NOTES ON THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO AND MALACCA COMPILED FROM CHINESE SOURCES by W.P. Groeneveldt

NOTES

ON THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO AND MALACCA.

COMPILED FROM CHINESE SOURCES BY W. P. GROENEVELDT.

PUBLISHED IN THE Transactions of the Batavian Society of Arts and Sciences.

Vol. 39

BATAVIA, W. BRUINING.

THE HAGUE, M. NIJHOFF.

1876.

-6-

JAVA.

The first notice of this country is found in the itinerary of the Buddhist priest Fahien, who, in the year 400 of our era, went from China to India overland and returned by sea to his native country, on which occasion he visited Java, in 414. The book containing his travels, called "An account of the Buddhist coun-tries" (1) has been translated into French by Abel Rémusat, whilst afterwards the Rev. S. Beal has given a much improved English version of it. Of Java the writer says not much, but the account of his sea voyage is sufficiently interesting to give it in his own words.

Fahien left Ceylon on board a great merchant vessel, which carried about two hundred men. Astern of the great ship a smaller one was fast-ened, as a provision in case of the large vessel being injured or wrecked during the voyage. Having got a fair wind they sailed eastward for two days, when they encountered a storm and the ship sprang a leak. The mer-chants then wanted to rush into the smaller vessel, but the crew of that ship, fearing that it would become too crowded, cut the towing cable and fell off. The merchants were very much afraid and their lives stood in the greatest danger. Then dreading lest the leak should gain upon them, they forthwith took their goods and merchandize and cast them overboard. Fa-hien also flung overboard his waterpitcher and his washing basin, as well as other portions of his property. He was only afraid lest the merchants should throw into the sea his sacred books and images. And so, with earn-estness of heart, he invoked Avalokiteshwara and paid reverence to the Buddhist saints of China speaking thus: "I have wandered so far in search of the law; may you by your spiritual power drive back the water and cause us to reach some resting place." The gale lasted thirteen days and nights, when they arrived at the shore of an island, and, on the tide going out, they found the place of the leak; having forthwith stopped it up; they again put to sea and continued their voyage. In this sea there are many pirates, when one falls in with them, he is lost. The sea is bound-less in extent it is impossible to know east or west and one can only ad-vance by observing the sun, moon or stars; if it is dark rainy weather you

(*)Fa Xian Buddha

, Relation of the Buddhist Kingdoms (Remusat), or Records

of Buddhist countries (Beal).

59

It would seem however that their isolation was not quite complete and that the island was visited by Chinese envoys in the beginning of the 15th century, when China kept up an official intercourse with foreign countries with remarkable energy. In the History of the Ming dynasty, Book 324, we find the following notice about two places, which we are inclined to think were in the island of Bali.

Tich-li (1) lies near Java. In the year 1405 the Emperor sent there an envoy, who came back with a messenger from the king, bringing tribute. This country adheres to the doctrines of Buddha, its customs are pure, there are few litigations and its products are not many.

Dji-la-ha-ti (2) is situated near Java. In the year 1405 the Emperor sent there an envoy, who brought back an envoy from its king with tribute. The country is small and the people are acquainted with agriculture. There are no robbers and they believe also in the tenets of Buddha. Its only productions are sapanwood and pepper.

We feel inclined to apply these two passages to places on the island of Bali. in the first place on account of the special mention made of Buddhism; it is true it was rather Bramanism which prevailed in the island, but the Chinese often confound these two and it seems there was at the time more religious spirit in Bali than in the other islands. This feature, and also the purity of manners, are often mentioned of Bali by later geographers.

It must however be acknowledged that it remains very uncertain whether the above accounts really speak of Madura and Bali.

SUMATRA..

Of this island the ancient Chinese have only known the northern and the castern coast, on each of which they found an emporium for their trade, which gave its name to the whole country; though these names have changed in the course of time, they all apply on the northern coast to the present Acheen and on the eastern side to Palembang, or if not exactly to these places, at least to their immediate neighbourhood. For a long time the Chinese, as other carly travelers, were not. aware that these two places were situated on the same island, they speak of them as quite separate countries and wo will, accordingly, treat them in the same way.

()

dish

inside

Tich-li or Tih-li (Deli ?).

(3)

day

Rorschach

rule,

also Jib-ra-ha-chi.

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EASTERN COAST of SUMATRA.

Kan-da-li.

History of the Liang dynasty (502-556). Book 54.

The country of Kandali (1) is situated on an island in the southern sea; its customs and manners are about the same as those of Cambodja and Siam. It produces flowered cloth, cotton (3) and areca-nuts, these last being of excellent quality and better than those of any other country.

In the reign of the emperor Hsiau-wu of the Sung dynasty (454-464), the king of this country, Sa-pa-la-na-lin-da (3), sent a high official of the name Ta-ru-da (*), to present valuable articles of gold and silver.

In the year 502 the king Gu-dha-su-po-da-la () dreamt on the 8th day of the 4th month that he saw a Buddhist priest who said to him: China has now a holy ruler and after ten years more the law of Buddha "will greatly increase; if you send messengers to carry tribute and show "your reverence, your country will be prosperous and happy, and the foreign "merchants will visit it in numbers increased a hundred fold. If you do not "believe what I say, your country will not enjoy peace." The king, at first, could not believe this, but some time afterwards he again saw the priest in a dream, saying to him: "As you do not believe me, I must bring you there and make you see the Emperor." He then went to China in his dream and had an audience from the emperor. When he awoke he was greatly astonished, and as he was a skilful painter, he made a picture of the emperor's face as he had seen it in his dream, adorning it with various colours. He then sent an envoy, accompanied by a painter, to carry a

(1)干随利,may also be read Kandari or Kandori. We cannot identify this name, which soon disappears again, but the Chinese, who may know these things by uninterrupted tradition, all agree in saying that this is the Palembang of modern times. In Valentijn's Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indien" it is said that Sumatra was formerly called Andalus.

