CORTEX 



523 



ounces of Costus, and 2 pounds of Pepper. In A.d. 7-i8, Theophilacias, 

 a Roman archdeacon, presents to the same bishop similar spices and 

 incense. Lulhis, the successor of Boniface, sends to Eadburga, a66af /55a 

 Thanetensis^^ circa a.d. 782-751 — '' unum graphluvi aiyenteum ct 

 doracis et cinnamomi partem allqiiam'' ; and about the same date, 

 another present of cinnamon to archbishop Boniface is recorded. 

 Under date A.D. 732-742, a letter is extant of three persons to the ahbo^^ 

 Cuneburga, to whom the writers offer — " titris et piperis et cinnamonu 

 permodica xenicty sed omni mentis affectione destinata!' 



In the 9th century, Cinnamon^ pepper, costus, cloves, and several 

 indigenous aromatic plants were used in the monastery of St. Gall in 

 Switzerland as ino-redients for seasoning: fish.^ 



.V^V^.V.^^^ ^V.. ..V>..^V......w 



Q 



Of the pecuniary value of this spice in Eagland, there are many 

 notices from the year 12G4 downwards.'' In the iGth century it was 

 probably not plentiful, if we may judge from the fact that it figures 

 among the New Year's gifts to Philip and Mary (1556-57), and tc ^ 

 Elizabeth (loGl-G2)/ 



Production and Commerce'— The best cinnamon is produced, 

 according to Thwaites,*^ from a cultivated or selected form of the tree 

 (var. a.), distinguished by large leaves of somewhat irrcgidar shape. 

 But the bark of all the "forms possesses the odour of cinnamon in a 

 greater or less degree. It is not however always possible to judge of 

 the quality of the bark from the foliage, so that the peelers wlicn col- 

 lecting from uncultivated trees, are "in the habit of tasting^ tlie bark 

 before commencing operations, and pass over some trees as unfit for their 



B. multijionim and y. waiip 



pose of adulteration. 



The best variety appears to find the conditions most favourable to its 

 culture, in the strip of country, 12 to 15 miles broad, on the south-west 

 coast of Ceylon, between Negumbo, Colombo and Matura, where the 

 tree is grown up to an elevation of 1500 feet. A very sandy clay sod, 

 or fine white quartz, with a good sub-soil and free exposure to the 

 sun and rain, are the circumstances best adapted for the cultivation. 

 The management of the plantations resembles that of oak coppice in 



England, 

 ti-ee, and 



The system of pruning checks the plant from becoming a 



in.duces It to form a stool from which four or five shoots are 



allowed to grow; these are cut at the age of 1| to 2 years, when the 

 greyish-green epidermis begins to turn brown by reason of the tormation 

 of a corky layer. They are not all cut at the same time, but only as 

 they arrive at the proi)er state of maturity; they arc then G to 10 leet 

 J^igh and ^ to 2 inches thick. In some of the ciniianion gardens at 

 Colombo, the stools are very large and old, dating back, it is supposed, 

 from the time of the Dutch. , . , ,. ,. .,,^ 



In consequence of the increased fiow of sap which occurs attei tnc 



^'Doubtless Eadburh, third abbess of ' -^'i'^^'?"^' wX'vu^xiv ^iTs "'''"^ 



fillister in the IsIp of Thiiipt in Kent Q. Elizalxth, i. (b>2.5) xxxi\. no. 



She died Id 751 ^ b Additional information may 1« found m 



^^/-r,n; j;.;.;!i: viii. (I877) 121. two papers hy ^^ff^^^z^ 



Prices hi ^nuiand, li. (181)6) 543. '^" -^^"-V'/.ro"'^ ^ ' 



