The Oldest Map in the National Library Collection

Name: Undecima Asiae Tabula (from Geographia)
Year: 1478
Map maker: Arnold Buckinck
Type: Copper Engraving

Picture Source: National Library of Singapore

This 1478 map is the oldest item in Singapore's National Library Collection.

You can now take a look at this map, which is prominently showcased in the Land of Gold and Spice Map exhibition. It was part of a lot acquired at a Sotheby's auction in May 2012.

The map's name is Undecima Asiae Tabula or Asia Table No. 11 from Ptolemy's Geographia.

Claudius Ptolemy (90-168 A.D) from Alexandra, Egypt was at one time in charge of Alexandra's legendary Library. One of his major written works was Geographia. Geographia is about map making principles and methods and tables, with locations (latitude and longtitude in degrees and minutes) of over eight thousand places [1]. 

His work, after passing through the Islamic and Byzantium civilizations (where it was revised with information added) over the successive centuries, appeared in Europe in the early 15th century. Geographia then dominated map making for more than a century until the latest details of the Portuguese (and other subsequent European) exploration voyages rendered Geographia obsolete.

It is not known if Ptolemy had any maps in his original Geographia. In any case, renaissance scholars managed to reconstitute a series of maps from the tables of locations compiled in Geographia. 

With the printing press invented barely twenty years before, the first edition of Geographia with the reconstituted maps was published in Rome in 1477 [2], thereby becoming the first ever printed atlas of the world [3]. The map here is from the second edition published in 1478. The work of creating these first ever printed versions of Geographia was started by Conrad Swehnheym, but was finally completed by Arnold Buckinck after Swehnheym's death.  

The series of maps contain twelve maps on Asia, in which the eleventh map (hence the name Undecima Asiae Tabula) depicts India beyond the Ganges River (INDIA EXTRA GANGEM) and China (SINA). One other geographical feature, that of a peninsula, is of interest to us.

The peninsula is labeled AUREA CHERSONESUS which means the Golden Peninsula, and is typically acknowledged to be the Malay Peninsula [1].  If we look at the southern tip of AUREA CHERSONESUS, we can see SABANA EMPORIUM (Emporium means trading post). Now, if AUREA CHERSONESUS is indeed the Malay Peninsula, then it will be tempting to say that SABANA EMPORIUM is Singapore. 

However, there is nothing to prove that SABANA EMPORIUM is indeed Singapore. The fact is that it could be any number of places on the coast of the Malay Peninsula or the islands of the Riau Archipelago [1]. Speculations of the location of Sabana include Sabak Bernam, in Selangor, Kundur Island in the Riau Archipelago and Sabana River Sungei Sebina, a tributary of Johor River. Until some Roman era artifacts are found in Singapore, or any of the other locations, we will never know for sure.

References
[1] P. Wheatley, The Golden Khersonese (University of Malaya Press, Kuala Lumpur, 1961). Chap. X.
[2] T. Suarez, Early Mapping of Southeast Asia (Periplus, Singapore, 1999). p. 82
[3] Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc. accessed 20150215.

When did Singapore become an island? Part III

To the best of my knowledge, 1613*.

In Manuel Godinho de Erédia's Declaracam de Malaca e da India Meridional com Cathay [1], there is a series of manuscript maps portraying Singapore as an island. These are the first instances where Singapore appears distinctly as an island on a map, instead of as a cape or promontory.  

Name: JOR: Regno. [Folio 45R, Declaracam de Malaca e da India Meridional com Cathay].
Year: 1613
Map Maker: Manuel Godinho de Erédia
Manuscript map location: Bibliothèque royale de Belgique, Brussels, Belgium. Ms. 7264.

Figure 1. (Left) Eredia's map JOR: Regno, where Singapore (SINCAPURA) appears, for the first time, as an island. Source: [2]. (Right) Screen capture from Google map of the area for reference. 

