Maldives

Sources from old books

1682. Cosmography and geography in two parts by Richard Blome.

The Isles of CEYLAN, and the MALDIVES

• 1.72NOt far from the Cape of Comori are the Isles of CEYLAN on one side, and the MALDIVES on the other. Ceylan, 60 Leagues towards the East; and the Maldives 150 between the East and the South.

• 1.73CEYLAN is the Trapobane of the Ancients, though Ptolomy makes it unmeasurably greater then Ceylan is now found. Its scituation is on this side the Ganges, and near Cape Comori, of old Comaria Extrema; likewise near Cape de Cael, of old Gori or Caligicum promont. and on the streight of Manar or Quilao, of old Argaricus Sinus, near which, or a little farther, is the Land of Madura, of old Madura Regia Pandionis, and divers other particulars making sufficient proof.

The Indians name it Tenerasin, that is, the Land of Delights; the Arabs Zeilan Dive, that is the Isle of Ceylan. It extends it self from 6 to 10 Degrees of Latitude, and so comprehends four whole Degrees, which makes 100 Leagues from South to North: It hath but two Degrees and a half, or little more of Longitude, which amounts to sixty and odd Leagues from East to West: The whole Circuit is about 300 Leagues; its form is almost Oval, or rather like a Pearl or Pear, whose tail is North, and its head South.

Some place in this Isle 7 Kingdoms, others 9, and others more;* 1.74 that of Jafanapatan is the most Northerly; those of Trinquilemale, and Baticalo are the most Easterly; those of Chilao and Colombo the most Westerly; and that of Jaba the most Southward; those of Candea, of Sette Coralles, and Ceitavaca, hold the middle. Candea is at present the most famous; those of Colombo and Ceitavaca have sometimes been the residence of Kings, which have commanded all the Island.

• 1.75At present the Portugals hold Colombo, Chilao, Manar Isle and Fortress, Jafanapatan, and some other places on the Coast, which regard the streight of Chilao and Manar. Columbo and Chilao are not above 60 Leagues, or little more, from Cape Comori, Manar 25 or 30 Leagues from Cape de Cael, and Jafanapatan 15 or 20 from the Cape of Negapatan.

The best Ports of this Isle are those of Gallo, Columbo, and Chilao: That of Galla is one of the best known of all Indra, because all that come, or go, are constrained to make the point of Gallo, for fear of falling on the Banks of the Maldives: Some years past the Hollanders took this important place from the Portugals.

• 1.76The Air is so temperate, and the Land so fruitful, that some esteem it the Earthly Paradise. Its Fruit, Herbs, and Plants have a marvellous pleasant odor; its Cinnamon is the best in the World, and particularly towards Colombo and Ceitavaca, there is found much Cardamom, Areca, Nutmegs, Pepper and other Spices, and several Druggs, also Lignum Aquilae, Lignum Serpentis, Gold, Silver, Brass, Iron and other Metals; though the Mines are not wrought; many precious Stones, among others those which the Portugals call Oats-eyes; they have no Diamonds, but many Pearls, which they fish for in the streight between this Island and the Continent. The Soil produces Corn, Oyl, Wine, Cotton, abundance of Rice, several roots for Diers. Among their Beasts their Elephants are so excellent, and so docile, that those of other places bear honour to them as to their Superiours. They have great plenty of Fowls, Cattle; and their Rivers yield great store of Fish.

As concerning the Coyns, Weights, and Measures of the Isles of Ceyland, and the Maldives, I have no certain account thereof, wherefore I omit them.

The Islanders are generally great,* 1.77 black, deformed, having their Ears long, and their Nostrils large, for the rest well disposed and active, great Dancers, insomuch that they may furnish all India with Comedians and Juglers; they are rich, and smother themselves in delights, all things agreeing to it, yet are they inclined to War. In those places possessed by the Portugals are many Christians, the rest Idolaters or Mahometans.

The MALDIVES.

• 1.78THe MALDIVES take their name from Male the chief City of these Islands, and Dive which signifies and Island; they are an infinite number of very little Islands, all seated in the Indian Ocean, on this side Cape Comorî, beginning at the eighth Degree of Northern Latitude, and not ending till the third or fourth of the South, the Equinoctial Line passing over them, so that they extend in length 300 Leagues, in breadth not above 15, 20 or little more.

