﻿67s 



MALAGA. 



MALAY PENINSULA. 



well built, and several of the streets are spacious and handsome. The 

 principal public buildings are the town-house, court-house, jail, bar- 

 racks, civil and military hospitals, and an Anglo-Chinese college. The 

 population is about 1 6,000, mostly Malays and Chinese. There is a 

 fort on the south side of the river, and nearly opposite is a small 

 island, between which and the mainland is secure anchorage for vessels 

 drawing not more than 18 feet water. Owing to a bar at the mouth of 

 the river, the small harbour close to the town is only accessible to boats. 



Malacca was built about 1250 by Sri Iscander Shah, king of the 

 H&lays. It was first visited by the Portuguese in 1507, and taken by 

 Alfonzo Albuquerque in 1511. It was taken from the Portuguese by 

 the Dutch in 1640. It was taken possession of by the British in 1795, 

 was restored at the peace of Amiens, but was soon afterwards taken 

 again. In 1 81 4 the Dutch recovered possession of the place. The town 

 and fort with their dependencies were finally ceded to the British by 

 treaty with the government of the Netherlands, in March 1824. 



MALAGA. TGrasada.] 



MALAHIDE" [Dciblin, County of.] 



MALAUN, LAKE OF. [Swede.n.] 



MALASIA. [Malay Penlnscla.] 



MALATIA (Malatiyah), a town in Asia Minor, about 38° 27' N. lat, 

 38° 20' E. long., is built in a limestone plain on a small tributary of 

 the Tokma-su, a feeder of the Euphrates, and contains only about 200 

 houses. The Tokma-su flows about 6 miles to the north of Malatiyah, 

 and joins the Euphrates at a considerable di^stance to the eastward. 

 There is little or no wood near Malatiyah, so that in summer it is 

 exposed to all the violence of the sun's rays. Formerly the inhabit- 

 ants used to reside here during the winter, and in summer and autumn 

 to retire to Aapuzi ; but the 'Turkish pasha having for a long time 

 previous to 1840 occupied Malatiyah as winter quarters, the inhabit- 

 ants have been obliged to reside permanently at Aspuzi, and Malatiyah 

 itself has sunk into a state of ruin and decay, although it is still we 

 believe the seat of a Kaimakan. The town occupies the site of the 

 ancient Sfditene, of which parts of the walls and old gateways still 

 remain. Melitene was originally a Roman camp ; from this a city sprung 

 up, which became the capital of the Cappadocian province of Melitene. 

 The province which gave name to the town was so designated from 

 the Melas, the ancient name of the Tokma-su. According to Mr. 

 Brandt, who visited Malatiyah in 1835 at a time when it was deserted, 

 the population then at Aspuzi numbered 2800 Turkish and 1123 

 Armenian families. About six miles south of Malatiyah is the town or 

 village of Atp6zi, the neighbourhood of which is subjected to a refined 

 system of irrigation (an heirloom of remote antiquity), and is covered 

 with verdant and shady gardens. Since the inhabitants of Malatiyah 

 have taken up their abode permanently at Aspuzi a bazaar has sprung 

 np at the latter place, and all the comforts and conveniences of a 

 town are to be found. Malatiyah is about 2780 feet and Aspuzi about 

 2980 feet above the level of the sea; both places are very hot in 

 summer and have a low temperature in winter. Malatiyah derives ita 

 importance only from its being situated on the great caravan-road 

 which leads from Sivas to Diar-bekr and Mosul, and from being one 

 of the places to which the Kurds resort for the purpose of trade. 

 {London Qtographical Journal, vols. vi. and x.) 



MALAY PENINSULA constitutes the most southern extremity of 

 the continent of Asia, extending between the Qulf of Bengal and the 

 Straits of Malacca on the west, and the Qulf of Siam and the Chinese 

 Sea on the east. It is united to the continent at ita northern extremity. 

 Ita most southern points form the northern shore of the Strait of Singa- 

 pore. Kwi Point, in the Qulf of Siam, and the mouth of the Tenas- 

 serim River, which enters the Qulf of Bengal, may be considered as 

 constituting its northern boundary ; they are situated near 12° N. lat 

 Cape Burus, the most southern promontory of Asia, in 1° 15' N. lat, 

 and Cape Romania, in 1° 17' N. lat constitute the two extremities of 

 the Strait of Singapore. The peninsula lies between 98° and 104° 

 E. long. It is 750 miles long, with a width varying between 60 and 

 180 miles. Its surface may cover an area of about 80,000 square miles. 



The peninsula is traversed by a mountain range, which is a continua- 

 tion of the Samroiyet (that is, three hundred peaks) Mountains, which 

 between 12° and 14° N. lat. separate the valley of the Tenasserim 

 Biver from the streams which fall into the Gulf of Siam. This chain, 

 which in this part rises in numerous peaks to the elevation of 3000 

 feet, sinks lower south of Kwi Point, where it traverses the isthmus 

 of K/ah, or Kraw, the narrowest part of the peninsula, between 8° and 

 12° N. lat. The mountain range on this long isthmus, though of 

 moderate elevation, occupies together with its offsets the whole 

 country from one sea to the other, except at its southern extremity, 

 where an extensive tract of alluvial land, inclosing the Bay of Chai-ya, 

 occurs on the shore of the Qulf of Siam. 



