To The North-East Of This, At The Distance Of A Months Journey
Is The Kingdom Of The Turks, Containing As Many Cities, Which The King
Of Pegu Had Conquered From The King Of Cathay.
The kingdom of Bimir
is west from Ava, and is of similar extent, having 27 populous cities.
North of this is Lanjam, of equal size, with 38 cities and abounding
in gold and silver.
On the east is the kingdom of Mamfrom, equally
large, but having only 8 cities. East again from this is Cochin-China;
on the south is Siam, which was afterwards conquered by the king of
Birmah; and east of Siam is the great kingdom of Cambodia. All the
inhabitants of these kingdoms are Pagans, and the most superstitious of
all the east: Yet they believe in one only God, but in time of need have
recourse to many idols, some of which are dedicated to the most secret
acts and necessities of nature, even in the very form in which they are
acted. They hold the immortality of the soul; are zealous in giving
alms, and hold their priests in great veneration. These are very
numerous, and live according to rules like those of the Catholics in
monasteries, subsisting from day to day upon what is given them, without
laying any thing up for the next. These priests and monks eat neither
flesh nor fish, as they kill no creature whatever. They observe Lent
and Easter after the manner of the Christians; whence some have
inferred that they are some remnant of the disciples of St. Thomas,
though mixed with many errors. They wear yellow cassocks and cloaks,
with hats of oiled paper. The whole natives of these countries are
white, and their women very beautiful; but their bodies are all over
wrought with blue figures down to the knees made with hot irons. In
their manners they are very uncivilized and even brutal.
CHAPTER II.
PARTICULAR RELATION OF THE EXPEDITION OF SOLYMAN PACHA FROM SUEZ TO
INDIA AGAINST THE PORTUGUESE AT DIU, WRITTEN BY A VENETIAN OFFICER WHO
WAS PRESSED INTO THE TURKISH SERVICE ON THAT OCCASION [210].
INTRODUCTION.
Following the PORTUGUESE ASIA of Manuel de Faria y Sousa, we have
given an account of the Portuguese transactions in India in the
preceding chapter, from the year 1505 to 1539. We might have extended
this article to a much greater length from the same source, as De Faria
continues this history to the year 1640; but his work after the year
1539 is generally filled with an infinite multiplicity of uninteresting
events, petty wars, arrivals and dispatch of trading ships, and such
minute matters, unconnected and tending to no useful information. We now
take up an original document of much interest, and most directly
connected with the object of our collection, as an actual journal of a
voyage. In a separate future division of our arrangement, we propose to
give an abridged extract from De Faria of every thing his work contains
worthy of notice, as tending to discovery, but leaving out all
uninteresting details.
[Footnote 210: Astleys Collection of Voyages and Travels, I. 88.]
There are two published copies of the voyage which constitutes the
essence of our present chapter. The earliest of these was published by
Aldus at Venice in 1540, along with other tracts of a similar nature,
under the name of A Voyage from Alexandria to India[211]. The other
was given by Ramusio in the first Volume of his Collection, under the
title of A Voyage written by a Venetian officer[212] of the Gallies,
who was carried prisoner from Alexandria to Diu in India, &c. These
copies differ in several respects besides the title. That by Ramusio is
altered in several places both in the substance and diction, which in
many parts of that edited by Aldus is obscure. Yet that edition is of
use to correct some errors of the press in Ramusio. Our translation is
from the text of Aldus, but we have marked the variations in that of
Ramusio, and have likewise divided the journal into sections, as done by
Ramusio.
[Footnote 211: The title of the book published by Aldus in which this
voyage is contained is Viaggi alla Tana, Persia, India, &c. - Astley, I.
88. a.]
[Footnote 212: The word designating the rank of this officer in Ramusio
is Comito, signifying Boatswain, or the officer who superintended the
galley-slaves. - Ast. I. 88. b.]
Though not made by the Portuguese, this voyage certainly claims to be
inserted in this place, as having a near connection with their affairs;
besides which, it serves to complete the information contained in the
article next succeeding; as the present voyage was made along the
eastern side of the Red Sea, while the other was along its western side:
So that the two together give a tolerable account of the whole of that
sea; and they are in fact the more valuable, as being the only minute
journals or relations extant of voyages performed along the whole length
of the Arabian Gulf; except that by Mr Daniel in 1700, which is very
superficial. Yet geographers, with the exception of M. de Lisle, and one
or two since, seem to have made no use of these helps. It is however
very surprising that neither of these two journals take the smallest
notice of that great bay or arm at the head of the Red Sea, anciently
called the Elanitic, a little to the east of Tor or Al Tur, which
passing by the foot of Mount Sinai, penetrates a great way into Arabia.
This has been described by the Arabian geographers, and confirmed by two
eminent travellers of our own country, Dr Shaw and Dr Pococke, both of
whom have delineated it in their maps[213].
[Footnote 213: The topography of the Red Sea has been much improved by
Bruce, in his Travels in Abyssinia, and since him by Lord Valentia in
his Travels in India.
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