PIGAFETTA 352 PINE APPLE
took place among the native inhabitants, encouraged by a proclamation of the
invaders promising to abolish the capitation-tax, which, had they acted on it, on
achieving the conquest, would have left them devoid of revenue to carry on the administration,
since at the time the other main branch of income, the tobacco monopoly,
did not yet exist. The Manilla expedition must be considered a mere marauding
adventure, conducted in a manner that would not be tolerated in our time. By the
Spaniards of the Philippines, it is still considered as the most untoward event in the
history of the Archipelago.
PIGAFETTA, ANTONIO, the companion of Magellan in the first circumnavigation
of the globe, and] the faithful narrator of his voyage, was a native of Vicenza, and of
a patrician family, but the years of his birth and death are not known. He was only
a volunteer in the celebrated expedition; and having leisure and industry he kept a
journal, the work by which he is known. He accompanied Magellan in the rash
adventure in which he lost his life,—was slightly wounded in it, and was one of the
few survivors of the voyage that returned safe to Spain. He afterwards became a
knight of the order of St. John.
The first published account of Pigafetta’s Journal was in French, from an abridgment
presented by the author to Louisa of Savoy, mother of Francis the First, and
regent of France in the absence of her son in his unfortunate Italian campaign. From
the French, this abridgment was rendered into Italian by Ramusio, and appeared in
his celebrated Collection in 1550. The original work was found in the Ambrosian
library of Milan; and published in 1800 by Amoretti, with some corrections as to
language, indispensable from the coarseness of some of its descriptions. Pigafetta,
although noble by birth, seems to have been but imperfectly educated, for his manuscript
contains errors both of grammar and orthography; but these are more than
compensated by his good sense and fidelity. For much of his information, it may be
presumed, that he was indebted to his companions, Magellan and Barbosa, both of
whom had passed several years in India before the last great adventure; and Barbosa’s
manuscript is dated in 1516, or three year’s before the expedition quitted Spain.
He was, however, himself inquisitive, industrious, and intelligent; and his description
of the manners, customs, religion, and productions of the Philippines and
Moluccas are equal to those of our best modern travellers, and form a contrast to the
obscure glimpses of knowledge which we get from his countryman, Marco Polo. After
the Malay slave of Magellan, hitherto the interpreter, had absconded on his master’s
death, Pigafetta seems already to have acquired such a competent knowledge of the
Malay language, that in Mindano, Borneo, and the Moluccas he was able to supply his
place. The vocabularies, which form a part of his journal, are sufficient proofs of
his industry. These are called respectively the Philippine and Molucca languages, but
are, in fact, the £ebu dialect of Bisaya and Malay. The first amounts to 140 words,
but the last to 450; and making due allowance for errors of transcription, it is
wonderfully accurate. Independent of this, it is a great curiosity, being the most
ancient specimen of Malay which we possess, for in that language there exist neither
old inscriptions nor old manuscripts.
PILGRIMAGE. I t is probable tb a t pilgrimages were made in tbe times of Hinduism
to some of the ancient shrines of Java, such as those of Brambanan and
Singasari; but there is certainly no record of any such having been made, nor of
pilgrimages having been performed to any of the sacred places of Hindustan, although
such may also have occasionally taken place. Since the conversion to Mahommed-
anism, pilgrimages to Mecca have been frequent; the greater number of the pilgrims
proceeding from Java, and a few from Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula. I was, myself,
told by one of those who had seen the lists in Arabia, that the usual number present
at Mecca was about 900. The annual number proceeding from Java alone is about
400. The performance of the pilgrimage, in Malay, Nayik-haj, brings with it the same
honors and consideration as did that of the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to the Europeans
of the middle ages. The pilgrim wears for life the Arabian costume ; is clothed in
white,—is a person of importance, and sometimes a fanatic and an intriguer. I t was,
for example, persons of this description under the name of the Padris, who set up the
puritanical Mahometanism that caused a civil war in Sumatra about the beginning of
the present century.
