dent prince, and offered in
return for assistance and protection to deliver a large ship load of
rice yearly at Goa as an acknowledgement of vassalage. He urged that all
he had done was to revenge the murder of the Portuguese in _Banguel of
Dianga_ by the king of Aracan, and hinted that the vast treasures of the
king might easily be taken by a very moderate effort. This blinded the
viceroy, who immediately fitted out 14 of the largest galliots with a
fliboat and a pink, and sent them to Aracan under the command of
Francisco de Menezes Roxo, who had formerly commanded in Ceylon. Roxo
sailed from Goa about the middle of September 1615. On the 2d of October
he arrived at Aracan, the chief port and residence of the king, having
detached a galleon to _Sundiva_ to give notice to Gonzalez of his
arrival and intentions. Having opened his instructions in presence of
all the captains, they directed him to proceed against Aracan without
waiting for Gonzalez; which was highly improper, as that man knew the
country and was acquainted with their manner of fighting, besides that
the force he was able to bring was of importance. But God confounded
their councils, having decreed the ruin of that vile wretch, and of the
unjust succours that were now sent to his aid.

On the 15th of October, the Aracan fleet was observed coming down the
river to attack, so numerous that they could not be counted. The
foremost vessel was a Dutch pink, and many of the other vessels were
commanded by Hollanders. All that could be seen appeared full of men
well armed and equipped, and seemed a prodigious overmatch for the small
number the Portuguese had to oppose them, as besides the galliot sent to
Sundiva another had been dispatched in search of the pink, so that only
12 galliots remained and the fliboat. The Dutch pink fired the first
gun, and then the fight began with great fury, the Portuguese galliots
bravely advancing against the vast hostile fleet. Four of the galliots
got before the rest, and in the very beginning of the action their
captains and many of their men were slain, but the other eight came up
to their rescue, and great execution was done among the enemy, many of
whom were drowned by oversetting their vessels in their haste to escape
from the destructive fire of the Portuguese. The battle raged the whole
day, but the enemy drew off in the evening, thinking that a
reinforcement was coming to the Portuguese, as they saw the galliot
approachin