— 78 — 



has been invaded by Johore, it has no rest and the foreign traders are also 

 in continual danger , for which reason mariners mostly turn their backs on it. 



Before leaving the Eastern Coast of Sumatra, we will treat of the smaller 

 islands which are near it and which , according to our plan , must find a place here. 



Billiton or Blitung. 



In the account of the Mongol expedition against Java in 1293 (v. supra p. 

 32) we have seen that this island was then called Kau-lan , Kö-lan or Kou-lan (*); 

 the Chinese travelers of the beginning of the 15 th century still know it by the same 

 name , as is shown in the following account , taken from the 



Hsing-ch'a Shêng-lan (1436). The island Kau-lan O. 



Going from the Sacred Mountain in Champa, with a fair wind, one 

 may arrive here in ten days. The island is high and covered with trees: 

 rattan , bamboo , material for rudders , spars , masts , yards and sails are all 

 to be found here. 



When, in the time of the Yuan dynasty, the imperial generals Kau 

 Hsing and Shih-pi went to attack Java with numerous soldiers and large 

 ships, they were driven by a storm on this island and many of their ships 

 were lost; therefore they landecl and constructed a hundred vessels, after 

 which they continued their expedition against Java, captured the chiefof the 

 country and brought him to China. Amongst the present inhabitants are 

 still Chinese, for about a hundred sick soldiers were left behind and settled 

 here. 



The weather is always hot and little rice is produced ; the people live 

 chiefly from hunting. 



Men and women have their hair in a knot; they wear a short jacket 

 and a sarong. 



Articles of export are skins of leopards, bears and deer, and also 

 tortoise-shell ; articles of import are rice, glassbeads of all colours, green 

 cloth, copper articles, green earthenware, etc. 





