Mr. Ludera conjectures that these laws did not proceed from any royal ordinance ; but that the men of Glerou, who had corporate prior lege* granted to them by the name of " Burgenaes de Olorone," iii the reign of John (' Rmdem; vol. i., pp. 111, 112), and had very consider able trade as early as the 12th century, may have collected adjudged came upon the laws of the sea, for regulating their own maritime affairs ;—that. hence the laws of Oleron derived their name; and being received in England and France, became known and partially adopted in other nations of Europe. To the copies of the laws appended to the Coutiimier de Nortnaudie; and also to those given by Cleirac, iii the ' Uz ct Coutumea,' an attestation by the seal of the Isle of Oleron is attached, with the date of 1266. This seal is inventoried as having been once in the treasury of the Court of Exchequer. See Palgrave s ' Kalendara and Inventories of the Exchequer,' vol. i., p. 106.
OLI'llANU3L This name, of frequent occurrence in comparatively modern works, does not seem to have been known to ancient coin merce or Materia Medics. It appears to have been derived from the Greek affrarer, or the Arabic looban, which is applied, as well as the name Koondur, to the substance known in Europe by the name OH inuurn. Avicenna describes a resinous substance under the name Koondur, to which, in the Latin translations, Olibanum is given as a synonym°, as well as Thus, and with this the Arabiau author includes a description of the bark, manna, and smoke of Thus, or frankincense ; in the same way as we find, in Dioscorides, the description of Libanos, or Thus, followed by that of the other parts we have mentioned, indi cating, as is evident indeed from the description, that Avicenna, under Koondur, refers to the Xfaavos of Dioscorides. Both authors mention an Indian kind of the substance. Mr. Colebrook° ascertained (' Asiatic Res.,' ix. and xi.) that Koonder was applied in India to a fragrant rosin still used there as incense, and which he ascertained to be the produce of the tree which has been already described under the article Iloswzmon gruel/era, in NAT. HIST. Div. The name Koondur appears derived from the Sanscrit Koondooroo, which is applied to looban by the Hindus. FL Ind.,' p. 3S4.) The tree is common in the
mountains of Central India, as well as in those of the Coromandel coast, together with It Ombra, the other species of the genus, and which extends as far north as 30° in the Sewalik or sub-Ilimalayau range of hills.
Dr. Boyle mentions that he has collected off the trunk of this species, in the latter locality, seine very clear, pure, and fragrant resin, which burns rapidly away with a bright light, :Effusing a pleasant odour. Both species yield this fragrant resin, which is employed as incense in 1 India, and whicg might be much more extensively collected thau at present. From the affinity in vegetation between parts of Arabia, Persia, and India, it is riot improbable that the genus Boswellia may extend to Arabia, and there produce the kind known as Arabian Olibanunt, the tree yielding which has not yet been traced out by botanists. It grows between Berberra and Cape Gardafin, and is ex ported in Arab vessels. A species of Boswellia would appear to grow in the island of Socotra. See Welsteden, ' Journal of Royal Geo graphical Society, vol. v. The conjecture that African olibanumn is the produce of Ploslea-Alribunda (Endlicher) is very improbable, as no sapindaceous plant yields a rtminous juice, But with respect to most of the Arabian exports, it is difficult to know whether they are the prepuce of that country, or have been first obtained by commerce and then re-exported, whence in early times Arabia obtained celebrity for producing so many of the fragrant and aromatic substances which we now know were obtained from Africa and India.
Dr. Boyle further states that in Bengal the name looban is applied to Benzoin, though in Northern India applicable only to Koondur, the produce of Banodlia thin-Vera, and also that in Persian works, Benzoic Is distinguished by the names " hussee-al-jawa" and "bunco looban." (` Illustr. Ilimal. hot; pp. 177 and 261.) Olibanum, or true frankincense, is now little used in medicine or surgery. It is burnt as incense, and enters largely into the composi tion of pastille& This substance must not be confounded with common frankincense, the produce of Abia crcelsa, or common fir.