on Lord Give
has ascribed to Duplex the original idea o
building up a European W in Asia by tax
ing advantage Of the rivalries OF native princes
and by the employment Of disciplined nativ,
troops. Sir William Hunter submits that sucl
a statement merely shows that India. Will
within the ample range OF Macaulay's oppor
t%unities. lay outside the area Of his exac
knowledge. More than two centuries befor
the Frenchman reached India. the design ha,
been deliberately formed and successfully car
ried out. Alfonso de Albuquerque. himself
claimed no credit for the discovery; he merel
extended the policy OF Almeida and other com
monpldce predecessors. and handed It on I