[2] Mr. Burnell thinks Kachchilpattanam must be an error (easy in
Malayalim) for Kavvilpattanam, i.e. Kavvayi (Kanwai in our map).
[3] As printed by Rowlandson, the name is corrupt (like many others in
the book), being given as Hubaee Murawee. But suspecting what this
pointed to, I examined the MS. in the R.A. Society's Library. The
knowledge of the Arabic character was quite sufficient to enable me
to trace the name as [Arabic], Hili Marawi. (See Rowlandson, pp.
54, 58-59, and MS. pp. 23 and 26, also Indian Antiquary, III. p.
213.)
CHAPTER XXV.
CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF MELIBAR.
Melibar is a great kingdom lying towards the west. The people are
Idolaters; they have a language of their own, and a king of their own, and
pay tribute to nobody.[NOTE 1]
In this country you see more of the North Star, for it shows two cubits
above the water. And you must know that from this kingdom of Melibar, and
from another near it called Gozurat, there go forth every year more than a
hundred corsair vessels on cruize. These pirates take with them their
wives and children, and stay out the whole summer. Their method is to join
in fleets of 20 or 30 of these pirate vessels together, and then they form
what they call a sea cordon,[NOTE 2] that is, they drop off till there is
an interval of 5 or 6 miles between ship and ship, so that they cover
something like an hundred miles of sea, and no merchant ship can escape
them. For when any one corsair sights a vessel a signal is made by fire or
smoke, and then the whole of them make for this, and seize the merchants
and plunder them. After they have plundered them they let them go, saying:
"Go along with you and get more gain, and that mayhap will fall to us
also!" But now the merchants are aware of this, and go so well manned and
armed, and with such great ships, that they don't fear the corsairs. Still
mishaps do befall them at times.[NOTE 3]
There is in this kingdom a great quantity of pepper, and ginger, and
cinnamon, and turbit, and of nuts of India.[NOTE 4] They also manufacture
very delicate and beautiful buckrams. The ships that come from the east
bring copper in ballast. They also bring hither cloths of silk and gold,
and sendels; also gold and silver, cloves and spikenard, and other fine
spices for which there is a demand here, and exchange them for the
products of these countries.
Ships come hither from many quarters, but especially from the great
province of Manzi.[NOTE 5] Coarse spices are exported hence both to Manzi
and to the west, and that which is carried by the merchants to Aden goes
on to Alexandria, but the ships that go in the latter direction are not
one to ten of those that go to the eastward; a very notable fact that I
have mentioned before.
Now I have told you about the kingdom of Melibar; we shall now proceed and
tell you of the kingdom of Gozurat. And you must understand that in
speaking of these kingdoms we note only the capitals; there are great
numbers of other cities and towns of which we shall say nothing, because
it would make too long a story to speak of all.
NOTE 1. - Here is another instance of that confusion which dislocates
Polo's descriptions of the Indian coast; we shall recur to it under ch.
xxx.
Malabar is a name given by the Arabs, and varies in its form: Ibn Batuta
and Kazwini write it [Arabic], al-Malibar, Edrisi and Abulfeda [Arabic],
al-Manibar, etc., and like variations occur among the old European
travellers. The country so-called corresponded to the Kerala of the
Brahmans, which in its very widest sense extended from about lat. 15 deg.
to Cape Comorin. This, too, seems to be the extension which Abulfeda gives
to Malabar, viz., from Hunawar to Kumhari; Rashiduddin includes Sindabur,
i.e. Goa. But at a later date a point between Mt. d'Ely and Mangalore on
the north, and Kaulam on the south, were the limits usually assigned to
Malabar.
NOTE 2. - "Il font eschiel en la mer" (G.T.). Eschiel is the
equivalent of the Italian schera or schiera, a troop or squadron, and
thence applied to order of battle, whether by land or sea.
NOTE 3. - The northern part of Malabar, Canara, and the Konkan, have been
nests of pirates from the time of the ancients to a very recent date.
Padre Paolino specifies the vicinity of Mt. d'Ely as a special haunt of
them in his day, the latter half of last century. Somewhat further north
Ibn Batuta fell into their hands, and was stripped to his drawers.
NOTE 4. - There is something to be said about these Malabar spices. The
cinnamon of Malabar is what we call cassia, the canella grossa of Conti,
the canela brava of the Portuguese. Notices of it will be found in
Rheede (I. 107) and in Garcia (f. 26 seqq.). The latter says the
Ceylon cinnamon exceeded it in value as 4:1. Uzzano discriminates
canella lunga, Salami, and Mabari. The Salami, I have no doubt, is
Sailani, Ceylonese; and as we do not hear of any cassia from Mabar,
probably the last was Malabar cinnamon.
Turbit: Radex Turpethi is still known in pharmacy, at least in some
parts of the Continent and in India, though in England obsolete. It is
mentioned in the Pharmacopoeia of India (1868) as derived from Ipomoea
Turpethum.
But it is worthy of note that Ramusio has cubebs instead of turbit.
The former does not seem now to be a product of Western India, though
Garcia says that a small quantity grew there, and a Dutch report of 1675
in Valentyn also mentions it as an export of Malabar.
