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The Mahabharata, a Sanscrit epic poem on the wars of the Pandus, hardly earlier than this date.
S o la n u m m e lo n g e n a of Equatorial Africa. The h r in ja l or e g g -p la n t is called in France “ aubergine
” (A. Dec.), at Constantinople “ nffilisana ” or by the Turks “ patlisana” (Forsk.) , at Aleppo
“ melanzana” (Rauw.), in Egypt and Yemen “ badindjan” (Forsk.), in Hindustanee “ badanjan ” or
“ baingan” (Pidd.), in Sanscrit “ bhuntakee ” (Wall ), in Telinga “ wankai,” in Tamil “ valoothalay ”
(Drur.), in Burmah “ kha-yan” (Mason), in Tagalo “ talong” (Blanco) : the “ melongene” is mentioned
in the Mahabharata i. 1020 to 2197 — (transl. Pavie 91): S. melongena was observed by
Rheede x. pl. 74 in Malabar ; by Graham, around Bombay “ extensively cultivated for the sake of its
fruit,” and “ next to the potatoe perhaps” the “ most useful of Indian ve g e table s ;” by Roxburgh,
and Drury, cultivated “ all over In dia ; ” by Mason, “ exotic ” in Burmah ; by Loureiro, in Anam ; by
Blanco, universally known to the natives on the Philippines; is termed “ trongum hortense” by Rumphius
V. pl. 85. Westward from Hindustan, the “ badinschan” is mentioned by Ebn Masawia,
Rhazes, Avicenna, Serapion, Edrisi, Ebn Baitar, and Makrizi: S. melongena was observed by myself
cultivated and naturalized on Zanzibar ; is known to be also cultivated in Western Equatorial Africa
(Benth. fl. nigr. 473) ; was observed by myself in Yemen, the fruit in market at Mocha ; by Forskal,
under cultivation in Yemen and Egypt ; by Rauwolf in 1574 in gardens at Aleppo; by Forskal, and
Chaubard, cultivated at Constantinople and in Southern Greece; is described also by Dodoens pempt.
458, and C. Bauhin pin. 167. By European colonists, was carried to the Mauritius Islands (Boj.); to
the West Indies (Hughes), and our Southern and Middle States, where it continues abundantly
cultivated.
“ 636, November ” (Clint.), battles on the river Yermouk, continuing several days and deciding
the fate of Syria in favour of the Muslims.
“ 637 A. D.” (Blair, and Clint.), Jerusalem captured by the Muslims ; and death of Sophronius,
the last bishop there. ,
“ The same y e a r ” (Clint.), the Muslims under Saed ravaging Persia, and the Persians defeated
by them in a great battle near Jaloulah ; Yazdejerd I I I . retiring to the Persian city of Ferganah.
“ 638, before July 4th ” (Clint.), flight of Heraclius from Antioch, followed some weeks later by
the surrender of the city to the Muslims. Other cities surrendering, the conquest of Syria was completed
“ six years ” after the death of Mohammed.
“ Not before September” (Chnt., and Nicoh), edict of Heraclius in favour of the Monothelites.
It was confirmed by a synod at Constantinople.
“ In this y e a r ” (Biograph, univers.), end of the reign of Dagobert, king of the Franks.
“ 638 or 639 A. D . ” (Mason iii. 43), the B u rm a n e r a established by king Poukpasau : — in use
among the Burmese to the present day.
“ 639 A. D . ” (Clint.), pestilence in Syria, the Muslims losing “ twenty-five thousand” men,
including Abu Obeidah; who was succeeded by Moawi'yah as lieutenant in Syria. “ June 6th,” a
Muslim army under Amrou entering Egypt.
“ 640 A. D . ” (Elphinst. iii. 3), a Chinese traveller writing in this year, that Pataliputra on the
Ganges “ was a mass of ruins,” when visited by him.
“ In this y e a r ” (Klapr. mem. ii. 360), the Chinese attacking the Kao tchhang or Ouigour, and
meeting with success, built there the city of Thing tcheou, — from “ 702 ” called Pe thing tou hou fou,
and identified by Klaproth with Ouroumtsi and Bich-balik.
“ The same y e a r ” (Nicoh, and Clint.), at Rome, Honorius succeeded by Severinus ; and before
the close of the year, by Joannes the fourth, seventh archbishop.
C a s s ia a c u t i f o l ia o i Nubia and Tropical Arabia. Among articles deposited in ancient Egyptian
tombs as early probably as this date, leaves and fragments of s e n n a — have been met with (Wilk.) :
the drug senna is mentioned by Abix, Abu Ziad Elarbi, Serapion the elder, Abi Solt, Abu Planifa,
Honain, Hobaisch, Rhazes, Haly Abbas, Ebn Amran, Edrisi, and Mesue : “ zinophullou ” or “ zeno-
phulldu ” is mentioned by Theophanes Nonnus 173, “ s^n^ ” by Demetrius Pepagomenus podagr. 34,
and Actuarius (Bernard), and “ senna alexandrina sive foliis a cu t is ” by C. Bauhin pin. 397. The
proper Alexandrian senna, called in the drug-shops of Egypt “ sena lesan el-a’sfour ” or “ sena
sa’ydy,” was found by Delile to consist of leaves of C. acutifolia, and the living plant was observed
by him near Syene on the border of Nubia: was observecl by Forskal p. cxi and 85 in Tropical Arabia,
collected in large quantities in the district of Abu arish ; and the stored senna in the warehouses
of Mocha and Muscat was found by myself to consist exclusively of this species. Farther East,
“ C. elongata” according to Graham “ indigenous in Goozerat,” ancl ob.served in Interior Hindustan
by Roxburgh, and Royle ill. pl. 37, is regarded by Wight as perhaps not distinct and only naturalized
(LindL).
