IIIF Color HighRes
National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
| |||||||||
|
| IIIF Color HighRes |
| The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Citation Information
- . •.
CHAP. IX. ASIATIC RHINOCEROSES
289
Batuta was there (about 1346-47). There is also a Malay History of the Kings of Pasei to which reference has already been made.
Somewhat later Pasei was a great and famous city : Majapahit, Malacca, and Pasei being reckoned the three great cities of the Archipelago. The stimulus of conversion to Islam had not taken effect on those Sumatran states at the time of Polo's voyage, but it did so soon afterwards, and, low as they have now fallen, their power at one time was no delusion. Achin, which rose to be the chief of them, in 1615 could send against Portuguese Malacca an expedition of more than 500 sail, too of which were galleys larger than any then constructed in Europe, and carried from 600 to 800 men each.
[Dr. Schlegel writes to me that according to the Malay Dictionary of Von de Wall and Van der Tuuk, ii. 414-415 Polo's Basman is the Arab pronunciation of Paseman. the modern Ophir in `Vest Sumatra ; Gūnun; Pasé,;can is Mount Ophir.—H. C.]
•
1►
The three Asiatic Rhinoceroses ; (upper) Indicus, (middle) Sondaicus, (tower) Sumatranus.*
NOTE 5.—The elephant seems to abound in the forest-tracts throughout the whole length of Sumatra, and the species--is now determined to oe a distinct one (E. Sumatranus) from that of continental India and identical with that of Ceylon. t The Sumatran elephant in former days as caught and tamed extensively. Ibn Batuta speaks of too elephants in the train of Al Dháhir, the King of Sumatra Proper, and in the 17th century Beaulieu says the King of A chin had always goo. Giov.
* Since this engraving was made a fourth species has been established, Rhin. lasyotis, found near
Chittagong.
t The elephant of India has 6 true ribs and 13 false ribs ; that of Sumatra and Ceylon has 6 true
and 14 false.
VOL. II. T
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright (C) 2003-2019 National Institute of Informatics and The Toyo Bunko. All Rights Reserved.