224 
‘After a tedious and haraffing paffage 
through the ‘iflands, rocks, and fhoals, 
that are feattered in the wildeft order 
‘through the firaits, we came to an an- 
chor on the 18thin Malacca roads. 
This old and once important city 1s 
even at prefent a very pretty piace. 
About two centuries ago it was the prin- 
cipal mart for commerce in this part of 
the world, but has been declining ever 
fince under the Portuguefe and Datch: 
nor can it be expected to revive now un- 
der the Englith, as Prince of Waless 
liland will anfwer all the parpofes which 
it could ferve; namely, a port for the 
China fleet to touch and refrefh at. 
It is fituated on the S. W. fide of the 
Malay peninfula, and in the third pa- 
rallel of north latitude ; yet, clofe as it 
is to the equator, it is the fineft climate 
in the Eaft Indies, co confiantly re- 
trefhed with fea and iand breezes, which 
€with: its being a narrow Sie gee and 
almoft encompaticd by the fea,) render 
it es fertile and healthy. 
The appearances of the town, the re- 
mains of a fort, anda church on a little 
green mount to the right of the town, 
are very beautiful from the roads: ey ery 
part of the furrounding country, as far 
as the eye can reach, is covered with 
groves of trees.and the Hivelieft verdure 
imaginable; even the fmall iflands and 
rocks fit tuated along the coatt, are co- 
vered to the water’s edge with flowering 
fhrubs. 
A fmall rivulet opens into the fea be- 
tween the town and fort, which it fepa- 
rates, and forms a landing-place for 
boats. The houfesin Malacca are to- 
lerably well built, in the Dutch ftle, 
“with broad and fir aight fireets: that part, 
however, inhabited by the natives and 
Oriental fettlers. is, lke moft Indian 
towns, compofed of mere fheds or wood- 
en cots, thatched over with bambvos 
and mats. 
On the fouthern fide of the little river, 
‘are the remaining walls.of a fort, which 
docs not appear to have ever been a 
place of any great ftrength, and is now 
in a moft rumous condition. A few guns 
are ranged along the brow of a beautiful 
hittle mount above the fort, which ferve 
as a faluting battery, and might repel 
erhaps a fm: ral force, 
— On the fummit of this mount flande an 
old Portuguefe chapel, built in the fix- 
teenth century, but is now in a ftate of 
dilapidation. 
Itcommands a picturcfaue view of the 
town, the adjacent country, the roads, 
Journal of a Voyage tin the Indian Seas: 
[April 1, 
and a great extent of level ocean. The 
floor is flagged entirely with tomb-ftones, 
that exhibit a melancholy catalogue. of 
the names of thofe Europeans “whom 
the {pirit of adventure, or infatiable ava- 
rice, have led to this diftant fpot 
The roof isin fome places tumbled in, 
and the walls, belfry, &c. mouldering 
fait to decay : ‘the whole having a dreary ‘y 
ferlorn appearance infide. 
We were here fapplied with great 
abundance of the moft excellent vegeta- 
bles and fruits we had yet feen in India ; 
and we were not a litle gratified and 
furprifed to find potatoes equal to any 
we had taited in Europe. There are a 
great number of Chinefe fettlers here, 
as well as in all the eaftern iflands; and 
,thefe form the moft induftrious clafs of — 
g their fhops well ftor-. 
inhabitants, having 
ed with merchandize, with which they 
Ey you on reafonable terms. 
There is a very good tavern near the 
Yani hants kept by a Dutchman, 
where one may dine very well for a dol- 
lar, and have a bed included. 
The rivers about Malacca abound 
with alligators, and the woods and j om 
gies with tigers and other wild beaits. 
The Malays, as well as the Chinefe, have 
a ftriking nationali ity, or rather fimilarity, 
i their features: one face being a pro- 
totype, as it were, of thole of the whole 
nation. 
It is well known how dangerous thofe 
people are with their pomiards, called 
crefjes, efpecially when they take opium, ° 
and run the muck, {tabbing every one 
they meet. It is faid thefe 1 weapons are 
poifoned with the celebrated juice of 
the upas tree, but I believe very few of 
them have this property. I was once 
bargaining witha Malay for one of thofe 
erefies, which he faid was deadly poi- 
foned, and in drawing it out of the feab- 
bard cut mytfelf between. the fore-finger 
and thumb, at which I was not a little 
alarmed: an old man, who was ftanding 
by opening a leaf of betel, took out a 
plece of chunam and applied it to the 
part. Whether this had any effeét or 
not I cannot tell, but I felt no more of 
the cut. 
There is fill a little trade carried on 
at this place, the principal articles of 
which are as follow : 
Imports. 
Raw and manufaciured filks from 
China. 
Opium from Bengal. 
Suz ir, cotton, &c. from Batavia and 
Bombay. 
2 Exports. 
