South America - A General History And Collection Of Voyages And Travels - Volume 7 - By Robert Kerr
 -  It produces sandal-wood and
tin; likewise elephants, horses, sheep, kine, _pardalles_ or leopards,
buffaloes, peacocks, and many other beasts - Page 98
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It Produces Sandal-Wood And Tin; Likewise Elephants, Horses, Sheep, Kine, _Pardalles_ Or Leopards, Buffaloes, Peacocks, And Many Other Beasts And Birds.

The country has but few products of value, so that its only merchandise is spices and silk.

The people are of a blackish ash-colour, and are clothed like the Mahometans of _Memphis_, otherwise called _Cayr_, _Alchayr_, or _Babylon_, on the Nile. They have very large foreheads, round eyes, and flat noses; and they are so much given to murder and robbery that it is dangerous to go abroad in the night, for they kill one another like dogs, and therefore merchants always remain on board their ships in the night. The people are fierce, barbarous, and unruly, insomuch that they will not submit to any governor, being altogether addicted to sedition and rebellion, and they always threaten to quit the country when their rulers endeavour to enforce order; which threat they are certainly able to execute, as their country is upon the sea-coast.

[Footnote 90: It is obvious from the context, that this famous river of Gaza refers to the Straits of Malacca. - E.]

[Footnote 91: The Taprobana of the ancients certainly was Ceylon. Sumatra is about 977 statute miles in length, and 200 in its greatest breadth, so that its circumference must exceed 2500 miles. - E.]

[Footnote 92: By Chini in the text is probably meant _Acheen_ in Sumatra. - E.]

We stopt no time at Malacca, but hiring a brigantine we sailed from thence for the island of Sumatra, and arrived at the city of _Pyder_ or Pedier about 80 miles from the mainland, where we found an excellent harbour. The island of Sumatra is governed by four kings, who with their people are all idolaters, and do not differ much in fashions, apparel, and manner of life from the inhabitants of Tanaserim. They are of a whitish colour with large foreheads, round eyes; and of _brasyll_? colour. They wear their hair long, have very broad and flat noses, and are of low mean stature. Their money is of gold, silver, and tin. On one side the gold coin has the head of a _devil_, and on the other a waggon or chariot drawn by elephants. The silver coin is similar, and ten of them passes for one of gold; but it requires 25 pieces of tin to equal one gold piece. In this country there are a greater number and finer elephants than in any other place I have been in. The people are by no means warlike, being entirely devoted to merchandise and gain; they use strangers with much kindness and hospitality, and justice is well administered. They have in this island great abundance of long pepper, which in their language is called _Molaga_, and is much longer and whiter than any other, yet very light and strong; it is sold by measure like corn, and is to be had in such plenty that twenty ships are loaded with it every year for _Cathay_, or China, where it is much in request on account of the coldness of the climate.

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