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ON THE CARDAMOMS OF ABYSSINIA. 
ART. XLIIL— ON THE CARDAMOMS OF ABYSSINIA. 
By Jonathan Pereira, M. D. ; F. R S. 
Two or three centuries ago, a large scitamineons fruit 
was employed in medicine, on account of the aromatic 
qualities of its seeds, under the name of Cardumomum ma- 
jus. Cord us describes it as being a fruit like Melligetta, 
but smaller, turbinate like a pear, and having seeds which 
are* agreeably aromatic. The fruit, he says, has been er- 
roneously confounded with the Melligetta, but the flavour 
of the former, he adds, is much less hot than the latter, and 
is grateful and pleasant; whereas, the taste of Melligetta is 
very acrid, and like pepper. He furthermore tells us, that 
both the fruit and the seeds of Cardamomum majus are 
brought from Syria and Egypt. 
This fruit has long since disappeared from commerce; 
but specimens of it are occasionally to be met with in some 
old collections of Materia Medica, and in that of Dr. Bur- 
gess, in the possession of the Royal College of Physicians 
of London, are several fine capsules of it, marked " Carda- 
momum maximum Matthioli" One of these I have de- 
scribed and figured in the Elements of Materia Medica, 
p. 1026, fig. 195, 2d edit., and believing it to be identical 
with the iflmomum angustifolium of Sonnerat and of Sir 
J. E. Smith, and the Jimomum Madagascariense of La- 
marck, I have adopted Sonnerat and Smith's name of 
Jimomum angustifolium . 
This cardamom is one of the fruits which, by some later 
writers in the Materia Medica, have been confounded with 
Melligetta epper or grains of paradise. 
About four years ago I received from my friend Dr. 
Royle some cardamoms which, he informed me, came from 
Abyssinia. In a letter which I have subsequently received 
