266 
VOYAGE OF THE POTOMAC. 
[Marcli, 
leave it to those who are better versed in the subject to trace the 
connexion between the Javan of Holy Writ, and the Java of mod- 
ern times, the location of which we now proceed to describe. 
The whole Island of Java extends in a direction nearly east 
and west, with only a slight deviation to the north and south ; its 
western extremity being in longitude 105° 11', and its eastern 
in longitude 114° 33' east. The length of the island is about 
seven hundred miles, while its breadth varies from sixty to one 
hundred and forty miles ; and it is estimated to contain an area 
of about fifty thousand miles, with a population of five milhons ; 
including Javans, Chinese, Arabs, Moors, Bugis, Malays, and the 
Dutch colonists. 
The Island of Java occupies a considerable space in the history 
of commerce. Three centuries before the Dutch had penetrated 
to the east, Java had been visited by the celebrated Venetian trav- 
eller Marco Polo. Tradition says that about eight hundred years 
after the Christian era, a vessel was cast away on the coast of 
Java, while attempting to cross from Siam to the Straits of Ma- 
cassar, the crew of which travelled over much of the island. These 
people, on their return to Siam, gave such a glowing account of 
the countries they had seen, that the son of the King of Siam 
was induced to visit Java, and soon after colonized it. Since then, 
many other tribes from India came and settled on it, particularly 
Arabs, as Marco Polo, who visited both Java and Sumatra in 
twelve hundred and ninety-six, mentions several of them. Another 
tradition says that the first inhabitants came in vessels from the 
Red Sea, and that in their passage they coasted along the shores 
of Hundustan ; that peninsula then forming an unbroken conti- 
nent with the land in the Indian Archipelago. These people are 
supposed to have been banished from Egypt, and to have been 
idolaters of various descriptions. 
But whatever might have been the origin of the inhabitants, it 
is pretty generally conceded, that they were all idolaters until 
afeout the year thirteen hundred and seventy, when the Arab mis- 
sionaries came -among them, and commenced the work of con- 
version with their usual zeal, but with less violence than had here- 
tofore marked the rapid spread of the Mahommedan faith. They 
possessed a knowledge of medicine, which enabled them to effect 
several cures of persons of high rank, as well as many of the 
