IIIF Color HighRes
National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
| |||||||||
|
| IIIF Color HighRes |
| The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Citation Information
304
MARCO POLO BOOK III.
1
of the Archipelago, if not of the world,* reaching a height of 200 feet. One of the middling size which I had cut down measured at the base, where the camphor leaks out, 71 Paris feet in diameter (about 8 feet English) ; its trunk rose to wo feet, with an upper diameter of 5 feet, before dividing, and the height of the whole tree to the crown was 15o feet. The precious consolidated camphor is found in small quantities, i lb. to i lb. in a single tree, in fissure-like hollows in the stem. Yet many are cut down in vain, or split up the side without finding camphor. The camphor oil is prepared by the natives by bruising and boiling the twigs." The oil, however, appears also to be found in the tree, as Crawfurd and Collingwood mention, corroborating the ancient Arab.
It is well known that the Chinese attach an extravagantly superior value to the Malay camphor, and probably its value in Marco's day was higher than it is now, but still its estimate as worth its weight in gold looks like hyperbole. Forrest, a century ago, says Barus Camphor was in the Chinese market worth nearly its weight in silver, and this is true still. The price is commonly estimated at ioo times that of the Chinese camphor. The whole quantity exported from the Barus territory goes to China. De Vriese reckons the average annual export from Sumatra between 1839 and 1844 at less than 40o kilogrammes. The following table shows the wholesale rates in the Chinese market as given by Rondot in 1848 :-
Qualities of Camphor. Per picul of 133} lbs.
Ordinary China, Ist quality . . . 20 dollars.
7) 7f 2nd 37
Formosa . . . .
Japan . . . . . .
China ng ai (ext. from an Artemisia) .
| 14 | )) |
| 25 | „ |
| 3o | > > |
| 25o | „ |
Barus, I st quality . . 2000 „
„ 2nd „ . . . . i000 „
~
.s
The Chinese call the Sumatran (or Borneo) Camphor Ping-pien " Icicle flakes," and Lung-nau " Dragon's Brains." [Regarding Baros Camphor, Mr. Groeneveldt writes (Notes, p. 142) : " This substance is generally called dragon's brain perfume, or icicles. The former name has probably been invented by the first dealers in the article, who wanted to impress their countrymen with a great idea of its value
and rarity. In the trade three different qualities are distinguished : the first is
called prune-blossoms, being the larger pieces ; the second is rice-camphor, so called because the particles are not larger than a rice-kernel, and the last quality is golden dregs, in the shape of powder. These names are still now used by the Chinese traders on the west coast of Sumatra. The Pen-ts'au Kang-mu further informs us that the Camphor Baros is found in the trunk of a tree in a solid shape, whilst from the roots an oil is obtained called Po-lut (Pa-lut) incense, or Polut balm. The name of Polut is said to be derived from the country where it is found (Barc s.) " —H. C.] It is just to remark, however, that in the Aín Akbari we find the price of the Sumatran Camphor, known to the Hindus as Bhím Seni, varying from 3 rupees as high as 2 mohurs (or 20 rupees) for a rupee's weight, which latter price would be twice the weight in gold. Abul Fazl says the worst camphor went by the name of Bdlús. I should suspect some mistake, as we know from Garcias that the fine camphor was already known as Barus. (Ain-i-Akb. 75-79.)
(Mas'udi, I. J38 ; I. B. IV. 241 ; J. A. sér. IV. tom. viii. 216 ; Lane's Arab. Nî: hts (1859), III. 21 ; Battaländer, I. 107 ; Crawl. Hist. III. 218, and Desc. Dict.
81 ; Hedde et Rondot, Coma. de la Chine, 36-37 ; Chin. Comm. Guide ; Dr. F. A. Fliickiger, Zur Geschichte des Camphers, in Schweiz. Wochensclir. für Pharmacie, Sept., Oct., 1867.)
NOTE 4.—An interesting notice of the Sago-tree, of which Odoric also gives an account. Ramusio is, however, here fuller and more accurate : " Removing the first
* The Californian and Australian giants of 40o feet were not then known.
4r*
•
- •~
~ :t t .
~
i~
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright (C) 2003-2019 National Institute of Informatics and The Toyo Bunko. All Rights Reserved.