15° 



HARD WICKE S S CIE NCR- GO SSI P. 



thickness from \ inch to 3 inches in diameter ; longi- 

 tudinal incisions are made, and the bark peeled off 

 in strips. After twenty-four hours the epidermis 

 and green colouring matter upon the inside are 

 scraped off, when the strips quickly contKict in the 

 form of quills ; the smaller ones are placed inside 

 the larger, and in that way they are imported. They 

 are dried by two processes — first, in the shade ; and 

 secondly, in the sun. 



Cinnamon is largely imported from Ceylon ; in 

 fact, the best samples are imported from that country, 

 although the quality varies according to the season 



possesses aromatic, stomachic, and slightly astringent 

 properties. It is used in medicine in a powdered 

 state, or the oil is used, which is a very powerful 

 stimulant. The oil is also largely used in con- 

 fectioner}', cookery, &c. ; it is also known in practice, 

 and used as a tincture as an adjunct to other 

 medicines. 



Coca. — This is the name applied to the dried 

 leaves oi Erythroxylon coca. Lam., native of Bolivia 

 and New Grenada, also largely cultivated in those 

 parts, as well as in Peru, to a height of from 2,000 to 



Fig. 105. — Cota {Eyythivxylon coca). 



f 



y 



and the time of collecting. It occurs in long, 

 cylindrical bundles about forty inches long, is about 

 one-fiftli of a line in thickness, of a yellowish-brown 

 colour, and very friable. An oil, known as "oil of 

 cinnamon," is obtained from the bark and imported 

 from Ceylon. The powdered bark is macerated in a 

 solution of salt and then distilled. Spirit of cinna- 

 mon is obtained by dissolving the oil in spirit. The 

 chemical nature of cinnamon is as complex as many 

 other like compounds. There is a peculiar acid 

 known as cinnamic acid, a volatile oil, tannin, resin, 

 mucilage, colouring matter, and woody fibre. It 



9,000 feet. It is a shrubby plant, growing from 6 to 

 8 feet in height, having the appearance of the tea 

 plant. Leaves I J to 2 inches long, oval, mem- 

 branous, flat, acute, entire, dark green above, paler 

 beneath, three-nerved in the middle. Flowers nume- 

 rous, produced in the axils of the leaves often from 

 the branches where the leaves have fallen away ; 

 calyx 5-cleft, petals five, appendiculate stamens ten, 

 united at the base. 



The matured leaves are collected, scorched in an 

 earthenware pan, and dried. In that state they are 

 ready for consumption. The annual consumption is 



