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Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

120   MARCO POLO.   VOL. II. BK. III.

were forbidden to take fine values to trade with the three foreign

states of Ma-pa-r, Pei nan, and Fan-ta-la-i-na, but 2,500,000

nominal taels in paper money were set apart for the purpose."

XXV., p. 391.

In the Yuen Shi, ch. 94, fol. i i r°, the " three barbarian king-

doms of Ma-pa-eul (Ma'abar), Pei-nan (corr. Kiu-nam, Coilam)

and Fan-ta-la-yi-na" are mentioned. No doubt the last kingdom

refers to the Fandaraina of Ibn Batuta, and Prof. Pelliot, who

gives me this information, believes it is also, in the middle of the

fourteenth century, Pan-ta-li of the Tao yi chi ho.

GOZURAT.

XXV., p. 393. " In this province of Gozurat there grows much

pepper, and ginger, and indigo. They have also a great deal of

cotton. Their cotton trees are of very great size, growing full six

paces high, and attaining to an age of 20 years."

Chau Ju-kwa has, p. 92 : " The native products comprise

great quantities of indigo, red kino, myrobolans and foreign

cotton stuffs of every colour. Every year these goods are trans-

ported to the Ta shi countries for sale."

XXXI., p. 404.

TWO ISLANDS CALLED MALE AND FEMALE.

Speaking of the fabulous countries of women, Chau Ju-kwa,

p. 151, writes : " The women of this country [to the south-east

(beyond Sha-hua kung ?) Malaysia] conceive by exposing them-

selves naked to the full force of the south wind, and so give birth

to female children."

In the West ern Sea there is also a country of women where

only three females go to every five males ; the country is governed

by a queen, and all the civil offices are in the hands of women,

whereas the men perform military duties. Noble women have

several males to wait upon them ; but the men may not have

female attendants. When a woman gives birth to a child, the

latter takes its name from the mother. The climate is usually

cold. The chase with bow and arrows is their chief occupation.

They carry on barter with Ta-t'sin and Tien-chu, in which they

make several hundred per cent. profit."

Cf. F. Hirth, China and the Roman Orient, pp. 200-202.