_ 168 _ and leave the land, as much as seeing that shipping is forbidden to sail to them, and our lack of enthusiasm to trade or have any kind of friendship with them will cause them to despair. Although Our Lord the King may suffer some loss in this through the loss to the Ormuz Custom House, I say that it seems to me that the benefit that can result will be much greater if these people are expelled from Basra, because the further away they are from us the less will be the fear which we rightly have of them, and the less damage they will be able to do to the service of God and Our Lord the King and to the well-being of this land. If it should happen that there are some reasons for Your Lordship to consider it right and in the interest of Our Lord the King not to stop shipping or trade to Basra, it is my opinion that Your Lordship should order and forbid, under grave penalty, any person to carry iron, steel, coir or timber to Basra, because these are very damaging to us and something they can be used to cause great harm. I have nothing more to say in this matter. Francisco da Cunha
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