I P o l o P e r a .
P olo A r u .
M a l a c c a
C i t y .
land, infulated by feveral channels, which form various ifles, and
open by different mouths into thefea.
T h e greater iile, or Pulo.Pera, the antient Perumela emporium,
has a molt ufeful and magnificent harbor which runs far
inland, with various branches on the right and on the le ft; it has
from eight to five fathoms o f water; a mountain riles out of
the middle of the iile ; the river that runs up the country is
called by Mr. Forrejl, Pera. Before its mouth is Pulo Ding-Ding,
and other ifles. That navigator * went up the river to vifit
the monarch o f the country, who was attended by guards,
dreffed in Cbinefe habits, with the dragon on their breafts.
F arther to the fouth, in Lat. 2° 50', the ftreights contrail in
breadth very confiderably. The fmall ifles Pulo Aru are in the
middle of the channel, which here begins to be greatly narrowed
by rocks and banks on each ihore. On the Malacca
fide, to the fouth-eaft o f Pulo Aru, is a large bay, filled with flat
morally ifles, divided by very narrow channels. On one o f the
moil fouthern o f them Hands Mount Parcelar, a noted fea-
mark to fhips navigating this dangerous flreight.
S t i l l more to the fouth, in Eat. 2° 29', is Malacca, the capital
city of the peninfula; it probably fucceeded Perimula as
the emporium of this part o f India, When the great Albuquerque
had made his country fovergign of Ceylon, he turned his
thoughts towards this territory, and determined to give to Portugal
the whole commerce o f the Eait. At that time Malacca
poifeffed the entire trade o f India; fhips from every port of
Hindoojlan, from China, the Pbillipine and the Molucca ifiapds,
* p.
from
from Perfia, Arabia, and evert Africa, filled its harbor. The
Arabians brought with them their religion, and eftablifhed Mahomet
anifm in the court o f this kingdom, as they had done in
that of Hindoojlan.
T h i s port was firft vifited in 150 8 by the Portuguefe admiral
Lopez Sequiera. On his arrival he met with the moil
friendly reception from the reigning monarch ; but fuch a jea-
loufy arofe among the commercial people o f the different nations,
efpecially the Arabs, which they fo effectually initilled
into the prince, as fbori to deftroy the good underitanding between
him and the itrangers he had fo fuddenly taken an affection
for. His conduit had lulled the Portuguefe into fo deep a
fecurity, that numbers o f them took up their refidence in the
city, a n d Sequiera even appointed Araujo, a favorite o f Albuquerque'i,
as conful. The prince did not dare to attack the admiral
by open force, but ufed every fpecies o f treachery to de-
itroy him. Finding his plots' detedled, he ordered his fubjeds to
malfacre the Europeans who were in their power. Numbers
were flain; but Araujo and a few others were kept as hoitages
to prevent the revenge o f the admiral, who, after various endeavors
to recover them, was obliged to leave them behind, and to
Jfet fail for the Malabar coaft.
'Albuquerque took advantage o f the quarrel; he failed from
Goa in 1511, and foon appearing before the port o f Malacca,
darned the releafe o f his countrymen. Thefe demands were
at firit refufed ; but after fome hoflilities, the king was fo terrified
as to fend to Albuquerque, Araujo and all the furviving Portuguefe.
Notwithflanding this, it was difcovered that he intended
V ol. III. E - nothing
T a k e n b y t h e
P o r t u g u e s e .