MALAYA OR MALACCA.
Progreffive Qeography.— Name 'and. Extents—Language,—^ (ns..— Prodygs;,
' ■ City-:of Malacca— General- Remarks- m the Majays^Mes of And^ian and
jN^cfibar.' :
H AYING thus finifhed the. defeription of the chief native. eThfares-of
Afia, a foreign power,-that of the Engljfh naturally
attraft the next attention, as perhaps not unequal in real and effective
f o r e e evento the greateft ofthefe empires. While the Englifh polonies
in America claim a decided preponderance over any power on that
continent, it is not a little furprizing to behold the natives Pf a • remote
European ifteexercifing fuch fway in Afia, and influencing the councils
of the moft remote potentates. The colony eftablifhied in New Holland
is alfo a ftriking and Angular feature in human hiftoty!; and will
probably fecure lading afeendancy in a region before unknown. Were
Egypt to yield to the Britifh arms, it might be.afferted that the Englifh
name is pre-eminent in every quarter of the globe..* Such are the
fruits of national freedom,'the parent of induftry and enterprize; •
But as the Britifh empire in Ilindoftan only embraces a comparatively
fmall part of that extenfive region, indiffolubly connected .with the
others by-identity of population, manners,, and laws, it lee iris preferable.
to follow a plan merely geographical in deferibing the remaining hates
of Afia; and after completing the account of thofe beyond the .Ganges,
. to proceed to Hindoftan, Perfia, and Arabia.
* This event lias fince happened—but Egypt is refigned to Turkiih barbarifna.
In
- In thejjfaijie nvjew of',,^^gM',pMcald'to©neftiQ0|,liwhere the political
weight.of the „ffate defeiwes^rtt4ei;o©nfider^ioiQi,f!,biffiher from power or.
durability, it-will be proper, jaffter tthe-precedin'g fdeferipfioh. of the Birman
territories, , to fubj$3mfbme account of thatlpeniafula appended to*
them^qn the ftylpd lylalaya or -Malawi?A' |
This, Cherfeqqfeiwas certainly unknown ‘to the ancients^ and feems to
haveefe^tped, the knowledge .of Matfbo rplcb ThOyg© me qle of'Sumatra
appears to havel)een‘:kqqwpto(nim,by the name df'J'S.Va Mino4 if this-i
be not his Maletur, whore; he fays fhgte \Vas aoundane^Qf'fpfces, and
thfS'Pa£iV;Os-had^a proper and peculiar,fpeechi*
( .However this be, t5he,Port:Uguefe>are^gard^d(cjss’^be firAdifi^yererspf
Malacca, to which thqy.yeereTed by tlje vain idea of findingtfte%olden
■ Cherfonefe of, the ancient«.- When. Seqqeira reached tihs peninfula in
i j,OQ,iihe found it fubjgQ fd Mahmud,,a Mahometan pnhcA|, while the
capital*, Ma^acqa, had acquired feme cordideratipn from its favourable
pofitiqn, as a mart ,of trade betweep .China and Hindoftan. Icl i$i i
the Portuguefq conquered the peninfula.
Th^,name is derived from, the Malays, who are moftly Mahometans,
and,in fome degree civilizedbut the inland parts Teem tope poiTelmp
^hS.a more, rude native race, little known amidft the* i'mperfe^on of materials
concerning this country, neither the Portugpefe rfor Dutembeihg
erfiipent in-frientific precifion. . The northern limits acempt ^‘ftridl y 'del-
fined; but Malacca is about 8°, or near 560 Britifh miles in length, by
about 150 miles of medial breadth, a territory fufficiemtly ample for a
powerful monarchy, had its native productions correfponded with its5
latent.
>tAs the Malays have eftablifhed feveraT-governments’®
heft ideas .concerning them may be derived from Mr; Marfderi”s hiffiory
of that ifle. Their language has hcenxalled the Italian of Jtigeaft, ffo'tk
the Hielbdy-of frequent vo.we,ls". and! liquids'j arief the above 'intelligent
traveller has produced the following fpecimen : f / '
* See in the account of the Afiatic iflands a note on that hi«
Boeach:qrLoeachis perhapa Xewi or Gamboja. (XrAnville’s Aua]?. 'pu^irfe et^ tno,rep'to'Brf.'
ble that Boeach is the northern part of Malacca, .and Maletur the foTj^em .», for his Gar binuts is#£hc’ .
. S. W. point, and Sciroccus the S. E.
P rogremve
Geography.
’Name.
Extent.
Language.
V O L . I I . D D