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have eftablifhed themfelves in mod parts of Europe, fo 
as to have the appearance of being natives ; and we 
fhould take them to be fucli, did we not know that they 
came originally from the Eaft. No doubt fome part of 
Afia is the native country of the faffron; and there it 
firft acquired that high reputation in medicine, which it 
has now almoft loft in Europe. It is however ftill culti¬ 
vated in Italy, Sicily, Spain, France, Germany, Hun¬ 
gary, and very fparingly with us in England. It is com¬ 
monly faid that faffron was originally brought into Eng¬ 
land in the time of Edward III. and that fir Thomas 
Smith firft introduced it into the neighbourhood of Wal¬ 
den in Elfex. 
The firft of thefe aflertions is very probable, but on 
what authority it refts we have not been able to difcover. 
It is mentioned'by Strype in his Life of SirThomas Smith, 
and by Morant in his Hiftory of Elfex; but the firft of 
thefe writers refers to Camden’s Britannia ; and the fe- 
cond, to Ray’s Hiftory, and the Philofophical Tranfac- 
tions; in none of which books do we find any mention of 
the firft introduction of faffron into England. Mr. Gough, 
in his late edition of the Britannia, has alfo retailed the 
fame report, but gives only die fame references that Mo¬ 
rant had fet down before. In Hackluyt’s voyages (edit. 
1592), the firft introduction of the faffron into England 
is afcribed to a pilgrim, who purpofing to do good to his 
country, ftole an head of faffron, and hid the fame in his 
palmer’s ftaff. This ftory carries a very legendary found 
with it; and, being given only as a matter reported at 
Saffron Walden, may not perhaps obtain much credit. 
Saffron was well known at Walden in 1582; and if it be 
true, as we have been informed, that the corporation of 
Walden bear three faffron plants in their arms ; their 
charter having been granted, and probably their arms, 
in the third year of Edward VI. (1550,) it may be pre¬ 
fumed that the town was then famous for the cultivation 
of this plant. Elfex, however, was not the only county 
in which faffron was then cultivated. Herefordfhire is 
particularly mentioned as that which yielded the belt in 
all England : Houghton (in 1698) fays, that he had feen 
fome excellent faffron from that county; and if we may 
believe Lyte, in his tranflation of Dodoen’s Herbal, 
(p. 155, edit. 1619,) it grew plentifully in fome places 
of England and Ireland. However this may be, faffron 
was abundantly cultivated near Walden at the end of the 
fixteenth and beginning of the feventeenth century. At 
what time it began to migrate into the neighbouring pro¬ 
vince, and at length finally quitted its primaeval feat, we 
cannot precifely afcertain; but doubtlefs it was gradual, 
as its prefent decay in Cambridgefhire has been. It 
fhould feem as if in 1588 faffron grew in both counties, 
and was even then not much encouraged : for Hackluyt 
fays, “ if a vent might be found, men would in Elfex 
about Safironwalden and in Cambridgefhire revive the 
trade, for the benefit of fetting the poor on work.”— 
Gerarde alfo (1597) informs us, that “ faffron groweth 
plentifully in Cambridgefhire, Saffronwalden, and other 
places thereabout, as corne in the fieldes.” Camden 
(1386, See.) makes no mention of faffron as growing in 
Cambridgefhire; but only obferves that the fields all 
about Walden make a pleafant fhow with it. Speed, in 
his maps, (1614,) mentions it as growing with gain and 
increafe in the north part of Effex. From Blith’s Englifh 
Improver improved, (edit. 1633, p. 249,) we learn that 
“ the faffron country is on one fide and nook of Elfex, 
and fome part of Suffolk ; and at Saffron Walden and 
betwixt that and Cambridge is very much of it in their 
common fields.” Robert Turner, in his Britifh Phyfician, 
(1664) fays, that “ it is plentifully manured in fields in 
Elfex and Cambridgefhire.” Mr. Ray, in his Catalogue 
of Cambridgefhire Plants, (1660,) had fet down faftron 
(art. Crocus) as cultivated in that county ; and in the 
lifts ot plants with which he furnifhed bifhop Gibfon for 
his edition of Camden’s Britannia, (1693,) he fays, that 
“it is planted and cultivated about Walden plentifully; 
Vox.. V. No. 279. 
c u s. sp 
and in Cambridgefiiire frequently.” Dr. Moiifon (16S0) 
affures us that “ faffron is no where better or more flou- 
rifiling than in England, efpecially in Herefordfhire and 
Hampfhire, and about Saffron Walden, where it is abund¬ 
antly cultivated.” James Douglas, M.D. (in JPhil.Tranf. 
