_ 70 _ Euphrates. Those who say that it is short of timber are not mistaken, and no other shortage is so important. The feet of this body are the Moluccas, and these are slipping and falling, for they cannot support themselves except with spices and drugs, and the head, India, only produces pepper, ginger, cinnamon, precious stones and sulphur, everything else is of little value. Summary of pages 259-62 There is no shortage of this in the Moluccas Archipelago, because in Sumatra there is a lot of pepper and nutmeg, sandalwood, camphor, benzoin, aloes, local oil and other oil they make from a tree, and much silk and tin, silver, fusible iron, much sulphur and good quality gold. All this is on the mainland of Malacca, chiefly on the coast of Pahang and Patani, and there is much camphor and good aloe wood on the island of Borneo. To the south, where it is called Tandjungpura there are diamonds from old rock, and to the north, where it is called Benggale, there is gold and pearl fishing. Also, on an island they call Solor and another one called [Bicayal] there is much cinnamon, and also in Mindanao, and there is bark of another tree which is similar to it and held in greater esteem. In this island there is a fair amount of gold and on the eastern side, nearby there are a number of islands where
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTg0NzAy