— 126 — 



Hai-yü (1537). 



Malacca (*) is situated in the south; originally it was a dependency 

 of Siam , but afterwards the chief who was in charge of the country revolted 

 against his master and made himself independent; at what time this hap- 

 pened cannot be ascertained. 



Going to sea from Ting-mên in the district Tung-kwan ( 2 ) (near 

 Canton), one has to steer the same course as for Siam as far as Pulu Condore, 

 from here the course is due south, until one gets to the strait of Lingo-a, 

 and then , in two days more , one may arrive there. It is a place where all 

 the barbarians come together and it may be called a centre in those parts. 



The king lives in a house of which the fore part is covered with 

 tiles, which have been left here by the eunuch Chêng Ho in the time of 

 Yung-lo (1403 — 1424); the other buildings all arrogate the form of impe- 

 rial halls and are adorned with tinfoil. 



When foreign envoys arrive there during the time the trade between 

 the different countries is going on , the king makes a great display of soldiers 

 as a matter of precaution. 



The people live in houses of mud ; the highest functionaries are called 

 ku-lang ka-ya ( 3 ), and wealthy men are called nachoda ( 4 ). The people are 

 numerous and thriving. A nachoda has many thousand measures of pepper , and 

 the ivory, rhinoceros-horns, western calico, pearls, shells and different kinds 

 of incense, which are stored up in their houses, cannot be counted. 



It is not their custom to worship spirits, but the men get up when 

 the cock crows, and turning their face towards heaven, they mutter the name 

 Allah ( 5 ), which is the general denomination of the father and the mother 

 of the universe. 



They write with Indian letters and in trading they use tin as their 

 currency ; three caties of this metal are about equal to one mace of silver ( 6 ). 



o ü f 11 M. 



( 3 ) ^é" l<|3 iffH 3"K ^ ie urs t character must be -wrong, as the autlior certahüy means 

 orctng ka j/a, a common title among the Malays. 



C") Jct[ ^J ig a. raaster of a vessel, b. a t rader who travels about with his omti ship. 



(") About 0.16 Mexican dollars. 



