_ 22 _ land, and of the navigation of Ormuz, which, believe me, should be lost were the Turks to enter there, and which would not only be prejudicial to Ormuz should they form there any power, but to the whole of India. Dom Alvaro Noronha Captain of Ormuz now writes to me that there had come to Ormuz a Portuguese Jew evidently coming from the Rua da Conceicão of Lisbon, who gave him news that along the shores along which he came there was no war ship of any kind, nor any being made, there were nothing more than a few barges for loading which take little depth of water, as they can navigate no other way which are of no good for war fare, nor are they meant for it, yet despite this I sent in the company of Luiz Fiqueria, who goes to obtain news of the Strait. Francisco Fernandes who was once a Jew as by another letter I have already written to Your Highness, and I ordered him to go to Alexandria along the said place of Arabia and along the River Eufrates down, and bring me trustworthy news of all things what there were there, and what could be done. The said Francisco Fernandes gave me information, for he had but very recently come from thence, that in Suez there were no more than forty sails between galleys and galliots, and that the others had been broken up in order
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