It became the site of a flourishing kingdom, and was then,
according to the tradition recorded by De Barros, the most important
centre of population in those regions, "whither used to gather all the
navigators of the Eastern Seas, from both East and West; to this great
city of Singapura all flocked as to a general market." (Dec. II. 6, 1.)
This suits the description in our text well; but as Singhapura was in
sight of any ship passing through the straits, mistake could hardly occur
as to its position, even if it had not been visited.
I omit Malacca entirely from consideration, because the evidence appears
to me conclusive against the existence of Malacca at this time.
The Malay Chronology, as published by Valentyn, ascribes the foundation of
that city to a king called Iskandar Shah, placing it in A.D. 1252, fixes
the reign of Mahomed Shah, the third King of Malacca and first Mussulman
King, as extending from 1276 to 1333 (not stating when his conversion
took place), and gives 8 kings in all between the foundation of the city
and its capture by the Portuguese in 1511, a space, according to those
data, of 259 years. As Sri Iskandar Shah, the founder, had reigned 3 years
in Singhapura before founding Malacca, and Mahomed Shah, the loser,
reigned 2 years in Johore after the loss of his capital, we have 264
years to divide among 8 kings, giving 33 years to each reign. This
certainly indicates that the period requires considerable curtailment.
Again, both De Barros and the Commentaries or Alboquerque ascribe the
foundation of Malacca to a Javanese fugitive from Palembang called
Paramisura, and Alboquerque makes Iskandar Shah (Xaquem darxa) the son
of Paramisura, and the first convert to Mahomedanism. Four other kings
reign in succession after him, the last of the four being Mahomed Shah,
expelled in 1511.
[Godinho de Eredia says expressly (Cap. i. Do Citio Malaca, p. 4) that
Malacca was founded by Permicuri, primeiro monarcha de Malayos, in the
year 1411, in the Pontificate of John XXIV., and in the reign of Don Juan
II. of Castille and Dom Juan I. of Portugal.]
The historian De Couto, whilst giving the same number of reigns from the
conversion to the capture, places the former event about 1384. And the
Commentaries of Alboquerque allow no more than some ninety years from the
foundation of Malacca to his capture of the city.
There is another approximate check to the chronology afforded by a Chinese
record in the XIVth volume of Amyot's collection. This informs us that
Malacca first acknowledged itself as tributary to the Empire in 1405, the
king being Sili-ju-eul-sula (?). In 1411 the King of Malacca himself,
now called Peilimisula (Paramisura), came in person to the court of
China to render homage. And in 1414 the Queen-Mother of Malacca came to
court, bringing her son's tribute.
![The Travels Of Marco Polo - Volume 2 Of 2 By Marco Polo And Rustichello Of Pisa
- - H.C.]
Singhapura was founded by an emigration from Palembang, itself a Javanese
colony. It became the site of a - Page 276](../images/travel.jpg)
