[1] “Drogue franche:—­Qui a les qualites requises sans melange”
    (Littre). “Franc ...  Vrai, veritable” (Raynouard).

The mediaeval Olibanum was probably the Arabic Al-luban, but was popularly interpreted as Oleum Libani.  Dr. Birdwood saw at the Paris Exhibition of 1867 samples of frankincense solemnly labelled as the produce of Mount Lebanon!

“Professor Duemichen, of Strasburg, has discovered at the Temple of Dair-el-Bahri, in Upper Egypt, paintings illustrating the traffic carried on between Egypt and Arabia, as early as the 17th century B.C.  In these paintings there are representations, not only of bags of olibanum, but also of olibanum-trees planted in tubs or boxes, being conveyed by ship from Arabia to Egypt.” (Hanbury and Flueckiger, Pharmacographia, p. 121.)

[2] Published in J.R.G.S., vol.  XV. (for 1845).

[3] By courtesy of the publishers, Messrs. Cassell, Petter, & Galpin.

CHAPTER XXXIX.

CONCERNING THE GULF OF CALATU AND THE CITY SO CALLED.

Calatu is a great city, within a gulf which bears the name of the Gulf of Calatu.  It is a noble city, and lies 600 miles from Dufar towards the north-west, upon the sea-shore.  The people are Saracens, and are subject to Hormos.  And whenever the Melic of Hormos is at war with some prince more potent than himself, he betakes himself to this city of Calatu, because it is very strong, both from its position and its fortifications. [NOTE 1]

They grow no corn here, but get it from abroad; for every merchant-vessel that comes brings some.  The haven is very large and good, and is frequented by numerous ships with goods from India, and from this city the spices and other merchandize are distributed among the cities and towns of the interior.  They also export many good Arab horses from this to India. [NOTE 2] For, as I have told you before, the number of horses exported from this and the other cities to India yearly is something astonishing.  One reason is that no horses are bred there, and another that they die as soon as they get there, through ignorant handling; for the people there do not know how to take care of them, and they feed their horses with cooked victuals and all sorts of trash, as I have told you fully heretofore; and besides all that they have no farriers.

This City of Calatu stands at the mouth of the Gulf, so that no ship can enter or go forth without the will of the chief.  And when the Melic of Hormos, who is Melic of Calatu also, and is vassal to the Soldan of Kerman, fears anything at the hand of the latter, he gets on board his ships and comes from Hormos to Calatu.  And then he prevents any ship from entering the Gulf.  This causes great injury to the Soldan of Kerman; for he thus loses all the duties that he is wont to receive from merchants frequenting his territories from India or elsewhere; for ships with cargoes of merchandize come in great numbers, and a very large revenue is derived from them.  In this way he is constrained to give way to the demands of the Melic of Hormos.