_ 491 _ of India. Litle more than a month after the arrival of Albuquerque's letter, on 12 March 1509,the King sent a powerful fleet to India under the command of the marshal D. Fernando Coutinho. Perhaps alarmed by rumours already current 'that some split is expected between Afonso de Albuquerque and the Viceroy about the handing over of the government of India(A), King Manuel conferred extensive powers on the marshaI and exempted him from subordination to the Commander-in-Chief of India. The arrival of two letters from the two most important persons in the Portuguese East could not have happened at a more favourable time to dissipate the King's doubts and persuade him to support Albuquerque's ambitious plans in southern Asia. The outcome of the long story of the fleet which left for India in 1506 under the command of Tristão da Cunha and ended with the return of the last of the travellers in 1509 was recalled by Gil Vicente when in the Auto da Índia Constanca's question 'Is the carrack heavily laden?' her husband answers: 'She is coming very leisurely, flying all her flags!(B). (A) João de Barros,Década II,bk.3,chap.IX. (B) Gil Vicente, Obras completas, Lisbon 1953, vol. V, p.116; Banha de Andrade, op.cit., p. 119; Carolina Michaëlis de Vasconcelos, Notas
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