42 ESSAY ON THE ■ - ■ , 



Amrita is derived from mrit mors, tnoiiis, with the privative particle a; 

 and seems to re~appear in the word immortal, which is but a derivative form. 

 A7nritasya ov Amritsyals in the possessive case, and is also a derivative 

 form, and from it is derived ambrosia the food of the gods; and as rivers, 

 on the banks of which amber was colle61ed, were called Eridanws^ 

 Eridmium, it is not improbable, that the latter is derived from the Sanscrit 

 Amrit'ddnam giving, -producing amher. — — 



Lo'ha'guru, called also Swaniaguni or gold like Aguru, is then our suc- 

 cinum or amber. It is true that Aguru or Agallochum is said to be of 

 three sorts, the white, yellow or citron colour, and the red ; but we never 

 read of black AgallocJmm; and of course the Cdldguru or Crishndguru is 

 not a species ot Agallochum; but a sort of amber called J^^i", or ^Saild-Ja'tii 

 in a less indurated state: for, as we observed before, Agallochum is called, 

 in Sanscrit^ Chanddndgufu^\vhichimpYieSy that Agallochum belongs to the" 

 vegetable kingdom, like the sweet scented sandal-v/ood. That whjch 

 grows in India is of little or no repute: yet we read of sandal al^Cumdii,. 

 which is interpreted as if growing near Cape Comoririr But I take it to 

 signify the island of Su7natra,whic^.w2LS called the island of Chandra or 

 the moon, synonymous with Ca?»rhv^ra6/<7. 



Lo'ha'guru or Lo'hdgur was also the name of amber in the west, 

 where it was called Lz^^zn-i"z(tOT, Lygyrion, according to Josephus, Ligu- 

 rium, Lagurium arid corruptly Lyfiguriuin,' Lyjicurium &c. Hence all 

 the western parts of Euro/>^ were C2i\\ed Leguria or Lyguria or the 

 amber country ; and amber was firs't heard of among the Ligurians ; 

 there, as is pretended, it flowed from certain poplar trees, into which 

 the sisters of Phaeton had been transformed. Liguriuin was after- 

 Y/ards used to signify such substances, as had the properties of real- 



