40 ESSAY ON THE 



.abar, Pii-ahar and Mm-abar, more corre6Hy . By Por-abar they understood 

 the white sort of ambar^ which was the best, and for this reason dearest^: 

 they said it was called PonahfAmb&r, or golden amber, not on account <^f 

 its cplour; hnt becaiise it vfSiS sold for its weight of goid» 



All these denominations are pure Sa7tscnt, Q^Gept the 'first, which 

 however appears to be only a corruption, Pmah.-^(^i^r should be written 

 Sdna-Abar, called in Sanscrit lexicons Swarp^ dbhratioT m the spoken dia^ 

 lefts, they constantly say soji" a, for swam' a ox suvarna or^ol4 in Sanscrit. 

 Por-abar IS from PardbJir a, the pure or most excellent abhra or amber: 

 and this is confirmed from its extravagant price. Pu-abar or Co-abar or 

 water amber, are from the Sanscrit Paydbhra or Co^dbhra ; Pay a and Ca 

 being Sanscrit mmes for water. Min-abar is from Min-dbhra or fish^ 

 amber. None of these denominations, except Swarndbhra or Son'dbhrat 

 are to be found in S'^«5rn? lexicons pf or the word abhra signiies transpa-? 

 rent, which i.s by no H|eans appliGable to ambergris: and at the same 

 time ! believe Sondbhr^ and Par.dbhra to be -two very different things. 

 The firsts being according to 'Sanscrit lexicons, a fossil substance, trans* 

 parent and of the colour of gold, is obviously the succinum of the anci* 

 ents, and our amber. The Pardbar or Pardbhray pf .a white ,..colour, is 

 the purest, and most perfe^ sort of ambergris. ,When Pliny says, that 

 white amber is .a most fragrant pjgrfume, this must be pnderstood qf the 

 best sort of ambergris^ far vvhite amber has hardly any fragrancy, 

 Pordbar then seems to be the same with Pudbar or Co-dbar, Poydbhra 

 and Ca^-^dbhra, because it£omes from the sea. As ambergris comes from 

 -the East, and in very small quantities, and is very rarely found on 

 the shores of the Atlantic^ it is but Imperfedlly described by the ancients. 

 They palled it white amber, and I believe^ Alcypniok, conceiving it t^ 