This manuscript map (Fig. 1) is oriented south-north and shows the southern end of the Malay peninsula. It shows an oversized Rio de Jor (Johor River), where the Johor Kingdom (JOR: Regno) is based along. An island labeled SINCAPURA sits at the mouth of the Johor River. Another interesting feature is the island below SINCAPURA which is labeled Pulochagni. This probably means Pulau Changi, and is the old name for Pulau Tekong.

Name: Discripsao chorographica dos Estreitos de Sincapura e Sabbam. Ano 1604. [Folio 61R, Declaracam de Malaca e da India Meridional com Cathay].

Year: 1613

Map Maker: Manuel Godinho de Erédia

Manuscript map location: Bibliothèque royale de Belgique, Brussels, Belgium. Ms. 7264.

Figure 2. (Left) Eredia's map Discripsao chorographica dos Estreitos de Sincapura e Sabbam. Ano 1604. The island of SINCAPURA appears in the southwest corner of the map. Several place names on Singapore island are labeled (See Fig. 3). Source: [3]. (Right) Screen capture from Google map of the area for reference. 

This map entitled Discripsao chorographica dos Estreitos de Sincapura e Sabbam. Ano 1604 (Chronological description of the Straits of Singapore and Sabbam. A.D. 1604) is a close up version of the the map in Fig. 1 placing the strategically important straits south of Singapore in the centre stage. Several places on Singapore island are also labeled (See Fig. 3 for details). Comparing with the map of the Google map on the right, it is clear that Eredia got the shape of Singapore island wrong. The places labeled on the coast of Singapore island facing the east according to the map, should instead be on the south side of the island.

Figure 3. Close up view of SINCAPURA island (from Fig. 2).

The map in Fig. 2 also shows that some of the current familiar place names in Singapore dates back more than four hundred years ago. Here's the list of names labeled in Fig. 3 and their modern names and identifications:

blacan mati : Pulau Blakang Mati, old name of Sentosa island. Although the location of this island on the map does not fit the location of Sentosa island. My guess is that either Eredia got the island wrong, or that another southern island bore the name of Blakang Mati four hundred years ago.

estreito nouo : New Straits. Channel that passes south of Sentosa island [4]. 

estreito Velho : Old Straits. Present day straits between Sentosa and Singapore island, where Keppel harbour is. The island on the map between estreito nouo and estreito Velho should be Sentosa island.

xabandaria : Shahbandar. (Persian word for harbour master). Settlement around the shahbandar official loyal to the Johor sultanate. The location is either near the mouth of Singapore River or Kallang basin [5]. 

Tanjon Rû : Tanjong Rhu

Sunebodo : Sungei Bedok

Tanamera : Tanah Merah

Tanjon Rusa : Tanjong Rusa. Obsolete place name. Probably present day Changi Point.

Turucan: Terusan (Malay word for Channel)

Salat Tubro : Selat Tebrau (Tebrau Straits that separates Singapore and Malaysia)

Pulo Ular : Pulau Ular (Snake island). Now known as Pulau Merambong

Manuel Godinho de Erédia (1563-1623) was born in Malacca of Ibero-Bugis parentage. Educated in Malacca and Goa, he was commissioned in 1594 as the Descobridor e Adelantado da Nova India Meridional. His assignment was to set out from Malacca to discover for Portugal, new lands south of the East Indies. However, that did not quite work out. 

Right during that time, the Straits of Malacca became a geopolitical hotspot as the Dutch became active in the region. The Dutch, allied with the Johor Sultanate, were challenging the Portuguese dominance of the Straits of Malacca. Instead of setting out to explore the unknown seas, Eredia had to help out with the fortification and survey of the region. This led to a more detailed exploration of the strategically important waters around Singapore.

This new information gained, together with the new maps drawn were eventually written up by Eredia in 1613 as his Declaracam de Malaca e da India Meridional com Cathay, more commonly known as Description of Malaca.

*Added 24th Sept.: There are several manuscript maps dating from the 1530s onwards that show Singapore as an island, but unnamed. See this entry.  

