_ 307 _ João de Castro's son, Fernão Rodrigues de Castelo Branco. Jorge de Lima, Antonio Correia, Fernão Peres de Andrade, Aleixo de Sousa and Francisco de Sousa Tavares. The King sent the views of all these men to Pero de Alcacova Carneiro, his secretary, to present to the Viceroy D. Afonso. When all had been well received, what the King wanted him to do in this question of Basra, was the following: First of all, he should immediately attend with great diligence to strengthening the fortress of Ormuz, because although he had news, through letters of D. Manuel de Lima, who was at that time its captain, that it was so strong that it would be able to defend itself well, he should still work to make it even stronger and in a report that he had sent to him about this, he said he should increase the materials he was bringing for it. He should also issue orders for the local people and the slaves of both the residents and the King to serve in the fortress, as it was being built for the common defense of all. Consequently, it seemed that it would be advisable to persuade them to do this. Trade with the Turks was forbidden under heavy penalty both in Ormuz and in any other part of India. Basra was to have no contact with these places because, although a fall in the revenues of the custom house of Ormuz might result from this prohibition, as some pointed out in their
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