OF ACCOMPANYING ANIMALS AND PLANTS. 643 



" The same year" (F. Mason ii. 23), in Burmah, offerings made by the governor of Thatung 

 to the pagoda at Rangoon. — One of the largest in the country, as appears from the ruins. 



"883 A. D." (Alst., and Nicol.), at Rome, Joannes IX. succeeded by Marinus or Martinus, 

 forty-fourth archbishop. 



" In or about this year" (Blair), the first star of Aries observed by Albategni to be " 18 2' from 

 the Equinoctial point." 



"884 A. D." (Alst, and Nicol.), at Rome, Marinus succeeded by Hadrianus III, forty-fifth 

 archbishop. 



" Under khalif Motamed " (Yule cath. i. p. cix), the Arab geographer Ebn Khordadbah director 

 of the posts in Jibal or ancient Media. — He died about 912 (= "300 Hej," comm. Aug. 17th, 

 Gildem. 75). 



" Ghorraib" (a kind of plant) enumerated by Ebn Khordadbah among the exports of China — 

 (Yule). 



Pterocarpus marsupium of Tropical Hindustan, as far as Assam. The red Sanders is a very 

 large Leguminous tree called in Bengalee "peet-sal," in Telinga "yeanga-sha" (Lindl.) or "yegi," 

 in Hindustanee " peet-shola," in Tamil " vengay " (Drur.), in the environs of Bombay "bia" or 

 " bewba " or " beebla " (Graham) ; its timber used from early times, and its gum-resin kino men- 

 tioned by Ebn Khordadbah — (Yule) : P. marsupium was observed by Rheede vi. pi. 25 in Malabar, 

 whence according to Gibson kino continues to be exported in considerable quantities ; by Graham, 

 " common in some parts of Concans " as far as Bombay, and found by Lush in the " Rajpeepla jun- 

 gles;" by Ainslie, Roxburgh, Wight, and Cleghorn, from the Neilgherries and Travancore to the 

 Eastern ghauts and Circar mountains, but plentiful only in the forests of Cuddapah and North Arcot 

 (Drur.) ; is known to grow also in Assam (Mason v. 485). Kino according to Roxburgh is strongly 

 but simply astringent. (See P. erinaceus, and Butea frondosa). 



Pterocarpus li'allicliii of Burmah. Possibly affording the kino enumerated by Ebn Khordadbah 

 among the exports of China. Its wood has been long valued in Burmah, — being according to Rox- 

 burgh "not unlike mahogany, but more heavy, red, coarse in grain ; " only within a few years, has 

 its gum-resin kino been exported (Mason v. 485, and Journ. as. 1848). 



"The same year" (Nicol.), Charles le Simple being a minor, the government of France assumed 

 by the German emperor Charles le Gros. 



" In this year," the Welsh monk Asser, according to his own account, guided by some of the 

 Saxon nation through many wide-intervening ways in the country of " Suthseaxum " (Sussex) to the 

 royal vill called Dene (Dean), to meet by invitation king Alfred. 



"885 A. D. (= 1545th of Synmu," art de verif.), Josei succeeded by Kooko, younger son of 

 Ninmio and brother of Montoku, and now dairo of Japan. 



"The same year" (Alst., and Nicol), at Rome, Hadrianus III. succeeded by Stephanus VI., 

 forty-sixth archbishop. 



'• Nov. I ith (= St. Martin's day " of Asser), king Alfred commencing his literary pursuits, assisted 

 by the monk Asser. 



As early perhaps as this year, voyage of Ohthere around the Northern cape and thence "four 

 days " eastward into the White Sea, up which he sailed " five days " due south, meeting with the 

 inhabitants: " Finnas " who were all fishermen, fowlers, and hunters, and " Beormas " speaking 

 nearly the same language but who had well cultivated their country. Ohthere further informed king 

 Alfred that he dwelt in " Halgoland " northmost of all the Northmen, had not more than twenty horned 

 cattle, twenty sheep, and twenty swine, and the little that he ploughed he ploughed with horses ; had 

 however six hundred " hranas " rein-deer, including six " stasl-hranas " decoy deer, highly valued 

 among the Finns for catching wild rein-deer ; but wealth in that country consists chiefly of rent paid 

 by the Finns in skins of animals, birds' feathers, whalebone, and ship-ropes of whale or seal hide. 



He with five assistants had killed whales fifty ells long ; but his voyage North, besides seeing 

 the country, was chiefly on account of "hors-hwaalum " walrus, a kind of whale not more than seven 

 ells lono- having noble tusks or teeth and a hide good for ship-ropes ; some of the tusks were brought 

 to the king. (Walrus tusks from their costliness were at this time employed for the handle of the 

 sword of the kings of Norway, Schoning p. 37, Noel, and Pouchet p. 289). 



Wulfstan, another navigator, had sailed to the mouth of the Vistula among the " Estum" Esto- 

 nians : who have many towns and in every town a king ; drink mares' milk, or the poor and slaves 

 " medo " mead ? burn their dead, after keeping the corpse a month or more, feasting and expending 

 all the property (Alfr. transl. oros.). 



"886 A. D." (Alst.), Basilius Macedo succeeded by his son Leo VI. Sapiens, thirty-fifth Byzan- 

 tine emperor. Orations and a letter on the truth of Christianity, were written by Leo VI. 



" 887 A. D." (Blair), Paris besieged by the Normans. 



"888 Jan. 13th" (Blair), death of the emperor Charles le Gros. As guardian of Charles le 



