Hamilton’s account of the east indies.

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but they denying the Portugueze commerce in their country, affociated themfelveswith the King of Aarow, (a potent prince in thofe times), on the ifland of Sumatra ,who was engaged in a w f ar with the King of Johore , and with their joint forces obligedhim to quit that place, and retire to Johore-lami, which lies at the very point of thatpromontory, within one degree of the equator. There is a noble fpacious river that'accommodates Johore-lami.

As foon as the King of Johore was gone, the Portugueze began to fortify, and en-compaffed a little hill with a ftone wall, about a mile round, in which they built a city,and called it Malacca , and by the conveniency of its fituation, in a few years it ( becaniethe greateft mart in India ; however, the King of Johore was fain to make a peace withthe Portugueze, allowing them their fort, and as much ground round it as their cannoncould fling a fhot, and fo they became friends; but the King of Johore invaded theKing of Aarow’s dominions, with a numerous fleet of gallies, and in a fhort time forcedhim to crave aid from the Portugueze, who never ufed to deceive their allies but whenthey trufted to them, fo the King of Aarow loft his country.

Malacca, a place of fmall account, in a fhort time became famous all over India andEurope , lying almoft in the centre of trade, brought thither by fhipping from the richkingdoms of Japon, China, Formofa, Luconia, Tonquin, Couchin-china, Cambodia ,and Siam, befides what Johore produced, and Sumatra, Java, Borneo , Macaber, Banda,Amboina , and Ternate iflands, that produce many valuable commodities.

As the Portugueze grew great and rich, they grew alfo infolent, and fo continuedabufing and affronting their neighbours till about the year 1660, the Dutch had a warwith Portugal, on account of feme Ioffes the Dutch fuftained in Brazil .

The Dutch fent many fhips and good forces to India , to be equal with the Portu-gueze, for their driving the Dutch out of Brazil ; and how their arms fle-anfhed on thecoafts of Malabar and Zeioan, I have oblerved already in my firft volume, and fo Ibegin again at Malacca .

The Dutch coming into the ftreights of Malacca from Batavia, with a ftrong fleetand a land-army on board of it, ftruck up an-alliance wuth the King of Johore , offenfiveand defenfive, as long as the fun and moon gave light to this world ; for I faw thetreaty, and heard it read, with thofe expreflioos in it: on which the King of Johore aflifted the Dutch with 20,000 men, and laid fiege to the fort by land, while the Dutch diftreffed it by fea ; and yet for all that the fleet and army could do, they could nothave taken it by force, but by reducing them by famine, w'hich would have taken up agreat deal of time, fo what they could not effect by force, they did by fraud.

They heard that the Portugueze governor was a fordid avaricious fellow', and ill be-loved by the garrifon, fo the Dutch , by fecret conveyances, tampered with him byletters, promising him mountains of gold if he would contribute towards their gainingthe fort. At length the price was fet at 80,000 pieces of eight, to be the reward of histreachery, and to be fafely tranfported to Batavia in their fleet, and be made a free de-nizon there. So he fent fecret orders to the Dutch to make an attack on the eaft-fi^ eof the fort, and he would aft his part, which was accordingly done.

He thereupon called a council, and told them he had a mind to circumvent the Dutch ,by letting them come clofe to the fort walls, and then to fire brifkly on them from anquarters, and deftroy them at once, fo the Dutch made their approaches without ino-leftation, and placed their ladders. The garrifon fent meffage after meffage to acquaintthe governor of the danger they were in, for want of orders to fire and Tally out on theDutch, as was agreed on in council, but he delayed fo long till the Dutch got into thefort, and drove the guard from the eaft gate, which they foori opened to receive the reft

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