hundred and fifty miles, they reached a small island named Necuram or
Norcueran (probably Nancowry, one of the Nicobars), and afterwards an
island named Angaman (Andaman), from whence, steering to the southward of
west a thousand miles, they arrived at that of Zeilan or Seilam, one of
the most considerable in the world. The editions consulted are chiefly
the Italian of Ramusio, 1583, Latin of Muller, 1671, and French of
Bergeron, 1735, varying much from each other in the orthography of proper
names.

ODORICUS.

Odoricus, a friar, who commenced his travels in 1318 and died at Padua in
1331, had visited many parts of the East. From the southern part of the
coast of Coromandel he proceeded by a navigation of twenty days to a
country named Lamori (perhaps a corruption of the Arabian Al-rami), to
the southward of which is another kingdom named Sumoltra, and not far
from thence a large island named Java. His account, which was delivered
orally to the person by whom it was written down, is extremely meagre and
unsatisfactory.

MANDEVILLE.

Mandeville, who travelled in the fourteenth century, seems to have
adopted the account of Odoricus when he says, "Beside the isle of Lemery
is another that is clept Sumobor; and fast beside a great isle clept
Java."

NICOLO DI CONTI.

Nicolo di Conti, of Venice, returned from his oriental travels in 1449
and communicated to the secretary of Pope Eugenius IV a much more
consistent and satisfactory account of what he had seen than any of his
predecessors. After giving a description of the cinnamon and other
productions of Zeilam he says he sailed to a great island named Sumatra,
called by the ancients Taprobana, where he was detained one year. His
account of the pepper-plant, of the durian fruit, and of the
extraordinary customs, now well ascertained, of the Batech or Batta
people, prove him to have been an intelligent observer.

ITINERARIUM PORTUGALLENSIUM.

A small work entitled Itinerarium Portugallensium, printed at Milan in
1508, after speaking of the island of Sayla, says that to the eastward of
this there is another called Samotra, which we name Taprobane, distant
from the city of Calechut about three months' voyage. The information
appears to have been obtained from an Indian of Cranganore, on the coast
of Malabar, who visited Lisbon in 1501.

LUDOVICO BARTHEMA.

Ludovico Barthema (Vartoma) of Bologna, began his travels in 1503, and in
1505, after visiting Malacca, which