I. 



G I N 



GINGEE, in Geography, a town and fortrefs of Hln- 

 doolian, in the Carnatic, once the capital of a kingdom 

 of t!ie fame name, fituatfd on a mountain and defended bv 

 three caftles ; 33 geograpliical miles from Pondi';herry anil 

 23 from Trinoiiialy. N. lat. 12 16. E long. 79 36'. 



GINGER, in Botany. See Amomim. 



GiKCiER, Zingiber, in the Maleriu Medica, &c. Gin^-er 

 is cither black, or white. In Jamaica this plant attains its 

 full hei;;lit and flowers about Auguft or September, and 

 fades abont the clofe of the year. When the ftalks arc- en- 

 tirely withered, the roots are in a proper {late for diggin>r, 

 ■which is generally performed in the months of January and 

 February. After being dug, they are picked, cleanfed, and 

 rradually feeth^-d, or fcalded in boiling water : they are then 

 prcad out, and expofed every day to the fun till fufiiciently 

 dried ; and after being divided into parcels of about loolb. 

 weight each, they are packed in bags for the market : this is 

 called the " black ginger." " White ginger'' is the root of 

 the fame plant, but inllead of fcalding the roots, by which 

 they acquire the dark appearance of the former, each root 

 is picked, fcraped,feparately wafhed,and afterwards dried with 

 great care : by this operation more than double expence is in- 

 curred, and the market price is proportionably greater. Black 

 ginn^er is laid by Jacquin to lofe part of its efTtntial oil by 

 being thus immerfed in boiling water ; and on this account 

 it is lefs uiVful for medical and other purpofes than the white, 

 ^vhich is always good when perfectly found and free from 

 Avorra-holes : but that imported from the Eall Indies is 

 Jlronger than any we have from Jamaica. 



This warm aromatic root appears, fays Lewis, to be 

 much lefs liable to heat the conllitution than might be ex- 

 peded from the penetrating heat and pungency of its tafte, 

 and the fixednefs of its adlive principles. But Dr. CuUen is 

 of opinion, that there is no real foundation for this remark. 

 It gives part of its virtue to water, and the whole to rectifled 

 fpirit, tinging the latter of a deep, and tlie former of a pale 

 yellow colour. This latter property it polfeffes in fo confi- 

 derable a degree, that if a watery infufion of this root be 

 boiled down to a thick confiflence, diflblved afrelh m a large 

 quantity of water, and llrongly boiled down again, the heat 

 and pungency of the root remain, but with little or notiring 

 of its fmell. It is ufed medically as an antifpafmodic and car- 

 minative. The cafes in which it is more immediately fer- 

 viceable are flatiJent colics, debility and laxity of the ftomach 

 and intelHnes, and in torpid and phlegmatic conllitutions to 

 excite briiker vafcular aclion. It is feldom given but in eom- 

 binadon with other ingredients.. In the Pharmacopceias it is 

 directed to be adminirtered under the form of a fyrup and 

 tinclure ; it is alfo prefcribed as a condiment, and as a 

 fubfidiary ingredient in many compoiitions. The fyrup of 

 ginger is prepared by macerating two ounces of the ginger 

 root diced in a pint of boiling water for twenty-iour hours, 

 and then ftraining, and adding two pounds of relined 

 fugar, as in other fyrups. The tinfture of ginger is formed 

 by macerating two ounces of ginger root fiiced in two pints 

 of proof fpirit for 14 days, and then ftraining the liquor. 

 The dietetic qualities and ufes of ginger are well known ; 

 and it is employed under various forms. 



It is not uncommon to candy the root, when green, with 

 fugar and honey ; having iirft fteeped it fome time in water, to 

 takeaway part of its acrimony, and to difpoie it to let go 

 the outer ikin. Tiiis candied ginger, brought from abroad, is 

 moderately aromatic. They alfo make a marmalade of it, 

 and dry cakes. _ 



The northern people make great ule of this confection, 

 as holding it fovereign againll the fcurvy. The Indians eat 

 the root, when green, by way of fallad, firft ehoppuig it 

 Vol. XVI. 



G I N 



fmaJJ, mixing it with other herbs, and fcafor.i.ng It with oil 

 and vmegar. 



