Page:Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (IA journalofstra17181886roya).pdf/232

 and that the same thing was done by all those who seemed to fly there from Bintang, with the design to seize upon the fort on the first opportunity, and restore it to him who was the lawful prince. This secret, as intended by MAHMUD, was at length divulged at Malacca, where it produced the intended effect, as the commandant, GEORGE DE ALBUQUERQUE, gave more credit to this false report than to the honest proceedings of the Bendara, who was tried and condemned as a traitor, and had his head cut off on a public scaffold. In consequence of this event, the city was left almost desolate by the flight of the native inhabitants, and was afterwards oppressed by famines.

Some time after, we find Malacca was again distressed, through the misrule of the then Governor, GEORGE DE BRITO, and others, which occasioned almost all the native inhabitants. to desert the city in order to avoid oppression. In this situa- tion, MAHMUD, the exiled king, sent a considerable force to attempt recovering his capital, under the command of CERILIGE Rajah his general. CERILIGE intrenched his army, and so pressed the besieged that the Portuguese would assuredly have been driven from Malacca, had not DON ALEXIUS DE MENEZES arrived to assume the Government, with a reinforce- ment of 300 men. MENEZES secured the safety of Malacca by supplying it with men and ammunition, and appointed ALFONSO LOPES DE COSTA to the under-government, in place of BRITO, who was dying. DUANTE DE MELO was left there with a naval force; and DUARTE COELLO was sent with an embassy and pre- sent to the king of Siam to confirm a treaty of peace and amity, and to request of him to send a colony of his subjects to inhabit Malacca, so that the Moors, whom he hated as much as the Portuguese did, might be for ever excluded from that place. All this was agreed to, and, as a testimonial of his friendship to the Christians, he caused a cross, ornamented with the arms of Portugal, to be erected in a conspicuous part of the city of Hudia, where he then resided. Having