E L E 



mach, or a little lower, which plates were connefted with 

 the wires leading to the oppotite ends of the battery. He 

 direfts that the wires (hould be conftantly moved upon the 

 metallic plates, particularly the negative wire, otherwife the 

 cuticle is apt to be injured where they rell. The relief 

 feemed much the fame whether the pofitive wire was applied 

 to the nape of the neck, or the pit of the ftomach. The 

 different efFefts, therefore, afcribed by fome to pofitive and 

 negative eleftricity feem doubtful. ^VTlen relief was obtained, 

 nothing appeared to be gained by continuing the operation 

 longer. The galvanifm was feldom ufed more than once a 

 day, except in fome fevere cafes. About a fixth part of thofe 

 on whom it was tried received a permanent cure. It gave 

 decided relief in all cafes, and only failed to give confiderahk 

 relief in about one-tenth of the whole number of cafes. 



Similar good effedls are ftated by Dr. Philip to have 

 been experienced in dyfpncea, provided no inflammatory 

 fymptoms were prefent. Dr. Philip, however, feems to 

 doubt if it will be found ufeful in fpafmodic aflhma. 



In Dyfpepfia, likewife. Dr. Philip thinks it will prove 

 an excellent remedy ; alfo in torpor of die liver and 

 biliary dufts ; and a recent writer ftates, that he has found 

 it very advantageous in chronic hepatitis, conjlipation, &c. 

 See an Experimental Enquiry into the Laws of the Vital 

 Funftions, by Dr. A. P. Wilfon Philip. 



ELECTROPHORUS, col. 2, 1. 19 from bottom, for 

 hair-fkin r. hare-flcin. 



ELEGANGE, col. 2, 1. 4 from bottom, for are r. have. 

 ELEGY, 1. 2 from bottom, r. Gray's. 

 ELEMENTS, in Phyfics, col. 2, 1. 27, for mercury r. 

 earth. 



ELEOCHARIS, in Botany, eXo;, a marjh, and X"'?'', 

 an ornament or favour, from its general place of growth. — 

 Brown Prodr. Nov. Holl. v. i. 224. — A genus feparated 

 from SciRPUS by Mr. Brown ; near akin to Dichromena, 

 in charafter, but very different in habit ; fee thofe articles. 

 Though the definition is not without exceptions, the genus 

 is thought a natural one by its learned author, embracing 

 Sc'trpus pahtjlris, geniculatus, mutatus, and acicularis of Lin- 

 naus with feveral others. There are eight New Holland 

 fpecies. 



ELEPHAS, col. 10, L 21 from bottom, for thirteen r. 

 three. 



ELETTARIA, in Botany, fo called by Dr. Maton, 



V.P.L.S., from the Malabar name Elettar'i, or Ela-tari, 



which has always been appropriated to this very plant. If 



any names of barbarous origin may be retained, and many 



are now etlablifhed, even by Linnaeus himfelf, who in the 



' \'igour of his judgment and authority protefled agaifift 



them, the above may well be admitted, for the following 



reafons. It exclufively belongs to a very important plant, 



I conftituting, as far as we know, a genus by itfelf, and it is 



' perfedlly unexceptionable in found and conilruftion, as well 



as free from all ambiguity. Were this name neverthelefs to 



be finally rejefted, we fhould gladly fubftitute in its 



ftead that of Matonia, in honour of our learned and valued 



j friend, who has firft clearly eflablifhed the genus. — Maton 



I Tr. of Linn. Soc. v. 10.254. Rheede Hort. Mai. v. 1 1. 



9.— Clafs and Order, Monandria Monogynla. Nat. Ord. 



Scitaminea, Linn. Carina Juff. 



Gen. Ch. Cal. Perianth fuperior, of one leaf, tubular, 

 cylindrical, elongated, minutely and irregularly toothed 

 at the margin, permanent. Cor. of one petal ; tube longer 

 than the cdyx, cylindrical, flender, curved ; outer limb in 

 three equal, oblong, recurved fegments, not half the length 

 of the tube ; inner a fomewhat obovate, large, notched, 

 crenate, undivided lip, with a fhort claw. Stam. Filament 



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one, rather longer than the claw, flout, cred, with a 

