The Voyage of François Pyrard of Laval to the East Indies, the Maldives, the Moluccas, and Brazil: Volume I: 1

515 Pages·2010·30.801 MB·English

by  Harry Charles Purvis Bell, Albert Gray (editor)

ASHGATE EBOOK
The Voyage of
François Pyrard of Laval to
the East Indies, the Maldives,
the Moluccas, and Brazil
Volume I
Edited by
ALBErT GrAy and HArry CHArLEs PurVIs BELL
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
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the publication of scholarly editions of primary records of voyages, travels and other
geographical material. In partnership with Ashgate, and using print-on-demand and e-book
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IsBN 978-1-4094-1343-1 (hbk)
IsBN 978-1-4094-1582-4 (ebk)
Transfered to Digital Printing 2010
WORKS ISSUED BY
Cf)f
THE VOYAGE
«»
FRANCOIS PYRARD.
No. LIKVL
VIEW OF LAVAL.
Before the construction of tin1 modem Kml>:uikmcnt.
THE VOYAGE
or
FEANCOIS PYRAED
OF LAVAL
TO THE EAST INDIES, THE MALDIVES, THE
MOLUCCAS AND BRAZIL.
TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH PROM THE THIRD FREXCH EDITION OF 1618,
AND EDITED, WITH NOTES,
BY ALBERT GRAY,
FOBMEBtY OF THE CEYI.OW CIVIL SERVICE.
ASSISTED
BY H. C. P. BELL,
OF THB CEYLON CIVIL SERVICE,
/.V TWO lrOLfTM£S.— YOl. I.
LONDON:
PRINTED FOR THE. HAKLUYT SOCIETY,
lU-^-
4, LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS, W.C.
M.DCCC.LXIXVIt.
C O U N C I It
THE UAKLUYT SOCIETY.
(.•OIOSBL H. YULE, R.E, e.B., Lf,P,, P«MI»ECT.
Si* HKXRY HAV?L.IX:$ON% K.«?.»., IM:.L., LL.I) , F.R.S,
ASSOCIK ?JTBAN-QER DE L'INSKTUT DE PII\N-OR, VIOK-I'IIBSIDKN r.
L0ftD ABERDARl, G.C.B., F.K.S., PBIB. E G.S,
W. A,. TVSSKX AMHBRST, Ks%, M.P,
WALTER DE GRAY BIRCH, Es«j,, F.8.A.
RB*B.APM1H4I, LINPISAY BRINK.
8i» EDWARD H, BUNBORY, BART.
EI»WARD BURNB JOKES, is«j,, A.R.A., n.c.L.
THE BAM. OF DU01I, F.R.S.
Him BARROW ELLIH K.r.S,I.
AtBKRf GRAY, Ksy,
Linrt..QBir. Sim HKNBT LKFROY. C'.B., K.*'.M.««.
R. H. MAJOR, Kste., F.S.A.
OLEMKSTS R, MARKHAM, Is%,, C.B., F.RS,
AbjtiKAL SIR ERASMUS OMMAXXEY, C.B., F.R.y.
LORD ART BUR HUS-SRLL.
S. W. SILVER, Km-
VMS I*O«D STANLEY OF Ai»Ktti.itY.
,Sia CHARLES W1L-5OX*, R,K., K.C.B.. K.aM.a,, F.H.^,, P.t'.L.. aitd LL.P.
K. DELMAR HQROAX, HOHOKAKK SBCBETAUV.
CONTENTS OF THE FIHST VOLUME.
PAGE
INTRODUCTION - ix
CHRONOLOGY OF PYRARD'S VOYAGK - xlix
ADDENDA ET CORRIGENDA - - 1
TITLE PACK or THK THIRD FRENCH EDITION - li
DEDICATORY EPISTLK ... Hit
HEADINGS OF CHAPTERS - - - lv
VOYAGE: PART THE FIKST - - l-4;>2
LIST OF ILLUSTEATIONS.
1. View of Laval (from a photograph) to face titk-payt.
2. Male Harbour .... 120
8. Ground-plan of the exterior arrangement of the Chief Mosque
(Hukuru Miskftu) at Male - - opposite j><i<i>' l'^
4. Minaret and portion of Mosque at Mule - - -132
5. Arena for the Sports at Male - - - -142
6. Young Girl and Old Man .... Itfv
7. Maldive Woman - - - - -16(>
8. Principal Entrance to the Palace - - 21(»
9. Maldive Larin ..... 232
10. Ceylon Larin and modern Maldivu Copper Lari - 2.'U
11. Old Fort Wall at Male - 2K>
12. Map of the Maldives - - end nf vol/imr.
Nos. 2, 1, s, 6, 7, 8, awl 11 are from photoffraph» by Mr. BELL.
AH **' *» *f
!*•
««|W«* »1 m »»p|p'
p«i sw«i
INTRODUCTION.
AT the end of the fifteenth century, while the Pope
was still regarded as standing arbitrator in the dis
putes of Christendom, Alexander VI had decreed
to Portugal the discoveries of the East. The dis
covery of the Cape route to India was the first-fruits
of that dispensation, and, for the greater part of the
succeeding century, Portugal was admitted to hold
in lawful possession, not only the territories of
her conquest in India, but also the ocean ways
which led thither. From the first landing of Da
Gamaat Calicut in 149 8, the policy of the Portuguese
was to maintain an absolute supremacy in Eastern
waters. Their aim was not territorial dominion, but
only command of the seas and of trade routes, in
pursuance of which they sought positions of advan
tage, whether ports or islands, some of which they
won by force, others by diplomacy. It was a
curious feature of the age that the other nations of
Europe in some sense acknowledged their right to
the possession of the Cape route,1 without acknow-
1 The doctrine that the ocean is the common property of the
human race was asserted first by Elizabeth and her bold seamen,
and afterwards defended on legal principles by Grotius in his