References
[1] J. V. Mills, "Description of Malaca, Meridional India, and Cathay. Translated from Portuguese with notes". JMBRAS 8, 1 (1930).
[2] ibid. Plate III, after p. 218.
[3] ibid. Plate VI, after p. 224.
[4] P. Borschberg, The Singapore and Melaka Straits: Violence, Security and Diplomacy in the 17th Century  (NUS Press, Singapore, 2013) p. 31
[5] ed. P. Borschberg, trans. R. Roy, The Memoirs and Memorials of Jacques de Coutre: Security, Trade and Society in 16th- and 17th-century Southeast Asia (NUS Press, Singapore, 2013) p. 378.

When did Singapore become an island? Part II

In a previous entry, we talked about an 'island' feature at the southern end of the Malay peninsula that appeared in many maps dating from the mid 1500s to 1620s. This 'island' is evidently not the island of Singapore. So what is it?

On closer look at some of these maps, the 'strait' that separates the island from the peninsula is more like a river or canal. One good example is the Willem Lodewycksz's 1598 map (Fig. 1). The waterway has its western and eastern termini at Muar and Paham, respectively. The town of Muar in the Malaysian state of Johor is still around and Paham is synonymous to Pahang a state in present day  Malaysia. 

On the northern and southern banks of the waterway are written R Fermoso and Muar R. R has to mean either 'rivier' or 'rio' (dutch and portuguese for river). Obviously the mapmaker believes that a river links the Straits of Malacca to the South China Sea. But what is the basis of this feature?   

Figure1. Close up look at Willem Lodewycksz's 1598 map. Full picture link.

This waterway is attributed to the presence of an ancient trans-peninsular route [1]. This route was used and known by the locals since ancient times.  This route connects the Muar river system that flows into the Malacca Straits in the west coast of the peninsular, and the Pahang river system that flows into the South China Sea on the east coast of the peninsular. On Fig. 2 is the trace of this trade route.  

One can access this route from the mouth of the Sungei Muar. Following the river upstream, one eventually reached the fork where Sungei Muar meets one of its tributary, Sungei Jempol. This place is near to present day Bahau, Negri Sembilan. At a point a few hundred metres upstream on Sungei Jempol, one can land on the northern bank and follow a dragway or portage of less than one kilometre to reach another river, Sungei Serting. Sungei Serting then winds its way through Negri Sembilan into Pahang state, joins Sungei Bara, which eventually flows into the large river of Sungei Pahang. The town at the mouth of Pahang River is presently known as Pekan, and is probably the old Paham on Lodewycksz's map (Fig. 1). 

Figure 2. The  southern part of the Malay Peninsula from Google map. The red line denotes Sungei Muar-Sungei Jempol river system, while the blue line denotes the Sungei Serting-Sungei Bara-Sungei Pahang river system. Zoom in at the red balloon where the red and blue line meet to find the Jalan Penarikan.

This dragway that connects Sungei Jempol with Sungei Serting is the famous Jalan Penarikan. Penarikan is derived from the word 'tarik', which is the Malay word for 'pull' [2]. The Portuguese who  were in control of Malacca from 1511 to 1641 knew of this dragway, as evidenced by a 1602 map by Godinha de Eredia. Near the top right corner of the map is written Panarican which connects Jompol and Sertin (See Fig. 3).

Name: Nova tavoa geographica da tera do sertam de Malaca (New Geographic Map of the Interior of Malaca)
Year Published: 16o2
Map Maker: Godinho de Eredia
Manuscript map location: Biblioteca Nacional do Brasil

Figure 3. Nova tavoa geographica da tera do sertam de Malaca (New Geographic Map of the Interior of Malaca), dated to 1602, by Godinho de Eredia. This may be the oldest extant map of Malacca territory. Shown within the black square is a Panarican that connects Jompol and Sertin. Picture source file.  

From the map (Fig. 2) that traces the route, it is not difficult to imagine how the travelers and map makers extrapolate this route, which is mainly a river system with a few hundred meter overland journey, into a major water way. This thereby creates the 'island' feature on the many old maps of the Malay Peninsula. 

