SACRED ISLES IN THE WEST, 37 



their opiriion all these substances are produced by a certain dew, that falls 

 <cjn trees, and in the sea, when the sun is in the lunar roansion qf Swdtica.^ 

 which is part of Libra. 



Amber, in Cos as or lexicons, is however described as a mineral, or 



fossil substance ; " D'kdtubhe'da," a sort of mineral ; " Swam am/' of a 



gold colour. As Pandits know very little of natural history, and as their 



lexicons contain the names only of the different sorts of Carpura, I was 



obliged to apply to physipians, druggists, and merchants. From their 



accounts, compared, and combined together, it appears that ambergris is 



called in Sa?iscrit, Chandram, being like the substance of the moon ; and 



Chandra^rasa, or the same with the pure, and crystalline fluid, of which the 



body of the moon consists, and which is pure and liquid amber. Merchants 



Mse the word CA^«<ir^-rj5^ for ambergris ; but druggists call it musk-am-- 



ber, because it js always adulterated witkcivet. It is called also Hiidbhra,on 



account of its transcendent qualities ; being considered as a purer, sort 



of J bhra or amber. Amher or succmum is called in the spoken diale^ls 



Cdpur: this is also confirmed by the author of the To'hfet-id-Mumimn^ 



which is a learned treatise on medicinal drugs. The author, who was 



a native of India, declares positively, that in Hindostan, amber is called 



Cdpur, the same which is denominated, in Persian, Cdnihah, or grass- 



attracting. This word is now used in Hindostan; but they pronounce it 



Cdharhd: and its eledtric property is very well known. In Sanscrit It is 



-called Ahhra, or abhram, from its being transparent ; and abhracam or 



abhrac is our talk. Camphire is called Bardsa in the spoken diale(5ls, 



according to- the Bhdva-pracds'a : and its Sanscrit name is there declared 



to be Carpura^Chainaca, or Chinese Carpura; and there is another sort of 



it called Carpurdr-Tagaru, The first sort, called Bardsa, is obviously 



K 



