The Venetian passo was 5 feet.  Marco here alludes to the well-known practice with the Chinese junks of raising the rudder, for which they have a special arrangement, which is indicated in the cut at p. 248.

NOTE 3.—­There is a difficulty here about the indications, carrying us, as they do, first 60 miles through the Strait, and then 30 miles further to the Island Kingdom and city of Malaiur.  There is also a singular variation in the readings as to this city and island.  The G.T. has “Une isle qe est roiame, et s’apelle Malanir e l’isle Pentam.”  The Crusca has the same, only reading Malavir.  Pauthier:  “Une isle qui est royaume, et a nom Maliur.”  The Geog.  Latin:  “Ibi invenitur una insula in qua est unus rex quem vocant Lamovich. Civitas et insula vocantur Pontavich.”  Ram.:  “Chiamasi la citta Malaiur, e cosi l’isola Malaiur.”

All this is very perplexed, and it is difficult to trace what may have been the true readings.  The 30 miles beyond the straits, whether we give the direction south-east as in G.T. or no, will not carry us to the vicinity of any place known to have been the site of an important city.  As the point of departure in the next chapter is from Pentam and not from Malaiur, the introduction of the latter is perhaps a digression from the route, on information derived either from hearsay or from a former voyage.  But there is not information enough to decide what place is meant by Malaiur.  Probabilities seem to me to be divided between Palembang, and its colony Singhapura.  Palembang, according to the Commentaries of Alboquerque, was called by the Javanese MALAYO.  The List of Sumatran Kingdoms in De Barros makes TANA-MALAYU the next to Palembang.  On the whole, I incline to this interpretation.

[In Valentyn (V. 1, Beschryvinge van Malakka, p. 317) we find it stated that the Malay people just dwelt on the River Malayu in the Kingdom of Palembang, and were called from the River Orang Malayu.—­MS. Note.—­H.Y.]

[Professor Schlegel in his Geog.  Notes, IV., tries to prove by Chinese authorities that Maliur and Tana-Malayu are two quite distinct countries, and he says that Maliur may have been situated on the coast opposite Singapore, perhaps a little more to the S.W. where now lies Malacca, and that Tana-Malayu may be placed in Asahan, upon the east coast of Sumatra.—­H.C.]

Singhapura was founded by an emigration from Palembang, itself a Javanese colony.  It became the site of a flourishing kingdom, and was then, according to the tradition recorded by De Barros, the most important centre of population in those regions, “whither used to gather all the navigators of the Eastern Seas, from both East and West; to this great city of Singapura all flocked as to a general market.” (Dec.  II. 6, 1.) This suits the description in our text well; but as Singhapura was in sight of any ship passing through the straits, mistake could hardly occur as to its position, even if it had not been visited.