PORTUGUESE HISTORY OF MALACCA. 143 



The island of Sunda is divided on the south from Java by 

 a very narrow channel. It produces pale gold with abun- 

 dance of pepper and provision. The natives are numerous 

 but un warlike, yet are curious in adorning their arms. 

 They worship idols, and often sell their children to supply 

 their necessities. The women are beautiful, those of the 

 higher ranks being chaste, contrary to what is usual in most 

 parts of the world. They have convents as in Spain and 

 Portugal, in which they reside while virgins ; and the married 

 women kill themselves on the death of their husbands. This 

 would be a good custom to show their duty and affection, 

 were it not contrary to the law of nature, and therefore a 

 barbarous error. Enrique Seme happening to go there, 

 drawn by the plenty and goodness of its peppers, was well 

 received by the king Samiam, who offered ground for a fort, 

 and to pay a yearly tribute of 351 quintals of pepper to purchase 

 the friendship and support of the Portuguese against the 

 Moors, by whom he was much infested. But when Fran- 

 cisco de Sa came to build the fort, he met with such opposi- 

 tion from the Moors that he was obliged to return to Malacca. 



We find afterwards that in the year 1571 another attempt 

 was made by the Moors to wrest Malacca from the power of the 

 Portuguese. The king of Acheen was one of the Indian 

 princes who had entered into the grand confederacy against 

 the Portuguese, and had agreed to lay siege to Malacca, but 

 did not execute his part of the league till about the middle 

 of October 1571, when he appeared before Malacca with a 

 fleet near 100 sail, in which he had 7,000 soldiers, with a 

 large train of artillery and a vast quantity of ammunition. 

 Landing on the night of his arrival, he set fire to the town 

 of Ileer, ( x ) which was saved from total destruction by a 

 sudden and violent shower of rain. He next endeavoured to 

 burn the Portuguese ships in the harbour, but failing in this 

 and some minor enterprizes, he sat down before the city, 

 intending to take it by a regular siege, having been disap- 

 pointed in his expectations of carrying it by a covp de main. 



f 1 ) A mistake for " Bandar Hilir. 



