T A V A. 



25 



firft faftory in the Indian feas, and after loading his fhip with 

 pepper, took his departure for England. 



The Portuguese vifited this coaft in the time of the great Portuguesk. 

 Albuquerque-, the commanders in that expedition were Roderigo 

 Brittio, and Ferdinand Andrada, w^ho took part with one of the 

 princes of the country, engaged in war with the king of Ban- 

 tam, and gained a great vidory over his fleet. Not long after 

 George Albuquerque made an attempt to ftorm Bantam *, but was 

 repulfed with great lofs. Lacfeman^m, the general of Malacca, 

 the ableft officer of his age, had the moft confiderable fliare in 

 the defeat. 



At the firft arrival of the Europeans, Java (according to Sir 

 r/jomas Herbert t) was under one fupreme, the emperor of Ma- 

 tar a\ next to him was the king of Bantam, whom Sir Tbofnas 

 only ftyles a viceroy ; poffibly at firft the government might have 

 been hke that of the primeval eftablifliments oi Sumatra, and in 

 after times the delegated powers affumed an independenc. 



The fubtil Dutch took more efficacious methods to gain Dutch. 

 footing in the country; after various great events, various quar- 

 rels and reconciliations, by an effential fervice done in 1680 to 

 one of the monarchs of Bantam, they received from him an 

 exclufive grant of the trade of his kingdom. This they fupport 

 by a flight armed force ; in fad, they are real matters of the 

 ifland, notwithftanding they pay a pretended refped: to the na- 

 tive powers. Before that acquifition of privilege by the Dutch, 

 the EngliJJj and Danes had very flourilhing fa^ories, but both 

 were expelled by the influence of their Batavian rival. 



* Oforio, vol. ii. p. 346. -f P. 200. 



Vol. IV. E £^ 



