WEALTH OF THE ORIENTAL TRADE 153 India are lost without it if they do not have it to eat." It was not on the soil of Portugal, however, that the wealth of Asia was to be reaped. Nor did the attempts to reach the inland gold-fields of Africa, although led by a captain-general bearing the lofty title of " Con- queror of the Mines," yield permanent results. The plunder of the Moslem ships, tributes and ransoms from the coast-chiefs, and above all sea trade, formed from first to last the revenue of Portugal in the East. As regards the home trade, one Portuguese ship brought back a freight worth, at a moderate computa- tion, 150,000, besides jewels not reckoned in the ac- count. As regards the port-to-port trade in Asiatic waters, the voyage from Goa to China or Japan yielded to the captain for freight alone 22,500, and from Goa to Mozambique 5400; besides the gains from his private trade, which were equally great. As regards the profits of piracy, or the seizure of non-Christian ships, a single captain sold prizes during the space of two years aggregating about 110,000. The tributes from coast-princes and the customs dues of Goa, Diu, and Malacca alone were estimated at about 120,000. The king's share in the tributes, customs, and prizes taken by his own ships was reckoned at 1,000,000 crowns a year, say 225,000, and would have been double that amount, but for the frauds of the officials. His actual clear revenue from India was given at 154,913. The trade profits to the royal treasury should have been enormous, but were reduced by the many hands
