The Region Of Brazil Had
Been Originally Styled Santa Cruz, And De Barros Attributes The Change Of
Name To The
Suggestion of the Evil One, "as if the name of a wood for
colouring cloth were of more moment than
That of the Wood which imbues the
Sacraments with the tincture of Salvation."
There may perhaps be a doubt if the Land of Brazil derived its name from
the dye-wood. For the Isle of Brazil, long before the discovery of America,
was a name applied to an imaginary Island in the Atlantic. This island
appears in the map of Andrea Bianco and in many others, down at least to
Coronelli's splendid Venetian Atlas (1696); the Irish used to fancy that
they could see it from the Isles of Arran; and the legend of this Island of
Brazil still persisted among sailors in the last century.[6] The story was
no doubt the same as that of the green Island, or Island of Youth, which
Mr. Campbell tells us the Hebrideans see to the west of their own Islands.
(See Pop. Tales of West Highlands, IV. 163. For previous references,
Delia Decirna,, III. 298, 361; IV. 60; I.B. IV. 99; Cathay, p. 77;
Note by Dr. H. Gleghorn; Marsh's ed. of Wedgwood's Etym. Dict. I. 123;
Southey, H. of Brazil, I. 22.)
NOTE 3. - This is the Colombine ginger which appears not unfrequently in
mediaeval writings. Pegolotti tells us that "ginger is of several sorts,
to wit, Belledi, Colombino, and Mecchino. And these names are
bestowed from the producing countries, at least this is the case with the
Colombino and Mecchino, for the Belledi is produced in many
districts of India. The Colombino grows in the Island of Colombo of India,
and has a smooth, delicate, ash-coloured rind; whilst the Mecchino comes
from the districts about Mecca and is a small kind, hard to cut," etc.
(Delia Dec. III. 359.) A century later, in G. da Uzzano, we still find
the Colombino and Belladi ginger (IV. 111, 210, etc.). The Baladi is
also mentioned by Rashiduddin as an export of Guzerat, and by Barbosa and
others as one of Calicut in the beginning of the 16th century. The
Mecchino too is mentioned again in that era by a Venetian traveller as
grown in the Island of Camran in the Red Sea. Both Columbine (gigembre
columbin) and Baladi ginger (gig. baladit) appear among the purchases
for King John of France, during his captivity in England. And we gather
from his accounts that the price of the former was 13d. a pound, and of
the latter 12d., sums representing three times the amount of silver that
they now indicate, with a higher value of silver also, and hence
equivalent to about 4s. and 4s. 4d. a pound. The term Baladi
(Ar.), Indigenous or "Country" ginger, indicated ordinary qualities of no
particular repute. The word Baladi seems to have become naturalised in
Spanish with the meaning "of small value." We have noticed on a former
occasion the decay of the demand for pepper in China.
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