— 02 -* 



//The Son of Heaven at Yang-chou O in the great Liang country 

 //overshadows the earth wjth his benevolence, and the influence of his virtue 

 f/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 woiid, 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 honor hini with the utmost 

 //sincerity. 



'/At the feet of the Son of Heaven I prostern myself and ask after 

 //his welfare; I present respectfully golden fu-yung ( 2 ) flowers, different per- 

 //fumes, 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 seeras to have diminished or faded altogether, for 

 during the following centimes, after the Chinese traded in Java a long time already, 

 the eastern coast of Sumatra is not mentioned by them and it is only towards the 

 end of the lOth century that we find it- again, but under a new name. 



San-botsai. 



History of the Sung dynasty (960—1279). Book 489. 



The kingdom of San-bo-tsai ( 3 ) is one of the southern barbarians; it 

 is situated between Cambodja and Java and rules over fifteen different 

 countries. 



(') ^ jj\ at that time the capital of China. 



C) ^ -fc ^ golden mallows (Iiibiscus mutabilis). I do not know whether il were 



these flowers imitated in gokt, or a peculiar species of this ornamental plant, which kas always been 

 nuich valned in China. 



( 3 ) EEl / $ty 5^*. Arak travelefs of the 91 h 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 repre- 

 sent the same name, both perhaps with a not quite correct tr&nscription. Vide '/Relation des voya- 



ges faits par les Arabes et les Persans dans l'Inde el a la Chine dans Ie IX siècle, fraduile par 

 Reinaud. Paris. 1845." p. 93. 



