ammadans was immense, and the victory was
one of the greatest ever won by a European army in India. He then
proceeded to punish the Gujaratis. One of his captains, Antonio {187}
Moniz Barreto, burnt Cambay, and his son, Dom Alvaro, sacked Surat.
This great victory showed the native princes that they had a worthy
successor of Albuquerque to deal with, and Dom Joao de Castro was on
all sides entreated to make alliances with them. With the King of
Bijapur alone the war continued, but the Portuguese everywhere got
the best of it; Dabhol was taken, and the Muhammadans were again
defeated on land.

The internal reforms were even more to the credit of Dom Joao de
Castro than his victories. One point in his policy resembles that
adopted by Cornwallis in Bengal; namely, the fixing of the salaries
of the various officials, and his effort to put an end to the system
of peculation which was rife. This peculation was chiefly caused by
the officials engaging in trade; by which they made vast profits
while the State suffered. The state of things had partly arisen
through the custom of allowing Portuguese soldiers to trade after
serving for nine years. It was this inducement which brought so many
soldiers from Portugal; and in spite of the Governor's
representations, the Portuguese authorities were afraid to put an end
to it for fear of stopping the flow of recruits. The reforming
measures of Dom Joao de Castro did not remain long in operation, but
his example had a great effect. So great was the confidence felt in
his probity, that an anecdote is told of his raising money in Goa for
the relief of Diu, by pawning the hairs of his beard.

The news of Dom Joao de Castro's victory at Diu {188} was received
with great enthusiasm by John III, who in 1548 sent him a commission
as Viceroy. He only lived to hold this high office for fourteen days.
He died at Goa on June 6, 1548, in the arms of his friend, the
Apostle to the Indies, Saint Francis Xavier. The greatest of all the
successors of Albuquerque was Dom Joao de Castro; he resembled the
knights of the middle ages in his gallantry and his disinterestedness,
while his victory at Diu is the last great achievement of the
Portuguese arms in Asia.

{189}

CHAPTER VIII

THE SUCCESSORS OF ALBUQUERQUE (_continued_)

_Dom Constantino de Braganza and Dom Luis de Athaide_

The thirty-five years which followed from the death of Dom Joao de
Castro to the extinction of the independence