(1)吉貝ki-ps, sometimes, perhaps erroneously, written 古貝ku-pa, is the tran-scription of the native word for cotton, which is now in Malay kapas or kapek. At that time the Chinese themselves had no cotton yet.

(*)Savarna Rinpoche,

() Zhu Liusui,

() Qutanjiaba Tuoluo.

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The soil is barren and yields only little rice; the climate is warm and in the 4th and 5th month there are heavy rains.

Men and women have their hair in a knot and wear a short jacket with a sarong of striped stuff. They chiefly live from piracy and when they see native vessels, they go out with many hundreds of small boats to attack them; when there is a favorable wind these ships may escape, but otherwise they are plundered and the crew killed. Therefore ships are very careful in this neighbourhood.

NORTHERN COAST OF SUMATRA.

Poli.

History of the Liang dynasty (502-556). Book 54.

The kingdom of Poli (1) is situated to the south-east of Canton, on an island in the sea; the distance from Canton is two months, traveling daily. From east to west the country is fifty days broad and from north to south it has twenty days; there are one hundred and thirty six villages in it. The climate is warm, just as the summer in China; rice ripens twice a year and plants and trees are very luxuriant. The sea produces spotted conches and cauries. They have a kind of stone, called kampara (), which is soft when first taken and may be cut into figures and dried, after which it becomes very hard. The people of this country use cotton for their clothes and make also sarongs of it.

The king uses a texture of flowered silk wrapped round his body; on his head he wears a golden hat of more than one foot high, its shape resembling the one called pien (3) in China and adorned with various pre-cious stones. He carries a sword inlaid with gold and sits on a golden throne, with his feet on a silver footstool. His female servants adorn them-selves with golden flowers and all kinds of valuables, and some of them carry white feather-dusters or fans of peacock-feathers.

(1)婆利,Po-li, Pa-li, Pa-ri or Ba-ri.

(*)蚶貝羅; we have not been able to trace this name, perhaps it may be kampar, after a river found in Sumatra.

()valve,

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mentioned at all, it is continually confounded, sometimes with Persia, but mostly with Arabia: the Tung Hsi Yang K'au relates the history of Mohamed as having occurred on this coast. This can only be explained by assuming that the Arabs or Tazi, as they are called by the Chinese, have had establishments or colonies on this side of the island. Compare also Note 4, on pag. 14.

BORNEO.

The first passage relating to this island in Chinese geographical literature is found in the

History of T'ang dynasty (618-906). Book 222b. Sailing from Ch'ih-t'u (1) towards the south-west one comes to Po-lo (*). In the year 669 the king of this country sent an envoy, who came to court together with the envoy of Huan-wang (Siam).

There is of course not the slightest internal evidence that this passage relates to Borneo, but all Chinese geographers agree in assigning it to this island, which is designated by it up to the present day. We have further no means of ascertaining which part of the island was meant and here again the Chinese say it was the northern coast, from which they have derived their name for the whole island, just as we have taken Bruni or Brunci for the same purpose.

It seems that, subsequently, the Chinese have had little or no intercourse with Borneo or its inhabitants, the name of Po-lo at least disappears and the Northern Coast of Borneo is not mentioned again before the time of the Ming dynasty, when we find it under its present name of

Brunei (3).

Tung Hsi Yang K'au (1618).

Book V.

Brunei is the same as Po-lo; it is the last land of the eastern ocean and the beginning of the western sea. In the year 669 the king sent en-voys to court, together with those of Huan-wang (Siam), but since inter-course has ceased for a long time.

(1)赤土, the red soil", a place in the gulf of Siam.

(*)婆羅, may also be read Pa-la or Pa-ra.

(*) Brunei, Bun-lai.

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EASTERN PART OF THE ARCHIPELAGO.

The eastern part of the archipelago seems to have been little visited by the Chinese and their accounts of it are even more scanty than the rest and comparatively recent. They only mention Timor and the Moluccos.

Timor.

Hsing-ch'a Sheng-lan (1436).

Kih-ri Ti-mun (1) is situated at the east of Tiong-ka-lo (Madura, v. pag. 57); the mountains are covered with sandal-trees and the country pro-duces nothing else.

chief. There are twelve ports or mercantile establishments, each under a

The fields are rich and abundant; the weather is warm during day-time and cool at night.

Men and women cut their hair and wear a short dress; whilst sleeping at night they do not cover themselves.

When merchant-vessels arrive there, the women come on board to trade and many men get infected with disease; from those who get ill, eight or nine out of ten die, which is caused by the unhealthiness of the country and their secret diseases.

Articles of import are gold, silver, iron and earthenware, etc.

Tung Hsi Yang K'au (1618). Book IV.

Timor is the vulgar name for Kih-ri Timor (); this country is situa-ted at the east of Tiong-ka-lo (Madura) and is very fertile. The mountains are so covered with sandal-trees, that they cut it for firewood and its strong smell often makes people ill. The country is very warm; about noon it is necessary to sit with the face towards the water, in order to escape illness. Men and women cut their hair and wear short dresses; when they sleep at night they do not cover themselves.

()吉里地悶, the last two characters are used for Timor up to the present day, but we do not know what is meant by the prefix Kri or Kiri.

() The one who is slow and confused is mistaken for Jilidimen.