PINE APPLE. Tbe Ananassa sativa grows in great perfection, and with sncb
facility as to be very abundant throughout every part of the Malay and Philippine
Archipelagos. I t may even be said to be produced with the facility of a native weed,
PINA 353
and yet there can be no question of its being a native of tropical America, introduced
by the Spaniards and Portuguese, although at what precise time is unknown. The
name given to it, in nearly all the languages of the two Archipelagos, is but a corruption
of that which was received from their European conquerors, ananasa. Thus, in
Malay and Javanese it is nanas; in Balinese, manas; in Madurese, lanas; and in
Lampung, kanias. In the languages of Celebes it is called pandang, which is but a
corruption of the Malayan name for the Pandanus, given to it from the general
resemblance between the two plants. The natives of the Philippines frequently give
it the name of pifia, the Spanish name of a pine-cone, which is equivalent to our own
name. The fruit is considered by the natives a coarse one, and less esteemed even
than the banana,
PIS'A. This is the name by which the cloth manufactured in the Philippines
from the fibre of the leaf of the pine-apple is known. From the extraordinary
facility and certainty with which the pine-apple is grown in the vicinity of the
equator, it seems almost certain, that by the application of European skill to the process
of separating the fibre from the pulpy matter of the leaf, a valuable raw material
composed of it, might be obtained for the manufactories of Europe. The cloth made
from the pine-apple fibre, by the rude industry of the Philippines, is we.ll known to
be of great strength, durability, and beauty. To show the facility with which the
pine-apple is reared, I copy the following passage from a very intelligent writer.
“ This (that of the pine-apple) is a cultivation for which Singapore is famous. The
beautiful islands and islets, to the west of the harbour, are covered with plots neatly
planted with rows of this favourite fruit. The peculiar soil of these is said to impart
the delicious flavour possessed by the Singapore pine-apples. The principal cultivators
are Bugis. The produce, at times, far exceeds the consumption; and then,
when bought at the gardens, is sometimes to be had at the rate of ten apples to a
cent, (1000 for a hard dollar). The plant is hardy, and requires little care or cultivation.
The principal labour is in collecting the fruit. The fibres of the leaf are
prepared, to a small extent, for shipment to China.”—Mr. J. T. Thomson, in the
Journal of the Indian Archipelago. Vol. iv. p. 140. The production of fruit and of
leaves in no manner, it should be remembered, interfere with each other, the leaves
being fittest for fibre after the fruit has ripened, the reverse of what is the case with
the poppy, which cannot produce both opium and oil; and with the coco-palm, which
will not yield both sap and fruit.
PIRACY and PIRATE. There is no name in Malay and Javanese, or indeed in
any other native language, for piracy or robbery on the high seas. There is, in fact,
no word to distinguish the element on which the act of plunder is committed, a thing
natural enough with a people who live as much on the sea as the land. Rompak is to
rob or plunder generally; and from this is derived the most usual name for a pirate,
parompak; and for piracy, p&rompakan. In a region like the Malay and Philippine
Archipelagos, abounding in narrow seas, rivers, creeks, coves, and mangrove swamps, and
often inhabited by rude and lawless tribes of fishermen, piracy must have existed as early
as there was anything to plunder. It has so existed in every part of the world similarly
circumstanced; as for example, in the Grecian Archipelago at various times, and in
northern Europe, including our own islands, and the countries from which our forefathers
sprang, in the middle ages. The account which Thucydides gives of the
manners of the early Greeks, so closely resembles that of the Malayan nations in
this respect, that it is worth quoting as an illustration. “ The Greeks of former
times,” says he, “ as well as the barbarians of the continent dwelling on the sea coast,
and all the inhabitants of the islands, as soon as they had acquired the art of passing
to and fro in their vessels, betook themselves to piracy under the leadership of the
most able among "them, for the purpose of enriching themselves and maintaining
their poor. They landed,—surprised, and plundered unfortified towns and dispersed
villages, and in this manner, chiefly, they gained a subsistence. In these times such an
employment was, by no means, considered a subject of reproach, but rather a matter to
glory in. Even to this day, some of the people of the continent attach credit to
exploits of this nature, provided they be performed with decency and humanity. The
inhabitants of the continent, also, exercised robberies on one another; and down to
the present day, many people of Greece are supported by Buch practices, as, for
example, the Ozolian Locrians, the A5tolians, and Acarnanians, with their neighbours.
The custom of wearing weapons, introduced by this old life of rapine, is still retained
among these people. I t once prevailed, indeed, all over Greece; for as houses had
no manner of defence, and travelling was full of hazard, the Greeks passed their