ch led to the erection of the Dutch and English
empires in Asia differ in one point from those which led to the
establishment of the Portuguese power. The former originated in the
{148} necessity for breaking the Portuguese monopoly of Asiatic
commerce; the latter in the necessity for overthrowing the Muhammadan
monopoly. And it may be noted incidentally that the Portuguese had
the more difficult task. They had to break the Muhammadan connection
with the whole of the East, with Persia and the Spice Islands as well
as with India. Their means were not so adequate as those of the
English and the Dutch, for they had to make the difficult passage
round the Cape of Good Hope with smaller ships, and their appliances
for war were weaker than those of their successors.

Indeed, had not the Portuguese connection with Asia been carried out
by the whole of the royal power of Portugal, it may be doubted
whether it could ever have attained its full development. The Crown
of Portugal kept the trade with the East in its own hands as a royal
monopoly, and was able to despatch great fleets with armies, in some
instances, of 1500 soldiers on board. Whereas the Dutch and English
merchant adventurers were unable to act on such a large scale. The
existence of the Royal monopoly may have, in the end, affected the
Portuguese development in the East prejudicially, but in the
commencement it was absolutely necessary, for the whole strength of
the little kingdom was needed to bear the strain of the continual
despatch of men to Asia.

It has already been said more than once that the Eastern trade with
Europe was in the hands, until {149} the commodities reached the
Levant, of Muhammadan traders. These traders were chiefly of Arab
origin, especially on the Malabar coast, but the Arab immigrants were
supported in nearly every place by native converts to the religion of
Islam. Such Moslem merchants did not try to establish direct rule in
the cities in which they settled. It is an instructive tradition
which makes the Raja Perumal, who ruled over the whole Malabar coast,
retire to Mecca after his conversion to Islam. The Arab traders on
the Indian coasts did not resemble the Muhammadan invaders from the
North-West. Conversion was not with them a main incentive; but, as
the Muhammadan historians show, they took good care that native
Muhammadan converts should not be prejudiced by their change of
religion. The sort of _imperium in imperio_ of the Arab