156 TRAVELS IN THE EAST INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO. 



tion of the Chinese tkeng-hi^ " odoriferous nails." * 

 The Dutch name for clove is Tcruid-nagel^ " herb-nail," 

 and for the trees nagelen-hoomen^ " nail-trees." Our 

 own name clove comes from the Spanish elavo (Latin 

 clavus)^ a nail, which has also been given them on ac- 

 count of the similarity of these buds to nails. 



Although cloves form a favorite condiment among 

 all nations, the natives of these islands where they 

 gi'ow never eat them in any form, and we have no 

 reason to suppose they ever did. The only purpose 

 for which the Amboinese use them, so far as I am 

 aware, is to prepare neat models of theii' praus and 

 bamboo huts, by running small wii'e through the 

 buds before they are di'ied. The Dutch purchase 

 and send to Europe so many of these models, that 

 almost every ethnological museum contains some 

 specimens of this skilful workmanship. The clove 

 probably came into use originally by accident, and I 

 believe the first people who fancied its rich aroma, 

 and warm, pungent taste, were the Chinese. The 



*De Cauto, who visited these islands in 1540, says: "The Persians 

 call the clove calafur^ and speaking on this matter, with permission of 

 the physicians, it appears to ns that the carofilum of the Latin is cor- 

 rupted from the calafur of the Moors (Arabs), for they have some re- 

 semblance. And as this drug passed into Europe through the hands of 

 the Moors with the name calafm\ it appears the Europeans did not 

 change it. The Castilians (Spaniards) called cloves gilope, because they 

 came from the island of Gilolo (probably one of the chief sources of this 

 article at that time). The people of the Moluccas call them chanque. 

 The Brahmin physicians first called them lavanga, but afterward gave 

 them the Moorish name. Generally all nations give them a name of 

 their own, as we have done; for the first of us (the Portuguese) that 

 reached these islands (the Moluccas), taking them in their hands, and ob- 

 serving their resemblance to iron nails, called them cravo, by which they 

 are now so well known in the world." 



