D. Manuel orders the Casa da Mina to pay annually to Vasco da Gama the of sum 1,000 cruzados in gold [at that time equal to 390,000 reis], until he shall have been placed in possession of the manor of Sines. 3.—_Lisbon, November 19, 1501._[481] The King orders Gonçalo de Sequeira, chief treasurer of the Casa de Ceuta, to deliver to Dom Vasco da Gama 15 moios [43 imperial quarters] of wheat, of the value of 28,000 reis, in part-payment of 70,000 reis due to him this year, the balance of 41,200 reis to be levied upon the Casa da Mina. The receipt given by Vasco da Gama for this wheat is still extant, and is one of the very few autographs of the Admiral in existence. [Illustration: Facsimile of a Receipt given by Vasco da Gama] That is to say: dõ v^{co} da gama dygo que he verdade que receby os dytos q’nze moyos de trygo do dyto g^o de sequeyra feito a xxbiij de novẽbro de q’nhẽtos hu. dõ v^{co} da gama. Or, in English:— Don Vasco da Gama acknowledges to have received said 15 moios of wheat from said g^o de Sequeyra. Done on November 28, 1501. Dom Vasco da Gama. 4.—_Lisbon, January 10, 1502._[482] D. Manuel after pointing out, in these letters-patent, that the explorations begun by the Infante D. Henry [the Navigator] in 1433,[483] in the hope of discovering a new highway to India, had been continued by King Alfonso and King John, at an expenditure of many lives and of much treasure, until, in 1482,[484] the Rio do Infante, at a distance of 1,885 leagues, had been reached, continues: “Being animated by an ardent desire to continue the work initiated by the Infante and our predecessors, and being assured that Vasco da Gama, a gentleman of our household, was well qualified for rendering us this service, and would disregard the perils to his person and the risk of life which he ran in accomplishing the task set him, we sent him to India as captain-major of our fleet, and with him Paulo da Gama, his brother, and Nicolau Coelho, likewise a gentleman of our household. In this voyage he did most excellent service, for whilst only 1885 leagues of coast had been discovered during the many years which had elapsed since the commencement of this enterprise, and by the many captains sent out, he by himself, in this single voyage, discovered 1550 leagues, in addition to a great gold-mine and many wealthy towns and cities, having a great trade, and finally reached and discovered that India, which all those who have given descriptions of the world rank higher in wealth than any other country, which from all time had been coveted by the Emperors and Kings of the world, and for the sake of which such heavy expenses had been incurred in this kingdom, and so many captains and others forfeited their lives—a country, in fact, which all kings not only desired to possess but even to discover.