454 
Radix  GalangcB. 
/Am.  Jocb.  Pharm. 
t     Oct.  1, 1871. 
Galangal  is  catalogued  with  other  spices  (as  ginger,  cinnamon,  cloves 
and  nutmegs)  in  the  tariff  of  duties  levied  in  the  port  of  Colibre 
(Collioure),  in  Roussillon,  in  a.d.  1252.* 
A  more  interesting  notice  of  the  drug  is  contained  in  the  journal  of 
expenses  of  John,  King  of  France,  from  July  1,  1359,  to  July  8, 
1360,  during  his  residence  in  England,  preserved  in  the  Comptes 
de  I'Argenterie  des  Rois  de  France."  Besides  purchases  of  sugar, 
mace,  ginger,  cloves,  pepper,  cardamoms,  calamus  aromaticus,  and 
many  other  drugs,  we  find  three  entries  for  galangal^  namely,  for  J 
lb.  18(^.,  for  2  lbs.  6^.,  and  for  1  lb.  22c?.t  As  the  price  of  gold 
happens  to  be  also  mentioned  in  one  part  of  the  account,  it  is  easy  to 
form  an  estimate  of  the  relative  value  of  galangal.  This  shows  the 
price  of  ^s.  per  pound  to  be  equivalent  to  about  10s.  of  our  present 
money — not  extravagant  for  a  commodity  transported  from  the  re- 
motest Asia  to  the  centre  of  England. 
In  Professor  J.  E.  Thorold  Rogers'  History  of  Agriculture  and 
Prices  in  England,"  there  are  eleven  entries  indicating  the  price  of 
galangal  in  England  between  a.d.  1264  and  1376.  The  highest  was 
in  1307,  when  2  lbs.  of  the  spice  purchased  for  the  Crown  were  paid 
at  the  rate  of  Qs.  8c?.  The  other  entries  indicate  the  price  as  from 
Is.  Qd.  to  3s.  per  lb. 
In  the  fifteenth  century  galangal  was  evidently  in  common  use  ; 
for  Saladinus,  physician  to  one  of  the  Princes  of  Tarentum,  circa  A.D. 
1442-1458,  reckons  it  among  the  things  necessaria  et  usitata,  which 
should  be  found  in  the  shop  of  every  aromatarius.X  As  might  be 
expected,  it  is  included  in  all  the  older  pharmacopoeias  and  anti- 
dotaria. 
Garcia  D'Orta,  first  physician  to  the  Portuguese  Viceroy  of  India 
at  Goa,  and  a  resident  in  India  for  thirty  years,  is,  I  think,  the  first 
writer  to  point  out  (1563)  that  there  are  two  sorts  of  galangal — the 
*Capmany,  "  Meraorias  Historicas  sobre  la  Marina,  Comercio  y  Artes  de  la 
Ciudad  de  Barcelona,"  1779,  tome  ii.  p.  20. 
f  The  original  entries  are  as  follows  : 
"  Lundy  YII^  jour  d'octobre.  Jehan  Kelleshulle,  espicier  a  St.  Boutoul,  pour 
espices  prises  de  li  pour  le  Roy.  .  .  .  Galingal,  demie  livre  18d.  Jeudy  XIII« 
jour  de  ievrier.  .  .  .  Galingal,  2  livres,  6s.  Samedy  XXYIIe  jour  de  juing.  .  . 
Berthelemi  Mine,  espicier.  .  .  .  Galingal,  une  livre,  22d.  .  .  ." 
L.  Douet  D'Arcq,  "Comptes  de  I'Argenterie  des  Rois  de  France  au  XIV* 
siecle."    Paris,  1851,  Bvo.  pp.  218,  232,  265,  266. 
X  "  Compendium  Aromatariorum,"  Bonon.  1488,  fol. 
