198 
VOYAGE OF THE POTOMAC. 
[February, 
against the Portuguese with various success, but always with a 
spirit above misfortune. 
In fifteen hundred and seventy-five, the King of Acheen, after 
several years preparations, covered the straits with his forces and 
armed vessels. These vessels were mostly small, though there 
were a few junks which carried six hundred men each. In this 
enterprise were nearly twenty thousand men. The Portuguese 
were made to tremble for their establishments on the opposite 
coast, where they were soon besieged. The conflict was bloody 
and lasted long ; several Portuguese frigates were destroyed, and 
the garrisons were only saved by a timely reinforcement. 
In fifteen hundred and eighty-six, the kingdom of Acheen was 
in the greatest splendour ; its friendship was courted by all the 
Indies, and its ports frequented by the trading vessels from Mecca 
in the west, to Japan in the east. 
It was the close of the sixteenth century before the Hollanders 
made their appearance in the eastern world ; and not until the 
year sixteen hundred did they touch upon the coast of Sumatra. 
The English followed close upon their track, and only two years 
afterward visited the city of Acheen, with a respectable force 
under the command of Lancaster, who, bore a letter from Queen 
Elizabeth to her " royal and puissant brother," the King of Acheen. 
In despite of the jealousy of the Portuguese and Spaniards (at that 
period indeed the same people), Lancaster was most " graciously" 
' received ; was banqueted and entertained by " singing and dancing 
damsels/' and, what was more important, succeeded in making a 
very advantageous commercial treaty. The sultan extended great 
favour to the English ; allowed them to establish a factory ; 
showed them many indulgences ; and not far from this time, even 
condescended to send a message to King James, with the request 
that a lovely English woman might be sent out to him for a wife ; 
holding out at the same time, as an inducement to the fair one 
who should become the object of his royal affections and star^ 
ascendant of his harem, that her first son should be made his 
heir, and succeed him to the throne of all the Sumatras '! Neither 
history nor any oral tradition that has come to our knowledge in- 
forms us how this intended honour was received by our fair ances- 
tors ! but we shrewdly suspect that such an overture from an 
oriental sovereign could not fail to inspire thena wi,th glow- 
