ON GRAINS OF PARADISE. 
95 
ART. XX.-ON GRAINS OF PARADISE. 
BY JONATHAN PEREIRA, M.D. , F.R.S. & L. S. 
In a preceding paper* I have shown, that in the east the 
name of Grain of Paradise is applied to the Ceylon carda- 
mom; and, thinking it probable that other scitamineous 
fruits may have probably borne the same name. I have been 
led to make some investigations on the subject, the results 
of which are subjoined. 
I endeavored, in the first instance, to ascertain what cir- 
cumstances led to the application of the name "Grain of 
Paradise," to the fruit or seeds of a scitamineous plant, but 
have not found authors agreed on this point. Marmot, 
quoted by Barbot,t says, " that before the coming of the 
Portuguese to this coast of Malaguette, the merchants of 
Barbary repaired thither to fetch off this pepper [Mala- 
guetta pepper;] traversing the whole kingdom of Mandinga 
in Nigritia, and the country commonly called Guinea, L e., 
Genehoa and the Lybian Deserts; and from Barbary some 
quantity of that spice was transported into Italy, where it 
was called Grains of Paradise, because its origin was un- 
known there." But ValentiniJ says, that the seeds, " vel 
propter pulchritudinem, aut odorem valde gratum, quern 
recentia spargunt, grana Paradisi vocata." 
I find that the term, Grains of Paradise, has been applied 
to the produce of no less than six scitamineous plants; and 
there is a seventh fruit which may have at times, perhaps, 
borne the same name. 
1. The Melligetta, Grana Paradisic or Cardamomum 
* Pharmaceutical Transactions, vol. ii., p. 381. 
f Churchill's Collection of Voyages and Travels, vol. v., p. 138. 
Lond. 1732. 
£Historia Simplicium reformata. Francof. 1716. 
