DR. G. BIRDWOOD ON THE GENUS BOSWELLIA. 131 
OviNGTON! writes :—“ Arabia Felix . . . abounds with several kinds of drugs, with 
balsam and myrrh, incense, cassia, manna, dates, gold, frankincense, and pearl.” 
* Dofar . . produces only some olibanum, coco-nuts, and butter.” 
“Seer (Sheher) . . . is much frequented by ships from several ports, viz. Muscatt, 
Gombroon, Suratt, and Gella (Zeyla), and some other places on the Abasseen shore, from 
whence they bring butter, myrrh, and slaves; and those from Muscatt and Suratt trans- 
port with them olibanum, and aloes, and what the port affords." 
Aden: “they carry nothing from hence but coffee, aloes, olibanum, and myrrh; the 
last three of which are the products of the country.” 
Mocha exports * coffee, senna, and some aloes hepatica:" imports “from Casseen 
[Keshin, near Ras Fartak?] olibanum," “from Socotra aloes,” and“ from Gella [Zeyla] and 
other parts of Abasseen myrrh, and from Socachim [Suakin ?] elephants’ teeth and gold.” 
HAMILTON? writes :— Cassin [Keshin, near Ras Fartak] that lies under the meridian 
of Cape Guardafoy, and under the prodigious high mountains of Megiddo, on the coast 
of Arabia.” “The product of the country (besides common roots, and fruits, and 
animals) is myrrh and olibanum or frankincense, which they barter for coarse calicos 
from India; but they have no great commerce with strangers." 
** Nor has Doffar any better trade." 
He mentions Mount Felix under the name of ** Baba-fileck," or “the Camel's Hump.” 
Pomet? is supposed to assert that frankincense is a product of Mount Lebanon; and 
he indeed says this of male frankincense; but in a separate chapter on Mocha frankin- 
cense he says that it is brought to Europe by the East-India Company, and so called 
Indian frankincense. 
CHARDIN‘ says “that the frankincense-tree, which resembles a large pear-tree, grows 
in Persia, partieularly in Caramania, on the mountains. You find also there the 
terebinth-tree, the almond, and the wild chestnut.” 
CeLsrus, in his famous * Hierobotanicon,' comes to the conclusion that Arabia is the 
native country of frankincense. He quotes from Fragosus :—“ It is most true that frank- 
incense does not grow in any part of India, since whatever frankineense is consumed in 
India, and whatever is conveyed thence to Portugal, is brought out of Arabia, where 
alone it grows, and is called Lovan. On which account, I believe that writers are mis- 
taken, who consider that it is called Libanum in Greek, and olibanum in commerce, from 
the fact of its growing in Mount Lebanon". 
Logar says that olibanum is not only a production of Arabia, 
Lebanon, but of Western Africa. 
LixN avs referred (I take this statement at second hand) frankincense to an unascer- 
tained juniper; and scientific botanists after him boldly specified Juniperus Lycia as the 
, 
India, and of Mount 
! Voyage to Suratt (1689): London, 1698. 
2 Account of the East Indies, 1688-1723, in Pinkerton's * Travels." 
* Histoire des Drogues: Paris, 1694; translation, London, 1737. 
* Voyage en Perse et l'Orient: Amsterdam, 1711. 
* Olavi Celsi Hierobotanicon, sive de Plantis Sacre 8 
pp. 231-246. 
cripturæ Dissertationes breves: Amstelodami, 1748, 
* Nouvelle Relation d'Afrique: Paris, 1728. 
