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.
