Miscellaneous papers relating to Indo-China and the Indian Archipelago : second series, 1887, JRASSB [ a ]
© denotes Chinese characters
SUMATRA.
Of this island the ancient Chinese have only known the northern and the eastern 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 early travellers, were not aware that these two places were situated on the same island, they speak of them as quite separate countries, and we will, accordingly, treat them in the same way.
Eastern Coast of Sumatra.
KAN-DA-LI.
History of the Liang Dynasty (502—556). Book 54.
“ The country of Kandali* 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† 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,‡ sent a high official of the name of 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 hundredfold. 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
* ©©©, 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 this is the Palembang of modern times. [This view is confirmed by P. A. van der Lith in the Notes to his edition of the “ Kitâb 'Ajâib el Hind,” p. 249. See also M. d’ Hervey de St. Denys, 1 . 1 ., p. 452]. In Valentijn's “Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indien ” it is said that Sumatra was formerly called Andalus. There is a place called Kendari on the eastern coast of Celebes at Vosmaer-bay, but even if it already bore this name, it is quite improbable that a Hindoo settlement has ever existed there. Dr Kern (see page 12 of his essay quoted on page 135) thinks that Kandali means Pulu Condore, near Saigon, but his assumption is untenable for various reasons:
(1) this island was already known to the Chinese under the name of K’un-lun ; (2) the native name is Kon-non, and Condore a foreign corruption, thus the Chinese could never have transcribed it with Kandali ; (3) this small rocky island can never have been the seat of anything like a Hindoo kingdom. Without being unduly positive, I prefer to follow my Chinese sources here.
† ©© ki-pa, sometimes, perhaps erroneously, written ©© ku-pa, is the transcription of the native word for cotton, which is now in Malay kapas or kapeh. At that time the Chinese themselves had no cotton. [See p. 142, note §.]
‡ ©©©©©© Nalinda is probably a transcription of the Sanscrit Narendra (king). See Kern, op. cit. pag. 12.
§ ©©©.
║ ©©©©©©
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 letter to the emperor and present precious stones and other things. When the envoys had arrived, they made a picture of the emperor, which they took home to their country, and, comparing it with the original drawing, it was found to be exactly the same. The king now mounted this picture on a precious frame, and honoured it more and more every day.*
“ Some time afterwards the king died, and his son Pi-ya-pa-mo † came to the throne. In 519 he sent a high official, called Pi-yen-pa-mo,‡ to present a letter of the following contents: ‘To the ever victorious emperor, who is world-honoured as the different Buddha’s, ever happy and quiet ; who possesses the six supernatural
talents and the three stages of wisdom, who is the most exalted on earth and is as Tathâgata himself. He takes care of the true light (Bôdhi) and of the relics of Buddha’s body, making pagodas and images all over his country, so that it looks imposing as the mountain Sumêru. His cities and villages are covered with houses ; the dwellings of his functionaries in towns and suburbs are as the palaces in Indra’s heaven. Numerous are his soldiers, and able to subdue all his enemies ; his country is quiet and happy, exempt from all disasters. His people are harmonious and good, they have been renovated by the true law, and the happiness resulting from this is pervading everywhere; just as a mountain covered with snow, of which the water flows down on all sides : fresh and clear, all the rivulets are filled with it, they meander in every direction, but dutifully bring it to the sea, all living creatures meanwhile enjoying it; of all countries in the world, China certainly must be named first.
“ ‘ The Son of Heaven, at Yang-chou, § in the great Liang country, overshadows the earth with his benevolence, and the influence
* About this story we find the following sensible observations in the Wen Hsien T’ung-kau of the celebrated Ma Tuan-lin, published in 1319 : —
“ The Emperor Wu, of the Liang dynasty, was a great admirer of Buddhism ; this was known in and out of China, and when, in his time, envoys from Kandali came to bring tribute, crafty ministers and priests introduced them with this story, in order to flatter him ; it is not that the thing is really true.
“ The barbarians of the islands only brought tribute, because they sought the advantages of trade and the imperial presents, but they did not come because they really had a sentiment of their duty, and if they were told to say something to please the emperor, they would certainly do so. Moreover, this king was himself a follower of Buddha, who therefore was glad to see his religion established in China, and perhaps he has conceived this idea himself in order to meet the wishes of the emperor [1. 1., p. 453].”
† ©©©©.
‡ ©©©©.
§ ©©, at that time the capital of China.
of his virtue is like that of heaven ; though he is a man he may be said to be a God who has come down to protect the world, accumulating merit and virtue, and saving the world with great compassion. He is my high master, his dignity is perfect, and therefore I revere and honour him with the utmost sincerity.
“ At the feet of the Son of Heaven I prostrate myself and ask after his welfare; I present respectfully golden fu-yung * flowers, different perfumes, medicines and other things, hoping you may deign to accept them.
“ In the year 520 the same king sent again an envoy to present as tribute products of his country.”
It is probable that the Chinese have given the above account from what was told them by the natives, but did not themselves visit the country at this early date. Even its importance for trade seems to have diminished, or faded altogether, for during the following centuries, after the Chinese had already traded in Java a long time, the eastern coast of Sumatra is not mentioned by them, and it is only towards the end of the 10th century that we find it again, but under a new name.
SAN-BO-TSAI.
History of the Sung Dynasty (960—1279). Book 489.