No. 3S0, Abr. 6. 311.) affects that “faftron has grown 
formerly in feveral counties of England, but that it then 
grew mod plentifully in Cambridgefhire. Fie employed 
proper perfons, between the years 1723 and 1728, to make 
obfervations on the culture of faffron ; and affigns the 
place of its growth at that time, to all the large trafl of 
ground that lies between Saffron Walden and Cambridge, 
in a circle of about ten miles diameter.” Profeffor Brad¬ 
ley, in 1724, fays that the former of thefe places was 
once the chief market for it, but that of late years we 
find it cultivated in the grounds about Cambridge. 
About this time it feems to have quitted the immediate 
neighbourhood of Walden, and to have migrated weft- 
ward, nearly into the country where we find it in the 
year 1752 ; that is, in the parilhes of Hinxton, Ickleton, 
and Triplow, bordering on the Roman way, called the 
Ikenild-ftreet; and weftward of thefe to Gogmagog-hills, 
in the parifhes. of Duxford, Newton, Flarfton, Hauxtoa, 
Great and Little Shelford, Sawfton, Stapleford,-and even 
as far as Fulborn, which is to the north of the hulls; ail 
in the county of Cambridge. 
This plant, having given a praenomen to the town of 
Walden, might probably be fuppofed to have been cul¬ 
tivated there long after it left the neighbourhood ; but, 
as we cannot doubt the accuracy of Mr. Ray, that event 
muft have happened after the year 1693, and probably 
before 1723. The villages, however, of Ickleton and 
Hinxton are not above fix miles diftant from Saffron Wal¬ 
den. The quantity of land under faffron has been gra¬ 
dually leffening during the laft twenty or twenty-five 
years; owing, as it is thought, at firft, to the lown'efs of 
the price, occafioned by the great importation of foreign 
faffron. It is now confined to two or three parifhes only, 
of which Stapleford is one ; and if fome means are not 
ufed to encourage it, the cultivation of faffron will pro¬ 
bably foon be entirely loft to this country ; and, when 
the culture is entirely dropped, it will be no eafy matter 
to revive it. Formerly the fuperiority of Englifh faffron 
has been much celebrated, but lately it has been decried. 
This is not owing to our commodity being inferior to 
what it was ; for it has at all times come out of the hands 
of the growers pure and genuine ; but perhaps the fo¬ 
reign dealers are now wife enough to leave off their old 
fophiftications with baftard faffron or fafflower, mary- 
golds, &c. and, if fo, their commodity, coming from a 
warmer climate, may have the fuperiority. If the foreign 
faffron can be afforded cheaper, it will be encouraged, 
without attending to its quality ; and, adds profeffor 
Martyn, “ I have very lately experienced a very fenfible 
difference between the foreign and Englilh faffron, great- 
ly to the advantage of our own.” Our modern European 
term of faffron is from the Arabic /ahafaran ; hence the 
Moorifh and Spanifh azafran , azafraon,fafra\ the Italian. 
zajfarano ; the German, Danifh, Swediih, and French,. 
Jajfran , or J'afran , &c. 
The varieties of autumnal crocus are few, becaufe it 
produces no feed in our climates, whatever it may do in 
the Eaft. Mr. Miller has only four. 1'. Sweet-fmelling, 
which is his autumnalis, and our variety /?. He fays, 
that it grows naturally on the Alps and Swifs mountains; 
that the root is fmaller and more .comprefled ; that the 
flowers rife with a fhort ftalk, having a fhort fpathe juft 
beiow the flower, which covers it before it expands; 
that the tube of the flower is very Ihort, the petals being 
divided almoft to the bottom, and terminating in acute 
points ; that the ftamens and ftyle are fhort, and the 
leaves very narrow; that the colour is deep blue, but 
that it varies of a fky blue. 2. Autumnal mountain; 
which has a flower of a paler blue colour. 3. Many- 
flowering blueifh; with many fky-blue flowers. 4. Small. 
5 B flowering 
