As the old
navigators called it, the Straits of Gobernador, having the mainland of
the Peninsula and the Island of Singapore, on the one side, and the
Islands of Bintang and Batang on the other. The length of the strait is
roughly 60 geographical miles, or a little more; and I see in a route
given in the Lettres Edifiantes (II. p. 118) that the length of
navigation is so stated: "Le detroit de Gobernador a vingt lieues de long,
et est for difficile quand on n'y a jamais passe."
The Venetian passo was 5 feet. Marco here alludes to the well-known
practice with the Chinese junks of raising the rudder, for which they have
a special arrangement, which is indicated in the cut at p. 248.
NOTE 3. - There is a difficulty here about the indications, carrying us, as
they do, first 60 miles through the Strait, and then 30 miles further to
the Island Kingdom and city of Malaiur. There is also a singular variation
in the readings as to this city and island. The G.T. has "Une isle qe
est roiame, et s'apelle Malanir e l'isle Pentam." The Crusca has the
same, only reading Malavir. Pauthier: "Une isle qui est royaume, et a
nom Maliur." The Geog. Latin: "Ibi invenitur una insula in qua est unus
rex quem vocant Lamovich. Civitas et insula vocantur Pontavich." Ram.:
"Chiamasi la citta Malaiur, e cosi l'isola Malaiur."
All this is very perplexed, and it is difficult to trace what may have
been the true readings. The 30 miles beyond the straits, whether we give
the direction south-east as in G.T. or no, will not carry us to the
vicinity of any place known to have been the site of an important city. As
the point of departure in the next chapter is from Pentam and not from
Malaiur, the introduction of the latter is perhaps a digression from the
route, on information derived either from hearsay or from a former voyage.
But there is not information enough to decide what place is meant by
Malaiur. Probabilities seem to me to be divided between Palembang, and
its colony Singhapura. Palembang, according to the Commentaries of
Alboquerque, was called by the Javanese MALAYO. The List of Sumatran
Kingdoms in De Barros makes TANA-MALAYU the next to Palembang. On the
whole, I incline to this interpretation.
[In Valentyn (V. 1, Beschryvinge van Malakka, p. 317) we find it
stated that the Malay people just dwelt on the River Malayu in the
Kingdom of Palembang, and were called from the River Orang Malayu. - MS.
Note. - H.Y.]
[Professor Schlegel in his Geog. Notes, IV., tries to prove by Chinese
authorities that Maliur and Tana-Malayu are two quite distinct countries,
and he says that Maliur may have been situated on the coast opposite
Singapore, perhaps a little more to the S.W. where now lies Malacca, and
that Tana-Malayu may be placed in Asahan, upon the east coast of
Sumatra.
