c. A.D. 540.—"Zador (i.e. zedoariae), galangae, ligustici, seselis, cardamomi, piperis longi, piperis albi, cinnamomi, zingiberis, seminis Smyrnii, caryophylli, phylli, stachyos, [myrobalani], phu, costi, scordii, silphii vel laserpitii, rhei barbarici, poeoniae; alii etiam arboris nucis viscum et paliuri semen, itemque saxifragum ac casiam addunt; ex his singulis stateres duos commisceto...."
c. 1400.—"Canell and setewale of price."—R. of the Rose.
1516.—"In the Kingdom of Calicut there grows much pepper ... and very much good ginger of the country, cardamoms, myrobolans of all kinds, bamboo canes, zerumba, zedoary, wild cinnamon."—Barbosa, 154.
1563.—"... da zedoaria faz capitulo Avicena e de Zerumbet; e isto que chamamos zedoaria, chama Avicena geiduar, e o outro nome não lhe sei, porque o não ha senão nas terras confins á China e este geiduar e uma mézinha de muito preço, e não achada senão nas mãos dos que os Gentios chamam jogues, ou outros a quem os Mouros chamam calandares."—Garcia, f. 216v-217.
[1605.—"Setweth," a copyist's error for Setwall.—Birdwood, First Letter Book, 200.]
ZEMINDAR, s. Pers. zamīn-dār, 'landholder.' One holding land on which he pays revenue to the Government direct, and not to any intermediate superior. In Bengal Proper the zemindars hold generally considerable tracts, on a permanent settlement of the amount to be paid to Government. In the N.W. Provinces there are often a great many zemindars in a village, holding by a common settlement, periodically renewable. In the N.W. Provinces the rustic pronunciation of the word zamīndār is hardly distinguishable from the ordinary Anglo-Indian pronunciation of jama'dār (see [JEMADAR]), and the form given to zamīndār in early English records shows that this pronunciation prevailed in Bengal more than two centuries ago.
1683.—"We lay at Bogatchera, a very pleasant and delightfull Country, ye Gemidar invited us ashore, and showed us Store of Deer, Peacocks, &c., but it was not our good fortune to get any of them."—Hedges, Diary, April 11; [Hak. Soc. i. 77, also i. 89].
[1686.—"He has ordered downe 300 horse under the conduct of three Jemidars."—In ditto, II. lvi.]
1697.—"Having tried all means with the Jemidar of the Country adjacent to us to let us have the town of De Calcutta at the usual Hire or Rent, rather than fail, having promised him ¼ Part more than the Place at present brings him in, and all to no Purpose, he making frivolous and idle Objections, that he will not let us have any Part of the Country in the Right Honourable Company's name, but that we might have it to our use in any of the Natives Names; the Reason he gives for it is, that the Place will be wholly lost to him—that we are a Powerful People—and that he cannot be possessed of his Country again when he sees Occasion—whereas he can take it from any of the Natives that rent any Part of his Country at his Pleasure.
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