VALENTYN S ACCOUNT OF MALACCA. 293 
part of the country is low, and the houses are built on piles 
alone the river. There are two fortresses—one called Batu 
Sawa‘, one Kota di Sabrang. 
Batu Sawar is about 1,30) paces in circumf ferenze, almost 
square, and is fortified with palissades 40 feet hig, standing 
close together ; it isfurther provided with some ‘inferior out- 
works. It is built on level ground, close to the river, 
a quarter of an hour’s walk om the nearest hills, and 
the river could easily be conducted to the place. Inside, it 
is thickly inhabited and filled with attap houses; but those 
of the King and some of the courtiers are built of wood. 
_ Kota Sabrang is about four or five hundred paces in circum- 
ference and also isalmostsquare. There are about three or four 
thousand men able to bear arms within Batu Sawar and Kota 
Sabrang, though most of the people live outside the fortress. 
The whole of the Jand belongs to the King but that does not 
matter much, for if people apply for it, they can get as much 
as they like ; it looks very fertile and abounding in trees. Ad- 
miral MareLier gave the King several plans and good sug- 
gestions for the fortification of the place, but the Malays were 
too indolent to work. Hence, perceiving that it was beyond 
his means to conquer Malacca just then, and that thereby 
the first clause of the recently concluded treaty became void, 
Marenizr begged the King to grant the Dutch a place for 
their residence. The King gave him permission to choose any 
place in the country that ‘he hked, provided, however, that he 
should be bound to fulfil the other articles of the treaty. 
The King on the other hand solicited of Marretier a piece ot 
land in Malacca when it should have been taken, Gwisch was 
granted to him on proper terms. This however looked very 
much like selling the skin of the bear, before it had been caught. 
The prince furthermore asked for the loan of some hundreds of 
rix dollars, nay even one thousand, which sum he would repay 
in such goods’ as we might wish, promising at the same time 
chat he would not ask for any more money, until the first loan 
was repaid. Secondly he demanded that the Ministers of the 
States should assist him against all his enemies, either on the 
es, 
offensive or the defensive, and finally that, on his request, 
