144 
in Arabic, and Aguru in Sanscrit, must have been one of 
the early articles of commerce to the Western world," 
Another perfume of the East, which seems to have been 
early known, and is still employed, is the Onycha (Hebr. 
shecheleth) mentioned with Galbanum and Frankincense. 
This, by some commentators, is supposed to be Gum 
Ladanum, from the Arabic version ; but it is much more 
probably, as its name indicates, the article mentioned 
at p. 95, as Unguis odoratus, and of which the Sanscrit 
name nakhi, is literally the same as the Greek owf. This, 
according to Rumphius, who describes ten kinds of the 
odoriferous onyx, which serve as the basis the principal 
perfumes in the Indian islands, (Herb. Amb. ii. c. 17) is 
the operculum or lid of the shells of Purpura and Murex. 
This being flat, and something like a nail, explains the origin 
of its name : we may easily suppose it was brought with 
the other Indian substances to Egypt, Palestine, and 
Greece. 
If the term skuktir, so frequently employed in Scripture, 
translated strong drink, and always coupled with wine, 
be, as Dr. Harris suggests, and as is probable, wine and 
sugar, we have another Indian manufactured produce, 
early known in the West, as was also indigo, both noticed 
by Sir Wm. Jones as most ancient products. 
The materials for clothing next require our attention. 
Egypt was always famed for its cultivation of flax, and 
manufacture of fine linen. Silk was probably known, as 
the word serikoth is employed in Isaiah, xix. 9, and is 
thought to be the origin of the Latin sericum, from Seres, 
whence the Greeks and Romans first obtained their silk. 
Cotton, though undoubtedly known at a very early 
period in the West, has caused considerable debate. This 
is owing to several different words being used in the 
Hebrew text, which are all translated fine linen. The word 
