Mallacca

Sources from old books

1638. The merchants mappe of commerce wherein by Lewes Roberts.

MALLACCA, and the Trade thereof.

Mallacca is the next Countrey to the aforenamed Siam, seated betweene the Coasts of Siam and Pegu, vpon the utmost bound of a long tract of land, on which is found the Citie of Mallacca in obedience to the Portugall, and conquered by them in 1511 and accompted the most profitable command of all India next after Ormus, which of late they have lost, and of Mosambique: it is commodiously seated on the River Gasa, which is heere 10 miles broad, (as some write) and is accounted the Staple for all India and China commodities, and hath a very great traffique to China, Moluccos, Banda, Iava, Sumatra, and all the Ilands bordering thereabouts as also to Siam, Pegu, Bengala, coast of cormandel, and other the parts of India, wherby many ships are found daily to be imployed, comming in and going out, there lading and unlading, selling, buying, and bartering the commodities of these Countries together; the Country affording of it selfe no commodities to preserve trade, but all other Countries afford to this (by reason of its proper scituation for trade) their native commodities; a ship or two comming hither yearely from Lixborne to traffique, which thence departeth 30 daies sooner then the rest, for India, and is at her returne found commonly the richest that frequent these countries: and here it is observable in navigation that the monsons or trade winds here continue West and North-west from the end of August to the end of October, and in November begins the Northerly and North-easterly winds, which blow till the beginning of April, and from May till the end of August, the South and Southwest rule, according to which, the trader hither must direct his trade and course, and take the proper season both for his comming and going.

When Albuquerke the vice-King of Portugal tooke this Citie, finding it inhabited and frequented by Merchants of sundry Nations, hee established Magistrates for both the Ethnicks, Moores, and Christians, with appeale onely reserved to the highest Soveraigne the conquerour: one remarkable passage in this conquest, I cannot omit, which was, that an inhabitant of this place of eminent note in this Citie, fighting naked in defence of himselfe and of his native Countrey, was found to bee wounded with many deepe and wide wounds; but on his arme he wore a chaine whereto was fastened the bone of a Iavan beast, called a Cabal, by vertue whereof, notwithstanding all those wounds which were many and large, he lost not one drop of blood; but when that chaine was taken from him, his veines suddenly and at once emptied themselves both of blood and life together: the riches and greatnesse of the place may by this particular then happening bee considered, whenas the Kings tenths in the sacke thereof, come to 200000 duccats of gold, the Soldiers and adventurers satisfied, besides the concealed and pilfered bootie, there found and shared by them.

The currant coines are not as yet come to my knowledge; therfore I referre the same to the better experienced.

The weight heere common in use, (as farre forth as I have collected) is the Cattee Bahar, and Pecull, wherein I find the observations made heereupon to disagree; some making but one Bahar to be here in use, and some two sorts of Bahars, as thus.

One Bahar to be 100 cattees of Malacca, and each Cattee to bee 4½ cattees of cantar and Cauchinchina which is 21 li. English, which thus estimated, must be 590 li. English.

A second Bahar they accompt to bee 200 cattees of Mallaija, which heere are 302 China cattees, and thus estimated, the same should be 400 li. English.

Againe, they have a weight called the Pecull, which is 100 cattees of China, and makes 132 li. English; but if this observation bee found true by triall, the cattee must be more then 21 li. English, which I referre to the better experienced, this is the late observation of some of our Merchants trading into these parts; but by the observation of the Portugals I find the weight to be thus.

In Mallacca they say are two sorts of weights used, a great and small, which is composed of the Bahar.

A Bahar great weight is 200 cattees, or three pices.

One pice is 66⅔ cattees.

A cattee is 26 tailes.

A taile is 1½ ounce Lisborne weight.

And by this great Bahar they weigh pepper, cloves, nutmegs, sanders, indico, allom, sanguis draconis, palo dangula, camphora, and many other commodities.

The small Bahar is also 200 cattees.

A cattee is 22 tailes.

A taile is almost an ounce, 5/8 Portugall all weight.

And by this small Bahar they weigh quicksilver, copper, vermilion, ivory, silke, muske, amber, lignum aloes, tynne, lead, benjamin, verdet, and other commodities, &c.

Againe, some observe that a taile of Mallacca is 16 masses.

And 10¼ masses is an ounce haberdepois, and 1½ ounces is 16 〈◊〉 masses, by which masses they sell Bezar stones, and some other commodities.

I should here proceed to surveigh the trade of this remaining tract and Coast, especially that of Camboia, Cauchinchina, and others but little having falne into my hand of the trade exercised there, I willingly omit the same, and next proceed to looke only upon the traffique of China it selfe, and then to the Ilands belonging to Asia.