— 122 — 



and to wrap a handkerchief round their heads. When they marry, they give 

 110 other presents than areca-nuts , sometimes as many as two hundred trays. 

 The wife enters the family of her husband. 



Their musical instruments are a kind of guitar (*), a transversal flute, 

 copper cymbals and iron drams. Their dead are burned, the ashes put into 

 a golden jar and sunk into the sea. 



On the south-east the country of Ku-ru-mi is situated at a distance of one 

 month traveling across the sea. To the south lies Po-li at a distance of 

 ten days. On the east is Pu-shu five days away and Wan-tan ( 2 ) lies to 

 the northwest at a distance of six days. The customs of the people are 

 about the same as in Ch'ih-t'u ( 3 ) (Siam). 



Between the years 650 and 656 this country has come to court and 

 brought as tribute coloured parrots. 



The Chinese characters, used in the transcription of the name of this country , 

 certainly point to an original sound of Kora or Kara , as the second character, in the 

 geographical literature, is used nearly exclusively for transcribing the syllable ra. In 

 our modern maps we find the name Kora on the western coast of Malacca , in about 

 8° N. L. and as this would suit its position as given with respect to Sumatra and P'un- 

 p'in, it is quite probable that this small place preserves us the name of the great em- 

 porium of former days. 



"We must also draw attention to a passage in the //Relation des voyages faits 

 par les Arabes et les Persans dans -Tnde et a la Chine dans Ie IX me siècle, édits par M. 

 Reinaud. Paris, 1845," where on page 93 the author, after having spoken of Java and 

 Sumatra , continues as follows : //ITïle de Kalah est Ie ceutre du commerce de 1'aloès , 

 du camphre , du sandal , de Tivoire , du plomb alcaly , etc. etc. (Test la, que se rendent 

 les expéditions qui se font de TOman." It seems probable that the Kora or Kara of our 

 text is meant here, but that the author of this narrative, whose names are generally 

 not very correct , has got this one from Chinese traders , who , having no ;■ in their 

 language, must have pronounced it Kola or Kala. 



O Ifó -j? $?, H flj, % JjJl, % |J, With the exception of Poli, which 

 we have seen to be the North-coast of Sumatra, we cannot identify these iiames. 