They are divided into thirteen Attollons, separated the one from the other by certain Channels, and containing each a great number of little Isles: From hence the King of Maldives terms himself King of 13 Provinces, and 12000 Isles; though there be many less, and the most of them desart, and which the Sea covers when it is high.

The disposition of these Attollons is admirable; then their Banks, their Entrances, their Currents; the Attollons are almost round, or Oval; each having 30, 40, or 50 Leagues circuit; and succeeding one another from North, North-west, to South, South-east, there resting between them but certain Currents, large, little or more, but all dangerous.

These Attollons are each encompassed with a great bank of stones, there being no human Art could better wall a place, then these banks do their Attollons, the Sea breaking its waves against the banks, and within the Attollons there being a perfect calm, and but little depth of water. The entrances are certain open places of 40, 50, some of 100, 200 common paces, which the Author of Nature hath given to every Attollon; that is four to each, to facilitate their passage from one Attollon to another; for the Currents which are between the Channels, being carried six Months to the East, and six Months to the West; it was impossible to pass from one Attollon to another, if there were but two openings, one opposite to another. These Currents moreover are so rapid, that when it is calm, and when the wind goes with them, they carry a Vessel sometimes to Malabar and Ceylan, and sometimes to Sumatra, without possibility of stopping of it; and on the other side, even to Arabia and Africa.

The names and order of these Attollons descending from North to South, are Tilladou Matis, that is the high point, and by the Spaniards, Cabexa das Ilhas, head of the Islands; then Milla doue, Madoue, Padypola, Malos: Caridon, Ariatollon, Male Attollon, where is the Isle of Male Poulisdou, Moluque, Nillandoux, Collomadoux, Adoumatis, Souadou; Addou and Poue Moluque, the two last being esteemed but one.

The largest Channels, and there where the Currents are the strongest, are those of Malos, Madoue, Caridon, Aldou, and Sovadou. Francis Pirard a great Traveller was shipwrackt on the first, and remained five years in the Maldives, where at leasure he learned the tongue, situation, and manners of the Inhabitants, and hath set out a publick description of every particular.

The King of these Isles resides in the Isle of Male, which is one of the greatest, though not above a League and a half in Circuit: It is one of the most fruitful, and seated in the middle of the Longitude of three Islands. Strangers frequent it, because of the Court. There are no Cities through all, their disposition being sufficiently commodious; their situation denotes a great heat, yet the days being equal to the nights, and the nights subject to great Dews, they refresh the Earth; so their Summers are without rain, and their Winters without ice; but these pouring down rain with a constant West South-west wind, the Feaver among the Maldives is very common, and dangerous to Strangers, whom it often kills in few days.

• 1.79There grows neither Rice nor Wheat; yet are Provisions better cheap than in the rest of the Indies. They have Rice from the Continent and gather at home Millet in abundance, and the Grain of Bunbi, like to Millet, but black. They have much Fruit, Citrons, Pomegranates, Oranges, Bananes; and above all, so great abundance of that Nut of India, called Cocos, that no Country in the World hath so much. All the Levant is furnished hence, lading every year several Ships. They have many Animals, little Beef or Mutton; no Dogs, for they abhor them: Quantity of Fish.

• 1.80They have many little Shells, which pass in many places for Money, and they lade yearly 30 or 40 Ships with these Shells for Bengala only, besides what they lade for other parts. Their Tortoise Shells are much esteemed at Cambaya, because they are smooth, black, and well figured; with which they make Combs, Cases of Looking-glasses, &c. Their Tavarcarre or Cocos, particularly of the Maldives, is very Medicinal, and of greater value then their Amber-greece, and their black Coral. The King alone is to have this Tavarcarre and Ambergreece, not permitting his Subjects to trade in it.

There is brought to the Maldives, in exchange of their Commodities, Rice, Cloth, Silk, Cotton, Oyl, Areca, Iron, Steel, Spices, Porcelain, Gold and Silver, which come not thence again. Its Inhabitants make use of all sorts of Arms, yet their King is neither rich, nor powerful, except in his Isles, and in regard of his own Subjects.

