On The Signal Being Given By A Furious Discharge Of Cannon,
Tristan Instantly Boarded The Admiral Ship Of The Enemy, Making Great
Havock In Her Crew Of 200 Men And Even Carried Away Her Ensign.
Ferdinand Perez With Only 13 Men In A Small Vessel Took A Galley Of The
Enemy.
Ferdinand de Lemos ran down and sunk one of the enemies ships.
Francisco de Lima having taken another set her on fire, that he might be
at liberty to continue the fight.
Emanuel Ferreyra sank three vessels,
unrigged several others, and slew great numbers of the enemy. In short,
every one fought admirably, and the whole hostile fleet fled, except
four gallies and seven smaller vessels that were burnt or sunk. Seven
hundred of the enemy were taken or slain, with the loss only of five
men on the side of the victors. The Portuguese ships waited three days
in the river to see if the enemy would return, and then carried the
joyful news to Malacca, where it could hardly be believed[382].
[Footnote 382: Though not mentioned by De Faria, the king of Acheen
appears to Jave raised the siege of Malacca after this naval
victory. - E.]
Sometime in the year 1578, four ships arrived at Goa from Portugal,
under the command of Francisco de Sousa, who immediately on landing went
to the archbishop Don Gaspar, to whom he delivered a packet from the
king. The royal orders contained in this packet were read by a cryer in
the archiepiscopal church, and announced that Don Antonio de Noronha was
deposed from the dignity of viceroy, to whom Antonio Moniz Barreto was
immediately to succeed with the title of governor. By another order,
Gonzalo Pereyra was appointed to the government of Malacca, in default
of whom Don Leonis Pereyra was substituted, and accordingly succeeded as
the other was dead.
Advice was now brought to Goa that Malacca was again in danger, as the
king of Acheen was before it a second time, assisted by the queen of
Japara. On this intelligence, Moniz desired Leonis Pereyra to set out
for his government, and Leonis demanded of him to be supplied with the
same force which Moniz had formerly required from Noronha; yet Moniz,
without considering what he had himself wrote on that subject to the
king, and that India was now free from danger, refused his request.
Leonis, to leave the new governor no excuse for his conduct, would even
have been satisfied with a much smaller force than that formerly
required by Moniz, but even that was refused him, and he went away to
Portugal refusing to assume the government of Malacca. About the end of
this year 1573, orders came from Portugal for the trial and execution of
Don George de Castro for surrendering Chale to the zamorin. He was
accordingly beheaded publicly: Yet in the year following a commission
was sent out from Portugal for employing him in another command.
Scarcely had India begun to enjoy some respite after the late troubles,
when the queen of Japara sent her general Quiaidaman to besiege Malacca
with 15,000 chosen natives of Java, in a fleet of 80 large galleons and
above 220 smaller vessels. Tristan Vaz de Vega happened to be then at
Malacca, and was chosen by common consent to assume the command,
Francisco Enriquez the former commandant being dead. Tristan Vaz sent
immediate notice to Goa of his danger; on which Moniz issued orders to
all the neighbouring places to send succours, and began to fit out a
fleet for its relief. In the mean time the Javanese army landed and
besieged Malacca. Vaz sent Juan Pereyra and Martin Ferreyra with 150 men
to drive the enemy from a post. After killing 70 of the enemy, they
levelled the work and brought off seven pieces of cannon. Pereyra
afterwards burnt 50 of their galleons, and destroyed some great engines
which they had constructed for attacking a bastion. Two other officers
in a sortie burnt the pallisades which the enemy had erected for
straitening the garrison and defending their own quarters. After this,
Pereyra going out of the river with the Portuguese vessels, besieged the
besiegers, and at Jor took a large quantity of provisions that were
going to the Javanese army. Upon these repeated misfortunes, the
Javanese embarked in great consternation, and withdrew under night; but
were pursued by Pereyra, who cut off many of their vessels in the rear.
Almost half of this great army perished by the sword or sickness in this
siege, which lasted three months.
Hardly was the army of the queen of Japara gone from Malacca when the
king of Acheen arrived before it with 40 gallies, and several ships and
smaller vessels, to the number of 100 in all, with a great train of
artillery. Tristan Vaz gave orders to Juan Pereyra in a galley,
Bernardin de Silva in a caravel, and Ferdinand de Palares in a ship,
having each 40 men, to go out of the harbour on purpose to protect a
convoy of provisions then in its way to Malacca, of which the city was
in great want. The fleet of the enemy immediately attacked them, and
soon battered all three ships to pieces. Seventy-five of the Portuguese
were slain or drowned on this occasion, forty were made prisoners, and
only five saved themselves by swimming. Only 150 men now remained in.
Malacca, of whom 100 were sick or aged. Being in want both of men and
ammunition Tristan Vaz was under the necessity of remaining very quiet;
but the enemy fearing he was preparing some stratagem against them,
raised the siege in a panic of terror when they might easily have
carried the city, after remaining before it from the beginning to the
end of January 1575. The priests, women and children of the distressed
city had implored the mercy of God with sighs and tears; and next to
God, the city owed its safety to the courage of Tristan Vaz, and to his
generosity likewise, as he spent above 20,000 ducats in its defence.
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