221 



ON THE "WEAPONS USED 



denotes a house lizard and mudalai a crocodile. In fact the 

 Sanskrit musali and culumpin (culukT) correspond according 

 to their meaning to the Tamil udumbu and mudalai. The 

 inference to he drawn from this fact is obvious. 



The culukin is in Sanskrit only a large sized animal ; a 

 worm, especially an earth-worm, is called a hinculuka or 

 Mnculaha or kincilaka, i.e., a little culuka. 



No doubt the description of Ktesias is in many respects 

 inaccurate, but I hope to have been able to trace the thread 

 of truth which runs through it. 



As oil, especially boiling oil, is used in Indian warfare, the 

 subject is of particular interest in this inquiry. 



CHAPTER IV. 



INDIA THE HOME OF GUNPOWDER AND FIREARMS. 



In every inquiry which is conducted with the object of 

 proving that a certain invention has been made in any 

 particular country it is of the utmost importance to show that 

 so far as the necessary constituents of the object invented 

 are concerned, all these could be found in the country 

 credited with such invention. 



The ordinary components of gunpowder are saltpetre, 

 sulphur, and charcoal. 



1. It is now generally admitted that the nitrum which 

 occurs in the writings of the ancients was not saltpetre, but 

 natron, i.e., sodium carbonate ; the latter word is nowhere 

 extant in Greek or Roman literature, though the words nitrum 

 and natron are no doubt in their origin identical. 



The word neter occurs twice in the Bible. It is described 

 as an alkali, which was used as soap: "For though thou 

 wash thee with nitre, and take thee much sope, yet thine 

 iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord God " (Jerem. 

 ii. 22) ; and "As he that taketh away a garment in cold 



