Chap, II. through the greateft Part of the EAST-INDIE S. 783 
bodia is built, upon a rifmg Ground, having but one large 
Street. The Trade of the Portuguese here confilts chiefly 
in Malacca Stuffs, which they exchange for Benjamin, 
Lacque, Wax, Rice, Brafs Veffels, and Bars of China 
The King of Cambodia is only a Vaffal of the King of 
Siam , bdng° not able to bring above thirty-five thouiand 
Men into the Field. The Nobility or Officers of the 
Court are divided into four feveral Ranks, viz. into 0 chi- 
nas , fernimas , Tenimnas , and Nampres i thefirftoi which 
are the only Men of Confideration, they being admitted 
into the King’s Prefence, and he confers with them con- 
cernino- the Management of publick Affairs. The Portu- 
gueze are fo firmly fettled here, that the Dutch have never 
been able to get any footing. Provifions of all forts, Ve- 
nifon Beef, Pork, Goats, Kids, Hares, Cranes, Herons, 
and in fhort, all manner of, Poultry ; as likewife Oranges, 
Citrons, Mangoes, and Cocoas, are fold excellively cheap •, 
there being fuch Plenty here of every thing, and efpecially 
of Rice, that thofe of guinam alone export yearly^ two ^ 
thoufand Copangs of Rice, five of which make eight Tons, • 
at feventeen or eighteen Tayls the Copang. 
That Neck of Land which extends in the Form of a 
Demi-Bland* from the Kingdom of Siam to the S. E. to the 
N. W. of the Equinoctial Line, betwixt theGulph of Bengal 
and Siam*, is called the Ifthmus oi Malacca, and contains 
the Kingdoms of J oh ore and Patapan. I his Country was 
firft difcovered by the Portugueze in 1 51 1, who eftabhfhed 
themfelves there to that degree that no body hath been 
able hitherto to diflodge them. The City of Malacca is 
fituated upon the Strait, which feparates the Ifle of Suma- 
tra from "the Continent, at two Degrees thirty Minutes 
on this Side of the Line, at the Foot of a Mountain, which 
is wholly taken up by the Town, and is about 1800 Paces 
in Compafs, 600 whereof extend along the Sea-Coaft, for- 
tified with a good Wall, as likewife to the River-fide, 
which inclofes another third Part of the Town, being 
{Lengthened to the Land-fide by four regular Baftions ; 
that of St. Domingo on the Point of the River-fide, that 
of St. Jago on the Sea-ffitore, and thofe called Madre ds 
Dios- and of Eleven thoufand Virgins. Betwixt thofe two 
the Jefuits College, called St. Paul’s , ftands upon the Hill, 
and upon rifing Ground, in the Plain without the City, a 
Convent of Jacobins. The River runs N. W . is very 
broad and brackifh at High-water, but frefh at Low- 
Tide *, there is a Bridge over it. 
It rains conftantly here two or three Times a Week, ex- 
cept in the Months of January , February and March ; the 
Shore is fo muddy that there is no landing at Low-water. 
The two Ifies called Ilha de Naos , and Ilha de Pedra lie 
not much above a Cannon-fliot from the City, the Cha- 
nel betwixt thefe two Ifiands affording as fafe Harbour for 
the Galleons and bigger Veffels, as that betwixt the City 
and the Ilha de Naos for the Veffels of a middle Size ; 
but fmall Barks may enter the River. In the City of Ma- 
lacca, its Suburbs, and adjacent Towns, under the Jurif- 
dnffion of the Portuguese , are computed to be about 1200 
Inhabitants, and,among them, not above 300 fighting Men, 
and fcarce 200 Portugueze , the reft being either Mejhzes _ 
or Malayans. The Poriugueze are in Poffeffion only of 
the City of Malacca , and its Suburbs to the Town of 
Nofira Senhera de Guadalupe , five Leagues thence upon 
the fame River, the Territories of the King of Jahor be- 
ginning half a League thence. This City being fo com- 
modioufiy fituated for the Trade of China and the Moluc- 
cas, Cat Portugueze had, in all Probability, made this one of 
the chief trading Places in the Indies , If the Dutch , who 
befieged it in 1606, and laid great Part of it defolate, had 
not prevented them ; and being by theft Settlements in 
Ceylon and Java , become Mafters of thefe Seas, quite ru- 
ined the Commerce of the Portugueze to China and the 
Moluccas . 
