PORTUGUESE HISTORY OF MALACCA. 139 



a great quantity of gold they were said to contain. Antonio 

 was now left by Albuquerque in the command of the new fort 

 of Pisang, with three ships, which were afterwards of great 

 service against a Moor who infested the coast, On his return 

 to Malacca, of which he had the command, Albuquerque pre- 

 pared to make war upon the king of Bintang. That island, 

 about 40 leagues from Malacca, is 40 leagues in circum- 

 ference, having two strong castles, and its rivers staked to 

 prevent the access of ships, so that it was considered as almost 

 impregnable. Albuquerque went from Malacca with 18 ves- 

 sels and 600 men, and finding it impossible to get his ships up, 

 he endeavoured to land his men from boats to attack one of 

 the forts ; but the water being up to their middles, and the 

 enemy making a brave resistance, they were forced to retire, 

 after losing twenty men, besides a great number wounded. 



In the same year, 1521, Antonio de Brito sailed for the 

 Molucca islands. These islands are in the middle of a great 

 number of others under the equator, about 300 leagues east 

 from Malacca. There are five principal islands to which the 

 general name of Moluccas is applied, about 25 leagues distant 

 from each other, the largest not exceeding six leagues in cir- 

 cumference. The particular names of these are Ternate, Tidore, 

 Mousell, f 1 ) Macquein, ( 2 ) and Bacham. They are covered 

 with woods and subject to fogs, and are consequently unheal- 

 thy. These five islands produce cloves, but no kind of food ; 

 and the large island of Batochina, ( 3 ) which is 60 leagues 

 long, produces food but no cloves. In some of these islands, 

 particularly Ternate, there are burning mountains. The chief 

 subsistence of the people is of a kind of meal made from the 

 bark of certain trees resembling the palm. There are certain 

 canes that have a liquor in their hollows between the joints, 



( l ) This ma}" be meant for MisoL in which case it is a mistake, 

 as that lies further south-east off the west coast of New Guinea, 

 between it and Ceram; or it may be meant for Morotai. the other 

 of the Molucca isles, lying north-east of Gilolo. 



( a ) Makian. 



( 3 ) Bachan. 



