Conventions followed xx
The Malay Archipelago is the old geographic term for the Indonesian Archipelago. In order to avoid confusion between old and modern political boundaries, the term Indonesian, rather than Malay is used for current and historic residents of what is now the Indonesian Archipelago.
Geographical place names as well as species have had variant spellings over the years. Where possible the current spelling is used.
Turtle shell is used rather than the misleading trade name tortoiseshell for the shell of marine turtles such as the hawkbill turtle.
The standardisation of monetary values has not been possible. British sterling equivalents are given for other currencies when they are known.
Place names and their spellings have changed since written records began in eastern Indonesia. A question mark before a place name indicates that the location in brackets may be the one referred to in the cited text.