Notes on Malay history
C. O. Blagden’s short note presents two early Chinese textual references bearing on Malay history: one concerning the legendary etymology of “Menangkabau” and another recording a Siamese naval raid on old Singapore.
Summary
The first section draws on Chau Ju-kua’s Chu-fan-chi (mid-13th century) to show that the popular etymology of the place-name “Menangkabau” was already an established tradition by that date, implying the name was in use considerably earlier and its original meaning had already been forgotten (p. 127). The second section cites Wang Ta-yuan’s Tao i chih lio (1349) to document a Siamese naval expedition of some seventy junks that raided Tan-ma-hsi (identified as old Singapura) and attacked its city moat, with the town resisting for a month before the attackers withdrew after an Imperial envoy passed by (pp. 127–128). Blagden argues this confirms that old Singapore was a flourishing port during the first three quarters of the 14th century, filling a gap in the otherwise sparse real history of that period (p. 128).