A c a c i a h e te r o c a r p a o i Nubia. Also pods of this t re e— (ChampoU.-Figeac 1 5 7 ) , called at present
“ f a r a e h : ” the fruit of “ fara ufarfara ” is enumerated by Forskal mat. med. as frequently
employed in sickness as a fumigatory, and he was informed that the tree occurred in gardens at
Cairo: pods of A. heterocarpa were found by Delile in the drug-shops of Egypt, and he met with
the hvmg tree near Kosser on the Red Sea.
“ Dec. 22d, Fr id a y ” (Eutych., Elmak., Clint., and Marcel.), Alexandria captured by Amrou-
the Muslims now obtaining possession of Egypt. They appear to have been hailed as deliverer?
from a foreign yoke.
IX. T H E E A R L Y M U S L IM P E R IO D .
p i e disposal of the collective agricultural produce of Egypt, throws light on many historical
events. The corn of Egypt, fed armies : and in the days of Xerxes, was indispensable to his movement
against Greece (compare Herodot. vii. 25). A t a later period (see Jos. bell. Jud iv 10 it
formed an element in making and unmaking Roman emperors. But from the time when the Mus l ihs
entered Alexandria, European rulers ceased to control the corn of Egypt.
The fiirther establishment of the p i lg r im a g e to M e c c a tended to increase the intercourse between
India and Europe ; now altogetlier in the hands of the Muslims. There remained indeed some choice
of routes, between the Euphrates and the Persian Gulf: but living Tropical plants, perhaps without
exception, reached the Mediterranean by the way of Egypt.
In m om im e n ta l h is to r y , there is now a striking chalige, in the exclusion from Muslim countries
of representations of external objects : the moon and stars only excepted. In Egypt this ceasin»
ot “ image-making,” marks an epoch in the annals of mankind. “
In regard to Europeans, Egypt seems withdrawn from their knowledge and for more than
eight hundred years During which interval indeed, Europe supplies very little light on her own
condition ; the records of European nations, the Greeks and Italians excepted, hardly extendin» as
far back as the Muslim conquest; and in general, the popular mind is everywhere limited to“ the
national Literature.
“ In or about thhs year ” (Cockayne iii. 447), the abbey of Folkstone founded by Eanswith,
daughter of Eadbald king of K e n t : — She was buried in this abbey.
“ 641, Feb. I I t h , Sunday ” (Niceph., and Clint.), death of Heraclius. He was succeeded bv his
son Constantinus III . ; “ May 24th,” by another son Heracleonas ; and before the close of the year
by a third son Constans. • ^ ’
A Japanese c o in , “ said to be 1135 years old,” — presented in 1776 to Thunberg iv. p. 123 With
others respectively “ 75S, 748, 718. 651, 59+ and 566 years old,” it was “ of co p p e r , with a square hole
in the middle.” ^
“ .The same year ” (Chinese annals translat. by De Guignes, Elphinst. iii. 3). arrival in China of
ambassadors from Ho-lo-mien, of the family of Kie-li-tie, a great king in ” Hindustan : * (neither
tlie kmg s name, nor that of the dynasty, has been identified).
“ 642 A. D.” (Clint.), Joannes the fourth at Rome succeeded by Theodorus, eighth archbishop.
^ In this y e a r ” (ann. Jap , transl. Tits.) , Zio-mei succeeded by his widow Kwo-gok, now thirty-
sixth dairo of Japan. ^
“ 643 A. D.” (Ciot-Bey), at Fostat, near the site of Cairo, a mosque built by Amru • of which
trom frequent repairs, “ a very small portion of the original” remains. Another mosque built by
P at Assuan, is in better preservation ; and presents the usual round arches at that time in voome
in the Mediterranean countries (Wilk. Theb. and Eg. p. 310 and 455).
M y r i s t i c a m o s ch a ta o iV o o y io X o z o A ^ . Called in Persian “ jouz-bewa” (Lindl .) ; in which we
recognize the “ jawz buwwa ” of Ahrun, - Ebn Masawia, Miseaben, Albasari, Rhazes, Isaac ben
Amian, Serapion (F. Adams), Avicenna, and Ebn Baitar: n u tm e g s are known to have been at first
imported overland into Europe, and are mentioned under the name of “ karua aromatika ” in the
addition to Aetius, also by Symeon Sethus (Spreng.). Eastward, were seen by Marco Polo 162 • are
ca led m Sanscrit “ jxy-phalu,” in Bengalee “ jati pha l” or “ jayphal,” in Hindustanee “ jaepiial”
tu rozar.), and the living tree introduced was observed in Hindustanffiy Roxburgh cor. iii. pi. 274.
and Graham. Farther East, M. moschata is enumerated by Mason as “ e x o t ic ” in Burmah and
ca led zaTe-pho ; ” but is known to be indigenous in the Moluccas, growing especially on Banda
U^umph. pp Tpe nutmeg has not as yet been successfully cultivated beyond its natural
i'mits ; one sex only occurring among the trees introduced by the Arabs into Zanzibar up to the time
01 my visit.
B a s sm b u ty r a c e a of Nepal and Eastern Hindustan. The I n d ia n b u lt e r - t r e e called in Ben»alee
pmi vvara ’ (Drur.), and known from early times growing on the Almora hills and in Nepal
the \ " ' ‘i t Koyle) ; and according to Drury, its fruit is eaten,
e kernels yield a pure vegetable butter called “ choorie ” sold at a cheaqj rate, and sugar made from
tne flowers is also sold in the Calcutta bazaar.
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