Indian Antiquary Vol 31

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 23

JANUARY, 1902.) LETTERS FROM PORTUGUESE CAPTIVES IN CANTON.
. 19
country. Over all Pequim is the capital where the king by law resides. Nanquim lies in 28 or 29 degrees, Pequim in 38 to 39. From Cantão to Foquõ the coast runs along north-east and southWest a little more or less. From Foquem to Piquim the coast runs straight north and south. The coast winds about, which they say is a very safe one, and having many cities and towns near the sea on rivers. All these fifteen provinces are under one king. The advantage of this country89 lies in its rivers all of which descend to the sea. No one sails the sea from north to south; it is prohibited by the king, in order that the country may not becom, known. Where we went was all rivers. They have boats and ships broad below without number, there are so many. I am certain that I must have seen thirty thousand including great and small.01 They require little water. Certainly there are rivers for galleys suitable for every kind of rowing foist for war. Close to the sea the country has no wood, nor at thirty leagues from the sea : I mean that on the coast from north to south the land is all low, all provisions are carried, and on the rivers the wood comes down in rafts from inlund, and it is towed from more than one hundred leagues round Pequym because the province in which the king resides has no wood nor stone nor bricks : 92 all is carried from Nanquim in large boats. If Nãoquin did not supply it with its provisions, or other provinces, Pequym would not be able to sustain itself, because there are people without number and the land does not produce rice, because it is cold and has few food-products. The king resides in this province, which is situated at the extremity of his country, because he is at war with some peoples called Tazas, 99 and if the king did not remain there they would invade the country, because this same Pequim belonged to these Tazas, with other provinces.
In this country some fifteen leagues from the gulf of Caucbim, from fifteen to twenty longues inland from Haynão, here commences a mountain range: this range is called [f. 119] Miuylem or Moulem, and runs eastward and ends in Foquem, and divides Foquem from Chiquião. These mountain ranges are very high, without trees; they are lofty and very rugged, so that these ranges divide three provinces. On the sea Cangy borders on the country of Cauchi and Cantão and then Foquem. These three provinces stand by themselves. Of the others Cantão and Foqnem border on the sea and reach as far as the mountain range. Capgim lies between Cantão and the range as far es Canchim: it does not border on the sea of Canchim. The whole of this line of mountains which divides these three provinces from the other twelve has only two roads very steep and difficult. One is from this city to the north : by this one is served the province of Cançi and Cantão and part of Foquem. The other is there above Foquem, with roads cut through the fuck in many parts like that which goes to Santa Maria da Penna, and on the other side there will be a like descent. In these lofty and steep ranges rise rivulet's which afterwards here below for rivers that go flowing down to the sea, and anyone that
The orig. has sorra, mountain range, coppiat's blunder for terra evidently.
Of. Gaspar da Crus in Purchas, Pilg. ILL. p. 190; Mendusa (Hak. Soo, ed.), I. p. 94. * cf. Mendoza (Hak. Soo. ed.), I. p. 149. * This statement is incorrect. (Soe Williama's Middle Kingdom. I. p. 89.)
# Barros, in quoting this statement from Christovo Vieyra's letter, says (Deo. TII., VL. I.) that the emperor resided in Poking "boonuse of its being on the frontier of the Tartars, whom they call T&tas or Tancas (as we have already said (in Deo. III., II. vii.] ), with whom he is continually at war." (Soo also Galeotto Pereira in Purchas, Pily. pp. 205, 207; Gaspar da Crux in ib. p. 170; Mondosa, Hak. Soo, od. pp. 9, 28, 77, 85, 90.)
N That is, Cochinchina. See Yulo's Hobson-Jobson, , •. 'Coohin-China' Gaspar da Cras in Porabas. Pilg. III. p. 167; and Galeotto Pereira in same, p. 205.
* Meiling, the "Plum Paas," by which nearly all intercourse between the northern and southern provinces was carried on. The name is applied locally to the Yanling range. (See Mid. King. I. pp. 12, 87, 89, 113, 150, 174) * Sic, for Cauchim.
Cf. Mid. King. I. p. 174. This is the famous monastery at Cintra in Portagal, immortalised by Byron in Childe Harold, canto I. versos xix.-XX., under the title of "Our Lady's House of Wow," the poet being under the mistaken impression that it derived ita name from pona, punishment, where it is from ponha, rook, clift. (In his note on the name, and the one correcting the error, Byron has jumbled up Spanish and Portuguese in s ridiculous way.) The spelling penna in the text is an antiquated form of Spanish gefla. I owe the reference to Childe Harold to Sr. David Lopes of Lisbon, to whom I am indebted for much kind help. It is a remarkablo coincidence that, according to Sir John Barrow (Travels in China, P. 507), Lord Macartney should, whon crowing the Mollie Pana, have been reminded, like Obristovao Vieyna, of the Cintra rocks.