“ The kingdom of San-bo-tsai † is one of the southern barbarians ; it is situated between Camboja and Java, and rules over fifteen different countries.
“ Its products are rattan, red kino, ‡ lignum-aloes, areca-nuts and cocoa-nuts. They use no copper cash, but their custom is to trade in all kind of things with gold and silver. During the whole year the weather is mostly hot and seldom cold, in winter they have no frost or snow. The people rub their bodies with fragrant oil. The country does not produce barley, but they have rice and green and yellow peas. Their poultry, geese and ducks are about the same as in China.
* ©©©, golden mallows (Hibiscus mutabilis). I do not know whether it was these flowers imitated in gold, or a peculiar species of this ornamental plant, which has always been much valued in China.
† 三©© Arab travellers of the 9th century speak of the island Sarbaza, which was subject to the king of Zabedj =Ya-ba-di or Java. Sar-ba-za and San-bo-tsai of course represent the same name, both perhaps with a not quite correct transcription. Vide “Relation des voyages fails par les Arabes et les Persans dans l'Inde et a la Chine dans le IX. siecle,” traduite par Reinaud, Paris, 1845, p. 93. [The identification has since been fully discussed by Professor A. P. van der Lith, 1.1., pp. 231-52].
‡ ©©, the Buddhist name for the red kino, made from the sap of the Butea frondosa in India. Wells Williams, “Syllabic Dictionary,” p. 463.
“ They make wine from flowers, cocoa-nuts, penang or honey, which are all intoxicating, though they use no leaven or yeast.
“ For their music they have a small guitar and small drums ; slaves from Pulu Condore* make music for them by tramping on the ground and singing.
“They write with Sanscrit characters, and the king uses his ring as a seal ; they know also Chinese characters, and when presenting letters with tribute they make use of them.†
“ They have made a fortified city with a wall of piled bricks, several tens of li ‡ in circumference, and they use palm leaves for covering their houses. The people live scattered outside the town, and do not pay any taxes. When they have a war, they at once select a chief to lead them, and everybody provides his own arms and provisions. With a favourable wind the distance from this country to Canton is twenty days.
“The king is styled Chan-pi, § and in his country there are many people whose names begin with Pu (lit. whose family name is Pu).
“ Towards the end of the T’ang dynasty, in the year 905, they sent tribute, and the envoy, who was chief of their capital, got from the emperor the title of the General who pacifies the Distant Countries.
“ In the 9th month of the year 960 Si-ri-hu-ta-hia-li-t’an ║ sent an envoy to bring tribute, which he repeated in the summer of the next year. In the winter of the same year tribute was offered by
a king of the name Si-ri-wu-ya.¶
“In the spring of the year 962 the king Si-ri-wu-ya sent an embassy of three envoys to bring tribute. They brought back tails of the Yak (Bos grunniens or poephagus), white porcelain, silver utensils, silk thread, and two sets of saddle and bridle.
“ In the year 971 one of the former envoys was sent to present
* ©©奴, Slaves from Condore seems to have been a general name for slaves, which the Malays probably got from this island and from the other islands in the south of the Chinese Sea ; the dance here described is practised even now by the natives of the Natuna and Tambilan islands.
† It is not probable that the natives knew Chinese, but we may infer from this statement that there were already Chinese established in the country, who wrote for the king the letters accompanying his tribute.
‡ 里. Ten li is about three miles.
§ ©©. Our author probably makes a mistake here. We shall see, by-and-by, that San-bo-tsai was for a long time the principal port on this side of the island, but that probably Palembang and Jambi existed long before San-bo-tsai was destroyed ; we think that the author has heard the name of Raja Jambi, i.e. the king of Jambi, and that he has mistaken the name of the country for the name of the king.
║ ©©©大©里©.
¶ ©©©©.
crystals and lamp-oil; in the next year he came again, and in 974
they brought as tribute ivory, olibanum, rosewater, dates and flat
peaches, white sugar, crystal finger-rings, glass bottles and coraltrees.
The next year new envoys came, who were presented with
caps and girdles.
“In the year 980 their king, Ha-ch’i (Haji or Aji),* sent an
envoy, and in the same year it was reported from Clfiauchou, that
a foreign merchant from San-bo-tsai had arrived in that port with
a cargo of perfumes, medicines, drugs, rhinoceros-horns and ivory ;
as the wind had been adverse he had been sixty days coming to
Ch’au-chou. His perfumes and drugs were all carried to Canton.
f
“ In the year 983 their king, Ha-chi, J sent an envoy, who brought
a tribute of crystal, cotton-cloth, § rhinoceros-horns, perfumes and
drugs.
“ In the year 985 the master of a ship came and presented
products of his country.
“In 988 an envoy arrived for the purpose of bringing tribute,
and in the winter of 992 information was received from Canton
that this envoy, who had left the capital two years ago, had heard
in the south that his country was invaded by Java, and had therefore
remained a year. In the spring of 992 he had gone to
Champa with his ship, but hearing no good news there he came
back to ask for an imperial decree in order that his country might
follow his lead.
“ In the year 1003 the king Se-li-chu-la-wu-ni-fu-ma-tiau-hwa
||
sent two envoys to bring tribute ; they related that in their country
a Buddhist temple had been erected in order to pray for the long
life of the emperor, and that they wanted a name and bells for it,
by which the emperor would show that he appreciated their good
intentions. An edict was issued by which the temple received the
name of Ch’eng-t’ien-wan-shou,^[ and bells were cast to be given
to them. Moreover one of the envoys got the title of the General
who is attracted by Virtue, and the other that of the General who
cherishes Civilizing Influence.**<br>
* ©©.
