The India officer's and trader's pocket-guide. In purchasing the drugs and spices of Asia and the East-Indies: With practical directions for the choice of diamonds, and an accurate account of the Chinese touch-needles [by W. Lewis] ... To which are prefixed, a complete account of the officers privilege ... and the duties of, and drawbacks on, East India goods. / Compiled from authority by H.D.S. [i.e. H.D. Steel].

  • Steel, Henry Draper, 1756-1818
Date:
1789
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The India officer's and trader's pocket-guide. In purchasing the drugs and spices of Asia and the East-Indies: With practical directions for the choice of diamonds, and an accurate account of the Chinese touch-needles [by W. Lewis] ... To which are prefixed, a complete account of the officers privilege ... and the duties of, and drawbacks on, East India goods. / Compiled from authority by H.D.S. [i.e. H.D. Steel]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    56/140 (page 18)
    Betelnut, feeARECA. BEZOAR, LAPIS, A medicinal ftone, to which extravagantly-efiicacious qua- lities were formerly attributed, but which latterly has been more lightly efteemed. It is produced in the ftomach of an animal of the goat-kind, inhabiting the mountains in dif- ferent parts of Perfia, and defcribed by naturalifts in the following manner, under the name of gazella Indica. It is of the fize of our common deer; and its coat of hair is of a grey colour inclining to a rully brown. The head is lhaped like that of our goat; the horns are near three feet in length, when the creature is full-grown; they are firait, and, in that part which is near their infertion on the head, they are annulated, or marked with circular rifings; and all the other part is black, fmooth, and glofly. The tail is near a foot in length, and is covered with hair of the fame colour with that on the reft of the body, but confiderably longer. The legs are very ftrong, and covered with fhort hair. The creature is very nimble, and jumps about upon the rocks like our goat. Befide the Oriental, there are German and other, bezoars, which are lefs valuable. The genuine Oriental bezoar is commonly of an oval form, and between the fize of a hazle- nut and a walnut: if larger, it is more valuable; if fmaller, of no value. This ftone is externally fmooth and glofly, and compofed of feveral ftiining coats, like an onion, inclo- fing either a powdery fubftance, or a nucleus, round which they are formed. The colour moft valued is a ftiining olive or dark green ; but there are fome whitifti, fome grey, and fomcof a dull yellow. Purchafers ftiould be careful in choo- fing this drug. The real bezoar has little fme.l and no tafte. It