448 TRAVELS IN THE EAST INDIAN ARCniPELAGO. 



and a few of the P}iilipj)ines. Its Javanese name, 

 maricha^ is pure Sanscrit, and this as well as its 

 distribution indicates that it was introduced from 

 India. 



Here, at Tapanuli, are many natives of Achin, 

 and their darker color and greater stature at once 

 mark them as another people, and indicate that they 

 are the descendants of natives of India and Malays, 

 and this is completely in accordance with what we 

 know of their history. The village of Achin is situ- 

 ated at the northwestern extremity of the island, 

 on a small river two miles from where it empties 

 into a bay, which is well sheltered by islands from 

 the wind and sea in all seasons. On account of its 

 good roadstead, and its being the nearest point to 

 India in the whole archipelago, Achin appears to 

 have been, for ages before the arrival of Europeans, 

 the great mart for the Telinga traders from the east- 

 ern shores of the southern part of India. 



There they brought cotton fabrics, salt, and 

 opium, and obtained in exchange tin, gold, pepper, 

 cloves, nutmegs, mace, betel-nuts, sulphur, camphor, 

 and benzoin. When the Portuguese first arrived, in 

 1509, under Sequiera, at the neighboring city of 

 Pedir, Achin was tributary to that city, but in 1521 

 an energetic prince came to the throne; in eigh- 

 teen years he had conquered all the neighboring 

 kingdoms, and his city became the great commercial 

 emporium for all the western part of the archipelago. 

 This 2">rosperity it continued to enjoy for a hundred 

 and fifty years. Its fame even reached Europe, and 

 the proudest sovereigns were anxious to obtain the 



