Chapter CAIQUE to CALAVANCE of C by The Hobson Jobson Dictionary

tree … which is become scarce from the improvident use formerly made of it.”—Heber (1844), ii. 161.

1834.—“The forests in the neighbourhood afford timber of every kind (Calamander excepted).”—Chitty, Ceylon Gazetteer, 198.

CALAMBAC, s. The finest kind of aloes-wood. Crawfurd gives the word as Javanese, kalambak, but it perhaps came with the article from Champa (q.v.).

1510.—“There are three sorts of aloes-wood. The first and most perfect sort is called Calampat.”—Varthema, 235.

1516.—“… It must be said that the very fine calembuco and the other eagle-wood is worth at Calicut 1000 maravedis the pound.”—Barbosa, 204.

1539.—“This Embassador, that was Brother-in-law to the King of the Batas … brought him a rich Present of Wood of Aloes, Calambaa, and 5 quintals of Benjamon in flowers.”—F. M. Pinto, in Cogan’s tr. p. 15 (orig. cap. xiii.).

1551.—(Campar, in Sumatra) “has nothing but forests which yield aloeswood, called in India Calambuco.”—Castanheda, bk. iii. cap. 63, p. 218, quoted by Crawfurd, Des. Dic. 7.

1552.—“Past this kingdom of Camboja begins the other Kingdom called Campa (Champa), in the mountains of which grows the genuine aloes-wood, which the Moors of those parts call Calambuc.”—Barros, I. ix. 1.

[c. 1590.—“Kalanbak (calembic) is the wood of a tree brought from Zírbad; it is heavy and full of veins. Some believe it to be the raw wood of aloes.”—Ain, ed. Blochmann, i. 81.

[c. 1610.—“From this river (the Ganges) comes that excellent wood Calamba, which is believed to come from the Earthly Paradise.” —Pyrard de Laval, Hak. Soc. i. 335.]

1613.—“And the Calamba is the most fragrant medulla of the said tree.”—Godinho de Eredia, f. 15v.

[1615.—“Lumra (a black gum), gumlack, collomback.”—Foster, Letters, iv. 87.]

1618.—“We opened the ij chistes which came from Syam with callamback and silk, and waid it out.”—Cocks’s Diary, ii. 51.

1774.—“Les Mahometans font de ce Kalambac des chapelets qu’ils portent à la main par amusement. Ce bois quand il est échauffé ou un peu frotté, rend un odeur agréable.”—Niebuhr, Desc. de l’Arabie, 127.

See EAGLE- WOOD and ALOES.

CALASH, s. French calèche, said by Littré to be a Slav word, [and so N.E.D.]. In Bayly’s Dict. it is calash and caloche. [The N.E.D. does not recognise the latter form; the former is as early as 1679]. This seems to have been the earliest precursor of the buggy in Eastern settlements. Bayly defines it as ‘a small open chariot.’ The quotation below refers to Batavia, and the President in question was the Prest. of the English Factory at Chusan, who, with his council, had been expelled from China, and was halting at Batavia on his way to India.

1702.—“The Shabander riding home in his Calash this Morning, and seeing the President sitting without the door at his Lodgings, alighted and came and Sat with the President near an hour … what moved the Shabander to speak so plainly to the President thereof he knew not, But observed that the Shahbander was in his Glasses at his first alighting from his Calash.”—Procgs. “Munday, 30th March,” MS. Report in India Office.

CALAVANCE, s. A kind of bean; acc. to the quotation from Osbeck, Dolichos sinensis. The word was once common in English use, but seems forgotten, unless still used at sea. Sir Joseph Hooker writes: “When I was in the Navy, haricot beans were in constant use as a substitute for potatoes and in Brazil and elsewhere, were called Calavances. I do not remember whether they were the seed of Phaseolus lunatus or vulgaris, or of Dolichos sinensis, alias Catjang” (see CAJAN). The word comes from the Span. garbanzos, which De Candolle mentions as Castilian for ‘pois chiche,’ or Cicer arietinum, and as used also in Basque under the form garbantzua, [or garbatzu, from garau, ‘seed,’ antzu, ‘dry,’ N.E.D.] 1620.—“… from hence they make their provition in aboundance, viz. beefe and porke … garvances, or small peaze or beanes.…”—Cocks’s Diary, ii. 311.

c. 1630.—“… in their Canoos brought us … green pepper, caravance, Buffols, Hens, Eggs, and other things.”—Sir T. Herbert, ed. 1665, p. 350.

1719.—“I was forc’d to give them an extraordinary meal every day, either of Farina or calavances, which at once made a considerable consumption of our water and firing.”—Shelvocke’s Voyage, 62.

1738.—“But garvanços are prepared in a different manner, neither do they grow soft like other pulse, by boiling. …”—Shaw’s Travels, ed. 1757, p. 140.

1752.—“… Callvanses (Dolichos sinensis).” —Osbeck, i. 304.

1774.—“When I asked any of the men of Dory why they had no gardens of plantains and Kalavansas … I learnt … that the Haraforas