† That the arrival of a foreign ship was specially reported to the Emperor, does not necessarily show that it was a rare occurrence, but it was probably done because Ch’au-chou (Swatow) was not open to foreign trade. It seems that this ship put into Ch'au-chou by stress of weather, and it next was sent to Canton, where it should have gone at first.
‡ ©©, the same name as under,* but written with other characters.
§ ©©©, we are unable to say what kind of cotton-cloth is meant here.
║ ©©朱©©©©©©©.
¶ ©无矢©©.
** ©©©© and ©化©©.
†‡§║¶©
<br>
“In the year 1008 the king Se-ri-ma-la-p’i # sent three envoys
to present tribute ; they were permitted to go to the T’ai-shanf
and to be with the emperor in the audience-hall. Ultimately they
were sent back with very liberal presents.
“In 1017 the king Ha-ch’i-su-wu-ch’a-p’u-mi J sent envoys with
a letter in golden characters, and tribute in the shape of pearls,
ivory, Sanscrit books folded between boards, § and slaves; by an
imperial edict they were permitted to see the emperor and to visit
some of the imperial buildings. When they went back an edict
was issued addressed to their king, accompanied by various
presents calculated to please him.
“In 1028, the 8th month, the king Si-li-tieh-hwa || sent envoys
to carry tribute. The custom was that envoys from distant
countries, who brought tribute, got a girdle adorned with gold and
silver, but this time girdles entirely of gold were given to them.
“In 1067 an envoy, who was one of their high chiefs, called
Ti-hwa-ka la,^[ arrived in China ; the title of Great General who
supports Obedience and cherishes Renovation, ## was given to him,
and he was favoured with an imperial edict of the following contents
:
‘ Our reputation and Our teachings overshadow all
countries, whether far or near, and if their people are only loyal
and dutiful, We always give them Chinese titles, favouring them
with fine names in order to distinguish their countries. You have
gladly obeyed Our high influence and come across the sea to bring
valuable articles as tribute ; We praise you for this, and have raised
your rank in order to give an encouragement to loyalty and dutifulness.’
“ During the period Yiian-fung (1078—1085) envoys came from
this country, again bringing silver, pearls, camphor-oil, olibanum
and other products of the country. The letter they brought was
first forwarded to the court from Canton, where they waited until
they were escorted to the capital. The emperor remembering that
they had come very far, gave them liberal presents, and then
allowed them to return. The next year he gave them 64,000 strings
of cash, 15,000 taels of silver, and favoured the two envoys who
had come with honorary titles. One of these envoys asked permission
to buy golden girdles, various things made of silver, purple<br>
190<br>
* ©©©©皮
† ©山, one of the sacred mountains in China, province of Shan-tung.
‡ ©©©©©
§ ©©© ; our translation is subject to doubt.
║ ©©©© ; perhaps Sri Dewa.
¶ ©©©©, Dewa Kala ?
** ©©©化 大©©
†‡§║¶©
dresses for Buddhist monks and official tablets,* all which was
given him according to his desire.
“In the year 1080 a foreigner from the south arrived at Canton;
he said that he had the direction of the affairs in his country, and
the daughter of the king sent a letter in Chinese characters to the
superintendent of trade, together with camphor-baros and cottoncloth.
The superintendent dared not receive this, and he reported
it to the throne, whereupon he was ordered to pay the estimated
value of the goods ; the said functionary then bought silks for the
amount and gave these to them.
“In 1082 three envoys from this country came to have an
audience from the emperor, and brought golden lotus-flowers
containing pearls, camphor-baros and sa-tien ;f they all received
honorary titles, according to their rank. The third envoy died in
China after he had left the capital, and the government gave a
present of fifty pieces of silk for his burial.
“In 1083 three other envoys came, who all received honorary
titles, according to their rank.
“In the period Shau-sheng (1094—1097) they made their
appearance once again.
“In the year 1156 the king Si-li-ma-ha-la-sha t sent envoys to
bring tribute. The Emperor said :
‘ When distant people feel
themselves attracted by our civilizing influence, their discernment
must be praised. It is therefore that I rejoice in it, but not
because I want to benefit by the products of their country.’ On
this occasion the king had also sent pearls to be presented to one
of the ministers, who had however died in the meantime ; the
emperor gave orders to receive them, and to pay in return the
estimated value.<br>
“In the year 1178 they again sent envoys to bring as tribute
products of the country: on this occasion the emperor issued an
edict ordering that they should not come to court any more, but
make an establishment at Ch’iian-chou in the province of Fukien.”
The above account does not teach us much about the country
it treats of, but still we have thought it advisable to translate it in
extenso, as it contains much information on the intercourse which
was carried on between China and the countries of these parts
during the time. What we said above, on p. 129, about the tribute
of which the Chinese always speak, is fully carried out by the
details given here. The ceremony of bringing tribute to the
emperor was only a pretext to gain facilities for the trade, and the<br>
* ©© ; the meaning of these words is doubtful.
† ©© ; we have been unable to find out the meaning of these words.
‡ ©©©© Sri Maharadja ; the text has 陀 instead of © but this is probably a misprint, which we correct without hesitation.
