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Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

I24   - MARCO POLO.   VOL. II. BK. III.

" The native products comprise red sandal-wood, dark red

sugar-cane, elephants' tusks, ambergris, native gold, ya tsui tan-

fan, lit., ` duck-bill sulphate of copper.'

" The goods used in trading are ivory boxes, trade silver,

coloured satins, and the like."   (ROCKHILL, T'oung Pao,

XVI., 1915, pp. 622-3.) Cf. CHAU JU-KWA, p. 126."

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XXXIV., p. 423. " There is a great deal of trade, and many

merchants and vessels go thither. But the staple trade of the Island is

elephants' teeth, which are very abundant ; and they have also much

ambergris, as whales are plentiful."

Chau Ju-kwa has, p. 126: " The products of the country

E Ts'öng-pa] consist of elephants' tusks, native gold, ambergris

and yellow sandal-wood."

XXXVI., P. 438.

ADEN.

In the Ying- yai shêng lan we read that " the kingdom (of

A-tan) is on the sea-coast. It is rich and prosperous, the

people. follow the doctrine of the Moslims and their speech

is Arabic. Their tempers are overbearing and violent.

They have seven to eight thousand well-trained soldiers, horse

and foot, whom the neighbouring countries fear." (W. W. ROCK-

HILL, T'oung Pao, XVI., 1915, p. 607.) There is a description

of the giraffe under the name of K'i lin ; it " has forelegs over

nine feet long, its hind ones are about six feet. Beside its ears

grow fleshy horns. It has a cow's tail and a deer's body. It eats

millet, beans, and flour cakes " (p. 609). In the Si Yang Chao

kung tien lu 0520 A.D.), we have a similar description : " Its

front legs are nine feet long, its hind legs six feet. Its hoofs

have three clefts, it has a flat mouth. Two short fleshy horns

rise from the back of the top of its head. It has a cow's tail

and a deer's body. This animal is called K'i lin ; it eats grain

of any kind." (Ibid.) Cf. FERRAND, J. Asiatique, July-Aug.,

1918, pp. 155-158.

XXXVI., p. 439.

At the time of Chau Ju-kwa, Aden was perhaps the most

important port of Arabia for the African and Arabian trade with

India and the countries beyond. It seems highly probable that

the Ma-li-pa of the Chinese must be understood as including