About 150 miles to the
northward of Lambri, there are two islands, one called Nocueran and the
other Angaman,[l5] in the former of which the inhabitants live like beasts,
and go entirely naked, but have excellent trees, such as cloves, red and
white sanders, coco-nuts, Brazil, and various spices in the other island
the inhabitants are equally savage, and are said to have the heads and
teeth of dogs.
[1] Probably the gulph of Siam. - E.
[2] South-west, certainly. - E.
[3] The inlands in the gulf of Siam are small, and not numerous; so that
the passage is probably corrupted; and may have been in the original,
"that, leaving the gulf of Cheinan on the north, they left infinite
islands, &c; on the south." After all, the gulf of Cheinan may mean
the whole sea of China. - E.
[4] It is difficult to say precisely what division of farther India is here
meant by Ziambar. 1500 miles would carry us to the coast of Malaya;
but 1500 li, or about 500 miles reach only to the coast of
Cochin-China, or it may be Tsiompa. Ziambar, in the editions, is
variously written Ciambau, Ciariban, and Ziambar. - E.
[5] The direction of the voyage is here obviously erroneous, it must have
been between the south and the south-west, or south-south-west. In the
Trevigi edition, the Java of this part of our text is Lava, and
according to Valentine, Lava is the name of the principal city and
kingdom in Borneo; which at all events must be the island here
mentioned by Marco. - E.
[6] According to the Trevigi edition, as reported by Pinkerton, these
islands are only seven miles from Lava or Borneo. At about seventy
miles distance to the south-west, there are two islands named Caremata
and Soorooto, which may be those mentioned in the text. - E.
[7] Called Lochach in some of the editions, and said to be 200 miles from
Sondor and Condur. Whether this may be Ma-lacca or Ma-laya, it is
impossible to determine. - E.
[8] In the Trevigi edition only five miles, and the island is called
Pentara. This may possibly be the island of Bintang in the
south-eastern entrance of the straits of Malacca. - E.
[9] Most probably the kingdom of Malacca. From the Trevigi edition
Pinkerton calls this Malonir, and curiously identifies Pepetam,
Pentara, or Pentan, as the name of the city and kingdom of Malonir or
Malaiur. - E.
[10] If right in our former conjectures, the island spoken of in the text
must be Sumatra not that now called Java. Indeed, the mention
immediately afterwards of the islands of Nocueran and Angaman 150
miles to the north, which can only he the Nicobar and Andaman islands,
establish the identity of Java-minor, here called Java the less, and
Sumatra. - E.
[11] The animal here described under the name of unicorn is the Rhinoceros
monoceros, or one-horned rhinoceros of naturalists; but the single horn
is placed a little above the nose, not on the middle of the forehead,
as here erroneously described by Marco. - E
[12] He had evidently missed the Monsoon, and had to await its return. From
this kingdom or division of the island, it probably acquired the name
of Sumatra, by which it is known in modern geography. From the
circumstance in the text of not seeing the great bear, it is probable
that Marco was stopped near the south-eastern extremity of the island.
What is here translated the great bear, Pinkerton calls, from the
Trevigi edition del Maistro. The polar star was invisible of
course. - E.
[13] Called Deragola by Pinkerton, from the Trevigi edition. - E.
[14] He here distinctly indicates the manufacture of sego. - E.
[15] Nicobar and Andaman, on the east side of the bay of Bengal; called
Necunera and Namgama in the Trevigi edition. - E.
SECTION XIX.
Of the Island of Ceylon, and various parts of Hither India.
Sailing from Angaman 1000 miles west, and a little to the south, we come to
the island of Zelan or Ceylon, which is 2400 miles in circumference; but
was anciently 3600 miles round, as appears from the former charts of the
country, the north winds having occasioned the sea to destroy a great part
of it. This is the finest island in the world, and its king is called
Sendernaz. The men and women are idolaters, and go entirely naked, except a
small cloth before them. They grow no corn except rice; and they have
plenty of oil of sesame, milk, flesh, palm wine, Brazil wood, the best
rubies in the world, sapphires, topazes, amethysts, and other gems. The
king of the island is said to have the finest ruby that ever was seen, as
long as the hand, and as thick as a mans wrist, without spot or blemish,
and glowing like a fire. Cublai-Khan once sent to purchase this ruby,
offering the value of a city for it; but the king answered that he would
not part with it for all the treasure in the world, because it had belonged
to his ancestors. The men of this island are unfit for soldiers, and hire
others when they have occasion to go to war.
There is a high mountain in Ceylon, to the top of which no one can ascend,
without the assistance of iron chains, and on which the Saracens report
that the sepulchre of Adam is situated; but the idolaters say that it is
the body of Sogomon Burchan, the first founder of idol worship, son of a
king of the island, who betook himself to a recluse life of religious
contemplation on the top of this mountain, from whence no pleasures or
persuasions could induce him to withdraw.