†‡§║¶©
<br>
princes of the eastern coast of Sumatra largely availed themselves
of it, for this tribute was brought by them many times more than
is recorded in the account translated by us, where only those
instances are mentioned on which the historian had something
remarkable to tell ; but in the biographies of the different emperors
we meet also with a careful record of other visits, which have not
found a place here. It appears also that at last the Chinese began
to find these compliments rather expensive, and relegated their
foreign friends to Ch’iian-chou, to trade there in the ordinary
way.
In transcribing the names of the different kings, the old Mandarin
pronunciation has been followed, because these names were
written down at court and not carried to China by merchants from
southern China ; we are however but very insufficiently acquainted
with the pronunciation of that period, and so our transcription may
often not be quite correct. This is perhaps one of the causes
why many of these names look so strange, and cannot be brought
back to their original native sound. For the same reason we have
omitted the names of the different envoys, which are all given in
the Chinese text ; as they could not be identified they were of no
use, and would only have bewildered the reader.
The house of Sung was driven from the throne of China by the
Mongols who reigned under the name of Yiian, but it seems that
these did not occupy themselves any more with the southern
countries after their unsuccessful expedition against Java; the
history of this dynasty says nothing of the other islands, and it was
only after its expulsion from China that the former official intercourse
was resumed again.<br>
<br>
History of the Ming Dynasty (1368—1643). Book 324.<br>
“ San-bo-tsai, # formerly called Kandali, for the first time sent
envoys with tribute in the reign of the emperor Hsiau-wu of the
former Sung dynasty (454—464) ; during the reign of the emperor
Wu of the Liang dynasty (502—549) they came repeatedly, and in
the time of the second Sung (960—1279) they brought tribute
without interruption.
“In the year 1370 the emperor sent an envoy to command the
presence of this country; and in the next year the king, who was
called Maharaja Prabhu,f sent envoys with a letter written on a
golden leaf, and bringing a tribute of black bears, cassowaries,
peacocks, parrots of various colours, different kinds of perfumes,<br>
192<br>
* 三©©, see above, p. 187.
† 马©©©© Ma-ha-la-cha-pa-la-pu.
pi-cloth, # blankets of woollen cloth,f and many other articles.
The emperor ordered to give them a copy of the imperial calendar,
and pieces of silk according to their rank. At the same time the
Board of Revenue reported that a vessel with merchandize,
belonging to them, had arrived at Ch’iian-chou and wanted to
make it pay duties, but the emperor gave orders not to let it
pay- £
“ In the year 1373 the king Tan-ma*sa-na-ho§ sent envoys to
bring tribute, with a separate letter of congratulation for the next
new year.
“ At that time there were three kings in this country.
“ In 1374 the king Ma-na-ha-pau-lin-pang j] sent envoys to
bring tribute, which was repeated in the first month of the next
year.
“ In the ninth month of the year 1375 a king called Sang-kaliet-
yii-lan^[ sent envoys to present tribute; these envoys came to
court following an imperial envoy who returned from a mission to
another country.
“ In the year 1376 the king Tan-ma-sa-na-ho died and his son,
Ma-la-cha Wu-li ## succeeded him; the next year the latter sent a
tribute of rhinoceros-horns, cassowaries, white monkeys, black
and green parrots, tortoise-shell, cloves, camphor-baros and other
articles. 'The envoys said that the son dared not ascend the
throne on his own authority, and therefore asked the permission of
the Imperial court. The emperor praised his sense of duty and
ordered envoys to bring him a seal and a commission as king of
San-bo-tsai.
“At that time however San-bo-tsai had already been conquered
by Java, and the king of this country, hearing that the emperor
had appointed a king over San-bo-tsai, became very angry and
sent men who waylaid and killed the imperial envoys. The
emperor did not think it right to punish him on this account.<br>
M' 'ffl ? [See M. d’Hervey de Saint-Denys, 1 . 1 ., p. 539, note 141].
^ ^ 1 to-lo, blankets : the same word, with the first character
changed into Pj> , is now used for Spanish stripes [ib., p. 474, note 33].
+ We have here a direct proof that the envoys, who brought tribute, were
at the same time engaged in trade.
'' Hi) 1X ^15 5 the three last syllables remind us forcibly of
Palembang, and would seem to strengthen our supposition (v. p. 199) that,
whilst San-bo-tsai was the chief place on the coast, Palembang and Jambi
existed already as more or less independent states.
B jjjf) ^ XjA jJJ , probably Maharaja Wuli.
SECOND SERIES.—VOL I.<br>
†‡§║¶©
“ After this occurrence San-bo-tsai became gradually poorer,
and no tribute was brought from this country any more.
“ In 1397 the officers of the Board of Rites memorialized the
emperor, saying that the different barbarians had not brought
tribute long since.
‘‘The emperor replied as follows: 4 In the beginning of my
reign the different barbarians continually sent envoys with tribute;
amongst these were Annam, Champa, Camboja, Siam, Java,
Liukiu, San-bo-tsai, Bruni (northern coast of Borneo), Pahang
(on the Malay peninsula,), Sumatra (the northern coast of the
island), and many other countries ; but lately San-bo-tsai has
availed itself of the rebellion of Hu Wei-yung, and by deceitful
representations enticed our envoys to their country, and the king
of Java, having heard of this, sent men to point out to them
that they were misled, and sent them back with great politeness.