So back to question of when did Singapore really appear as an island on maps? This will be answered in the next entry.

References

[1] P. Wheatley, The Golden Khersonese (University of Malaya Press, Kuala Lumpur, 1961). 

[2] Check out this video to see how the Penarikan looks like today:

   

The David Parry Southeast Asian Map Collection

The David Parry SE Asian Map Collection forms the main body of the current map exhibition in National Library on the early maps of SE Asia and Singapore, entitled 'The Land of Gold and Spices'.

The entire collection comprises 254 maps of Southeast Asia, with emphasis on the islands that make up present day Indonesia. The oldest map in the collection is a 1478 Ptolemaic map of South East Asia, Tabula Asiae XI from Arnold Buckinck's edition of Ptolemy's Geopgraphia [1]. Other maps from mapmakers such as Fries, Ruscelli, Ortelius, Linschoten, Mercator, Dudley, Blaeu, De Wit, Coronelli, Thornton, Moll, Bellin, Bonne, Valentijn etc. traced the development of the mapping of Southeast Asia from the 1500s to 1800s.

The collection was acquired by the National Library of Singapore at a Sotheby's auction in May 2012 at a price of GBP223,250 (or about SGD448,700 at the conversion rate in May 2012).

Snapshot from Sotheby's webpage. The map shown is one of the highlight of the collection:  A Map  of the East Indies and adjacent countries; with the settlements, factories and territories, explaining what belongs to England, France, Holland, Denmark, Portugal &c. by Herman Moll,  London, 1717.

David Parry is a soil scientist and has worked and lived in  Indonesia (the former Dutch East Indies) for much of his life. He started to assemble his map collection in the early 1980s. He is the author of the book The Cartography of The East Indian Islands: Insulae Indiae Orientalis (Countrywide Editions, London, 2005).

References
[1] With the acquisition, this map became the oldest article in the collection of National Library of Singapore, according to the exhibition curator, Tan Huism. 

When did Singapore become an island? Part I

On the earliest printed maps that feature Singapore, there is no indication that cartographers realized that it is an island. In fact, Singapore was usually depicted as a cape. The map (Fig. 1) below is an example. The map India Tercera Nova Tabula is from the Venetian mapmaker Giacomo Gastaldi's edition of Ptolemy's Geographia. It features Southeast Asia, with the Malay peninsula appearing near the middle of the map. 

Name: India Tercera Nova Tabula (from Gastaldi's edition of Ptolemy's Geographia)

Year: 1548

Mapmaker/publisher: Giacomo Gastaldi

Type: Copper Engraving

Figure 1. India Tercera Nova Tabula. Picture source link.

Fig. 2 is a close up look near the middle of the map, where the Malay peninsula is.

Figure 2.. 

Near the bottom right of the map in Fig. 2, one can read C. Cincapula. Cincapula no doubt denotes Singapura, while the C. denotes 'Capo' or cape in italian.

This map is also of interest, as it is the second earliest printed map to feature a variant of the Singapore toponym [1].

There are also examples of many other maps where Singapore is presented as a cape, such as...
 

Name: India Terza Ostro Tavola (from Vol. 1 of Ramusio's Delle Navigation  Viaggi) 
Year: 1554
Mapmaker/publisher: Giacomo Gastaldi and Giovanni Battista Ramusio
Type: Woodcut

Figure 3. Terza Ostro Tavola by Giovanni Ramusio. Picture source link.

In this map by Ramusio, the orientation is south-north instead of the more usual north-south. This map is notable for being one of the first maps to feature the Philippines. But that is not what we are interested in here. What we are interested in here, the Malay peninsula, is this 'leg' like feature on the right of the figure, jutting upwards. Figure 4 is a close up view of the tip of the peninsula. At the extreme tip and you will see C. de cimcapula. Again, we have Singapore as a cape in this map. 

What is more intriguing is that right beside C. de cimcapula, there is an island. Is Ramusio trying to depict the the island of Singapore? 

