_ 161 _ a tax of one per cent imposed on merchandise for this purpose. Appointment to the post of captain-in-chief of the one-per-cent galleys and the fleet of the Arabian and Persian coasts is made by the Viceroys and often by the Captains of Ormuz. It is a very respected office and can be filled from Portugal by a gentleman of merit who has seen service as a means of livelihood, since he should not accept any other favour offered, and he has to support himself adequately by it and also save something. He may meet with such opportunities for capture and booty as will bring him a great deal. The captaincy of each of these galleys can be awarded to honourable soldiers and noblemen who are servants of kings as a livelihood, since they may not accept other favours. In the last Despacho da India of this year, [fifteen] eighty-two, His Majesty gave to one Manuel da Silva, an honourable man who had given good service, a letter for the Viceroy saying that if there was no objection the said Manuel da Silva was to be appointed captain of one of the one-per-cent galleys in the way such appointments were customarily made. He was also to be given the factorship and captaincy of Mangalor as a favour from His Majesty in reward for his services, for a term of three years.
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