u 
[No. 1, 
Sir Arthur P. Phayre —On the History of Pegu. 
in the following words : “ Nilimixa, king of Aracam, who had possessed him- 
“ self of the crown of Pegu, to express his gratitude to the Portugueses that 
“ served him, gave them the port of Siriam, at the mouth of the river of 
“ the same name that runs within a league of Bagou, the court of the kings 
“ of Pegu. This grant was obtained of the king for the Portugueses by 
“ Philip de Brito and Nicote, who most ungratefully proved false to that 
“ Prince that had raised him from a vile collier to his favour and esteem. 
“ The manner was thus : Nilimixa, confiding in Nicote, was by him persuaded 
“ to erect a customhouse at the mouth of that river for the increase of his 
“ revenue; and his design was to seize upon it and build a fort there, to 
“ give footing to the Portugueses for the conquest of that kingdom.” The 
king built a fort but appointed an officer of his own, styled Bannadala 
(Binya Dala), to command it, and Nicote determined to take possession of 
it. This he effected by means of a small body of Portuguese under John de 
Oliva, Paul del Bego, and Salvador Bibeyro. Nicote then went to Goa to 
gain the support of the Viceroy to his enterprise. The king of Arakan, 
afraid to send troops by sea where the Portuguese were masters, marched 
six thousand men across the mountains to a point on the Era watt river, 
and from thence conveyed them by boat. They were under the command 
of Bannadala, and were joined by some troops sent by the king of Prome. 
They appeared before the fort near Siriam, where Bibeyro commanded. He 
at once boldly issued out and attacked them with a handful of men. 
Though this attack was successful, yet Bannadala soon received large 
reinforcements and surrounded the fort. The investment continued for 
eight months, and Bibeyro determined not to surrender, burnt three ships 
he had in the port. At length relief was sent by the Viceroy, Ayres de 
Saldanna, and the investing force withdrew. But when the Portuguese force, 
which appears to have been principally seamen, and was required elsewhere, 
sailed from Pegu, the enemy again gathered, and the siege was renewed. 
This time, however, from some superstitious dread, consequent on the 
appearance in the sky of “ fiery meteor,” the besieging army broke up and 
fled. Bibeyro now took such prudent measures, that the leading men 
among the Talaings, who only waited for a master, joined him with their 
followers, and offered to proclaim Nicote as king of Pegu. Bibeyro accepted 
the crown in his name. In the mean time, Nicote had received from the 
Viceroy the titles of Commander of Siriam, and General of the conquest of 
Pegu. He married the Viceroy’s niece, her mother being a Javanese, and 
returned to Pegu with six ships. He at once announced his reception of 
the kingdom in the name of his sovereign, and entered upon his duties as 
governor. He repaired the fort, built a church at Siriam, and marked out 
a new city, which, with prudent management might have become the capital 
of a great province under the crown of Portugal for many generations. 