Figure 4. Close up view of the tip of 

Probably not. Firstly, the island is way too big to be Singapore island. Secondly, Muar is written on the island, not Cimcapula.  

If it was just this one map, it could easily be attributed to this cartographer's imagination. However, it turns out that there are too many maps that have this 'too-big-to-be-Singapore' island feature to consign it to simply an 'artist's impression'.

According to NUS historian Peter Borschberg, this feature appeared as early as 1537 [2]. This feature persisted and appeared on maps published as late as 1623 [3].

Here are some examples of important and famous maps that have this 'too-big-to-be-Singapore' island feature.

Figure 5. This is a close up look of the map of Southeast Asia from Jan Huygen van Linschoten's Itinerario. the North-south axis of map is along the horizontal direction. This is the English version dated to 1598. Picture source link

Name: Nova tabula insularum Iavae, Sumatrae, Borneonis et aliarum Malaccam usque, delineata in insula Iava, ubi ad vivum designantur vada et brevia scopulique interjacentes descripta (from  Part II of Theodore de Bry's Petits Voyage)

Year: 1598

Mapmaker: Willem Lodewycksz

Type: Copper Engraving

Figure 6. Willem Lodewycksz's  Nova tabula insularum Iavae, Sumatrae, Borneonis...etc... The above map is part of the collection of the National Library of Singapore. See source link.

So, if this feature does not represent Singapore island, then what does it represent? 

That will be the question that we will try to answer in a future blog entry.

References

[1] T. Suarez, Early Mapping of Southeast Asia (Periplus, Singapore, 1999). p. 104 

[2] P. Borschberg, 'Singapura in Early Modern Cartography: A Sea of Challenges' in Visualising Space: Maps of Singapore and the Region (National  Library Board, Singapore, 2015) 

[3] P. Wheatley, The Golden Khersonese (University of Malaya Press, Kuala Lumpur, 1961). p. 165. 

The Old Protestant Cemetery of George Town, Penang

In old George Town, along Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah (which used to be called Northam Road) is the old Protestant cemetery. It is a short walk from the E & O Hotel.  Here lie many people important to the history of Penang. Chief among them, Francis Light, the founder of George Town, Penang. There are also a few names here that are associated with the history of Singapore.

James Richardson Logan (1819-1869)

James Richardson Logan is best known as the founder and editor of the Journal of the Indian Archipelago and Eastern Asia (JIAEA), a journal that was based in Singapore. JIAEA "was the first attempt to promote a literary or scientific periodical in the British Settlements in the Far East..." [1]. It ran from 1847 to 1859 and contained articles on the history, geography, language, ethnography, botany, zoology, etc. of Southeast Asia and the surrounding region. Although several people contributed to JIAEA, it was very much a one man show by its editor and founder, and was popularly called Logan's Journal.

Tomb of James Richardson Logan and his brother Abraham

Despite its demise in 1862, JIAEA inspired the formation of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society and the publication of the Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, which was first published in 1878. It eventually evolved to become the present day Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 

J. R. Logan and his brother Abraham were among the first 32 shareholders of a library that was established in 1844, to be housed at the Singapore Institution [2]. This library later became the Raffles Library and eventually the National Library of Singapore.

Through the publication of JIAEA, James Richardson Logan contributed significantly to the intellectual environment of Singapore and the Straits Settlements. 

George Windsor Earl (1813-1865)

Tomb of George Windsor Earl

George Windsor Earl was an English navigator who was active in the seas between Batavia and Singapore in the 1830s. Based on his travels, he wrote a book entitled [3]: 

The Eastern Seas or Voyages and Adventures in the Indian Archipelago 1832-33-34,

comprising a tour of the island of Java -- visits to Borneo, the Malay Peninsula, Siam, &c.; also an account of the present state of Singapore, with observations on the commercial resources of the archipelago. 

This is an often-quoted book with detailed description of Singapore in the 1830s. G.W. Earl was also a friend of J.R. Logan and contributed articles to the Journal of the Indian Archipelago and Eastern Asia.

