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was merely the essential oil of the plant from which 

 it was denominated, but am strongly inclined to believe 

 that it was a generic word, meaning what we now call 

 afar, and either the afar of roses from Cashmir and 

 Persia, that of Cttaca, or Pandanus, from the wes- 

 tern coast of India, or that of A guru, or aloe-wood, 

 from Asam or Cochinchina, the process of obtaining 

 which is described by Abtdjazl, or the mixed per- 

 fume, called abir, of which the principal ingredients 

 were yellow sandal, violets, orange-flowers, wood of 

 aloes, rose-water, musk, and true Spikenard : all those 

 essences and compositions were costly; and, most of 

 them being sold by the Indians to the Persians and 

 Arabs, from whom, in the time of Octavius, they 

 were received by the Sjrians and Romans, they must 

 have been extremely dear at Jerusalem and at Rome. 

 There might also have been a pure nardine oil, as 

 Athentfus calls it ; but nardwn probably meant (and 

 Koenig was of the same opinion) an Indian essence in 

 general, taking its name from that ingredient which 

 had, or was commonly thought to have, the most ex- 

 quisite scent. But I have been drawn by a pleasing 

 subject to a greater length than I expected, and pro- 

 ceed to the promised description of the true nard or 

 Jatamansi, which, by the way, has other names in the 

 Amarcosh, the smoothest of which a.rejati/a and lomasa, 

 both derived from words meaning hair. Mr. Burt, after 

 a modest apology for his imperfect acquaintance with 

 the language of botanists, has favoured me with an 

 account of the plant, on the correctness of which I 

 have a perfect reliance, and from which I collect the 

 following natural characters : 



AGGREGATE. 



Cal. Scarce any. Margin hardly discernible. 

 Cor. One petal. Tube somewhat gibbous. Bor~ 

 tier five cleft. 



Stam. Three anthers. 



Pist. Germ beneath. One style erect. 



