PORTUGUESE HISTORY OF MALACCA. 141 



denmed to death as spies. The rigour of his sentence was 

 mitigated, but the embassy was not received, and Perez was 

 sent back as a prisoner to Canton, with orders that the Por- 

 tuguese should restore Malacca to its native king, who was 

 a vassal to China ; in which case the embassy would be re- 

 ceived, but otherwise the ambassador and his suite were to be 

 put to death, and the Portuguese for ever excluded from China 

 as enemies. Simon de Andrada conducted himself with a 

 high hand, as if he had been king of Tamou, where he raised 

 a fort, and set up a gallows to intimidate the people. He 

 committed violence against the merchants who resorted to 

 the port, and bought young people of both sexes, giving occa- 

 sion to thieves to steal them from their parents. These ex- 

 travagant proceedings lost nothing in their transmisssion to 

 court, and were the cause of the severe orders respecting 

 Perez and his followers. 



At this time Diego Calva arrived, with one ship from 

 Lisbon and several others from Malacca, and in consequence 

 of this addition to their strength, the Portuguese acted still 

 more insolently than before, and so exasperated the gover- 

 nors of the province that they apprehended several of them, 

 and even contrived to take the last-arrived ship. At the 

 commencement of hostilities, Duarte Coello arrived from 

 Malacca with two ships well manned and armed. The Itao, 

 or Chinese admiral in these seas, attacked the Portuguese 

 with fifty ships, and though he did them some damage, he 

 was so severely handled by the artillery that he was forced to 

 retire and to remain at some distance, keeping up a strict 

 blockade. After matters had remained in this state for forty 

 days, Ambrose de Eego arrived with two additional ships 

 from Malacca, and the Portuguese determined upon forcing 

 their way through the Chinese fleet. The battle on this occa- 

 sion was very bloody, but, in consequence of a gale of wind 

 dispersing the Chinese fleet, the Portuguese were enabled to 

 get away from the island of Tamou. The Itao revenged him- 

 self upon such of the Portuguese as had fallen into his hands, 

 and particularly upon Thomas Perez and his companions, 

 who were all slain, and their baggage robbed of the present 

 intended for the emperor, and of all the commodities which 



