The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2 / Page 331 (Color Image)

0331	The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2

so just that I have followed Pauthier in substituting Champa for Java in the
text.

NOTE 2.—There is no reason to doubt that these islands are the group now
known as that of PULO CONDORE, in old times an important landmark, and
occasional point of call, on the route to China. The group is termed Sundar Fúldt
(Fúldt representing the Malay Pulo or Island, in the plural) in the Arab Relations of
the 9th century, the last point of departure on the voyage to China, from which it
was a month distant. This old record gives us the name Sondor; in modern times
we have it as Kondúr; Polo combines both names. ["These may also be the
'Satyrs' Islands' of Ptolemy, or they may be his Sindai; for he has a Sinda city
on the coast close to this position, though his Sindai islands are dropt far away. But
it would not be difficult to show that Ptolemy's islands have been located almost at
random, or as from a pepper castor." (Yule, Oldest Records, p. 657.)] The group
consists of a larger island about 12 miles long, two of 2 or 3 miles, and some half-
dozen others of insignificant dimensions. The large one is now specially called Pulo
Condore. It has a fair harbour, fresh water, and wood in abundance. Dampier
visited the group and recommended its occupation. The E. I. Company did
establish a post there in 1702, but it came to a speedy end in the massacre of the
Europeans by their Macassar garrison. About the year 1720 some attempt to found
a settlement there was also made by the French, who gave the island the name of
Isle d'Orléans. The celebrated Père Gaubil spent eight months on the island and
wrote an interesting letter about it (February, 1722; see also Lettres Edifiantes,
Rec. xvi.). When the group was visited by Mr. John Crawfurd on his mission to
Cochin China the inhabitants numbered about 800, of Cochin Chinese descent. The
group is now held by the French under Saigon. The chief island is known to the
Chinese as the mountain of Kunlun. There is another cluster of rocks in the same
sea, called the Seven Cheu, and respecting these two groups Chinese sailors have a
kind of Incidit-in-Scyllan saw :—

"Shang p'a Tsi-chêu, hia-pa Kun-lun,
Cheu mi t'uo shih, jin chuen mo tsun." *

Meaning :— "With Kunlun to starboard, and larboard the Cheu,
Keep conning your compass, whatever you do,
Or to Davy Jones' Locker go vessel and crew."

(Ritter, IV. 1017; Reinaud, I. 18; A. Hamilton, II. 402; Mém. conc. les Chinois,
XIV. 53.)

NOTE 3.—Pauthier reads the name of the kingdom Soucat, but I adhere to the
readings of the G. T., Lochac and Locac, which are supported by Ramusio.
Pauthier's C and the Bern MS. have le chac and le that, which indicate the same
reading.

Distance and other particulars point, as Hugh Murray discerns, to the east coast
of the Malay Peninsula, or (as I conceive) to the territory now called Siam, including
the said coast, as subject or tributary from time immemorial.

The kingdom of Siam is known to the Chinese by the name of Sien-Lo. The
Supplement to Ma Twan-lin's Encyclopædia describes Sien-Lo as on the sea-board to
the extreme south of Chen-ching. "It originally consisted of two kingdoms, Sien
and Lo-hoh. The Sien people are the remains of a tribe which in the year
(A.D. 1341) began to come down upon the Lo-hoh, and united with the latter into
one nation. . . . The land of the Lo-hoh consists of extended plains, but not much
agriculture is done." †

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National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

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National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books