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grains and pulses. Even in the hottest season, or from 
April to June, the Cucurbitacece, and some vegetables, 
may be cultivated by means of irrigation. The great 
variety of fruits also, as the plantain, jack, mangoe, with 
the several fecula-yielding roots, would serve not only as 
luxuries, but also as food. 
The cotton, an indigenous and peculiar product, afforded 
clothing for its inhabitants. Silk, there is reason to 
suppose (v. Sir W. Jones), was early made use of. Several 
species of silk-worms are indigenous in the eastern pro- 
vinces of India, (v. J. Asiat. Soc. vi. p. 21). Wool, and its 
valued manufacture, the shawl, were known at an early 
period, as the Persian name is said to be derived from the 
Sanscrit. The woods, minerals, and metals, afforded mate- 
rials for numerous arts, as did the various vegetable colours 
for dyeing ; witli ligneous fibre, gums, resins, oils, and 
natural varnishes. But many of the above substances, 
excepting, of course, the silk and cotton fabrics, being such 
as are found, or substitutes for them, in other countries, 
were not likely to have offered to distant nations, sufficient 
inducements to visit India or its shores. 
But India had abundance of products, both peculiar and 
precious, and requiring only to be known to be highly 
valued. Among these its aromatics, such as cinnamon and 
cassia, were conspicuous. The spices probably included 
pepper and cardamoms, perhaps also ginger ; while, among 
its perfumes, we have the sweet calamus, onycha, nard, 
and lign-aloe. The attr of roses we do not find distinctly 
noticed in the earliest periods ; but pearls and precious 
stones formed very early articles of commerce ; while 
indigo seems to have been detected in the blue stripes of 
some Egyptian mummy-cloths : — we know that, in later 
times it is mentioned as an article of export from India to 
Esjypt (v. Egypt. Antiq. ii. p. 190.). Ivory and ebony were 
T 
