﻿?2 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



the Great, through, issue by his Queen Shaher ul Beriah, daughter of Eaja 

 Kida Hindee (Porus). A descendant of these, named Raja Suran, caiTied an 

 Indian army (of Klings or Dravirians) as far as Tamasak, the ancient name 

 of the south part of the Malay Peninsula. This Prince or Raja married 

 Putri Onang Kiu, a daughter of the King of Klang Kiu. Again, a descendant 

 of this royal race, named Sangsapurba, was miraculously translated to 

 Paralembangan (ancient Palembang) in the country of Andelas (Sumatra), 

 where he is related to have married a princess of the Malay race, and was 

 elected king. His son, Sang Nila TJtama, was in due time united to Wan 

 Si'i Bini, the beautiful daughter of the Queen of Bentan (Bintang), and 

 remained to rule that coimtry. The father. Raja Sangsapurba, after visiting 

 various countries, at length proceeded to Menangkabau, to the throne of 

 which countiy, the principal seat of the Malays, he was elected . An illustrious 

 princess of renowned beauty, named Nila Panchadi, was affianced to his son, 

 Sri Tribuana, to whom she was duly married. Sang Nila TJtama remained at 

 Bentan, but after a while was seized with a desire to visit Bemban (modern 

 Tanjong Bomban), from whence, viewing the white sands of the beach of the 

 shore of Tamasak, he crossed over the strait and settled there, giving the new 

 country the name of Singapura (Singapore). Here the Malay annalist remarks 

 that Singapura was a very extensive country, and its populous parts became 

 much frequented by merchants from all parts. 



Such is a very abridged native account of the descent of the Malay race 

 from, the interior of Sumatra, on the Straits of Singapore, and lands adjacent, 

 the date of which is given by Crawfurd as a.d. 1160, and probably this is 

 very nearly correct, for Marco Polo, the renowned Venetian traveller, passed 

 through the Straits in the year 1291, when he remarks of the settlement then 

 existing as being governed by a king, the people having a peculiar language 

 of their own, the town being large and well built, a considerable trade being 

 carried on in spices and drugs, with which the place abounds, but nothing 

 else presenting itself to notice. Shortly after the latter date the Malays were 

 driven out of Singapore by the Javanese, after which they founded ]\Ialacca, 

 from whence also their princes were driven out by the Portuguese in the 

 year 1511. 



It will thus be seen that the Malays had but a comparatively modern and 

 short possession of ancient Tamasak, whose straits hold the key of the Indian 

 Archipelago. So their influence in prior and archaic waves of migrations 

 passing through this great water-way of Asia and Polynesia must have been 

 null. Having personally visited all the capitals of their so-called empires, 

 viz., Bintang, Singapore, and Malacca, I can state that none of them even 

 showed any proofs of former power and grandeui', there being no ancient 

 monuments, nor the remains of structures such as are to be so amply discovered 



