A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 01 eBook

Robert Kerr (writer)
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 770 pages of information about A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 01.

A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 01 eBook

Robert Kerr (writer)
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 770 pages of information about A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 01.

Sailing from Zaitum, 1500 miles to the south westwards, we pass a gulf called Cheinan[1], which extends two months sail to the northward, still confining on the south-east[2] of Mangi, and elsewhere, with Ania and Toloman, and other provinces mentioned formerly.  Within it are infinite islands all in a manner inhabited [3], and in them is found abundance of gold, and they trade with each other.  This gulf seems like another world; and after 1500 miles sailing, is the rich and great country of Ziambar[4].  The people are idolaters, and pay an yearly tribute to the great khan of twenty elephants, and great quantities of aloes wood.  In the year 1268, hearing of the riches of this country, the khan sent one of his generals, named Segatu, to invade it, Acambute, who was then king of the country, was old, and chose to avoid the dangers and miseries of war, by agreeing to pay the before-mentioned tribute.  In Ziambar there are many woods of black ebony, of great value.

Sailing thence for 1500 miles, betwixt the south and southeast, we came to Java[5], which is considered by mariners to be the largest island in the world, being above 3000 miles in circumference.  It is governed by a king who pays tribute to none; as, owing to the length and danger of the voyage, the great khan has made no attempt to annex it to his vast dominions.  The merchants of Zaitum and Mangi, bring from thence abundance of gold and spices.  South and south-westwards six hundred miles, are the islands of Sondur and Condur, both desolate, of which Sondur is the larger[6].  Fifty miles south-east from them is a rich and great province, or island, called Lochae[7].  The people are idolaters, and have both a king and language of their own.  In it there grows great plenty of Brazil wood; and it has much gold, many elephants, wild beasts, and fowls, and an excellent fruit called bercias, as large as lemons.  The country is mountainous and savage, and the king permits no person to come into his dominions, lest they should get acquainted with the county and attempt its conquest.  It produces abundance of porcelain shells, which are transported to other places, where they serve as money.

Five hundred miles southward from Lochae, is the isle of Pentan[8], a savage place, which produces sweet trees in all its woods.  For sixty miles of this voyage, between Lochae and Pentan, the sea in many places is only four fathoms deep Thirty miles to the south-east from Pentan, is the island and kingdom of Malaiur[9], which has a king and a peculiar language of its own, and has a great trade carried on in spices from Pentan.  One hundred miles south-east is Java the less[10], which is about two thousand miles in circuit, and is divided into eight kingdoms, each having its own language.  I was in six of these kingdoms, of which I shall give some account, omitting those I did not see.

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A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 01 from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.