A TRANSLATION OF tfHE KEDDAH ANNALS. 
S7 
e < upright, and he dressed himself by it —and the palace of tbe 
Raja of Malacca « had a peak of red glass, and leaden conduits, 
rn Coloured glass probably came from India, since Fa Hian so tar 
back as A D 400 mentions it, and glass pinnacles to temples were 
introduced into Ceylon during the reign of Sangatissa. A. D. -<.4. 
r 2 1 Jt seems to have been first made in Egypt. I have found it 
amongst the ruins of temples in Province Wellesley and Keddah 
of the following colours,—neaily black, blue, reddish, violet, green, 
Yellow, - r, , , ■ • 
The name of Dew& or Dev& occurs as one of Solomon s minis¬ 
ters. It is a Hindfi or Indian appellative, being so far in keeping 
with other names contained in our text. But it is a word too 
derived to India from a western language-and we should not over¬ 
look the fact that previous to their conversion to Islamism the Arabs 
were idolaters, and the Persians also, these lait being at one time 
as it is supposed Buddhists. . 
The Ambassador was the Shahbandara of Rdm, a Version 
title for the officer of state who superintends a port. From the 
sequel it seems not improbable that he reached China by land that 
is if such a person did arrive there at all. The story of the chest 
might possibly bear some allusion to a caravan. 
The introduction amongst the nations of the west, first of Chris¬ 
tianity and afterwards of Islamism, had altered considerably the 
communications betwixt that quarter of the globe and the regions 
of Eastern Asia. So long as Western Asia held fast to its idola¬ 
tries, a ready door was opened to it towards all the more eastern 
religions, and probably an intercourse had existed far anterior to 
any dates now extant. The following are some of the dates most 
apposite to the subject of the ancient intercourse betwixt the 
Chinese and the people of the West: 
A very active intercourse was kept up betwixt India 
B.C, 
••• • I 
:4 • • • * •• • * *-t J 
• • • • 
and China from the year ( 3 ) . 
Confirmed by Pliny from A. D. 1 to 44 
China sent an Expedition to the Caspian . 
No mention is made of the intercourse betwixt China 
and India until ( 4 )........ C * 
Buddhism was conveyed to China via Palibotnra route 
* in{ 5 ).. ... 
Brahman merchants traded personally ^witlx China 
proceeding there to the City of Nankin, in vessels 
having crews of two hundred men at least and 
touching in the way at Java in ( 6 ) 
•] Ltyden’s Transition p. S7t. 
*' Mahkw^nso. 
* Du Guinea and Marshman, 
* As Res. IX p. 40. 
Wilford A, R, v, 11 p. 81 etseq, 
«J Fa Hien f 
»IMf4 
» . .* 
126 
A.D. 
1 to 
1000 
97 
65 
414 
