if i j|f ju ■- 



39 



In 15It>, iMahomed, the ex-kitig a. d, isie. Heg. 

 of Malacca and king of Bintang and ^ 

 Johore, made another attempt upon Malacca, and 

 was on the verge of success after a vigorous 

 blockade when Don Alexias de Menezes arrived 

 to assume charge of the Government, having with 

 him a re-infoicement of 300 men» in consequence 

 of which the Bin tang general, by name Cenlege* 

 Rajah, was compelled to retire. 



Still, not discouraged, Mahomed a. d. i«it. Heg, 

 in the following year returned to ^2^* 

 the attack, and, being defeated in his attempt to 

 snrprize the city, converted his original purpose 

 into a blockade. His land force consisted of fif- 

 teen hundred men, whilst his blockading squa- 

 dron was composed of sixty vessels. The strength 

 of the Portuguese is differently estimated at from 

 seventy to two hundred men. 



In the following year Mahomed a. d. isie, He|. 

 attacked ihe defences, but after a 

 rencontre of three hours, was defeated with the 

 loss of three hundred and thirty men» the Portu- 

 guese casualties amounting to eighteen. The 

 action having proved so decisive, Mahomet retir- 

 ed to a *hort distance, but did not renounce the 

 blockade in toto, although it appears to have 

 been negligently enforced, as the Portuguese at- 

 tacked the fort of Moar situated about thirty miles 

 to the eastward of Malacca. This position was 

 defended by about eight hundred Malays, who 

 had latterly caused much anno3rance to the Por* 

 tuguese by their repeated and desultory attacks, 

 but who were compelled to evacuate their posi- 

 tion with immense loss, leaving their ordnance in 



0 



