36 THE CAMPHOR LANGUAGE OF JOHORE. 



The earliest mention of camphor known occurs in the poems 

 of Imru-1-kais, an Arabian prince who lived in Hadramant, by 

 the Gulf of Aden, in the sixth century. It was then evidently 

 very rare, and highly prized as a perfume. It seems quite clear 

 that the Boniean camphor was known before the Chinese cam- 

 phor, the product of the camphor Laurel (Cinnanwmum camphora). 

 The MedisBval Arabian writers state that the best camphor came 

 from Fansur, also called Kansiir or Kaisiir, a place visited by 

 Marco Polo. Yule believes this to be the same as Barus in 

 Western Sumatra. Garcia in the Historia Aromatum (1593) 

 gives a long and interesting account of it, of a portion of which 

 the following' is a traiislation, " Camphor is truly a noble medi- 

 cine, of wliich there are two kinds, viz., camphor of Borneo and 

 that which is brought from China. Borneo camphor has never 

 yet penetrated to our regions, at least if it is here I have not 

 happened to see it, nor is that strange, since a pound of it is 

 worth as much as a hundred pounds of that which is brought 

 from China. Of the Borneo camphor, which is as big as a millet 

 seed or a little larger, the greater part is worthless. The 

 Gentiles, Baneanes (Hindus), and Arabs who sell it say it consists 

 of four kinds : for they classify it into head, breast, legs and 

 feet.* That of the bead is worth 80 pardans a pound. (A 

 pardan is B:a Indian gold coin worth 10 Castilian Eials), that of 

 the bre?.st in worth 20, of the legs 12 ; of the feet, 4 or, at most, 

 5. Some, more particular, have four copper instruments perforated 

 with holes of different sizes, (like those which pearldealers have) 

 and pass the camphor through them. Those pieces w^hich pass 

 through the instrument with the larger holes have a certain 

 value : those which are passed through the one with medium 

 holes another ; and those which pass through smaller holes 

 another value. But the Baneanes are so clever at distinguishing 

 them, that when mixed they can tell one camphor from another, 

 nor can any one be found who can easily deceive them. Much 

 of this camphor is produced in Borneo, Bairres, Sumatra, and 

 Pacen. But the names of the places in which Serapion and 

 Avicenna say it is produced for the most part are corrupt. For 

 what Serapion calls Pansar, is Pacen in Sumatra ; what Avicenna 

 calls Alcuz may be Sunda, which is an island near Malacca." 



*See Marsden's Sumatra, p, 121. 