Ginger may be prefcrvcd by wafliing it, and laying it to 

 iteep for ten or twelve days in white wine and water, ftirring 

 them every day ; then boil a pound of roots with two quarti 

 of white wine, and about a pint of lemon juice, for a quarter 

 of an hour ; then add two pounds and a half of fine fu"ar, 

 and boil it to a fyrup, fcumming it a. it rifes ; fct it by*'liU 

 the next day in a glazed pan ; then boil it for half an hour, 

 and repeat this boiling at the fame interval till the ginger ii 

 clear. Put it into glaffes, and cover them with paper, and 

 It will afford a fine fwecimeat for the winter. A wine is 

 made of ginger, which is a pleafaiit and falubrious bevtrag- 



GiNouK, in Geography, one of the fmaller Virgin iflcs in 

 the Well Indies ; 10 miks S S.Vv. of Virgin Gorda N lat 

 18 5'. W. long. 62 53'._Alfo, a town of Egypt, on the 

 t. branch ot the Nik-, oppolite to Manforali. 



GINGERBREAD, a richer kind of bread ; the flavour 

 and tafto of which are heiglitened and improved with fpices, 

 and particularly ginger ; v.-hence the name. 



There are various forms and preparations of gingtrbread 

 we fliall content ourf.>lveS with the following receipt, whic 



is well recommended 



Into 

 penny 



hich 



a pound of almonds, blanched and pounded, grate a 

 white loaf; fift and beat them together ; to the mix- 

 ture add an ounce of ginger, fcraped fine ; and liquorice, 

 and annifeed in powder, of each a quarter of an ounce ; 

 pour in two or three fpoonfuls of rofe-water, and make the 

 whole into a parte, with half a pound of fugar : mould and 

 roll it, print it, and dry it in a ftove. Others make it of 

 treacle, citron, lemon, and orange-peel, with candied ginger, 

 coriander, and caraway-feeds, mixed up with as much flou'r as 

 will make it into a pafte. 



GINGERO, or Lendero, in Geography, a kingdom of 

 Africa, fituated on the S.W. of Abyfllnia. N. lat. 6 . L. long, 

 about 3, '. 



GINGHAM, a town on the north coaft of Sumatra. N. 

 lat. 5° 10'. E. long. 96 10'. 



^ GINGIDIUM, in Boiany, a name adopted by Forfter, 

 Nov. Gen. t. 21, for an umbelliferous plant, found on tlir 

 hills of New Zealand, which he himfelf fufpefted to be a 

 Ligujlicum, and which has been fo confidered by following- 

 botaniils. It is Liguficum Gingidium of WiUd. Sp. PI. v. i 

 1428. See L1GU.STICLM. 



The ',i>-,i^>o> of Diofcorides appears to be likewife of tliis 

 natural order, but the fpecies can fcarccly be determined with 

 certainty. Dr. Sibthorp fuppofed it might be Davcvs Gin- 

 gidium of Linnsus, merely from the coincidence of the names, 

 for it agrees better with D. Vijnnga, Jwmi Vijr.aga, Prod. 

 Fl. Grxc. n. 650 ; not that any thing can be gathered, frora 

 the defcription of Diofcorides, to quote him, in Inch a cafe, 

 with any propriety. He fays it is " by fome called Lrfidium, 

 and grows very abundantly in Cilicia (now Caramania) an J 

 Syria. It is a little herb, Hke wild carrot, but more flender 

 and more bitter, with a whitifii and bitterilh root." Thi« 

 will be found to accord equally well wftli many plants of thole 

 countries. Mattbiolus, milled, as it feern*, either by a-Latia 

 verfion, or by the opinion of thofe who take th.e ri.:\.h>-i of 

 Diofcorides for the Pii/limicd, or Parfnip, w htreas it is evi- 

 dently by the defcription a Ddueus, or Carrot, took for the 

 yiyyiiir,/ a Syrian plant, llril defcribed by himfelf, and wLick 

 indeed is'fmaller and llenderer than the Parfnip, tl.ougli larger 

 and broader than the Carrot. Hence he ceiifures tnofe \vlio 

 have taken the Chervil, Scandix Cerefo/ium, for the herb iii 

 quellion, though they really appear to be more in the riglil 

 than himfelf. However this may be, the plant of Mattiiioliii 

 is the Dauiuj Gingidium of Linnaeus, as well as his Dducidtu : 

 L 1 LimurvA 



