国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

236

LAGO DE CHIAMAY.

natifs, Surobosoy, lesquels par dedans les montagnes de Lauhos sont bornez du lac de Chiammay, & de ceux-cy les vns sont vestus de peaux veluës, & les autres de cuit broncé . . . . He even tells about a war undertaken by the King of Siam against the King of Chiammay: Ainsi passant pays il arriva au lac de Singa5amor, qu'on appelle ordinairement Chiammay, où il s'arresta vingt-six iours, durant lesquels il prit douze fort belles places enuironnées de bouleuarts & de fossez, à la façon des nostres . . . . In this case, therefore, the Lago di Chiamay is identified with another lake, unknown to us, namely Singapamor. I

We now come to the Voyages fameux du Sieur Vincent le Blanc, published by PIERRE BERGERON in 1649. There are two passages which are too precious to be translated. Speaking of »Sian» the author says: 2 »Ce pais confine auiourd'huy du costé de l'Occident à celuy de Pegu, du Nort au pais de Chiamay ... La ville de Sian est située sur la belle & grande riviere de Menan, qui vient du renommé lac de Chiamay, & qui a de belles murailles ...» Further he says of the »licornes»: 3 »Il s'en trouve, à ce qu'ils disent, aux environs du lac Chiamay ... Ce lac a deux cens mil de tour, d'où sort un grand nombre de grandes & fameuses rivieres, comme celle d'Aua, Caypumo, Menan, Cosmin, & autres, qui ont les mesmes inondations & desbordemens que le Nil. Ce lac a du costé de Leuant de grandes forestes .& des marescages impenetrables & dangereux . . .» Of Pegu he says that most of this country is crossed by the great river Amoucharat, or as it is called in Pegu Caipoumo & Martaban ... »Cependant ie diray que nos Geographes se trompent, qui mettent la riviere qui arrouse le pais de Tangu, pour la mesme que celle-cy de Pegu, quoy qu'elles soient differentes & bien esloignées: Car celle cy vient de ce grand lac Chiammay, & passe à Brema ou Brama.» Finally some Peguans told him that a few years before his visit a king of the old dynasty had several lieutenants in the countries of the Brama »toward lake Chiamay» and one of them was in the kingdom of Tanga, which had revolted against him.

LE BLANC not only knows the size of the lake, he also gives us some glimpses of its natural history. In the great forests and dangerous swamps on the east shores of the Chiamay the unicorns have their eldorado. He discusses hydrographical questions, and mentions four rivers: Aua (Irrawaddi), Caypumo (Salwen), Menan (Menam), and Cosmin (Irrawaddi), thus using two different names for one river, and omitting Caor. But the four are only examples out of the »great number of great and famous rivers» which issue from the lake. He even alludes to historical events which have taken place near the lake. He blindly and uncritically believes in its existence. He has never seen it, nor has anybody else. Very likely he has never heard of it either, and only been impressed by the maps of his time. For one can-

I Dr. E. W. Dahlgren has directed my attention to Pinto's work. The title of the French edition is: Les Voyages advantvrevx de Fernand Mendez Pinto, Paris MDCXLV, p. 655 and 811.

2 Op. cit. p. 155 and 157.

3 The unicorn or Rhinoceros of Burma. Compare Yule's Marco Polo, Book II, p. 107.