j6 INDIA BEYOND THE GANGES. 



nothing Icfs than the deftruclion of the Europeans. It is evident 

 he had great reafon to fufpedl his new guefts, for Albuquerque^ 

 among other requeils, defired leave to ered; a fort to fecure his 

 countrymen from any future attacks. This the king knew was 

 only a prelude to the fubjedtion of him and his fubjedts to a fo- 

 rei£^n yoke. The refufal was followed by the landing of the Por- 

 tus^uefe', feveial fevere fkirmiflies enfued, which, as ufual, ended 

 with the defeat of the Indians. The city was forced, and the pa- 

 lace taken by florm, but though the king found means to efcape 

 with all his valuable efFedts, Albuquerque got two hundred thou- 

 fand ducats to his fhare of the plunder. Among other means of 

 refinance, the Malayes placed in the way of the aflailants a fort of 

 ehe'vaux de frize with poifoned points. No people are fo expert as 

 the Malayes in that dreadful art. The city was alfo defended by 

 three thoufand cannon, a number of artillery furprifing in thofe 

 days. The monarch fled to the woods, where he foon died of 

 grief. This fuccefs of Albuquerque''^ ftruck all the neighboring 

 nations with admiration. The king of Siajn, and the princes of 

 Sumatra and Java, and the other neighboring illes, fent to him 

 embafladors, and various rich prefents. Thofe from Java very 

 politically prefented him with fpears and darts, all kinds of hoftile 

 weapons, and pieces of embroidery reprefenting the warlike ex- 

 ploits of their mafter, to imprefs on the ftranger an idea of the 

 valor of the Javaneje monarch. 



The Portuguefe from time to time fortified Malacca in a 

 manner fuitable to its importance, and it became the greatefi: em- 

 l^orium in India. By this wife ftroke of ^Wcj, Albuquerque gave 

 to his country the poffeflion of the gold, the gems, the fpices,, 

 9 and. 



