240 Oranges and Lemons of India. 



From the foregoing list it will be seen that among the 

 Malays it is not only some particular variety that may 

 have been introduced, which is called lemon, but the 

 whole genus citrus oranges, lemons, limes, citrons, and 

 pummelos are called by this generic name. I think 

 this distinctly points to this word being of Malay origin, 

 or other indigenous origin, and that Arab traders got 

 their leimun or limum, and htmi from the Malay lemon, 

 and possibly the Portuguese may have reintroduced the 

 word into Europe, under the modified name of limon ; 

 Anyhow this word must have existed among the 

 Malays long before the Portuguese had doubled the 

 Cape in 1497. And it must have existed there, prob- 

 ably, also before the Arabs began their intercourse 

 with the Malay archipelago ; otherwise its being used 

 as the generic term for all the citrus is not explainable. 

 Many kinds of citrus must have had their birth in the 

 Malay archipelago, as one of the first resting-places of 

 this genus, in its migration from South China. 



The lime and the lima. The true lime (Kaghzi 

 nimboo] is found all over India. Natives call it in- 

 differently nimboo or limboo, and in Bengal lemboo is 

 a generic name for all citrus. 



In Baber's time a limoo was plentiful in India, 

 whether the same as Kaghzi nimboo of moderns or not, 

 it is impossible to say not improbably it was. 



Professor Cowell says that nimbuka is not a true 

 Sanskrit word, and that it is not an old word. He 

 does not think that the Persian limit is derived from 

 that word. In India, however, nimboo and limboo are 

 indifferently used for the lime, and as I said, in Bengal 

 lemboo means any citrus. 



While the kaghzi nimboo among the Malays is called 

 the lemon nipis, in Macassar Jt is called lemo capas 

 (from its being of the size of a cotton-pod) and in 



