404- 



STYEACEiE. 



ioliacre, indio-enous to Sumatra and Java, in the first of which islands 



benzoin is produced. 



The tree yielding the superior benzoin of Siam, though commonlj 

 referred to this species, has never been examined botanically, and is 

 actually unknown. The French expedition for the exploration of tbe 

 Mekong and Cochin China (18GG-G8), reported th§ drug to be produced 

 in the cassia-yielding forests on the eastern bank of the river in question 

 in about N. lat. 19".' Whether any benzoin is obtained from S. Finlay- 

 soniana Wall, as conjectured by Royle, we know not. 



History— There is no evidence that the Greeks and Komans/_or 

 even the earlier Arabian physicians, had any acquaintance with benzoin; 

 nor is the drug to be recognized among the commodities which were 

 conveyed to China by the Arab and Persian traders between the lOth 

 and 13th centuries, though the camphor of Sumatra is expressly named. 



The first mention of benzoin known to us (disregarding the word 

 kalanusari, which in the St. Petersburg Dictionary is given as the old 

 Sanskrit name of benzoin) occurs in the travels of Ibn Batuta,- who 

 having visited Sumatra during his journey through the East, A.D. 

 1325-49, notes that the island produces Java FranJdncense and cam- 

 phor. The word Java was at that period a designation of Sumatra, or 

 was even used by the Arabs to signify the islands and productions ot 

 the Archipelago generally.^ Hence came the Arabic name Liihdn Jain, 

 i.e. Java Franldncense, corrupted into Banjawi, Benjid, Benzm, 

 Benzoe and Benzoin, and into the still more vulgar English Benjamin. 



We have no further information about the drug until the latter halt 

 of the following century, when we find a record that in 1461 the sultan 

 of Egypt, Melech Elmaydi, sent to Pasquale Malipiero, doge of Venice, 

 a present of 30 rotoli of Benzol, 20 rotoli of Aloes Wood, two pairs oi 

 Carpets, a small flask of balsam (of Mecca), 15 little boxes of Theriaka, 





rotoli of Aloes Wood, the same quantity^of Benziii and 100 loaves 



Sugar. 



Wood 



Benzui.' These notices indicate the high value set upon the cuu„ 



when first brought to Europe. .,ig 



The occurrence of benzoin in Siam is noticed in the jonrna ot t 

 age of Vasco da Gama,^ where, in enumerating the kmgdoms 



voyage 



India, it is stated that Xarnaux (Siam') yields mu°ch benzoin ^oi'tj 

 cruzados, and aloes worth 25 cruzados perfarazola. Accordmg to 



5 L. de Mas Latric, Hid. de ^ de 



m 4 • • J ^ ^^ J^ TV A L-T J 



Crawfurd suggests that tlie Mala- 

 hathrnm of the ancients is possibly benzoin. 

 —Dict. of Indian Islnmh, 1856. 50. 



- yoyarits d'Ibii Batoutak, traduit par 

 iv S'^y* Sanguinetti, Paris, 1853-59. 



^^^^YiUe, Booh of Ser Marco Polo, ii. (1871) 



xxu (1,33) 1170.-100 ro^o/i = 175 lb 

 avoirdupoia. 



Chipre, etc. iii. (1861) 483. 

 * Ihkl. iii. 40G. ,. Qamd 



' Rotelro da Viagem de I !f ^^^ '' JastcUa 

 em 1497, par Herculano e o Jiaia^ ^^^j 

 de Paiva, segiinda ediyuo, ws""^' 



109. , . •pi iickig'"'' 



The Roteiro is also found m ^ °i(, 

 Dorumenfe. zur Geschichte der I'M' 



Halle, 1876. 13. 



« Yule, oj>. cit. ii. 222. 



i 

 i 



