— 101 — 



mentioned at all , it is continually confounded, sometimes with Persia, but mostly with 

 Arabia : the Tuug Hsi Yang K'au relat es the history of Mohamed as having occurred 

 on this coast. This can only be explained by assuming tliat the Arabs or Taai , as 

 they are called by the Chinese, have had establishments or colonies on this side of 

 the island. Cornpare also Note 4, on pag. J4. 



BORNEO. 



The iirst passage relating to this island in Chinese geographical literature is 

 found in the 



History of T'ang dynasty (618-906). Book 222b. 



Sailing froin Cli'ih-t'u (*) towards the south-west one comes to Po-lo ( 2 ). 

 In the year 669 the king of this country sent an envoy, who came to court 

 togetlier with the envoy of Huan-wang (Siara). 



There is of course not the slightest internal evidence that this passage relates 

 to Borneo, but. all Chinese geographers agree in assigning it to this island, which is 

 designated by it up to the present day. We have further no means of ascertaining 

 which part of the island was meant and here again the Chinese say it was the northern 

 coast, from which they have derived their name for the whole island, just as we 

 have taken Bruni or Brunei for the same purpose. 



It seems that, subsequently , the Chinese have had little or no intercourse 

 with Borjieo or its inhabitauts , the name of Po-lo at least disappears and the Northern 

 Coast of Borneo is not mentioned again before the time of the Ming dynasty , when 

 we fmd it under its present name of 



Brunei ( 3 ). 

 Tung Hsi Yang K'au (1618). Book V. 



Brunei is the same as Po-lo; it is the last land of the eastern ocean 

 and the beginning of the western sea. In the year 669 the king sent en- 

 voys to court , together with tliose of Huan-wang (Siam) , but since inter- 

 course has ceased for a long time. 



C) jife Jq . "the red spil", a place in the gulf of Siam. 

 (*) ^^ ffife , niay also be read Pa- la or Pa-ra. 



o Je Mi Bun - iai - 



