ABSTRACT
LUDOVICO DI VARTHEM A. 227 created on earth. When the king wishes to interfere with them, they say that they will disinhabit the land, because they are men o f the sea.1 The air here is very temper-
1 Considering that Yarthema was the first European to describe Malacca, and that his stay there did not extend beyond a few days, it is surprising to find how strikingly correct his brief remarks are, not only as regards the natural objects which were open to his inspection, but others also which were less obvious, connected with the past history of the people and their actual civil condition at the period o f his visit. The statement that Malacca was inhabited by a nation o f Javanese is corroborated by the learned researches o f Crawfurd, who says : “ On one point, all parties seem to agree, that not only the founders o f Malacca, but even o f Singapore, were Javanese and not Malays ; for even the Malayan account is substantially to this effect, since it brings the emi grants who established themselves at Singapore from Palembang, which was a Javanese settlement.” Id. p. 243.
