sign the government
to him. But the Viceroy, influenced by Joao da Nova and the other
captains, who had good cause to fear Albuquerque's anger,
persistently refused. They drew up a requisition to the Viceroy,
which they got signed by many other officers, stating that Affonso de
Albuquerque 'was a man of great inaptitude, and covetous, and of no
sense, and one who knew not how to govern anything, much less so
great a charge as the Empire of India.'[8] The Viceroy received this
petition favourably. In August, 1509, he ordered Albuquerque to be
imprisoned at Cannanore; he had a regular indictment in ninety-six
counts drawn up against him; he declared his intention of sending him
to {62} Portugal in chains; and he tried to induce Diogo Lopes de
Sequeira, who had just arrived from Portugal, to take over the
government of India. So great was the Viceroy's wrath against
Albuquerque that he gave orders for the destruction of all the houses
in which Albuquerque had lived at Cochin, and took out of them
everything that was to be found there; for he said that it was a case
of treason, and very necessary that Albuquerque should be punished
with rigour.

[Footnote 8: Albuquerque's _Commentaries_, vol. ii. p. 33.]

Matters remained in this state for two months, and the native princes
on the Malabar coast, especially the Raja of Cochin, were at a loss
to understand the causes of these quarrels, for it had been a proud
boast of the Portuguese that they would obey even a cabin boy who
held the King's commission. The hopes of the Zamorin of Calicut began
to revive, and it was fortunate for the Portuguese that, in October
1509, a fresh fleet arrived at Cannanore, under the command of Dom
Fernao de Coutinho, Marshal of Portugal. This powerful nobleman was a
relative of Albuquerque, and at once released him from custody. With
Albuquerque on board, the Marshal sailed to Cochin, and he insisted
that, in compliance with the royal mandate, Albuquerque should be
immediately recognised as Governor of India.

Dom Francisco de Almeida saw that it was necessary for him to yield.
He handed over the government on November 5 to Albuquerque, and on
November 10, 1509, he left Cochin. His murder {63} by savages at
Saldanha Bay has been already noticed, and it is sad to have to
narrate that he died without having been reconciled to his successor
in the government of India. The _Commentaries_ of Albuquerque imply
that it was Albuquerque's fault that a r