August 27, 1870.] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
165 
from a certain small tree tliat resembles the fir. The 
people occasionally tap the tree or pare away the bark, 
and from the incision the frankincense gradually exudes, 
which afterwards becomes hard. Even when an incision 
is not made, an exudation is perceived to take place, in 
consequence of the excessive heat of the climate. 
“ The frankincense is so cheap in the country as to be 
purchased by the governor at a rate of ten bezants the 
quintal, who sells it again to the merchants at 40 bezants. 
This is done under the direction of the Soldan of Aden, 
who monopolizes all that is produced in the district, and 
derives a large profit from the resale.” 
Thevet says that frankincense is produced, with myrrh, 
in the country about Pecher (SheherF) and Fartack, 
cities of the kingdom of Aden; that there are two kinds, 
the best being whitish, pure, clean-cut and solid, collected 
in summer; the second, a reddish kind, collected in 
spring; also that the tree resembles the resinous firs. 
He gives a figure, which Dr. Birdwood takes to be an 
undoubted Boswellia , with a background of firs. 
Garcia ab Horto, from whom Gerard copies, says that 
no frankincense is produced in India and he wonders 
that such a mistake should have been made; that there 
are two kinds, the best produced on mountains, and the 
dark and inferior produced in the plains ; that the darker 
kinds of frankincense are called Indian by the Arabs. 
His figure is a copy of Thevet’s without the background 
of firs. 
The word olibanum, as a synonym for frankincense, was 
used by Pope Benedict IX. in 1033, and by Gerard in 
his translation of Avicenna in 1490. 
Purchas, in ‘His Pilgrimes’ (London, 1627) notes 
olibanum amongst other articles brought by the Arabs 
for sale on the Arabian coast. 
Celsus, in his ‘ Hierobotanicon,’ has the following in¬ 
formation regarding the native country of Olibanum;— 
“ It is most true that frankincense does not grow in 
any part of India, since whatever frankincense is con¬ 
sumed in India, and whatever is conveyed thence to 
Portugal, is brought out of Arabia, where alone it grows, 
and is called Lovan. On which account, I believe that 
writers are mistaken who consider that it is Libanum 
in Greek, and Olibanum in commerce, from the fact of 
its growing in Mount Lebanon.” 
Linnaeus referred frankincense to a Juniper us, J. Lycia. 
Dr. Birdwood says he takes the statement at second¬ 
hand. This is, however, true. Linnaeus in his ‘ Materia 
Medica’ (Schreber’s ed. Alt. 1772) says,— 
506. Juniperus lycia foliis temis undique imbricatis 
ovatis obtusis. Boy. Mgdb. 90. Sp. PI. 1471. 
Cedrus, folio cupressi, major, fructu flavescente. 
Bauh. Pin. 487. 
Loc.: Africa, ^Ethiopia, Arabia, Arbor , peregrina. 
Pharm. Olibani (Thuris) Resina, granulata, oleum 
stillatitium, etc., and in a foot-note “ Olibanum 
ex hac arbore desumtum esse alii statuunt , alii negant , 
$ Sandaracam non prioris sed hujus esse resinam vo¬ 
lant alii ; lis pendet.” 
Bruce, whose narrative of travels met with so much 
undeserved opposition and incredulity, actually figures 
in his atlas a plant, afterwards named, by Richard, Bos¬ 
wellia papyrifera , remarking* that it was called Angouah 
by the people about Tacazza, and believed by the Abys- 
sinians to be the true frankincense; he adds, “ in reality 
it produces a gum much resembling it.” 
In 1807, Colebrooke proved that a frankincense-like 
gum was yielded by Bosivellia serrata , of Roxburgh (= B. 
thurifera, Colebr.). From this it was concluded that this 
plant yielded the olibanum of commerce, and it was even 
denied that Arabia yielded any. 
Bruce’s plant was afterwards described by two bo¬ 
tanists under different names; in 1820 by Delile, under 
the name of Amyris papyrifera , and by Endlicher in 
1838, under the name of Pldssleafioribunda. 
