ng of Ormuz, the
Zamorin of Calicut, and the Raja of Cochin.
But Albuquerque's policy of colonisation is unique in the history of
the Europeans in India; it has been far-reaching in its results, and
has profoundly {153} influenced the present condition of the
Portuguese in India. His notion of an Eastern empire differed
entirely from that taken in subsequent centuries by the English. He
had no horror of mixed marriages, no dislike of half-castes. On the
contrary, he did all in his power to create a race of half-caste
Portuguese. When Goa was taken for the second time he tried to induce
as many Portuguese as possible to marry native women, and especially
the wives of the Muhammadans he had killed. He presided at these
marriages himself, and gave dowries to couples married as he desired.
The class he particularly encouraged were the artisans, who had been
sent out from Portugal as ship-builders, rope-makers, and workmen in
the arsenals and dockyards. He was also urgent in inducing his
gunners to marry.
His aim in this policy was to form a population which should be at
once loyal to Portugal and satisfied to remain in India for life.
Officers indeed might expect to return to the fatherland, but
Europeans of inferior ranks were too valuable to be allowed to
escape. In all it is narrated that about 450 Portuguese were married
to native women before he left Goa for Malacca. A quaint account of
Albuquerque's colonising policy is given in the _Commentaries_:--
'Those who desired to marry were so numerous, that Affonso de
Albuquerque could hardly grant their requests, for he did not give
permission, except for men of proved character, to marry. But in
order to favour this work, as it was entirely of his own idea, and
also because they {154} were men of good character and had deserved
by their good services that this privilege should be granted to
them, he extended the permission to marry far beyond the powers
which had been assigned by the King Emmanuel, for the women with
whom they married were the daughters of the principal men of the
land. And he granted this favour, among other reasons, in order
that when the Hindus observed what he did for their daughters and
nieces and sisters they might with better willingness turn
Christians; and for this reason he would not suffer any of the
women to be enslaved, but ordered that they should be all taken
away from the masters who had possession of th
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