THE SUB-TROPICAL ZONE. 117 



oil of which was thought to be the " ointment 

 (more properly " attar," or essential oil) of 

 spikenard, very costly,'' mentioned in Mark 

 xiv. 3 ; but the researches of sir William Jones 

 seem to show, that a plant of the valerian 

 tribe, (Nardostacliys Jatamansi^) called by the 

 natives " Jatamansi," and by the Arabians " surn- 

 bul," was the true spikenard. It grows plen- 

 tifully all along the Himalayan Mountains, in 

 Nipaul, Bengal, Delhi, Deccan, etc., and is not 

 very unlike in appearance some of the small 

 " forget-me-nots " of our native land. Its attar, or 

 essential oil, forms a principal ingredient in the 

 rich essences and perfumes of the Hindoos, of 

 which the orientals are proverbially fond. They 

 anoint their persons and perfume their clothes 

 with them. Various kinds of these essences 

 were articles of commerce in very ancient 

 times, such as those of roses, cetaca, or panda- 

 nus. aguru, or aloes-wood, etc. ; being imported 

 by the Arabians from India, and by them 

 carried to Rome, Greece, Judaea, etc., where 

 they bore very high prices ; the small box (or 

 rather flask) of spikenard, mentioned above, 

 being worth more than 9. 75. Qd. of our 

 money. The spikenard (Jatamansi) is still 

 highly esteemed in India, and is annually 

 brought down from the Himalayas in large 

 quantities. 



One of the most valuable productions of 

 India is the cotton, of which at least five or six 

 species are natives of India, yielding cotton of 

 various degrees of value. Of all these, how- 



