— 99 — 



called cMang-chin-hsiang ( 1 ). There are further white lotuses and rhinoce- 



roses. 



At the north-west of this country, in the sea, at a distance of half a 

 day , is a flat mountain , called the Hat-islancl ( 2 ) ; the sea at the west of it 

 is the great ocean and is called the Ocean of Lambri ( 3 ). Ships coming 

 from the west all take this island as a landmark. Around this island, where 

 the water is about twenty feet deep, sea-trees grow, which are collected by 

 the people and used as a valuable article of trade, it being coral. These 

 trees grow as high as three feet; the stem is as thick as the thumb, jet black 

 and glossy as jaclestone; its branches are very handsome, extending to all 

 sides, and out of the stem cap-buttons and other articles are made. 



About 20 to 30 families live at the foot of the mountain , every man 

 of whom calls himself a king; if you ask a man his name, he replies //aku 

 radja" ( k ), which means: //I a am king", and if you put the same question 

 to another , he gives the same answer , which is very remarkable. The island 

 belongs to the king of Lambri. 



Whenever Chinese ships ariïve at Lambri, the king avails himself of 

 the occasion to send as tribute to China the fragrant wood mentioned above 

 and other products of his country. 



History of the Ming dynasty (1368—1643). Book 325. 



Lambri is situated at the west of Sumatra ; with a fair wind it takes 

 three days to go there. 



(We omit a part of this account, which is only a repetition of the preceding). 



In the year 1412 the king Ma-ha-ra-sa ( 5 ) sent envoys, together with 

 those of' Sumatra, to carry tribute; the envoys were presented with court- 

 dresses and the king got a seal, a commission and silks, whilst Chêng Ho 

 was sent to carry the instructions of the emperor to that country. Till the 

 end of the reign of the emperor Ch'êng-tsu (1424), they sent tribute every 

 year. 



0) |«ip JM. ^§*» See the description of different products in the Appendix. 



O PHf |ÖÏ 3$!J 4^-J tlie wor(is are Mala y an( i correctly translated by the author. 



o Si ^ M *&. 



