69 



3. Tlie lant form in which the words occur is when the 

 change is complete, and all idea of place obsolete. The proper 

 noun is now common; and few, even with antiquarian or 

 philological tastes and habits, imagine how largely the atlas 

 has repaid the contributions of the dictionary. In cloth9j for 

 instance, our calico is from Calicut, our muslin from Mosul, 

 damask from Damascus, drugget from Drogheda, dimity from 

 Damietta, gingham from Guingamp, and shalloon from 

 Chalons."*^ Among the denominations of meriy the uncivilized 

 native of almost any country, but especially of America, is 

 called an indian ; the member of a system known chiefly in 

 Ireland is called an orangeman, from Orange in the south 

 of France, whence a prince of the house of Nassau derived 

 his title ; and a mountain 'robber, especially in the south of 

 Europe, is a brigand, from the people of Brigantia who 

 followed similar practices. Among the inferior aniinals, there 

 are the canary bird, galloway horse, raghery (Rathlin) pony, 

 guinea pig or fowl, and pheasant. The last is named from the 

 river Phasis in Georgia. It was called originally Phasianus-a,t 

 and is still called by the humbler classes a " phasion/' as in 

 the proverbial expression " as game as a phasion " and in the 

 agricultural song of last century, '' I have all things in sai^on, 

 both woodcock and phasion" Of vegetables, the currant or 

 " corinth," the damson or " damascene," lucerne, savoy, &c. 

 explain themselves. The scallion is from Ascalon ; the roun- 

 ceval from Konceval in the Pyrennees ; and the various kinds 

 of tea, as assam, congou, hyson, bohea, from provinces of 

 China which bear those names. The vn7ies called bourdeaux, 

 champaigne, moselle, and ncckar, explain their own names, 

 when the attention is pointedly directed to the subject ; sherry 

 is from Xeres, tokay from Tokay in Hungary, port from 

 Oporto ; and malmsey anciently " Malvoisie," from Malvasia 



* Three of those arc noticed iu Sullivan's Dictionary of Deriralions. 1831. p. 34. 

 + Similar examples are given in Bcclcman's Histories of Inventions and Disco- 

 Teriew; and in Barley's Dictionary. 



