_ 200 _ be placed between them and us. Moreover, as we are more careless and lacking in caution in matters of military art, if we have peace and trade with them many of them will easily be able to come as merchants to Ormuz and these may be sufficient to capture it, as well as Basra, because it is thought that this must be their wish and plan. By depriving them of this trade, which they enjoy because of us, they will have no income with which to maintain the soldiers there. As the place itself is barren and unproductive, and not very attractive to the temperament and vices of the Turks, it could happen that the native people may try to capture it, and that the Turks leave it. Now the loss to the custom house of Ormuz from this would be very small because, as the merchants want plenty of profit from our merchandise, they will find an outlet and they will seek a route by which they can go………bearing in mind how much this brings in such a small interest which is not worth considering. So, for all the reasons given above, it seems to me that contact and trade should not be maintained with Basra while it belongs to the Turks. Today, 5 October 1547. Dom Alvaro de Castro
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTg0NzAy