THE CITY OF ESHER.
Shehr, a port on the Hadramaut coast, is mentioned by Chau Ju-kwa under
the name of Shi ho among the dependencies of the country of the Ta-shi
(Arabs.). (HIRTH and ROCKHILL, p. 116.)
XXXVIII., pp. 444-445.
DUFAR.
We read in the Ying yai sheng lan: "This country [Tsu fa erh] is between
the sea and the mountains. To the east and south is nothing but the sea.
To the north and west are ranges of mountains. One reaches it from the
kingdom of Ku-li (Calicut) journeying north-westward for ten days and
nights. It has no walled towns or villages. The people all follow the
religion of the Moslims. Their physical appearance is good, their culture
is great, the language sincere.
"The native products are frankincense, which is the sap of a tree. There
is also dragon's blood, aloes, myrrh, an-hsi-hsiang (benzoin), liquid
storax, muh-pieh-tzu (Momordica cochinchinensis), and the like, all of
which they exchange for Chinese hempen cloth, silks, and china-ware."
(ROCKHILL, T'oung Pao, XVI., 1915, pp. 611-612.)
The Sing ch'a sheng lan mentions: "The products are the tsu-la-fa
(giraffe), gold coins, leopards, ostriches, frankincense, ambergris."
(Ibid., p. 614.)
Dufar is mentioned by Chau Ju-kwa under the name of Nu-fa among the
dependencies of the country of the Ta-shi (Arabs). (HIRTH and ROCKHILL,
pp. 116, 121.)
XXXVIII., pp. 445-449.
FRANKINCENSE.
Chau Ju-kwa (HIRTH and ROCKHILL, pp. 195-196) tells us: Ju hiang ('milk
incense'), or huen-lu-hiang, comes from the three Ta-shi countries of
Ma-lo-pa, Shi-ho, and Nu-fa, from the depths of the remotest mountain
valleys. The tree which yields this drug may, on the whole, be compared to
the sung (pine). Its trunk is notched with a hatchet, upon which the
resin flows out, and when hardened, turns into incense, which is gathered
and made into lumps. It is transported on elephants to the Ta-shi (on the
coast); the Ta-shi load it upon their ships for barter against other goods
in San-fo-ts'i: and it is for this reason that the incense is commonly
collected at San-fo-ts'i [the three ports of the Hadhranaut coast].
"When the foreign merchants come to that place to trade, the Customs
authorities, according to the relative strength of its fragrance,
distinguish thirteen classes of incense. Of these, the very best is called
kien-hiang or 'picked incense': it is round and of the size of the end
of a finger; it is commonly called ti-ju or 'dripping milk.' The second
quality is called p'ing ju, or 'potted milk,' and its colour is inferior
to that of the 'picked incense.' The next quality is called p'ing hiang,
or 'potted incense.' so called, they say, owing to its being prized so
much at the time of gathering, that it is placed in pots (p'ing). In
this p'ing hiang (variety of frankincense) there are three grades,
superior, medium and inferior.
