was the Ophir of Solomon, 143 



of ancient times, is, that it was probably known to, and invaded 

 and conquered, by landf by the Turks, not many years after 

 the death of Solomon, as will be seen. 



It will now be shown that the country in question is noted 

 for all the riches and productions with which the ships were 

 laden. 



^' Pegu, in the 16th century, was visited by Gasparo Balbi, 

 a Venetian jeweller; and he relates that the magazines of 

 gold, silver, Ganza, jewels^ &c., were under separate trea- 

 surers ; and that the king was the richest in the world, except 

 the Emperor of China. In the year 1600 the King of Pegu was 

 slain by the King of Tangut, who laded six or seven hundred 

 elephants and as many horses with gold and jewels ; not 

 regarding the silver, which, with all the artillery, was seized 

 by the King of Aracan, to an immense amount. Bonferrus 

 relates that the Peguans are descendants of Solomon's people. 

 The largest elephants in the world are here found in abun- 

 dance, and also apes, parrots, and peacocks.'* See Purchas 

 (vol. i. 33 to 40), who is of opinion that Pegu is Ophir. 



Ebony is produced in Ava, — the ehenoxylum verum, or true 

 jet black kind. (Rees's Cyc, ** Birman.") 



Almug wood is said to be cedar, fir, cypress. (Rees's Cyc. 

 ^' Almiggim.") 



Josephus describes it as " pine wood in abundance, of such 

 great size and beauty, that Solomon had never before seen 

 any that was comparable; not like common pine, but with 

 the grain of the fig-tree, only rather whiter and more glossy : 

 and that it was used as pillars and supporters of the Temple 

 and palaces, and also for harps, psalteries, &c."* Abundance 

 of fir-trees grow at the present epoch in the kingdom of Ava. 

 (See Rees's Cyc, *' Birman.") 



Spices, Pepper of several kinds f , ginger, cardamums, tur- 

 meric, three or four kinds of capsicum, cassia fistula, cinna- 



* Josephus, Book viii. ch. 11, 



•^ Peacocks feed on pepper. The writer, while shooting on the banks of 

 the Luckia river in Bengal, flushed a flock of about twenty of these 

 splendid birds in a field of grass, just high enough to hide them. A more 

 beautiful sight can scarcely be imagined. One which he shot, had in his 

 crop more than a hundred Chili pepper pods, the smallest and hottest 

 kind known, The tail of the bird was full six feet in length, , 



