Res., I. pp.
143-144.) Dr. Bretschneider gives a long note on the ostrich, called in
Persian shutur-murg (camel-bird), from which we gather the following
information: "The ostrich, although found only in the desert of Africa and
Western Asia, was known to the Chinese in early times, since their first
intercourse with the countries of the far west. In the History of the Han
(T'sien Han shu, ch. xcvi.) it is stated that the Emperor Wu-ti, B.C.
140-186, first sent an embassy to An-si, a country of Western Asia,
which, according to the description given of it, can only be identified
with ancient Parthia, the empire of the dynasty of the Arsacides. In this
country, the Chinese chronicler records, a large bird from 8 to 9 feet high
is found, the feet, the breast, and the neck of which make it resemble the
camel. It eats barley. The name of this bird is ta ma tsio (the bird of
the great horse). It is further stated that subsequently the ruler of An-si
sent an embassy to the Chinese emperor, and brought as a present the eggs
of this great bird. In the Hou Han shu, ch. cxviii., an embassy from
An-si is mentioned again in A.D. 101. They brought as presents a lion and a
large bird. In the History of the Wei Dynasty, A.D. 386-558, where for
the first time the name of Po-sz' occurs, used to designate Persia, it is
recorded that in that country there is a large bird resembling a camel and
laying eggs of large size. It has wings and cannot fly far. It eats grass
and flesh, and swallows men. In the History of the T'ang (618-907) the
camel-bird is again mentioned as a bird of Persia. It is also stated there
that the ruler of T'u-huo-lo (Tokharestan) sent a camel-bird to the
Chinese emperor. The Chinese materia medica, Pen ts'ao Kang mu, written
in the 16th century, gives (ch. xlix.) a good description of the ostrich,
compiled from ancient authors. It is said, amongst other things, to eat
copper, iron, stones, etc., and to have only two claws on its feet. Its
legs are so strong that it can dangerously wound a man by jerking. It can
run 300 li a day. Its native countries are A-dan (Aden) Dju-bo (on
the Eastern African coast). A rude but tolerably exact drawing of the
camel-bird in the Pen-ts'ao proves that the ostrich was well known to the
Chinese in ancient times, and that they paid great attention to it. In the
History of the Ming Dynasty, ch. cccxxvi., the country of Hu-lu-mo-sz'
(Hormuz on the Persian Gulf) is mentioned as producing ostriches." - H.C.]
[1] Reinaud (Abulf. I. 81) says the word Interior applied by the Arabs
to a country, is the equivalent of citerior, whilst by exterior
they mean ulterior. But the truth is just the reverse, even in the
case before him, where Bolghar-al-Dakhila, 'Bulgari Interiores,' are
the Volga Bulgars. So also the Arabs called Armenia on the Araxes
Interior, Armenia on Lake Van Exterior (St. Martin, I. 31).
[2] Thus (2) the Homeritae of Yemen, (3) the people of Axum, and Adulis or
Zulla, (5) the Bugaei or Bejahs of the Red Sea coast, (6) Taiani or
Tiamo, appear in Salt's Axum Inscription as subject to the King of Axum
in the middle of the 4th century.
[3] Muir's Life of Mahomet, I. cclxiii.
[4] Ritter, Africa, p. 605. The statement appears to be taken from
Burckhardt's Nubia, but the reference is not quite clear. There is
nothing about this army in Quatremere's Mem. sur la Nubie. (Mem. sur
l'Egypte, vol. ii.)
[5] Armandi indeed quotes a statement in support of such use from a
Spaniard, Marmol, who travelled (he says) in Abyssinia in the
beginning of the 16th century. But the author in question, already
quoted at pp. 368 and 407, was no traveller, only a compiler; and the
passage cited by Armandi is evidently made up from the statement in
Poggio and from what our traveller has said about Zanjibar. (Supra, p.
422. See Marmol, Desc. de Affrica, I. f. 27, v.)
[6] 834 for 836.
[7] On Aufat, see De Sacy, Chrestom. Arabe, I. 457.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
CONCERNING THE PROVINCE OF ADEN.
You must know that in the province of ADEN there is a Prince who is called
the Soldan. The people are all Saracens and adorers of Mahommet, and have
a great hatred of Christians. There are many towns and villages in the
country.
This Aden is the port to which many of the ships of India come with their
cargoes; and from this haven the merchants carry the goods a distance of
seven days further in small vessels. At the end of those seven days they
land the goods and load them on camels, and so carry them a land journey
of 30 days. This brings them to the river of ALEXANDRIA, and by it they
descend to the latter city. It is by this way through Aden that the
Saracens of Alexandria receive all their stores of pepper and other
spicery; and there is no other route equally good and convenient by which
these goods could reach that place.[NOTE 1]
And you must know that the Soldan of Aden receives a large amount in
duties from the ships that traffic between India and his country,
importing different kinds of goods; and from the exports also he gets a
revenue, for there are despatched from the port of Aden to India a very
large number of Arab chargers, and palfreys, and stout nags adapted for
all work, which are a source of great profit to those who export them.
[NOTE 2] For horses fetch very high prices in India, there being none bred
there, as I have told you before; insomuch that a charger will sell there
for 100 marks of silver and more.