John Alexander Bannerman (1759-1819)

John Alexander Bannerman. Picture source link

Probably the most important person associated with Singapore's history who lies in the cemetery, is the fifth governor of Penang (Nov 1817- Aug 1819), John Alexander Bannerman. Modern Singapore was almost stillborn because of him.

In late December 1818, Stamford Raffles arrived in George Town, from Calcutta. With him were instructions from the Governor-General Lord Hastings (the boss of all the British East India Company officials including Raffles and Bannerman), for "the establishment of a Station beyond Malacca, such as may command the southern entrance of those Straits"[4]. The instructions also requested Bannerman and the government of Penang to assist in Raffles' mission. However, Bannerman was not supportive of Raffles' mission and even tried to prevent Raffles from leaving George Town. One main reason for Bannerman's actions was his reluctance to let a confrontation between the Dutch and British ensue if Raffles were to establish the proposed trading station. Bannerman, and indeed Raffles and Lord Hastings, well knew that the other end of the Straits of Malacca (where the southern tip of the Malay peninsula and the Riau-Lingga archipelago lies) was under Dutch hegemony [5]. There was also suspicion that Bannerman's  motives were less than honourable, stemming from jealousy of Raffles and the fear that the new trading post would eclipse the importance of Penang.

Tomb of John Alexander Bannerman, fifth governor of Penang

Drama and scheming ensued. To cut a long story short, Raffles, ever the maverick, outwitted Bannerman, sneaked out of George Town, and on Jan. 28th, landed in Singapore, and the rest is history.

Even after the founding of Singapore, Bannerman tried to undo what Raffles had done. He denied Raffles' request of troops to be sent to Singapore to help in its defence. It took a countermand by the Governor-General Lord Hastings to force Bannerman to supply the necessary troops [6].

A few months after these incidents, Bannerman died during a cholera outbreak on Penang Island.

If Bannerman had succeeded in frustrating Raffles' mission, there may not have been any modern history of Singapore to write about. Singapore may have ended up as just one of the thousands of insignificant islands that Indonesia has (for there may not have been a British Malaya as well), and Singapore today may very much be like present day Karimun Island. However, before we judge Bannerman too harshly, let us consider if history had turned out slightly differently. What if the Dutch had  decided to attack Singapore at the critical point of Singapore's nascent existence in 1819-1820? This would have set the British and Dutch forces on a war path, just as Bannerman had feared. History would then have judged Raffles a reckless adventurer, and Bannerman a cool-headed statesman. 

In the end, the Dutch decided to fight a 'paper' war instead of a military war. Letters and diplomatic maneuvers, instead of bullets and shells, flew between Batavia, Calcutta, Amsterdam and London. This eventually ended  in the 1824, when the Anglo-Dutch treaty firmly placed Singapore under the British sphere of control.  

Date of Visit: 7th Jan. 2015 

References
[1] C. B. Buckley, An anecdotal history of old times in Singapore 1819-1867 (Fraser & Neave, Singapore, 1902) p. 467.
[2] ibid. p. 419.
[3] G.W. Earl, The Eastern Seas or Voyages and Adventures in the Indian Archipelago 1832-33-34... (W.H. Allen and Co., London, 1837)
[4] C.E. Wurtzburg, Raffles of the Eastern Isles (Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1954) p. 461.
[5] M. Langdon, Penang: The Fourth Presidency of India 1805-1830. Volume One: Ships, Men and Mansions (Areca Books, George Town, 2013) pp. 297-300
[6]  C.E. Wurtzburg, Raffles of the Eastern Isles (Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1954) p. 514

Samgipura. O Livro de Francisco Rodrigues - Singapore's birth certificate?

Name: Folio 34, O Livro de Francisco Rodrigues

Year: ca.1513

Map maker/publisher: Francisco Rodrigues
Manuscript location: La bibliothèque de l'Assemblée nationale, Palais Bourbon, Paris, France.

