a single stick), the exporting of it, the peeling of the bark, extracting the oil either from that or the leaves, or the camphor from the roots, except by the servants of government, and by their order, as well as the wilful injuring of a cinnamon-plant, were all made crimes, punishable with death, both on the persons committing them, and upon every servant of government who should connive at it *."

In order to keep up the price of the spices, the Dutch government was formerly accustomed to have these destroyed, when supposed to be accumulated in too large quantities. Sometimes, it was said, this oriental produce was thrown into the sea, and sometimes the work of destruction was accomplished by other means. M. Beaumare relates, that on the 10th June, 1760, he beheld, near the Admiralty at Amsterdam, a blazing pile of these aromatics, which were valued at eight millions of livres, and an equal quantity was to be burnt on the ensuing day. The air was perfumed with this incense, the essential oils, freed from their confinement, distilled over, mixing in one spicy stream, which flowed at the feet of the spectators; but no person was suffered to collect any of this, nor on pain of heavy punishment to rescue the smallest quantity of the spice from the

wasting element !

When in its natural state, the cinnamon-tree attains to the height of twenty or thirty feet, sending forth large spreading branches, clothed with thick foliage. The leaf, when first developed, is partly of a bright red, and partly of a pale yellow; it soon, however, assumes a verdant hue, and when at its full growth is on the upper surface of a dark olive colour, and on the under side of a lighter green; it somewhat resembles that of the bay, but is longer

*Bertolacci's Ceylon, p. 241.

and narrower. The flowers bloom in January; they grow on footstalks, rising from the axillæ of the leaves, and the extremities of the branches, clustering in bunches, which resemble in size and shape those of the lilac, but they are white, with a brownish tinge in the centre; these are followed by one-seeded berries, of the shape of an acorn, but not so large as a common pea. When first gathered their taste resembles that of the juniper-berry. When dry, this fruit becomes merely a thin shell, containing a kernel about the size of an apple-seed. The smell of the flowers, though not powerful, is extremely fragrant. The footstalks of the leaves have a strong flavour of cinnamon. The fruit, if boiled, yields an oil, which when cold becomes a solid substance like wax, and is formed into candles; these emit an agreeable odour, and in the kingdom of Candy are reserved for the sole use of the court.

The trees which are cultivated are kept as a sort of coppice, and numerous shoots spring apparently from the roots; these are not allowed to rise higher than ten feet. We are told, that "when the trees first put forth their flame-coloured leaves and delicate blossoms, the scenery is exquisitely beautiful." In three years after planting each tree affords one shoot fit for cutting, at the fifth year from three to five shoots may be taken, but it requires the vigour of eight years' growth before it yields as many as ten branches of an inch in thickness. From the ages of ten to twelve years is the period of its greatest perfection; but its duration of life is not limited, as the root spreads, and every year sends up new shoots or suckers.

Trees which grow in rocky situations, and the young shoots, when the leaves are of a reddish colour, yield the best and most pungent aromatic bark. The tree is known to be in the best state

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when the bark separates easily from the wood, and has the inside covered with a mucilaginous juice; but if that be not carefully removed, the flavour of the spice is injured. The shoots are cut when from half to three-quarters of an inch in thickness, and in lengths of from two to three feet. Many hands are employed in this work; each man is obliged to furnish a certain quantity of sticks. When this part of his task is fulfilled, he conveys his fragrant load shed allotted for the purpose, where the bark is instantly stripped from the wood, and freed from the epidermis, which is scraped off. The fragrance diffused around, during this process, is described as being extremely delightful; but in parts of the plantation remote from this spot, unless the trees be agitated with violence, the peculiar smell of the cinnamon cannot be distinguished. The wood, deprived of the bark, has no smell, and is used as fuel.

When the bark is perfectly cleansed it is of a pale yellow colour, and about the thickness of parchment. It is then placed on mats, to dry in the sun, when it curls up, and acquires a darker tint. The smaller pieces are then put inside the larger, and the whole close together into the tubular form in which it is sold in the shops. When the rind, or part forming the cinnamon, is first taken from the tree, it is described as consisting of an outer por tion which tastes like common bark, and an inner portion, which is very sweet and aromatic. In the course of the drying, the oil of the inner portion, on which the flavour depends, is communicated to the whole; and the quality of the entire bark is understood to depend more upon the relative quantities of those portions of the bark than upon any thing else. The cinnamon of Ceylon has the outer

* Cordiner's Ceylon.

portion much thinner, in proportion to the inner, than the cassia of other countries; and to that its higher pungency is attributed.

Under favourable circumstances, the cinnamontree yields a large and a small harvest every year. The large one is obtained soon after the fruit is ripe; that is, when the tree has again pushed out shoots, and the sap is in vigorous circulation. May and June are the best months in the year for the great harvest; in November and December the little harvest is obtained. In those plantations which belong to government, however, there is but one harvest, beginning in May, and ending in October.

Though cinnamon has found a place in our Pharmacopoeia, the purpose to which it has been applied by the South Americans invests it with medicinal properties which it is not usually supposed to possess. "One thousand bales (92,000 lbs.) are said to be consumed annually by the slaves in the mines of South America. Each receives daily a certain quantity, cut into pieces one inch in length, which he eats as a preservative against the noxious effluvia of the mines*"

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Oil of cinnamon was formerly obtained at Colombo, from distilling the fragments broken off in packing; latterly a great proportion has been made from coarse cinnamon unfit for exportation. very small quantity of oil is contained in the bark ; three hundred pounds of which are required to yield twenty-four ounces of oil †, and consequently this is extravagantly dear. When made from the finest cinnamon its specific gravity is greater, but from the coarse sort it is less than that of water.

CASSIA-Laurus cassia-is a native of several parts of the south of Asia, but it is chiefly brought from China as an article of commerce. The bark *Cordiner's Ceylon. + Ibid.

and buds are known in commerce as cassia lignea and cassia buds; these have the same aroma though in an inferior degree to cinnamon, and it is said that they are in many cases very extensively substituted for the latter. They are both imported into this country to a very large amount.

THE CLOVE-Caryophyllatus aromaticus-is native of most of the Molucca islands, where it has