# Since that time the commercial intercourse has been
stopped.<br>
<br>
“ ‘The different countries are not of the same mind ; Annam.
Champa, Camboja, Siam and Liukiu appear at court and bring
tribute as before, and moreover Liukiu has sent young men to
study here. Whenever the barbarian countries send envoys, they
are always treated with politeness, and I am not at all indifferent
towards them ; but at present I do not know their mind.
“ ‘If we send messengers to Java now it is to be feared that
San-bo-tsai will stop them on their way. I understand thac this
San-bo-tsai was originally a country belonging to Java.
“ ‘ You now may take my views and communicate them to
Siam, with orders to bring them to the knowledge of Java.’
“On this the ministers of the Board sent a letter saying : ‘As
long as heaven and earth have been, the difference between ruler
and subject, between high and low, has existed. The countries
on all sides of China are united in one by our government, and
formerly the different barbarians from over the sea came regularly
to enjoy its influence ; but now San-bo-tsai has got bad intentions,
it has deceived our trusty envoys and made itself guilty of
treachery. Our holy emperor treats all the barbarians wTith the
same benevolence and justice, how dare they then be ungrateful
for these high favours and forget the duties of a subject towards
his prince ? If the wrath of the emperor is aroused, he may send
an army of a hundred thousand men to carry into execution the
punishment of heaven, as easily as turning his hand ; why do
not the barbarians recollect this ? Our holy emperor has said
that Annam, Champa, Camboja, Siam and Liukiu observe their
duties as subjects, but San-bo-tsai alone turns itself against his<br>
* The imperial statement of the case is not quite correct ; perhaps the
emperor’s pride could not openly avow that his envoys had been killed.<br>
holy instructions ; though it is smaller than those countries, it
ventures to be obstinate and so will cause its own ruin.
“ £ As you, Siam, reverently observe the duties of a subject, so
that the government ordained by heaven has great regard for
you, it has been entrusted to you to inform Java that it must
speak to San-bo-tsai about its duties, and if this latter country
changes its evil ways, it will be received kindly as before.’
“ At that time Java had completely conquered San-bo-tsai and
changed its name to Ku-kangA When San-bo-tsai went down
the whole country was disturbed, and the Javanese could not keep
ali the land ; for this reason the Chinese, who were established
there, stood up for themselves, and a man fromNan-hai (Namhoi)
in Canton, called Liang Tau-ming,f who had lived there a long
time and roamed over the sea, followed by several thousand men
from Fukien and Canton, was taken by them as their chief. He
reigned as master of a part of the country, and his son, who once
met an imperial envoy sent on a mission out of China, was taken
by the latter to the court.
“ In the year 1405 the emperor sent a messenger, who was from
the same town as Liang Tau-ming, with an order summoning him
to court. Tau-ming and his confederate, Cheng Po-k’o, J followed
this envoy and brought as tribute products of the country. They
returned bestowed with many presents.
“ In 1406 the (Chinese) chief of Ku-kang, called Ch’en Tsu-i. §
sent his son, whilst Tau-ming sent his nephew, to go to court
together. Tsu-i was also a man from Canton, and though he sent
tribute to court, he carried on piracy at the same time, and the
envoys from other countries who brought tribute to China,
suffered much at his hands.<br>
<br>
“In 1407, when the imperial envoyChengHo came backfrom the
west, he sent a messenger to call him ; Tsu-i feigned obedience but
secretly made plans to rob him too. Another Chinese, of the name
Shih Chin-ch’ing,|| informed Cheng Ho of this, and when Tsu-i
came to attack him, he was made a prisoner, brought to the capital
and executed there. At the same time Chin-ch’ing sent his sonin-
law to bring tribute, on which the emperor gave an order to
institute the office of Pacificator of Ku-kang, and appointed<br>
<br>
tllr Ku-kang, “the Old River,” is the Chinese name for Palembang
up to the present day.
+ m it HJ • t 15 pj •
§ jpl lH? • We see here that there was a Chinese chief at Ku-kang
and another at San-bo-tsai, therefore these two were different places, which
question we will discuss at the end of this account.
»%£!$•
^ Irf fff. ^ p] • Compare p. 169, mote.J.<br>
Chin-ch’ing to it
; a seal, a bat and girdle were given to him by
imperial command, and since that time tribute was brought repeatedly.
Though Chin-ch’ing had received a commission from
the emperor, he was at the same time subject to Java; his territory
was not large and could not be compared to the old Sanbo-
tsai.
“ In 1424 the son of Chin-ch’ing, called Shih Chi-sun,* reported
that his father had died, and asked permission to succeed him,
which was granted. In 1425 he sent envoys to bring tribute,
who stated that the old seal had been destroyed by fire, on which
the emperor ordered a new one to be given him. After this their
tribute gradually became more rare.
“ Towards the end of the period Chia-ching (1522 — 1566), the
famous Cantonese robber, Chang Lien,f made a disturbance, and
after some time the military officers reported that they had captured
him ; in the year 1577 traders who came to Ku-kang saw that this
man had there a large commercial establishment (lit. a row of
shops), and was chief of the native ships ; a large number of
Chinese from Fukien were attached to him, and he was like a
superintendent of trade in China.<br>
<br>
This country is a place of much importance for the trade of
the barbarians; it is situated at the west of Java, from where, with
a fair wind, the passage takes about eight days. The country is
divided into fifteen districts, the soil is fertile and fit for agriculture,
and there is a saying :
‘ If you plant rice one year, you have
gold for three,’ meaning that the harvest is abundant and may be
sold for much money.
