Sandal -Wood and its Commercial Importance. 77 



hence the merchants sometimes divide sandal into red, yellow, 

 and white ; bnt these are all various shades of the same colour, 

 and do not arise from any different species in the tree. The 

 nearer the root, in general, the higher is the perfume; and 

 care should be taken, by removing the earth, to cut as low as 

 possible. The billets next to the root, when this has been done, 

 are commonly called root sandal. In smoothing the billets, 

 chips of the sandal are, of course cut off; so are also frag- 

 ments in squaring their ends, both of which, with the smaller 

 assortment of billets, answer best for the Arabian markets; 

 and from them the essential oil is distilled, so much esteemed 

 in Turkey. The larger billets are sent to China, and the 

 middle-sized ones used in India. When thus sorted and pre- 

 pared, the sandal, at least three or four months before it is 

 sold, ought to be shut up from the rain and wind, in a close 

 warehouse ; and the longer it is kept, with such precautions, the 

 better ; its weight diminishing more than its smell. Prepared 

 in this way, it rarely splits or warps, accidents which render it 

 unfit for many of the purposes to which it is applied. 



Sandal-wood is sometimes called in old English works 

 " Sander's-wood," but our present form, " Sandal " (Arab. 

 Sandal), is more correct; the Chinese term the wood col- 

 lectively, " Tan-heong," i. e., scented tree. On the Malabar 

 coast, Santalum album is termed, " Chandana cotta," whilst 

 the Polynesian species go by the generic name of " Ahi " 

 (with various prefixes and affixes), which in Fijian becomes 

 " Yasi;" in Eromangan, "Nassau," and in Tanna, " Nebissi," 

 and reminding one of Ayasru, the name Santalum album bears 

 in Amboyna.* 



* Mr. E. Deutsch, of the British Museum, a distinguished oriental scholar, 

 kindly forwarded the following reply to several questions -which I put to him 

 about the derivation, meaning, and nature of the various Asiatic names of the 

 sandal-wood : " Sandal is termed ' Chandana ' in Sanscrit, and is the name of the 

 tree as well as its wood and the perfumes prepared from it. ' Chandana-chala 

 is another name of the ' Malaya Mountain,' a part of the Southern Ghat*, whence 

 a great deal of sandal-wood is derived. The name does not imply fragrant wood 

 or sweet wood. — The term ' Sandal ' is Arabic, and also used in Hindustani ; but 

 does not seem to have any meaning save that of sandal-wood. That the Biblical 

 Algum or Almug means sandal-wood is a mere recent conjecture. The Talmud 

 identifies it, perhaps on accoimt of the colour, with corals. Celsius believes it to 

 be a spurious red vandal- wood (Pterocarpus santalinus), while the LXX. trans- 

 late it ireAeKTjTo, TrevKtva, and the Vulgate, Cina (HyedarP African Arbor xitx? 

 or a kind of pine ?). David Kimchi, a commentator of the twelfth century, 

 regards it as the Arabic ' Al-Baccam ' (almond-tree, Ccesalpinia Sappan, Ptero- 

 carpus santalinus 1). But this, too, is mere guess-work. The word is not of 

 Hebrew or even of Semitic origin, but seems to have been handed over by ihe 

 Arabs, who probably derived it from India. Almug, however, somewhat reminds 

 of the Sanscrit terms, 'Mocha,' 'Mochata,' which also signify sandal-wood. You 

 may, however, rest satisfied that nothing ce> tain is known about the foregoing 

 terms. They seem as if dropped from the sky, and philologists would be obliged 

 if you could throw any light on them." 