The isthmus of Krah lies due north and south. At its southern 

 extremity, between 8° and 9' N. lat, the Malay Peninsula turns to the 

 iontb-east, and preserves this direction to its most southern point 

 Between 6° 30' and 8° N. lat the mountains seem to be higher than 

 cm the isthmus, but this fact a not established, as no European has 

 •ver traverseil this country. The tract between 5° and 6° 30' N. lat., 

 ■ppeara to be the highest part of the mountain range, the peak of Titch 

 BsJigsa, opposite the town of Queda, rising, according to Crawfurd, to 

 6000 feet. The mountains in this pari occupy the greatest part of 

 the country, leaving only a low level tract, about seven or eight miles 



QBOO. SIT. TOL, ni. 



iu width, along the Gulf of Bengal, which is swampy and mostly 

 covered with jungle, but when cultivated yields rich crops of rice and 

 paddy. On the eastern coast the level tracts are probably more exten- 

 sive, but the offsets of the mountains in some parts approach near the 

 sea-shore, as Cape Patani and Rocky Point 



South of 5° N. lat. is the widest part of the peninsula. The interior 

 or mountain region of this part is little known, but it is certain that 

 it is less elevated than the country farther north, and the summits of 

 the hills are more rounded. The level tract along the Strait of 

 Malacca widens considerably, being about 18 miles in breadth north 

 of 4° N. lat, and more than 20 miles in breadth south of that parallel; 

 but along the sea-shore a few isolated hills rise to a moderate height, 

 as Rachado Point and others. The range forming the water-shed 

 between the rivers which fall into the Strait of Malacca and the 

 Chinese Sea does not occupy the centre of the peninsula, but is nearer 

 the western than the eastern shores. The level country along the 

 Chinese Sea is also, so far as is known, much more extensive near the 

 town of Pahang, and contains a lake called Braugh, 50 miles iu 

 circumference. On the eastern boundary of the district of Malacca is 

 an elevated summit, the Gunoug Leadaug of the natives, and Mount 

 Ophir of the Portuguese, whose summit is estimated to be 4000 feet 

 high. Proceeding farther south, the mountains subside into hills; 

 but even along the Old Strait, which divides the island of Singapore 

 from the continent, the country presents a rocky and elevated shore, 

 and its surface is strongly undulating, though it can hardly be called 

 hilly. Towards this extremity the level country along the Strait of 

 Malacca and the Chinese Sea is of inconsiderable width. 



The comparatively small width of this peninsula and the dispo- 

 sition of the mountain range prevent the formation of considerable 

 rivers. The largest which are known are the Muar River, which 

 forms the southern boundary of the district of Malacca and falls into 

 the strait of that name, and the Pahang River on the eastern side of 

 the peninsula. Both rivers are navigable before they issue from the 

 mountains, and are separated by a portage of not more than 300 yards. 

 The Pahang River flows 200 miles under the name of Suruting, and 

 falls into the Lake of Braugh, from which it issues under the name 

 of the Braugh Biver, but soon takes that of Pahang River. At its 

 mouth, near Pahang, are four large islands, planted with cocoa-nut 

 and palm-trees. It is probable that there are other rivers, navigable 

 at least for a considerable extent, but they are not known. The 

 number of small rivers is very great, and there probably is no coimtry 

 better watered than this peninsula. 



The climate differa on the eastern and western sides of the penin- 

 sula. The eastern resembles the coast of Coromaudel and of Cochin 

 China proper, as the mountain range interrupts the clouds brought 

 by the south-west monsoon, during which period the dry season 

 prevails. But the country is exposed to the full efiects of the north- 

 east monsoon, and the wet season commences in the beginning of 

 November and continues till March, The northern p.art of the 

 western coast is exposed to the south-west monsoon, and in climate 

 resembles Aracan, having its rainy season in our summer, and its 

 dry season in our winter. The southern portion of the western coast 

 differs in climate from all other countries in Southern Asia. It con- 

 stitutes the eastern side of a large valley, running from north-west to 

 south-east, in the centre of which the Strait of Malacca extends like 

 a large river. On the north-east this valley is sheltered by the 

 mountain range which traverses the peninsula in its whole length, 

 and on the south-west by the mountain chain which traverses the 

 island of Sumatra. Thus this country, as well as the low eastern 

 coast of Sumatra, is perfectly sheltered against both monsoons, the 

 north-eastern and the south-western. Accordingly the regular suc- 

 cession of dry and wet seasons is unknown. Showera of rain fall in 

 every month of the year, but more abundantly in our summer. 

 They moderate the heat of the atmosphere, and maintain a vigorous 

 vegetation. No gales are known to occur, and no winds except the 

 sea and land breezes. The heat is not so insupportable as in other 

 countries near the equator; and though during the day the sandy 

 shores are heated to a great degree, the air is cooled sufficiently 

 during the night. The range of the thermometer amounts hardly to 

 10° or 12° in the whole year. 



The soil is composed of a tough red clay, or of a black earth 

 similar to peat ; in many places it yields rich crops of rice. Besides 

 rice the inhabitants live on plantains and some other vegetables ; also 

 on fruits, in which this country, especially towards the south, sur- 

 passes all other countries. The cultivated fruits are chiefly pine- 

 apples, mangosteens, duriou, shaddocks, and oranges. The country is 

 generally covered with high trees, even on part of the mountains, but 

 the teak-tree does not occur. The variety of trees and plants is very 

 great. Rattans are exported in great numbers. Among the miscel- 

 laneous products of the peninsula are comprised bamboo, areca-palm, 

 sago, caoutchouc and many other valuable gums and resins, drugs, 

 nutmegs, cloves, cinnamon, tobacco, cofi'ee, sugar, cotton, indigo, &0. 

 Ivory and horns are exported; grain is imported from Sumatra and 

 Bengal. 



Cattle are few in number, but buffaloes abound. No sheep are 

 kept ; hogs and fowls are plentiful. In the uncultivated tracts and 

 woods tigers, leopards, and rhinoceroses are frequently met with, and 

 sometimes elephants. Among birds the swallow, which makes the 



2 X 