“ The rich people are much given to sensuality.
“ 'Fhe inhabitants of this country are skilled in fighting on the
water, and therefore their neighbours fear them.
“ The country is rich in water ; only the chiefs live on the
land, whilst the common people dwell on the river ; for this
purpose they build their houses on rafts, which are fastened
to poles in such a way that, when the tide rises, the rafts are
lifted up without being flooded. When they want to remove
to another place they have only to pull up the poles, which
does not cost much money or labour. 1
“ The lower classes call their superiors by the title of Chan-pi,j
which means the same as sovereign of the country. Afterwards
the place where their first chief lived, was called Chan-pi
(Jambi) also.<br>
196<br>
1 [See the account in the Notes by Van der Lith, 1 . 1 ., p. 247.]
if#- See note § on page 16S. The explanation of Chan-pi in this
article, is probably a repetition of tire error we pointed out there.<br>
</td>
“ The country has changed its old capital for Ku-kang (Palembang)
; formerly it was a rich country, but since the conquest
by Java it has gradually become poorer, and few trading-vessels
go there. Its customs and products have been described in the
history of the Sung Dynasty.”
In the beginning of the 15th century the eastern coast of
Sumatra was also visited by the famous imperial envoy Cheng-
Ho (s. above, p. 167), and one of his followers (s. above, p. 170)
has given us the following account of the country, which has
evidently been used also by the authors of the history of the
Ming dynasty.<br>
Ying-yai Sheng-lan (1416).<br>
“ Ku-kang is the same country which was formerly called Sanbo-
tsai ;
it is also called Palembang,# and is under the supremacy
of Java. It borders on Java at the east and on Malacca at the
west, in the south are large mountains, and in the north it extends
to the sea. From whatever place ships come they enter the
Strait of Banka f at the Fresh-water river,! and near a place with
many pagodas built of bricks, after which the merchants go up the
river in smaller craft, and so arrive at the capital.
“ A large number of the inhabitants are people from Canton,
Cbang-chou and Ch’iian-chou,§ who have run away and established
themselves here. The people of this country are very
rich, the soil being most fertile, and there is a proverb saying :
‘ when one sows for one year, he can recolt for three/ which is
not at all exaggerated.
“ The country is not large. The people exercise themselves
much in fighting on the water, and as there is more water than
land only the houses of the chiefs stand on shore, whilst the rest
of the people build their houses on rafts, which are attached to
piles, so that they rise with the water and cannot be flooded.
When they want to go and live in another place they pull up the
piles and remove with their whole house, which is very convenient.
. .
“ The river has two flood-tides every day.
“ The manners and customs, the marriage and burial ceremonies,
as well as the language, are all about the same as in Java.<br>
#
fjf
a « = ft w m & 4 m 1 m
IE
4. tfey IT
+ Wi? } T’an-kang must have been the Chinese name for the Palembang
river.
§ m * » u n 3 the two latter places in the province of Fukien.<br>
“Formerly, in the period Hung-wu (1368—1398), a Cantonese
called Ch’en Tsu-i, along with some others, ran away with his
whole family to this place, where he set up as a chief, and being
of a very bad disposition he plundered all the merchant-ships
passing there. In 1407 the government envoy, Cheng Ho, arrived
here with a fleet, and another Cantonese, called Shih Chin-ch’ing,
came to give information about the wicked intentions of Ch’en
Tsu-i ; the envoy thereupon took the latter alive and sent him to
the capital, where he was punished by death. Shih Chin-ch’ing
got a cap and a girdle, and was allowed to go back as the chief of
Ku-kang and to rule the country ; when he died he had no son,
so his daughter came in his place, and rewards, punishments, depositions
and appointments were all made by her.*
“ The products of the country are lignum-aloes in different qualities,
yellow wax, benzoe and other articles, all of them not found
in China. Benzoe looks as if it were inlaid with silver ; it has the
appearance of dark glue, with white wax inside, the better sorts
having much white and little black ; when it is burned the smell
is very strong, and the natives, as well as the men from Soli,+ like
it very much.
“ There is a bird from which the so-called crane-crests are taken
;
it is as large as a goose, with black feathers, a long neck and a
pointed bill. Its skull is about an inch thick, outside red and
inside like yellow wax ;
it has a very fine appearance and is called
crane-crest ; J they use it for the handles and scabbards of their
swords, and for different other purposes.
“Here also is found the cassowary, § which is as large as a
crane ; it has a round body and a thin neck, longer than that of<br>
198<br>
* This does not quite agree with the account in the History of the Ming
dynasty (v. above p. 196), but the contradiction is only apparent. Shih Chinch'ing
was appointed chief of the Chinese at Palembang in 1407, and in the
same year he sent his son-in-law to the capital of China, probably because he
had no son, or, at least, not one of sufficient age. When Ma Hwan, the author
of the Ying-yai Sheng-lan, visited Palembang, which was before 1416, he found
Chin-ch’ing dead, and succeeded by his daughter. This change was not made
known to the Chinese court before 1424, when a son of Chin-ch’ing, who either
was very young at the time of Ma Hwan’s visit, or may have been adopted after
that time, had taken his father’s place and came to ask the imperial sanction.
f We have stated above that Soli was a country somewhere in India (v. pag.
