But they soon felt the need of stations farther east, for, as long as the Arabs held Malacca, where spices were cheaper, the intruders did not have the monopoly they desired.

Accordingly Albuquerque seized this city on the Malay Straits, [Sidenote: 1511] which, though now it has sunk into insignificance, was then the Singapore or Hong-Kong of the Far East.
Sumatra, Java and the northern coast of Australia were explored, the Moluccas were bought from Spain for 350,000 ducats, and even Japan and China were reached by the daring traders.

In the meantime posts were established along the whole western and eastern coasts of Africa and in Madagascar.

But wherever they went the Portuguese sought commercial advantage not permanent settlement.

Aptly compared by a Chinese observer to fishes who died if taken from the sea, they founded an empire of vast length out of incredible thinness.
{444} [Sidenote: Brazil] The one exception to this rule, and an important one, was Brazil.