 lanceolate, acute, horizontal lobe, about its own length, on 

 each fide at the bafe, the fummit fimply notched, without 

 any crefl or extenfion beyond the anther, which confifls of 

 two oblong, diftant, marginal lobes, about half the length of 

 the filament, attached by their backs, their extremities on a 

 level v\nth the top of the filament. Pi/l. Germen inferior, 

 neariy globular; flyle thread-fhaped, lying clofe to the 

 filament, between the lobes of the anther ; flignia funnel- 

 fhaped, fmall, ereft, nearly on a level with the top of the 

 filament. Peric. Capfule flefhy, elliptic -oblong, or fome- 

 what ovate, triangular, ftriated, of three cells, and three 

 coriaceous valves. Seeds numerous, roundifh, fomewhat 

 angular, rough, each with a fine, membranous, evanefcent 

 tunic. Recept. central, fhorter than the capfule when dry, 

 winged with three longitudinal membranes, originally con- 

 nefted with the central ridge of each valve. 



EfT. Ch. Anther of two diftinft lobes. Filament with 

 two tranfverfe lobes at the bafe ; emarginate and fimple at 

 the fummit. Outer limb of the corolla in three oblong 

 lobes ; inner a fingle lip. Capfule of three cells and three 

 valves, with a central receptacle. Seeds rough, tunicated. 



I. E. Cardamomum. Leffer, or Malabar, Cardamom. 

 Maton as above. (Amomum repens ; Sonnerat Ind. Or. 

 v. 2. 240. t. 136. Rofc. Tr. of Linn. Soc. v. 8.353. Willd. 

 Sp. PI. V. 1.9. A. Cardamomum ; White Tr. of L. Soc. 

 V. 10. 230. t. 4, 5. Alpinia repens ; Sm. Tr. of L. Soc. 

 V. 8. 353, note. Specim. Pharm. Lond. unpubl. 8. A. 

 Cardamomum ; Roxb. Monandr. 38. Corom. v. 3. 19. 

 t. 226. Cardamomum minus ; Matth. Valgr. v. i. 25. Camer. 

 Epit. II. f. 3. Bont. Hifl. Nat. 126, the three rounder 

 fruits only. Cluf. Exot. 187. Ger. Em. 1542. Dale Phar- 

 mac. 276. C. fimphciter in officinis diftum ; Bauh. Pin. 

 414. C. cum fiUquis five thecis brevibus ; Bauh. Hifl. v. 2. 

 205. Elettari ; Rheede Hort. Mai. v. 11. 9.1.4, 5.) — 

 Capfule ovate-oblong, obtufely triangular. Calyx notched. — 

 Native of the mountainous parts of Malabar, on lofty 

 cloudy hills, flowering when the rainy feafon begins, in 

 April and May, ripening feed in Oftober and November. 

 White, Roxburgh. Root perennial, tuberous, with many fibres. 

 Leafy Jlems from fix to twelve feet high, eredl, ftraight, pale 

 green, not red or brownifh, at the bafe. Leaves elliptic- 

 lanceolate, pointed, from nine inches to two and a half feet 

 long, and from one to five inches broad, fpreading, dark 

 green, fmooth, entire ; paler and more gloffy beneath. 

 Stipula emarginate, rounded, fmooth. Panicles lateral, 

 feveral from the tuberous bafe of each flem near the root, a 

 fpan long, much branched, many-flowered, fpreading 

 horizontally on the ground, jointed, fmooth. Bradeas 

 alternate, ovate-oblong, acute, at the bafe of each partial 

 ftalk, withering ; partial ones folitary, tubular, clofely em- 

 bracing the germen and calyx, almoll as long as the latter, 

 and refembling it in fhape, but deciduous. Outer limb of 

 the corolla green ; Up white, veined with crimfon. Capfule 

 when frefli flefhy, fmooth, nearly globular, but becoming 

 bluntly triangular, coriaceous, and pale brown, when 

 dry. Seeds blackifh, gratefully aromatic and pungent, with 

 a flavour of Camphor, efteemed more agreeable and ufeful in 

 food and medicine, than any others of this tribe. (See Car- 

 damom, excluding what regards Cardamomum majus, &c. ) 

 This fubjeft will be found explained under our fupple- 

 mentary article Amomum. Mr. White, who has given a 

 moil accurate and perfeft hiflory of this plant and its culti- 

 vation, under the name of Amomum Cardamomum, in Tr. of 

 Linn. Soc. v. 10, above quoted, fpeaks of its feeds as 

 " one of the moil valuable articles of modern luxury, 

 regarded as a neceflary of life, by molt of the inhabitants of 



Afia 



