102 



ORIENTAL COMMERCE. 



[Gulpkof Persia. 



of a close compact texture. Those which are small, white, and broken, 

 should be rejected. — Freight, 20 Cwt. to the ton. 



Gogul is a species of bitumen, much used at Bombay, Bengal, and 

 other parts of India, for painting the bottoms of ships, it being superior 

 to any thing else for that purpose ; and wood covered with it resists the 

 worm a long time. 



Hypocistis is an inspissated juice, of a firm consistence, and a bright 

 black colour, prepared from a certain fleshy juicy vegetable, which grows up 

 from the root of a species of Cistus, common in Persia and Arabia. It is 

 seldom imported into England ; it is in considerable hard and heavy masses, 

 of a fine shining black, like that of liquorice when fresh broken, and of a 

 duskier black on the surface. It should be chosen heavy, hard, and black, 

 and of an acrid, astringent taste, and burning smell. 



JujunEs, a half-dried fruit of the plum kind, produced in the south- 

 ern parts of Europe, as well as in Persia, and other Eastern countries. The 

 latter is of a blackish hue, much darker than the former, which is of a red- 

 dish yellow colour. It is furnished with an ash-coloured cup at the bottom, 

 from wliich it is easily parted. They should be chosen fresh, plump, and 

 well-dried, or they will be subject to decay. 



Kismisses, a species of raisin, in which a considerable trade is carried 

 on between Persia and various parts of India. 



Ladda.vum is a resinous juice which exudes from a small shrub (CUtus 

 Ladaniferus) in Persia and Arabia. Two sorts of it are distinguished : 

 the one in cakes or masses, of an irregular size ; the other in rolls, 

 twisted like the rolls of wax tapers. This drug is said to be collected in the 

 heat of summer, by lightly brushing the shrub that produces it with a kind 

 of rake, having thongs of leather fixed to it, instead of teeth ; the unctuous 

 juice adheres to the thongs, and is afterwards scraped off with a knife. The 

 masses of Labdanum are dark coloured, of the consistence of a soft plaister, 

 of a strong, but not disagreeable smell, accompanied with a warm, aromatic, 

 rather unpleasant taste. The coiled Labdanum is harder than the preceding, 

 and contains a considerable quantity of sandy matter. The masses have not 

 near such a quantity of impurities; some small dust, &c. blown on this resin, 

 while it remains on the shrub, cannot be avoided. 



Lapis Lazuli is a compact, ponderous fossil, less hard than flint, 

 taking a high polish, and is used occasionally for toys, he. Its most valuable 

 purpose is in making that beautiful blue colour called ultra-marine. It is 

 found in many parts of the world, but the best is that of Asia ; it is in 

 lumps usually about the size of a man^s fist, frequently smaller, and some- 



