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Banka. 



On page 73 we have seen the strait of Banka mentioned in order to deter- 



mine the situation of Palembang, but nowhere the island itself is described unde r 



this name. We think however that the following account applies to Banka, or at 

 least to its eastern coast. 



Hsing-ch'a Shêng-lan (1436). 



Ma-yi-tung ( ! ) is situated at the west of the island Billiton (Kau-lan), 

 in the southern ocean. It has high mountains and flat land, intersected by 

 small rivers. 



The people live together in villages. The climate is rather warm. 

 Men and women have tlieir hair in a knot , wear long dresses and sarongs of 

 different colours. The fields are very fertile and produce more than in any 

 other country. 



They highly value chastity and when a husband dies, his wife cuts 

 her hair, lacerates her face and does not eat for seven days, sleeping all 

 the time together with the dead body of her husband. Many die during 

 this time , but if one survives after seven days , her relations exhort her to 

 eat; she may then live, but never manies again. On the day that the 

 husband is burned, many wifes throw themselves into the fire and die also. 



Salt is boiled out of seawater and wine fermented from sugarcane. 



Products of the country are cotton, yellow wax, tortoise-shell , areca- 

 nuts and flowered cotton-cloth. 



Articles of import are copper pots, unwrought iron , cotton-cloth , silks 

 of different colours, etc. 



Lingga. 



Hsing-ch'a Shêng-lan (1436). 



The Strait of Lingga ( 2 ) is situated to the north-west of Palembang 

 (San-bo-tsai) ; high mountains face each other as the teeth of a dragon and 

 between these the ships pass. 



(/) |jjjiï jj^, /W , In tlie History of the Ming dynasty, where this article is copied nearly 



verbally, the name is written mjjfi ïë| ffii f We take it to be the island of Banka from its si- 

 luation, but have not been able to identify the name. 



(*) Hê 3j P^ *' ne ^ wo ^ rs ^ °haracters, used for the transcription of the native name 

 Lingga, originally mean //dragon's teeth" and we next see the writer, preoccupied by this name, 

 discover a resemblance to a dragon's mouth in the contiguration of the country. 