166), and the men from Soli, meant here, probably were the Klings of the
present day.
* t§ JI-
.
This bird is not a crane, but the buceros, characterised by a
large beak, with an excrescence on the top of it, which is generally hollow, but
solid with some species ; even now it is much used in Canton, where brooches
and other ornaments for the European market are cut out of it.
§ % the fire-fowl ; this name has been afterwards applied to the turkey,
which is now designated by it. The cassowary is not found on Sumatra,<br>
the crane ; its soft red crest is like a red cap, and begins on both
sides of the neck ; the beak is sharp and the whole body is
covered with hair as of a goat ; sparse, long, and of a greenish
colour. It has long legs, with hard, black claws, which are very
sharp, so that it can rip open a man’s belly until the entrails come
out and death follows. It likes to eat burning coals, whence its
name. It is impossible to kill it with a stick.
“ In the mountains of this country a supernatural animal is
found, called the divine stag. # It looks like a large pig, and is
about three feet high ; the forepart of the body is black, the hind
part white, and the hair is sleek, short and very fine. The mouth
is like that of a pig, but not flat in front ; the hoofs have three
grooves and it only eats plants, not other animals.
“ The cattle, goats, pigs, dogs, fowls and ducks, gourds and
fruit, are the same as in Java.
“The people of this country are much given to gambling; they
play pa-kui, chess, or fight cocks, in all cases staking money.
“ In trading they take Chinese copper coin and cotton-cloth f
They also send to China tribute of the products of their country.”
On the trade of Palembang and Jambi in the 16th century we
find the following notice in the<br>
Tung Hsi Yang K’au (1618). Book 3.<br>
“When a ship arrives at Ku-kang (Palembang), a present of
fruit and silk is offered to the king, for which there is a fixed
quantity.
“ When the men of Jambi bargain for goods, the price is
agreed upon in gold, but they pay only with pepper ; e.g. if something
costs two taels of gold, they pay a hundred picols of pepper,
or thereabout. They like to buy outside women, and girls from
other countries are often brought here and sold for pepper.
“ They use money made of lead.
“ San-bo-tsai was formerly known as a rich place, but since it
was conquered by Java, the capital had been deserted and few
traders go there now.”J
From the different extracts translated by us, and treating of the
eastern coast of Sumatra, we see that it was known to the Chinese<br>
<br>
*
jf4 ) evidently the tapir, a native of eastern Sumatra.
f The Hsing-ch’a Sheng-lan has the following passage :
“Articles of import are glass-pearls of various colours, green and white
crockery, copper caldrons, cotton-cloth and silk -gauze of different colours,
coloured silks, large and small earthen jars, copper coins, etc.”
J This account is not very clear : Ku-kang is Palembang, but at once the
author introduces “men of Jambi,” without saying whether they traded with
these at their own capital, or only at Palembang.<br>
of the 6th century as Kandali, which name has since been lost and
is not found anywhere else.
In the ioth century the Chinese speak of it as San-bo-tsai,
which is the Sarbaza of the Arabian travellers who visited the
country a hundred years before ; the latter inform us that it was a
dependency of java in their time already, and it would seem that
in this, as well as in other instances, these Javanese conquerors
settled there and soon made themselves independent from their
mother-country, for the Chinese speak of a new invasion about 990
and another conquest about 1377 (v. above p. 189, 161 and 193).
With this last conquest the name of San-bo-tsai disappears, the
new conquerors establishing their capital at Palembang.
We are not told at what particular place San-bo-tsai was situated.,
but only see on page 195 that it was apart from Palembang. It is
probable, however, that it was on the same river, in the first place,
because it was the largest stream of the coast, and therefore the
best accessible place for foreign trade, and secondly, on account of
the Chinese name which was given to Palembang and its river
after the conquest of 1377. They called itKu-kang, ‘‘the OldRiver,”
to distinguish it from Jambi, where probably the princes of Sanbo-
tsai established their capital, after they had been driven away
from the old one by the Javanese ; this name, “ the Old River,”
given by them to the river of Palembang, implies that they were
familiar with it long since, and that it had been visited by them
during their previous trade, which we know had always been
carried on at San-bo-tsai.<br>
It is not to be supposed that Jambi and Palembang were new
places altogether ; they probably existed before, and only rose to
higher importance by these political changes. We see on page 193
that previous to the conquest of Java, there were three different
kings in the country, and the names of Jambi and Palembang
occur also before this event, coupled with the names of those kings
(v. above p. 188 and 193). The explanation of the name Jambi,
given in the history of the Ming dynasty on page 196, does not
seem reliable, but rather to have no other authority than the fancy
of the writer.<br>
INDRAGIRI.<br>
This country, situated on the eastern coast of Sumatra, a little
to the north of Jambi, is mentioned for the first time in the<br>
History of the Ming Dynasty (1368—1643). Book 325.<br>
“ Indragiri* is a country under the control of java ; its circum-<br>
200<br>
* t 11 ± > Ting-ki-gi ; the transcription is very inaccurate, but this has
often happened to Chinese geographers, when they met with an uncommonly
long or hard name.<br>
<br>
ference is very small and it does not contain more than a thousand
families. As Johore was crafty and bad, and as Indragiri was
situated in its neighbourhood, it had always to suffer from it.
Afterwards it sought a matrimonial alliance with Johore by large
presents of silk, and then it had a little more peace.