Figure 1.  Folio 34 of O Livro de Francisco Rodrigues (The Book of Francisco Rodrigues). Picture taken from facsimile [1] 

In the previous entry, we discussed the toponym Bargimgaparaa that appeared on the Cantino World Map and its possibility that that was the earliest mention of the Singapore toponym (or its variant) on a map. However Bargimgaparaa does seem a bit too different from the current names of Singapura or Singapore. In this entry, we talk about another early map which features a name that is distinctly a near cognate of Singapura or Singapore.

The Portuguese first reached Malacca in 1509. By 1511, they had conquered Malacca from the Malacca sultanate. One major reason for the conquest was to ensure that the Portuguese had a monopoly over the spice trade route.  Not long after the conquest, António de Abreu was commissioned to lead an expedition from Malacca, to explore the Malay Archipelago and the sources of the treasured spices, such as nutmeg and cloves. Francisco Rodrigues was a pilot on this voyage which visited the Spice islands of the Moluccas (Maluku) and lasted from November 1511 to December 1512 [2].  Knowledge of the Malay Archipelago gained from this voyage made its way to his O Livro de Francisco Rodrigues (The Book of Francisco Rodrigues).

O Livro de Francisco Rodrigues contains navigational charts and maps covering Western Europe, Mediterranean, Africa, India, South East Asia and the Far East. It also contains shoreline profiles and navigational instructions. It is an extremely important document of early maritime history as it details the first European maritime ventures into Southeast Asia and the Far East, and the first mapping of these areas. Because of the geographical spread of the maps, it can perhaps be called the first modern atlas of the world [1], albeit only covering the geography of the old world. 

This manuscript was 'rediscovered' by Armando Cortesão in 1944 [2]. The manuscript is part of a codex that also contains the only known manuscript of the more famous Suma Oriental by Tomé Pires. Currently, this codex sits in the Bibliothèque de l'Assemblée nationale (Library of the National Assembly of France) housed in the Palais Bourbon in Paris, France.

Folio 34 of O Livro de Francisco Rodrigues is shown in Fig. 1. This manuscript map shows the Malay peninsula and the northern part of Sumatra island. As you can see, the map is rather crude and the Malay peninsula is not of the correct shape and size. 

Figure 2. Left (a). Zoomed in figure of the bottom left corner of Fig. 1. Right (b) The right most word in Fig. 2(a), placed horizontally. It reads Samgipura.   

Let us focus on the lower right corner of the map. Fig. 2(a) zooms into that part of the map. From left to right, the first word reads Rio de Malla[c]a (Malacca River). This is followed by Muar (Present day river and town of the same name, in Johor state, Malaysia). The next word is Rio Fermossa, which is present day Sungei Batu Pahat (Batu Pahat River) in Johor state. Next, right at the tip of the peninsula is the star of our show here.  In Fig. 2(b), I have enlarged the word and placed it horizontally for all to read. It seems to read Samgipura. This no doubt denotes what is today Singapore or Singapura. Cortesao believes that the series of maps which this map is part of, was drawn circa 1513 [2]. This therefore is probably the earliest map that features a distinctly near cognate of Singapura or Singapore.

One interesting thing is that Rodrigues was not very consistent in his spelling. In the verso of folio 37 of the manuscript, where he writes about the navigational instructions from Malacca to China, Singapore was mentioned twice, but spelt differently as 'Syngapura' and 'Singapura' (in the same sentence!). It is probable that the folio 34 map and the directions on the verso of folio 37 were made at a different times, hence the discrepancy.  

Perhaps we can view this manuscript as some sort of 'birth certificate' of Singapore, much like how the Americans view the 1507 world map by Martin Waldseemüller. Wouldn't it be nice if Singapore, be it the National Museum, National Archives or National Library, can acquire by loan or purchase, this very worthy piece of history? 

References

[1] José Manuel García, O Livro de Francisco Rodrigues: O Primeiro Atlas do Mundo Moderno (Editora da Universidade do Porto, Porto, 2008)
[2] Armando Cortesão, The Suma Oriental of Tome Pires and the Book of Francisco Rodrigues (The Hakluyt Society, London, 1944). Introduction