people.  The inhabitants of Ternate make a species of palm wine, called Seggeweer, which is excessively strong.  There are here many most beautiful birds, having feathers of all sorts of colours, charmingly diversified, which are sent to Batavia, where they are sold at high prices on account of their beauty and docility, as they may be taught to sing finely, and to imitate the human voice.  Many Birds-of-Paradise are also brought from this island.  There are several sorts of these birds.  The most common kind is yellow, having small bodies, about eight inches long exclusive of the tail, which is half a yard long, and sometimes more.  The second kind is red, the third blue, and the fourth black.  These last are the most beautiful and most in request, being called the King of the Birds-of-Paradise.  This kind has a crown or tuft of feathers on the top of its head, which lies flat or is raised up at pleasure.  In this they resemble the cadocus or cockatoo, a bird entirely white, with a yellow crown on its head.

The sixth government is Malacca, which city is the capital of a small kingdom of the same name, inhabited by Malayans or Malays.  The governor here is a merchant, and is assisted by a council like all the others.  This kingdom of Malacca is the south part of the peninsula of India beyond the Ganges, being divided from the island of Sumatra by a strait, named the strait of Malacca.  This city is of considerable size, and carries on an extensive commerce, for which it is admirably situated, and is the storehouse or emporium of all that part of India.  It is also the rendezvous of all the homeward-bound ships from Japan, which make at this place a distribution of their merchandise into various assortments, which are sent from hence to all the settlements of the company in India.  It is however subject to the great inconvenience of scarcity of provisions, having nothing of that kind except various sorts of fish.  The princes of the adjacent countries and their subjects are all notorious pirates, and give much disturbance to the trade of India; but are particularly inimical to the Dutch company, and omit no opportunity of doing all the evil in their power to its subjects.  These people suffered formerly some severe reverses from the Portuguese, who were formerly established here, and since from their successors the Dutch, which has gradually reduced their power, so that they are now much less able to carry on their depredations.  The natives of Malacca are of a very dark complexion, but brisk and active, and greatly addicted to thieving.  Some are idolaters but they are mostly Mahometans.