of the undertaking, the enterprise must have been one of comparative facility. The Malays, when they first encountered the Europeans, had some knowledge of fire-arms and artillery; and the Portuguese writers have a fabulous story of there having been found in the town of Malacca three thousand pieces of cannon.[1] That they had the knowledge of gun-powder and fire-arms, there can be no doubt, but the unskilful use of fire-arms with barbarous tribes, who always want the art of fabricating them to any useful purpose, and the discipline to use them effectually, inevitably renders them a more easy prey to an European enemy, than when they confine themselves to the weapons more natural to their condition in society, which are always sufficiently well fabricated, and wielded with effect and dexterity.
Having given a detail of the conquest of Malacca, I shall now render some account of the mea-
- ↑ " A propos de quoi je ne puis me lenir de faire une remarque, fort necessaire pour bien entendre les relations des pais eloignez. Cest que les mots de bon, de beau, de magnifique, de grand, de mauvais de laid de simple de petit {{subst:e'}}quivoques d'eux-memes, se doivent toujours entendre par rapport au go{{subst:u^}}t de I'auteur de la relation, si d'ailleurs il n'explique bien en d{{subst:e'}}tail ce dent il ecrit. Par example, si un Facteur Hollandois, ou un Moine de Portugal, exagerent la magnificence," &c. Siam, parDe la Loubere, Tom, II. p. 107.
