48 miscellanp:ous papers. 



this word used in Europe for any other plant than the chick-pea 

 {Cicer arietinum), and although the introduction of seeds into 

 America began as early as the second voyage of Columbus, it is im- 

 probable that the cultivation of the chick-pea could have been intro- 

 duced among the Indians of the United States as early as 1612, and 

 it is doubtful whether it was ever. cultivated by them. 



There is no evidence that it was cultivated to any extent by the 

 . colonists, though it was introduced some time previous to 1790. The 

 name was probably applied by Smith to some plant with a super- 

 ficial resemblance to the chick-pea, perhaps a vetch. There is at 

 least no evidence that the plant called '' garnanses " was a species of 

 either Yigna or Dolichos. The name '' calivance " was applied by 

 Sloane, 1707 (Natural History of Jamaica, 1:183), to the cowpea, 

 and this word is believed to be a corruption of " garbanzo." The 

 forms given in Murray (English Dictionary, under Calavance) are, 

 " garvance,"' " caravance," " callavance," " callevance," " callvanse," 

 " kalavansa," " callivancy," " callivance," " calavance." The earliest 

 use of the word " calavance " that the writer has been able to find is 

 by William Hughes, 1G72 (The American Physician, or a Treatise of 

 the Roots, Plants, Trees, Shrubs, Fruit, Herbs, etc., 17, 18), where he 

 writes concerning " Calavance, or Calavances : " 



These Pease have Ions and small stalks, of a brownish green colour, branched 

 and spread upon the ground (unless they be supported by Props) much after 

 the same manner of our Field-pease ; the leaves shoot forth at several places, 

 set one against another, of a more yellowish green colour than ours in England 

 are: They have also towards the top, clasping Tendrils, as ours have: The 

 Cods are pretty long, wherein are small Pease of the bigness of our Vetches, 

 but long; or of the fashion of a Kidney-bean, and very smooth; outwardly, 

 of a dark red colour ; neither are they uneven when they be dry. 



They grow in many places in America, as in Jamaica, at Colonel Barinffton's 

 Plantations, at Ligance, at Portamorant, etc. 



They are planted at any time, and flourish all the year ; of which the Hus- 

 bandmen or Planters there, have five crops in two years. 



Some call them the Indian Vetches, some the Indian Pease; but those that are 

 Inhabitants there, call them Calavances, or Calievancie. 



The plant described by Hughes is certainly a plant with pinnate 

 leaves and tendrils, like the chick-pea, but Sloane, 1696 (Catalogus 

 Plantarum Jamaica, 71), cites " Calavance or calavances of Hughes, 

 p. 17 (?)," under Phaseolus erectus major ^ which is a cowpea. The 

 same author, 1707 (Natural History of Jamaica, 1: 183), under 

 Phaseolus erectus major, says " Callavance Jamaicensibus dictus," 

 without any indication of doubt. It would appear from these facts 

 that the w^ord was originally used in America to designate a vetch- 

 like plant and that its application to the cowpea by Sloane was an 

 error. Several authors subsequently adopted Sloane's usage of the 



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