30 



INDIA BEYOND THE GANGES. 



lacca^ as far as Cope Romano^ navigators are obliged to take an 

 eaftern conrfe*. This proves how well Ptolemy was informed 

 when he faid, that the Rotnan fliips bound for Cattigara took 

 that direaion, but afterwards, when they had doubled the Cape, 

 they (being hurried eafterly by the tide, which ruflies through 

 the ftreights oi Slncapour) were under the neceffity of making 

 a tack, and proceeding wefterly, to reach the feveral ports they 

 might be bound for, in the Magnus Sinus. 



Pahang. Pahang port, and town, are in Lat. 3* 50', and in a moft fruitful 

 country. The mouth of the river has an illand before it. The 

 north channel has, at high water, the depth of four fathoms, and 

 juft within the bar, good anchorage in fix. The eftuary is a mile 

 broad, but fo full of fand banks, that it is with great trouble a 

 veflel of thirty tons can work up to the town, diftant twelve 

 miles from the fea. The river rifes far up the country, wafhes 



Gold. the foot of the hill of Malacca.) and contains a vaft deal of gold. 

 Hamilton vifited this country in 1719, and reports, that lumps 

 of five or fix ounces weight have been found. The divers 

 ufually defcend to the depth of three fathoms, but the greateft 

 lumps of the pretious metal are found in ten. Some years eight 

 hundred weight have been exported. Well may this country 

 have been fuppofed to have been another Opbir. Jofephus\ 

 feems to have been right in fixing it here, if his authority was 

 good for faying, that the antient name of this part of India was 

 Sophora^ now the land of gold, which comes fo very near to that 

 of Opbir. Poflibly the word is the Malayan name for the pre- 

 tious metal. M. Le Poivre fays, that the inhabitants o^ Malacca 



* Dampier's Voyage, ii. 5. -j- Lib. viii. c. ii. 



and 