“ In this country they have fortifications of wood, and at the
side of their chief’s residence stand a clock-tower and a drumtower.
When the king goes out, he rides on an elephant.
“The ioth month is the beginning of their year.
“ The manners and customs of the people are much like those
in Java, and the products of the country are the same as of
Johore.
“ The people set great value on cleanliness ; whatever the chief
eats is all cut and cooked by himself.
“The precepts against wine are strictly observed, and there is a
duty on it
; people of rank never drink any, and only vagabonds
of the lower classes take it, and even these are scolded and
ridiculed by their equals.
“In marrying, the husband goes to the house of the wife and
afterwards belongs to her family, therefore they prefer getting girls
to boys.
“ The bodies of the dead are burned.
“ The Chinese who went to trade there found the people fair
in their dealings, but since the country has been conquered by
Johore, few merchants visit it any more.”<br>
Tung Hsi Yang K’au (1618). Book 4.<br>
“The natives of Indragiri* only trade with us on our ships, to
which they come for the purpose. They are nearly the same as
those of Johore, but their customs are better and their goods
cheaper. Since this country has been invaded by Johore it has
no rest, and the foreign traders are also in continual danger, for
which reason mariners mostly turn their backs on it.”
Before leaving the eastern coast of Sumatra we will treat of the
smaller islands which are near it, and which, according to our plan,
must find a place here.<br>
BILLITON, or BLITUNG.<br>
In the account of the Mongol expedition against Java in 1293
(v. supra, p. 157) we have seen that this island was then called
Kaudan, Ko-lan, or Ivou-lan ; f the Chinese travellers of the
beginning of the fifteenth century still know it by the same name,
as is shown in the following account, taken from the<br>
*Ti£' t m<br>
</td>
Hsing-ch’a Sheng-lan (1436). The Island Kau-lan.*<br>
“Going from the Sacred Mountain in Champa, with a fair wind,
one may arrive here in ten days. The island is high and covered
with trees ; rattan, bamboo, material for rudders, spars, masts,
yards and sails are all to be found here.
“ When, in the time of the Yiian dynasty, the imperial generals
Kau Hsing and Shih-pi went to attack Java with numerous
soldiers and large ships, they were driven by a storm on this
island, and many of their ships were lost ; therefore they landed
and constructed a hundred vessels, after which they continued
their expedition against Java, captured the chief of the country
and brought him to China. Amongst the present inhabitants are
still Chinese, for about a hundred sick soldiers were left behind
and settled here.
“ The weather is always hot, and little rice is produced; the
people live chiefly from hunting.
“ Men and women have their hair in a knot ; they wear a short
jacket and a sarong.
“Articles of export are skins of leopards, bears and deer, and
also tortoise-shell ; articles of import are rice, glass beads of all
colours, green cloth, copper articles, green earthenware, etc.<br>
BANKA.<br>
On page 197 we have seen the strait of Banka mentioned in
order to determine the situation of Palembang, but nowhere the
island itself is described under this name. We think, however,
that the following account applies to Banka, or at least to its
eastern coast.<br>
Hsing-ch’a Sheng-lan (1436).<br>
“ Ma-yi-tung f is situated at the west of the island of Billiton
Kaulan), in the southern ocean. It has high mountains and flat
land intersected by small rivers.
“ The people live together in villages. The climate is rather
warm. Men and women have their hair in a knot, wear long
dresses and sarongs of different colours. The fields are very
fertile and produce more than in any other country.
“ They highly value chastity, and when a husband dies his wife<br>
202<br>
+ IS n w. In the History of the Ming dynasty, where this article is
copied nearly verbatim, the name is written Mit Jle • We take it to be
the island of Banka from its situation, but have not been able to identify the
name [Van der Lith, 1 . 1 ., p. 253—5.]<br>
cuts her hair, lacerates her face and does not eat for seven days,
sleeping all the time together with the dead body of her husband.
Many die during this time, but if one survives after seven days,
her relations exhort her to eat ; she may then live, but never
marries again. On the day that the husband is burned, many
wives throw themselves into the fire and die also.
“ Salt is boiled out of sea-water, and wine fermented from
sugar-cane.
“ Products of the country are cotton, yellow wax, tortoise-shell,
areca-nuts and flowered cotton-cloth.
“ Articles of import are copper-pots, unwrought iron, cottoncloth,
silks of different colours, etc.”<br>
LINGGA.<br>
Hsing-ch’a Sheng-lan (1436).<br>
“The Strait of Lingga* is situated to the north-west of Palembang
(San-bo-tsai) ; high mountains face each other as the teeth
of a dragon, and between these the ships pass.
“ 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 favourable
wind these ships may escape, but otherwise they are plundered
and the crew killed. Therefore ships are very careful in this
neighbourhood.”<br>
Northern Coast of Sumatra.<br>
POLI.<br>
History of the Liang Dynasty (502—556). Book 54.<br>
The kingdom of Polif is situated to the south-east of Canton,
on an island in the sea ; the distance from Canton is two months,
travelling daily. From east to west the country is fifty days broad,
and from north to south it is 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<br>
* II T PI ) the first two characters, used for the transcription of the
native name Lingga, originally mean “Dragon’s teeth,” and we next see the
writer, preoccupied by this name, discover a resemblance to a dragon’s mouth
in the configuration of the country.
t ^ , Po-li, Pa-li, Pa-ri or Bari.<br>