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The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2 |
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Tong-shu, I do not know if identical with the wood-oil trees of Arakan and Pegu
(Dipterocarpus laevis).
["What goes under the name of 'wood-oil' to-day in China is the poisonous oil
obtained from the nuts of Elæococca verrucosa. It is much used for painting and
caulking ships." (Bretschneider, Hist. of Bot. Disc. I. p. 4.)—H. C.]
Note 5.—The junks that visit Singapore still use these sweeps. (J. Ind. Arch. II.
607.) Ibn Batuta puts a much larger number of men to each. It will be seen from
his account below that great ropes were attached to the oars to pull by, the bulk of
timber being too large to grasp; as in the old French galleys wooden manettes, or
grips, were attached to the oar for the same purpose.
Note 6.—The Chinese sea-going vessels of those days were apparently larger than
was at all common in European navigation. Marco here speaks of 200 (or in
Ramusio up to 300) mariners, a large crew indeed for a merchant vessel, but not so
great as is implied in Odoric's statement, that the ship in which he went from India to
China had 700 souls on board. The numbers carried by Chinese junks are
occasionally still enormous. "In February, 1822, Captain Pearl, of the English
ship Indiana, coming through Gaspar Straits, fell in with the cargo and crew of a
wrecked junk, and saved 198 persons out of 1600, with whom she had left Amoy,
whom he landed at Pontianak. This humane act cost him 11,000l." (Quoted by
Williams from Chin. Rep. VI. 149.)
The following are some other mediæval accounts of the China shipping, all
unanimous as to the main facts.
Friar Jordanus :—"The vessels which they navigate to Cathay be very big, and
have upon the ship's hull more than one hundred cabins, and with a fair wind they
carry ten sails, and they are very bulky, being made of three thicknesses of plank, so
that the first thickness is as in our great ships, the second crosswise, the third again
longwise. In sooth, 'tis a very strong affair!" (55.)
Nicolo Conti :—"They build some ships much larger than ours, capable of con-
taining 2000 butts (vegetes), with five masts and five sails. The lower part is con-
structed with triple planking, in order to withstand the force of the tempests to which
they are exposed. And the ships are divided into compartments, so formed that if
one part be shattered the rest remains in good order, and enables the vessel to com-
plete its voyage."
Ibn Batuta :—"Chinese ships only are used in navigating the sea of China. . . .
There are three classes of these: (1) the Large, which are called Jonûk (sing. Junk);
(2) the Middling, which are called Zao; and (3) the Small, called Kakam. Each of
the greater ships has from twelve sails down to three. These are made of bamboo
laths woven into a kind of mat; they are never lowered, and they are braced this
way and that as the wind may blow. When these vessels anchor the sails are allowed
to fly loose. Each ship has a crew of 1000 men, viz. 600 mariners and 400 soldiers,
among whom are archers, target-men, and cross-bow men to shoot naphtha. Each
large vessel is attended by three others, which are called respectively 'The Half,'
'The Third,' and 'The Quarter.' These vessels are built only at Zayton, in China,
and at Sínkalán or Sín-ul-Sín (i.e. Canton). This is the way they are built. They
construct two walls of timber, which they connect by very thick slabs of wood,
clenching all fast this way and that with huge spikes, each of which is three cubits in
length. When the two walls have been united by these slabs they apply the bottom
planking, and then launch the hull before completing the construction. The timbers
projecting from the sides towards the water serve the crew for going down to wash and
for other needs. And to these projecting timbers are attached the oars, which are
like masts in size, and need from 10 to 15 men * to ply each of them. There are
about 20 of these great oars, and the rowers at each oar stand in two ranks facing
one another. The oars are provided with two strong cords or cables; each rank pulls
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731
732
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