\\'D TRAhK 



BOSWELLIA 



8BRRATA 



Frankincense 



rax may I HI said to be invaluable in welding, and in dmployed by black- HeUl-welding. 

 miths, brassfounders and electroplatera. It is largely consumed in the manu- 

 tuoi iiro of glass beads, imitation precious stones, certain qualities and descriptions 



i n. -lit s (HOC Glass Beads, p. f>63). It is, in fact, fairly extensively utilised QUM Bad. 

 l.y tin- Indian j.-wi-llt-r.- in the manufacture of artificial gems, and with shellac it 



- a must valuable varninh. In soldering oxidisable metals its action is to VarnUb. 

 dean the surface by fusing away the oxid.-s into u borax boad. Similarly it is Soldering. 

 employed by the Indian jewellers to cleanse gold and silver ornaments. Plum- 

 bago pots are found to last very much better if after being annealed in the oven 

 they are painted with a solution of borax. Lastly borax is employed as an 

 ingredient in certain toilet soaps and cosmetics, and one of its most curious and 

 interesting uses is that of its employment in the production of a self-trimming 

 wick in randies. For this purpose the wick is saturated with borax, then made dandle Wicks. 

 into a candle. When ignited an incandescent bead is formed that greatly im- 

 Dves the light-giving property of the name, while at the same time the wick, 

 ig weighted by the bead, turns over to one side and thus protrudes sideways 

 of the flame. In that position the wick readily oxidises and is consumed, 

 dispensing with the necessity of snuffers. [Cf. Paulus ASginela (Adams, 

 si. and Comment.), iii., 418, 476; Garcia de Orta, Coll., xviii. ; also Comment. 

 Bull in Proc. Roy. Ir. Acad., i., 404; Bird wood and Foster, E.I.C. First Letter 

 ok, 1600, 68: Mandelslo, Travels Ind., 1639, 84; Tavernier, Travels (ed. Ball), 

 70, ii, 19 ; Milburn, Or. Comm., 1813, ii., 207 ; Watts, Diet, Chem., 1883, i., 

 l -:!>; Madras Mail, June 14, 1889; Produce World, Aug. 28, 1896; Journ. Soc. 

 t, 1897, xlv., 1173-4; U.S. Yearbook De.pt. Agri., 1900, 655; Kept. Cent. Indig. 

 Comm., 1901, i., 117 ; Watt, Ind. Art. at Delhi, 1903, 22, 29, 86; etc., etc.] 

 Trade. For some years past the foreign demand for Indian borax Trade in 

 been steadily declining, in consequence of the Italian manufacture Borax. 

 >m boracic acid and sodium carbonate, as also in consequence of the 

 jcovery in California and Nevada of limitless supplies. So recently as 

 $6-7 the foreign exports of borax were 24,273 cwt., valued at Rs. 5,80,637. Exports. 

 ring the five years ending 1906-7 they have increased from 5,002 cwt., 

 lued at Rs. 1,13,003 in 1902-3, to 5,613 cwt. and Rs. 1,15,300 in 1906-7. 

 le internal consumption has not, however, declined materially. In 

 597-8 the imports across the land frontier to India were 15,273 cwt. ; in imports by 

 398-9, 16,564 cwt. ; in 1899-1900, 20,315 cwt. ; in 1901-2, 31,085 cwt., L " L 

 valued at Rs. 3,61,446 ; so again in 1902-3 they were 29,874 cwt., valued 

 Rs. 3,52,231; in 1904-5, 19,025 cwt., Rs. 2,24,589; and in 1906-7. 

 1,506 cwt., Rs. 2,60,864. It will thus be seen that borax is an article of 

 jnsiderable importance in the industries of India, and it is satisfactory 

 know that the local supplies have proved sufficient to check materially 

 iports from Europe and America. There are, however, signs of a slight imports by 

 enewal of the imports from Great Britain. In 1895-6 these were only Sea> 



cwt. ; they rose steadily to 597 cwt., valued at Rs. 9,050 in 1901-2 ; were 

 53 cwt. and Rs. 6,792 in 1902-3 ; 848 cwt. and Rs. 10,840 in 1903-4 ; 

 cwt. and Rs. 18,139 in 1904-5; 1,700 cwt. and Rs. 20,389 in 

 ; and 2,798 cwt. and Rs. 37,039 in 1906-7. 



,500 



BOSWELLIA, lto.rh. ; Fl Br. Ind., i., 527-8 ; Colebrook, As. D.E.F., 



1807, ix., 377-82 ; Birdwood, Trans. Linn. Soc., 1871, xxvii., Ill- i- 511-7. 

 48, tt. 29-32 ; Gamble, Man. Ind, Timbs., 1902, 137-8 ; Pharmacog. Frankin- 

 Ind., i., 295-303 ; Cooke, Fl. Pres. Bomb., i., 198 ; Duthie, Fl Upper cense< 

 Gang. Plain, i., 147; Agri. Ledg., 1900, No. 10; Brandis, Ind. Trees, 1906, 

 129-30 ; BURSERACE.E. 



It is probable that several species yield the true Frankincense or Olibanum African: 

 of commerce, and of these perhaps the most important is . Carte rit. These imported, 

 balsamiferous trees inhabit the Somali coast of Africa to Cape Guardafui and 

 also the south coast of Arabia. The African or Arabian frankincense has long 



173 



