22 BARRETTO DE RESENDE’S ACCOUNT OF MALACCA. 
The second suburb, that of Yler, is situated on the other side 
of the river towards the South East, and through it wooden huts 
covered with thatch (atap) extend for ‘a distance of 1200 yards 
from the river Aerlele towards the fields of Tanjonpacer, when 
there is a © banjacal”’ or guard-house which is its only defence. 
In this suburb there is a parish Church dedicated to our Lady 
of Pity, which serves a parish of 1300 Christians, without counting 
the heathen. 
From the Aerlele river, or stream, another row of wooden 
dwellings stretches eastward for 1000 yards as far as the well of 
Bukit China, which supplies excellent water springing from the 
foot of the hill, on whose summit rises the Chureh of the Mother 
of God and the Convent of the Capuchins of St. Francisco. 
Further to the North there is another hill called Bukit Piatto, 
and all round there are fields and swamps as far as Bukit Pipi, and 
Tanjonpacer to the South East and South. 
The last suburb, that of Suppa, extends from the moat of the 
rampart St. Dominic. Its houses are made of wood and built on 
piles, right in the middle of the water. This ground, being swampy 
and damp, is well suited to the calling of the fishermen who live in 
this suburb; they tie up their boats and fishing nets along side their 
houses, and float in the water the timber and forest produce of the 
interior of the country in which they deal. In this suburb is the 
parish Chureh of St. Laurence which serves a population of 1400 
Christians and other very numerous natives who live in the swampy 
eround where the ° Nypeiras”’ or © Brava’”’ palms, from which they 
distil the nypa wine, grow. JBesides these three parishes extra 
muros there are three parishes in the interior of the country; St. 
Lazarus, Our Lady of Guadeloupe, and Our Lady of Hope. They 
are situated on the bank of the river and contain a population of 
9200 Christians and heathen natives or vassals who live inland in 
farms where they raise cattle and farmyard animals. In the eight 
parishes alone in the jurisdiction of Malacca the Christian popula- 
tion reaches 7400 souls, without counting the heathen and the 
vassal natives. 
The State is administrated by a Governor elected for three 
years, by a bishop and by other dignitaries of the episcopal see 
assisted by City Magistrates organised in the same manner as the 
Tribunal of Evora of the Fathers of Mercy, and by royal delegates 
for the financial and judicial departments. 
The State further supports mendicant orders, a Convent of the 
Company of Jesus with its schools and colleges, the convents of the 
order of St. Dominic and of St. Augustine, capuchin monks of 
St. Francis, and ministers of the Christian religion. Inside the 
fortress live, besides the garrison for its defence, 300 married Portu- 
guese with their families. There are in all four religious houses, 
eight parishes, fourteen churches, two chapels of the Hospitalers, 
and some hermitages and oratories. 
Jour. Straits Branch 
