ON THE CARDAMOMS OF ABYSSINIA. 
133 
from him, he says, that they were " brought strung on a 
string, and were sent to the India House by Major Harris's 
embassy. They were described as being carried to Abys- 
sinia from Guraque, which is more to the southward, and 
where they might easily be produced. But I believe there 
is also some commerce up the rivers still further south, so 
that they might be produced even in Madagascar, and be 
sent as a spice to Abyssinia. But I should suppose they 
were more likely to be the produce of the interior, and pro- 
bably of Guraque as they are called Guraque spice" 
These cardamoms I found to be identical with the fruit, 
which I had figured and described in my Elements of Ma- 
teria Medica, under the name of Jlmomum angusti folium. 
The specimens, however, were scarcely so large as those I 
had previously seen, and were perforated for a string, appa- 
rently for the purpose of hanging them up to dry. 
About a year and a half ago I received from Mr. Charles 
Johnston, the author of Travels in Southern Myssinia, 
other specimens of the same fruit, and subsequently obtained 
from him the following information respecting them : — 
" I hasten to answer your inquiries with regard to the 
cardamoms; and first of their place of growth. This 1 was 
given to understand was chiefly in the deep valley of the 
Abiah branch of the Bahr al Azzareeke, those you have 
received coming from that part of it which separates Gu- 
raque from Zingero. I have heard though, that, still further 
to the south, they are found in greater quantities, insomuch 
so, that the locality has received the name of the spice 
country, and as it was represented that extensive forests 
(? jungle) of the plant which produces them existed, we may 
presume, I think, that this land of spices is their indigenous 
country. As to the mode of preparing them for use, 
from the opportunities I had of observing the attention paid 
to cultivation in Abyssinia, I should suppose that it was the 
same in Guraque, and that the simple course of gathering 
the fruit, and drying them in the sun was all the irihabi- 
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