1 35 Sield ef the. Hijory of Sugar. 



Vll. 



Sketch of the HiJIor^' of Sugar, in the early Timet, "fid through the Middle Ages [a). 

 By W Falconer, M.D. F.R.S. isfc. i3'c. 



A H E ufe of fugar is probably of high, though not remote antiquity, as no mention of 

 it is made, as far as 1 can find, in the facred writings of the Old Teltament (i). The coh- 

 quefts of Alexander feem to have opened the dilcoveiy of it to the weitern parts of the 

 world. 



Nearchus*, his admiral, found the fugar cane in the Eaft Indies, as appears from his 

 account of it, quoted by Strabo (c). It is not, however, clear, from what he fays, that any 

 art was ufed in bringing the juico of the cane to the confiftencc of fugar. 



Theophraftus \, who lived not long afte-, feemsto have had fome knowledge of fugar, at 

 lead of the cane from which it is prepared. In enumerating the different kinds of honey, 

 he mentions one that is found in reeds [d), which mud have been meant of fome of thofc 

 kinds which produce fugar. 



Eratofthenes | alfo is quoted by Strabo (f ), as fpeaking of the roots of large reeds found 

 in India, which were fweet ro the tafle both when raw and when boiled. 



The next author, in point of time, that makes mention of fugar, is Varro §, who, in 3 

 fragment quoted by Ifidorus ;' /"), evidently alludes to thi^ fubllance. He defcribes it as a 

 fluid, prefled out from reeds of a large fize, which was fweeter than honey. 



Diofcorides {g) |1, fpeaking of the different kinds of honey, fays, that " there is a kind of 

 "it, in a concrete ftate, called fucharon, which is found in reeds in India and Arabia 

 *' Felix. This, he adds, has the appearance of fait ; and, like that, is brittle when chewed. 

 " It is beneficial to the bowels and (lom:ich, if taken diflblved in water ; and is alfo ufeful 

 " in difeafes of the bladder and kidneys. Being fprinkled on the eye, it removes thofe 



(a) Manchefter Memoirs, iv. 291. 



(i) Since writing the above, I have obfervad that the t^uieel cane is mentioled in two places of fcripturc, and 

 in both as an article of merchandize. It does not feem to have been the produce of Judea, a» it is fpotitn of 

 a^ coming froiVi a far country. Ifaiah, chap, xliii, v. 24. Jeremiah, chap r'. v. lo. — It is worthy of remark, 

 that the word fachar Cgnifies. in the Hebrew lang\iag£, inebriation, which makes it probable that the juice of 

 ithecane had been early ufed fortnaHIng fome fermented liquor. 



(f) EigBKE Js 7r«giTai)Vx*X£tM«v 0T» 9rotac-i juiXt, fxtXta-'ruy fxn HFrnv. Strabon. L 3tv. 



(rf) AxKn Je £v Toic xaXttjuoit. Fragment of Thcophrallus pi efcrved in Photius. Sec p. S64. edit. Augfburg. 



j6oi. 



(r) Kai Taf f*^*f T«v (fuTfliiv, x*i ^aXt^d T«v J«6ya^«v KaXtt^wv, yXuxEtaj xai ^yffEt xcJts^jjff-Ei; Strabon. I. XV. 

 (/) Indica nam magna niinis arbore crefcit harundo ; 

 lllius e lentis premitur radicibus humor, 

 Dulcia cui ncqueant fucco contendere mella. Ifidor. lib xv^. cap. 7. 



^^) Eft et aliud concrcti meUis genus, quod faccharon nominatur. In IndiJ vero et Fclici Arabia, in ha- 

 rjndinibus invenitur. Salis modo coaftum eft; dentibus, ut fal, fragile ; ako idoncilm ct ftomacho utile, fi aqua 

 dilutum bibatur; vexatge veficje, renibufque auxiliatur. lllitum ea difcutit, quaeunebras oculorum pupiilis 

 X)ffundunt. Matthioli Diofc. cap. Ixxv. 



* Ante Chrift. ann. 315. f A. C. jej. J A. C Z23. § A. C. 6& |I A. C. 35. 



6 «« fub- 



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