Abst. P.
10) Gives Some Extracts From Chinese Authors, And Then Writes:
"We have
therefore to find now a place for the Molayu of I-tsing, the Malaiur of
Marco Polo, the Malayo of Alboquerque, and the Tana-Malayu of De Barros,
all which may be taken to mean the same place.
I-tsing tells us that it
took fifteen days to go from Bhoja to Molayu and fifteen days again to go
from there to Kieh-ch'a. The latter place, suggesting a native name Kada,
must have been situated in the north-west of Sumatra, somewhere near the
present Atjeh, for going from there west, one arrived in thirty days at
Magapatana; near Ceylon, whilst a northern course brought one in ten days
to the Nicobar Islands. Molayu should thus lie half-way between Bhoja and
Kieh-ch'a, but this indication must not be taken too literally where it is
given for a sailing vessel, and there is also the statement of De Barros,
which does not allow us to go too far away from Palembang, as he mentions
Tana-Malayu next to that place. We have therefore to choose between the
next three larger rivers: those of Jambi, Indragiri, and Kampar, and there
is an indication in favour of the last one, not very strong, it is true,
but still not to be neglected. I-tsing tells us: 'Le roi me donna des
secours grace auxquels je parvins au pays de Mo-louo-yu; j'y sejournai
derechef pendant deux mois. Je changeai de direction pour aller dans le
pays de Kie-tcha.' The change of direction during a voyage along the
east coast of Sumatra from Palembang to Atjeh is nowhere very perceptible,
because the course is throughout more or less north-west, still one may
speak of a change of direction at the mouth of the River Kampar, about the
entrance of the Strait of Malacca, whence the track begins to run more
west, whilst it is more north before. The country of Kampar is of little
importance now, but it is not improbable that there has been a Hindoo
settlement, as the ruins of religious monuments decidedly Buddhist are
still existing on the upper course of the river, the only ones indeed on
this side of the island, it being a still unexplained fact that the
Hindoos in Java have built on a very large scale, and those of Sumatra
hardly anything at all." - Mr. Takakusu (A Record of the Buddhist
Religion, p. xli.) proposes to place Shih-li-fuh-shi at Palembang and
Mo-louo-yu farther on the northern coast of Sumatra. - (Cf. G. Schlegel,
Geog. Notes, XVI.; P. Pelliot, Bul. Ecole Franc. Ext. Orient, II. pp.
94-96.) - H.C.]
CHAPTER IX.
CONCERNING THE ISLAND OF JAVA THE LESS. THE KINGDOMS OF FERLEC AND BASMA.
When you leave the Island of Pentam and sail about 100 miles, you reach
the Island of JAVA THE LESS. For all its name 'tis none so small but that
it has a compass of two thousand miles or more.
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