• 1.81Amongst the rarities of this Isle, their Candou and their Coco's are observable. They make Planks of the Wood of Candou, with which they draw out of the Sea all sorts of weights, though of 10000 pound. Their Tree is as great as our Walnut-Tree, leaved like the Aspin, and as white, but very soft: It bears no Fruit; they make Fisher-boats of it, and with rubbing two pieces of this wood together, kindle fire as we do with a Flint and Steel; yet it neither burns nor consumes.

As for the Coco's or Walnut of India, it furnishes them with all things necessary for mans life; they extract from it Wine, Honey, Sugar, Milk, Oyl, and Butter. Its Kernels they eat instead of Bread, with all sorts of Meat; the Leaf being green, serves for Paper to write; being dry, they fold it in little Bands, and make Panniers, Dossers, Ʋmbrello's, Hats, Coverlids, and Carpets; the Sprig which is the middle of the Leaf, being dry, hardneth, and of it they make Cabinets, Chests, and other Moveables; of the Shell, which incloses the Fruit, they make Ladles, Spoons, Plates, Cups, &c. They may build a whole House out of these Trees; the Trunk may serve for Beams and Joynts; the Branches cut in two or three for Pails, to pail in Gardens or Houses, and for Laths to cover them; and the Leaves sewed together and disposed in ranks upon those Laths, cast off the Water as well as our Tiles. They build likewise many Ships only out of the Coco-Tree; the Keel, Sides, Planks, Pins, Hatches, Masts and Yards, Cordage, Anchors, Sails, and even all the Utensils of a Ship, are taken from this Tree, and sometimes their Lading, whether for Provision or Moveables, or to furnish Rigging for other Ships, is likewise taken out of this Tree alone.

1685. Geographia universalis: the present state of the whole world by Pierre Duval.

THe Maldive's Islands, situate on the South of India, both on this and the other side the Equinoctial, have this Name from their City, called Male, and from Dive, which signifies Island, in the Language of the Country. They are said to be twelve thousand in all; which is spoke at hazard, and an uncertain number is taken for a certain. These Islands are dispers'd from the North-East, to the South-East, into thirteen Provinces, which the Inhabitants call Atollons, whereof each has a Bank for its Ramparts. Some of 'em are only Rocks, or heaps of Sand, and all are very small. That of Male, which is the Principal, is not a League in compass. They are interlaced with several Arms of the Sea, environed with Rocks, which render 'em of very difficult access. It has been the good pleasure of Divine Providence, that there are four Ports, or four Openings to the Issues of each Atollon, that, those Ports corresponding to one another, the Inhabitants might communicate together: Without this help, the Ships would be hurried away, by the great Currents of the Sea, for above seven or eight hundred Leagues from the Maldives: These Currents go six Months towards the East, six Months towards the West, sometimes more, sometimes less. The Chanels, through which the Ships may pass most easily, are, those of Malos-Madou, of Adou, and Sovadou, this is twenty Leagues broad. As the Sea is but shallow in these parts, and there are commonly high Winds, and few Commodities, few Europeans resort to these Islands. The King of Maldives is called Rascan; His Revenue consists in the Misfortunes of others; that is to say, it accrews from the Shipwracks of Vessels, that are cast away in those parts: Certain it is, there is no trust to be put in the Pilots of those Islands: they often cause the Ships to be cast away, that are left to their conduct, that so the profit thereof may redound to their King. This Prince has a Custom to Caress strangers, and invite them into his Island, that so by their dwelling there for some while, they may die of the Disease, that reigns in those parts. The Insularies are of a low Stature, of a tawny Complexion, of the Mahometan Religion, subject to several Evils, by reason of the excessive heats, which reign there, and Feavers, which seldom abandon their Islands. They shave themselves with cold water; catch Fish by swimming; go easily to the bottom of the Sea; choose a convenient place for the Anchors of their Ships; will, with an incredible facility, weigh up from thence burdens of a hundred thousand pounds weight, by the means of a Cable, and some pieces of their Woods of Condou. Their Cocoes furnish them with great Conveniencies; they make of 'em Wine, Honey, Sugar, Milk, and Butter: they eat Almonds, instead of Bread, with all sorts of Meats: they place each Trade in a particular Island; Now, to exempt 'emselves from the Vermin, which might spoil and destroy their Commodities, they have their Ware houses and Magazines set up in the Sea, upon Posts and Pillars, at two or three hundred Paces from their Islands.