134 
ON THE CARDAMOMS OF ABYSSINIA. 
tants did to preserve the produce of their spice harvest. I 
must not forget though, that, for convenience of carriage 
and the usages of trade, each cardamom capsule is perfo- 
rated and strung upon a strong thread in numbers varying 
from forty to fifty, for which, in the markets of Shoa, a dis- 
tance of five day's journey, the priest merchants of G uraque 
can obtain one piece of salt-money, or about twopence-half- 
penny in English money, but which, it must be observed, 
.is sufficient to purchase at least two pecks of wheat in that 
country. The Abyssinians seldom use the cardamoms ex- 
cept for medicine. Its employment in domestic economy 
is certainly not so general as the nutmeg is with us." 
"Within the last few days I have received some specimens 
of the same fruit, under the name of Korarima, from Dr. 
Beke, to whom I am farther indebted for the following in- 
formation respecting this cardamom : — 
" The Korarima, in Arabic called Khcil or Kkil- 9 is 
brought to the market of Baso, in Southern Abessinia, from 
the country of Tumhe, in Wallegga, an extensive level, and 
in great part desert region, which stretches from the river 
Dedhesa, the upper course of the Bahr el Azrefc, or Blue 
River, as far as the Bahr el Abyad, or true Nile to the west, 
and the Godjeb, a tributary to the latter now, to the south ; 
northward it is bounded by the country of the Dinkas. 
"The position of Tumhe is somewhere about 9° N. lat. 
and 35° E. long. Tumhe is usually known among the 
native merchants as " the country of the Korarima;" and 
I have a map drawn by one of them in which it is so mark- 
ed. But I was assured by others that it is not the growth 
of that country, but comes from other portions of Wallegga 
beyond.it. As the land slopes westward from the high 
mountain country of Abessinia down to the valley of the 
Nile, I conclude that it is the produce of districts possessing 
an absolute elevation of probably not more than about 3000 
or, may be, 4000 feet. This is in lat. S° or 9° N.: nearer, 
that is higher up, than Tumhe it certainly is not found. 