Wellstead in 1838 found that large quantities of oli¬ 
banum were exported from the Soumali coast. He says, 
u two kinds of frankincense are brought here for expor¬ 
tation to Hindustan, one called luban , from Hadramaut, 
which is a powerful aromatic, used in the temples and 
houses for fumigation; the other, Luban mati, less fra¬ 
grant, but preferred for chewing.” 
Cruttenden in 1837 saw the frankincense-tree on his 
journey from Merbat to Dyreez, the principal town of 
Dejar, and in 1843 the frankincense-tree of the Soumali 
country. He is reporting on the Mijjertheyn tribe of 
Soumalis, and says,— 
“ During the hot season the men and boys are daily 
employed in collecting gums, which process is carried on 
as Follows:—About the end of February or beginning of 
March the Bedouins visit all the trees in succession, and 
make a deep incision in each, peeling off a narrow strip 
of bark for about five inches below the wound. This is 
left for a month, when a fresh incision is made in the 
same place, but deeper. A third month elapses, and the 
operation is again effected, after which the gum is sup¬ 
posed to have attained a proper degree of consistency. 
The mountain sides are immediately covered with parties 
of men and boys, who scrape off the large, clear globules 
into a basket, whilst the inferior quality that has run 
down the tree is packed separately. The gum, when 
first taken from the tree, is very soft, but hardens 
quickly. The flame is clear and brilliant, and the tra¬ 
veller is frequently amused by seeing a miserable Be- 
doui family, cowering under a wretched hovel, (eating 
their scanty meal by the light of half-a-dozen frankin¬ 
cense torches. Every fortnight the mountains are visited 
in this manner, the trees producing larger quantities as 
the season advances until the middle of September, when 
the first shower of rain puts a close to the gathering o 
that year.” 
The export, he goes on. to say, is in the hands of 
“ those never-failing speculators, the Banians of Pore- 
bunder (Kattiawar) and Bombay.” At the close of the 
north-east monsoon they arrive at the coast, and settle 
at Feluk (Mount Elephant of the ancients, Cape Felix 
of the Portuguese, and Jibbel Feel of Captain Saris), 
Bunder Marayah, Bunder Khor, and other Bunders. 
“ The Bedowins from the interior immediately visit 
them, and, as there is no one to compete with them, 
they manage to engross the greater part of the trade.” 
He estimates that the quantity annually exported is,— 
To Bombay . . . . 377 tons. 
To Red Sea .... 235 „ 
To Arabia .... 120 „ 
732 
“ The trees that produce Luban , or frankincense, are 
of two kinds, Luban Meyti and Luban Bedowi. Of 
these the Meyti , which grows out of the native rock, is 
the most valuable, and, when clean-packed and of good 
quality, it is sold by the merchants on the coast for one 
and a quarter dollars per frasila of twenty pounds. The 
Luban Bedowi, of the best quality, is sold for one dollar 
per frasila: of both kinds the palest colour is preferred. 
The trees vary greatly in height, but I never saw one 
above twenty feet with a stem of nine inches in dia¬ 
meter. Their form is very graceful, and, when spring¬ 
ing from a mass of marble on the brink of a precipice, 
their appearance is especially picturesque.” 
In 1843 Kempthorne and Vaughan visited the Sou¬ 
mali country. Kempthorne’s specimen was identified by 
Mr. Bennett, of the British Museum, with Endlicher’s 
Plosslea fioribunda, but on the agreement of the peculiar 
papery character of the barks only. Dr. Vaughan, in 
‘ Notes upon the Drugs observed at Aden,’ mentions the 
following kinds :— Luban maitee , Luban nankur or aun- 
gure , Luban makur , Luban berbera or muslika , and Luban 
Marbat or Saharee Luban , the finest k ind. Vaughan’s 
original specimens are in the Pharmaceutical Society’s 
museum. 
In 1847 Carter published a figure of the frankincense- 
tree of Arabia, accurately defining the thuriferous re¬ 
gion. He says,— 
