Here we have the difficulties usual with Polo’s historical anecdotes.  Certain names and circumstances are distinctly recognisable in the Chinese Annals; others are difficult to reconcile with these.  The embassy of 1284 seems the most likely to be the one spoken of by Polo, though the Chinese history does not give it the favourable result which he ascribes to it.  The date in the text we see to be wrong, and as usual it varies in different MSS.  I suspect the original date was MCCLXXXIII.

One of the Chinese notices gives one of the king’s names as Sinhopala, and no doubt this is Ramusio’s Accambale (Acambale); an indication at once of the authentic character of that interpolation, and of the identity of Champa and Chen-ching.

[We learn from an inscription that in 1265 the King of Champa was Jaya-Sinhavarman II., who was named Indravarman in 1277, and whom the Chinese called Che li Tseya Sinho phala Maha thiwa (Cri Jaya Sinha varmma maha deva).  He was the king at the time of Polo’s voyage. (A.  Bergaigne, Ancien royaume de Campa, pp. 39-40; E.  Aymonier, les Tchames et leurs religious, p. 14.)—­H.C.]

There are notices of the events in De Mailla (IX. 420-422) and Gaubil (194), but Pauthier’s extracts which we have made use of are much fuller.

Elephants have generally formed a chief part of the presents or tribute sent periodically by the various Indo-Chinese states to the Court of China.

[In a Chinese work published in the 14th century, by an Annamite, under the title of Ngan-nan chi lio, and translated into French by M. Sainson (1896), we read (p. 397):  “Elephants are found only in Lin-y; this is the country which became Champa.  It is the habit to have burdens carried by elephants; this country is to-day the Pu-cheng province.”  M. Sainson adds in a note that Pu-cheng, in Annamite Bo chanh quan, is to-day Quang-binh, and that, in this country, was placed the first capital (Dong-hoi) of the future kingdom of Champa thrown later down to the south.—­H.C.]

[The Chams, according to their tradition, had three capitals:  the most ancient, Shri-Banoeuy, probably the actual Quang-Binh province; Bal-Hangov, near Hue; and Bal-Angoue, in the Binh-Dinh province.  In the 4th century, the kingdom of Lin-y or Lam-ap is mentioned in the Chinese Annals.—­H.C.]

NOTE 2.—­The date of Marco’s visit to Champa varies in the MSS.:  Pauthier has 1280, as has also Ramusio; the G.T. has 1285; the Geographic Latin 1288.  I incline to adopt the last.  For we know that about 1290, Mark returned to Court from a mission to the Indian Seas, which might have included this visit to Champa.