_ 285 _ expense. All were duly knocked down and made into a courtyard, because being very near the fortress they posed a risk to it. Even now I have demolished five dwellings, because it could happen in the future that some captains might want to give away plots of land belonging to His Highness as gifts to certain people, in the name of the said gentleman, for them to build houses there, as I saw happen in other fortresses. In this way, it seemed to me to be in the interests of the said gentleman to order the measuring of the said courtyard from the edge of the ditch to the dwellings and houses of the local people that are around the said courtyard. These measurements are as follows: Item: From the edge of the ditch to the houses of João Rodrigues, the barber, along the beach, it is fifty-five Portuguese standard braças, of ten palms to the braça. These houses are to the south. Item: From the same ditch to the houses of João Fernandes, the locksmith, that are also situated more or less to the south, it is sixty-five braças. Between them and those of the barber are some small houses, which belong to His Highness. Martin Afonso de Melo, when he was captain of this
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