Sumatra, Siam, Pegu, Bengal, Coromandel, and India--arrive ships
which come and go incessantly, charged with an infinity of
merchandises. There would be in this place a much greater number
of Portuguese if it were not for the inconvenience, and
unhealthiness of the air, which is hurtful not only to strangers,
but also to natives of the country. Thence it is that all who
live in the country pay tribute of their health, suffering from a
certain disease, which makes them lose either their skin or their
hair. And those who escape consider it a miracle, which occasions
many to leave the country, while the ardent desire of gain
induces others to risk their health, and endeavour to endure such
an atmosphere. The origin of this town, as the natives say, was
very small, only having at the beginning, by reason of the
unhealthiness of the air, but six or seven fishermen who
inhabited it. But the number was increased by the meeting of
fishermen from Siam, Pegu, and Bengal, who came and built a city,
and established a peculiar language, drawn from the most elegant
nodes of speaking of other nations, so that in fact the, language
of the Malays is at present the most refined, exact, and
celebrated of all the East. The name of Malacca was given to this
town, which, by the convenience of its situation, in a short time
grew to such wealth, that it does not yield to the most powerful
towns and regions around about. The natives, both men and women,
are very courteous and are reckoned the most skillful in the
world in compliments, and study much to compose and repeat verses
and love-songs. Their language is in vogue through the Indies, as
the French is here.

At present, a vessel over a hundred tons hardly ever enters its
port, and the trade is entirely confined to a few petty products