CORTEX CASSIiE LIGNEiE. 



529 



nam on 



of the ancients was that substance. It must, however, be 

 observed that Theophrastus, Dioscorides, PUny, Strabo and others, as 

 well as the remarkable inscription on the temple of Apollo at Miletus, 

 represent cinnamon and cassia as distinct, but nearly allied sub- 

 stances. While, on the other hand, the author of the Periplus of ^ the 

 Eiythrean Sea, in enumerating the products shipped from the various 

 commercial ports of Eastern Africa' in the first century, mentions Cn.9mt 

 {Kua-la or Kacra-ia) of various kinds, but never employs the word Cin- 

 n^tmon {KivvaiJ.wiJ.ov). 



In the list of productions of India on which duty was levied at the 

 Roman custom house at Alexandria, ci?-caA.D. Vt i^ -\H0 ,Cinnamoynui, l is 



amomii 



e 



no explanation ; but it is worthy of note that twigs and branches of a 

 C i nn amomum are sold in the Chinese drug shops, and may not im- 

 probably be the xylocassia or xylocinnamon of the ancients.^ The name 

 Cassia licjnea would seem to have been originally bestowed on some such 

 substance, rather than as at present on a mere bark. The spice was 

 also undoubtedly called Cassia syvinx and Cassia fistularis (p. 221),— 

 names which evidently refer to a bark which had the form of a 

 tube. In fact there may well have been a diversity of qualities, some 

 perhaps very costly. It is remarkable that such is still the case in 

 China, and that the wealthy Chinese employ a thick variety of cassm, 

 ! price of which is as much as 18 dollars per catty, or about obs. 



the 



per lb.* ^, , 



Whether the Aromata Cassia, which were presented to the LHurcn 

 at Rome under St. Silvester, a.d. 314-335, ^^as the modern cassia 

 bark, is rather doubtful. The largest donation, 200 lb., ^^hich was 



accompanied by pepper, saffron, storax, cloves, and balsam, ^^o^J'^^f r 

 *^ i.„-L - . -^-.^n^^ '^ ,5 i-i-„,.:„ .^^»-,a fn bavft been known in 



to have arrived from Egyi)t. 



Cass'ia seems to have beenkno 



Western Europe as early L the 7th century, for it is r^^^^^fir 

 cinnamon by St. Isidoie, archbishop of Seville.^ Cassia is ^^med m 

 one of the Leech-books in use in England prior to the Norman conquest. 



.ondoS as Cand in 1204, at 10<i. pu lb 



The spice was then sold in Londo^ «.- o/ 



sugar being at the same time 12c/., cumin 2d., and gingerjoa. 



Soke of •S'urth 

 berlain to H 



» In the 



same time iza., uuuinx -^--, "— o- o ,. ohum- 



written in the 15th century by John Russe 1, clam 



duke of Gloucester, cassia is 



spoken 



Vincent, Commerce and Navhjatlon of 

 the Ancients in the Indian Ocean, ii. (1807) 

 130. 134, 149. 150. 157.— That the ancients 

 should confound the different kinds of cassia 

 w really no matter for surprise, when we 

 niodems, whether botanists, pharmacolo- 

 gists, or spice-dealers, are unable to point 

 out characters by which to distinguish the 

 harks of this group, or even to give definite 

 names to those found in our warehouses, 



■jVinceut, ojj. cit, ii. 701-716. 

 See further on. Allied Products, Casda 

 ^*^*^r/s, page 533. 



* Very fine specimens of this costly bark 

 have been kindly supplied to us by Dr. H. 

 *.Hance, British Vice-Consul at Whampoa. 



';Vignohus, Llhtr PontiJicaUs, Romas i. 

 (1721) 94. 95. 



for n-™" , J. "d i^ iS .Ucecti..a. 



craft. .-...J ««"• -A°^;" 'h, prccriU. 



2 L 



