Summary

Context

At that time the ruler of Pam (Pahang) governed Syncapura (Singapore): and the monarch who resided in Pathane (Patani), the metropolis of the Malayos (Malays), was tributary to the empire of Siam, for right down to the present day the Malays regard the latter as their master: while the Head of the principal empire and administration was the Emperor of Attay (Cathay, or China), for India Intra-Ganges and India Extra-Ganges and Meridional India were tributary to him, and their ports were frequented by his boats, differing in shape from European boats, in the course of their voyages across the Ocean.

For they used "juncos" or "somas", tall boats like freight-bearing carracks, with 2 rudders and masts and with sails made of woven palm-leaves and of matting, traversed by bamboos at definite intervals, so that they could fold and gather up the sail with despatch when the wind-storms came on.

These bamboos are usually 5 or 6 fathoms long, and thick round as a man’s arm: the inside is hollow, the distance from one knot to the next being 4 palms. This country produces great quantities of bamboos, long and short, thick and thin.

They also use smaller boats called "lorchas" and "lyolyo" these boats have only two oars, one on each side: these oars serve both to guide and to propel the boats when they traffic on the rivers.

But the tall boats, called "juncos" or "somas", resembling freight-bearing carracks, voyage across the Ocean and the Mangic Sea or Great Gulf, and travel to Meridional India, as is stated by Marco Polo in Book 3 chapter 11, and by Ptolemy in his Table 12 of Asia: whereby it is shown that the Meridional Sea was navigated more frequently on the eastern coast than on the other or western coast of Ujontana by the Attayos (Chinese) and by the people of Java Major (true Java) and Java Minor (Sumatra): for both these nations used big boats like carracks for their trading voyages, as our own experience shows. Reference 1Reference 2

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