Cammellotti appear to have been fine woollen textures, by no means what are now called camlets, nor were they necessarily of camel’s wool, for those of Angora goat’s wool were much valued.  M. Douet d’Arcq calls it “a fine stuff of wool approaching to our Cashmere, and sometimes of silk.”  Indeed, as Mr. Marsh points out, the word is Arabic, and has nothing to do with Camel in its origin; though it evidently came to be associated therewith. Khamlat is defined in F. Johnson’s Dict.:  “Camelot, silk and camel’s hair; also all silk or velvet, especially pily and plushy,” and Khaml is “pile or plush.” Camelin was a different and inferior material.  There was till recently a considerable import of different kinds of woollen goods from this part of China into Ladakh, Kashmir, and the northern Panjab. [Leaving Ning-hsia, Mr. Rockhill writes (Diary, 1892, 44):  “We passed on the road a cart with Jardine and Matheson’s flag, coming probably from Chung-Wei Hsien, where camel’s wool is sold in considerable quantities to foreigners.  This trade has fallen off very much in the last three or four years on account of the Chinese middlemen rolling the wool in the dirt so as to add to its weight, and practising other tricks on buyers.”—­H.  C.] Among the names of these were Sling, Shirum, Gurun, and Khoza, said to be the names of the towns in China where the goods were made.  We have supposed Sling to be Sining (note 2, ch. lvii.), but I can make nothing of the others.  Cunningham also mentions “camlets of camel’s hair,” under the name of Suklat, among imports from the same quarter.  The term Suklat is, however, applied in the Panjab trade returns to broadcloth.  Does not this point to the real nature of the siclatoun of the Middle Ages?  It is, indeed, often spoken of as used for banners, which implies that it was not a heavy woollen: 

  “There was mony gonfanoun
  Of gold, sendel, and siclatoun.”
      (King Alisaundre, in Weber, I. 85.)

But it was also a material for ladies’ robes, for quilts, leggings, housings, pavilions.  Franc.  Michel does not decide what it was, only that it was generally red and wrought with gold.  Dozy renders it “silk stuff brocaded with gold”; but this seems conjectural.  Dr. Rock says it was a thin glossy silken stuff, often with a woof of gold thread, and seems to derive it from the Arabic sakl, “polishing” (a sword), which is improbable.  Perhaps the name is connected with Sikiliyat, “Sicily.”

(Marsh on Wedgwood, and on Webster in N.  Y. Nation, 1867; Douet D’Arcq, p. 355; Punjab Trade Rep., App. ccxix.-xx.; Ladak, 242; Fr.-Michel Rech. I. 221 seqq.; Dozy, Dict. des Vetements, etc.; Dr. Rock’s Ken.  Catal. xxxix.-xl.)

CHAPTER LIX.