The Kingdom of Patapan is not of fo large an Extent, 
but much more populous than that of Johor e , the King of 
Patapan being, according to the Computation of the Hollan- 
ders , able to raife 180,000 Men j the capital City bearing 
the fame Name, is feated upon the Sea- fide, though its Har- 
bour be above 2000 Paces thence. The Houfes are hand” 
feme enough, being built of Timber and Canes. The Royal 
Palace is fortified only with Palifadoes, their great Temples 
are of Brick. The City is able to raife. 10000 fighting 
Men. The Inhabitants are rather inclining to a brown than 
olive Colour, generally wfell fhaped, and proud in their 
outward Deportment, but obliging enough in their Con- 
verfation with their Friends., . I he Natives are, for thp 
moft part, employed in Hufbandry and Fifhing, and 
drink nothing but Water ; Wine, and firong Liquors* 
being odious to them. The only Pleafure they delight in 
is that of Women ; fo that each Man, befides four or five 
Wives, maintains as many Concubines as he is .able : As 
they look upon Fornication as a {lender Trefpa'fs, fo they 
punifh Adultery with the utmoft Severity, though nothing 
be more common among them than this Crime. , , 
Their chief Wealth confifts in their Slaves* whom they 
feed at a fmall Charge upon Rice and Fifh. The Foreign- 
ers are the only People here who apply themfelves to I raff 
fick and Navigation. The Air , of Patapan , though ex- 
ceeding hot, as lying near the Equinoctial, yet is not un- 
wholfome. They have but three Months Winter, viz. 
November , December , and January , when it rains without 
In term iff® n : The reft, from February to October, is their 
Summer. They fow nothing but Rice, and till the Ground 
with Buffaloes. Fruits are here in fuch Plenty that every 
Month produces a new kind. Hens lay twice a-day ; and 
Provifions are in fuch Quantities as cannot be imagined, as 
Rice, Oxen, Goats, Deer, Geefe, Ducks, Liens, Capons, 
Peacoks, Hares, and all forts of Venifon. Hogs they 
breed none ; but the Forefts are full of Wild-Boars, and 
though they eat them not, they kill them, becaufe they 
are fo pernicious to the Rice. The Tigers, and great 
Apes, which are in the Forefts here, do alfo conffderable 
Mifchief ; but the Wild-Elephants do no Damage at all ; 
they hunt them with Tame Elephants, and whilft they are 
engaged with them, find Means to tie their hinder Feet 
together, and afterwards tame them by Hunger. 
The King of Patapan is a Vaffal to the King of Siam ; 
Johore is the utmoft: Point of Land of that Peninfula, called . 
by the Ancients Aurea Cherfonefus , reaching to the Streights 
of Sincopura. Its chief Towns are Linga , Bint am, and 
Carymon , and its Metropolis is named Batufabar , which 
is however divided into two Cities, fituate upon the River 
Johore , fix Leagues from the Sea, the firft of which is 
called Batufabur \ the fecond Cottafabrang ; one having 
about 1300 Paces, the other 500 in Compafs. As the 
Houfes are all built of Free-ftone along the River-fide, and 
raifed on Piles eight or ten Foot from the Ground, they 
make a glorious ProfpeX as you come up the River ; for 
this City contains at leaft 4000 Inhabitants fit for Service 
in the Army. The King of Johore is Proprietor of all 
the Grounds which he bellows on any that defire them, to 
be manured : But though the Grounds are extremely fertile, 
fuch is the Slothfulnefs of the Malayans , that they feldotn 
cultivate them. The Malacca , or Malayan Language, as it 
is the moft elegant of any in the Indies , fo it has gained as 
much Reputation there, and is as generally ufed as the 
French is in Europe *, and having no Inflexions in either 
Nouns or Verbs, it is not very difficult to learn. 
11. We will now look over the Continent to the Ifle of 
Sumatra , ten Leagues diftant from the Malacca Shore % 
it extends from about 5 0 on this Side to 6° beyond the 
Line, containing 165 Leagues in Length, and about 60 
in Breadth j fo that thofe who inhabit the Middle of the 
Ifland have the EquinoXial Line direXly over their Heads ; 
whence it may be eafily conjeXured, that the Heats are 
exceflive here, which together with the vaft Multitude of 
Lakes, makes the Air very unwhonome : This DefeX is 
recompenfed by its vaft Riches in Gold, Silver, Copper, 
Iron, and Brafs, (whereof they make as good Artillery 
here as in any Part of Europe ) befides Rice, Millet, and 
Fruits in prodigious Quantities, even in the very Forefts. 
Add to this its Wealth in Diamonds and other precious 
Stones, and its ProduX of Silk, Spices* Wax, Honey,- 
Cotton, Camphire, Caflia, and divers other medicinal 
Drugs. Of white Sandal they have whole Woods, and in 
the Centre of the Ifle is a Burning-mountain, like that of 
Vefuvius , which they fay is . conftantly fupplied by a River 
of Pitch. 
The 
