404 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [ August, 1908. | 
A later passage has: “In 1544 and 1548 again embassies from 
Lu-mi! arrived. They presented as tr ibute corals, diamonds, cur- 
tains made of sa-ha-la The inclusion of sa-ha-la 
among costly articles am tribute seems to imply that the material, 
whether silk or clo: gore and highly-prized one. In 
a note Bretschneider nent “The Ming Geography mentions the 
sa-ha-'a as a manufacture of watnke la (Bengal) and states that 
this stuff is woven from wool, and that it is downy. ‘There are 
two kinds, a red and a green. Probably by sa-ha-la the Per- 
sian shal (shawl) is intended.” 
his last suggestion seems to be completely disproved, how- 
ever, by the Persian transcription—Sa-ka-la-t in the Chinese- 
Persian list: unless —— the word shaw] is identical in origin 
with the word scarlet ! 
getisenlty the word Salla t was given stuff imported from 
the borders of China. and in the Punjaub Trade Returns of 1862 
we find mention of Sooklat, a blanket cloth used for the outside 
of the sheep skin coats bet by travellers. 
So far there seems to be a consensus of opinion that the 
word scarlet or sakarlat means broad ee ‘fie cloth, or cloth of 
superior quality, and this ce certainly came to be the general signi- 
fication of the word in ves ‘ope during the Middle Ages. 
The origin of the word seems to be wrapped in mystery, and 
galuticus, la Galatie, province d’Asie, ot dans Pantiquité on 
receuillait beaucoup de kermés; galaticus rubor a sionifié en 
g»laticus et escarlatte. Au XV siecle eeprietta parait signifier 
étoffe en général.” 
A cP ty Die or on Abin ee 
a, 
