NATURAL HISTORY. 



513 



For many years previously to 

 the entire surrender of Ceylon by 

 the Portuguese, the Dutch had 

 purchased and exported large in- 

 vestments of cinnamon from the 

 Malabar coast. To obtain the 

 exclusive commerce of this coast, 

 they, in the year 1662 and 1663, 

 wrested from the Portuguese the 

 forts of Quilon, Cannanore, Co- 

 chin, and Cranganore. 



The English merchants were 

 desired to withdraw from this 

 coast ; and the natives were pro- 

 hibited from supplying the Eng- 

 lish with produce under penalty 

 of confiscation. The Dutch ex- 

 erted all their influence and power 

 to obstruct the peeling of cinna- 

 mon in the territories of the Ma- 

 labar princes, except what was 

 ■old to themselves, for which tliey 

 refused to advance the regular 

 market price. 



Notwithstanding a zealous per- 

 severance, and a rigid exertion of 

 their power, to prevent what they 

 denominated smuggling on this 

 coast, they did not succeed. Other 

 nations, by paying nearly double 

 for the articles they purchased^ 

 were readily supplied by the na- 

 tives, even in opposition to the 

 orders of their own princes. These 

 fruitless attempts are stated to 

 have been very expensive ; which 

 induced the Supreme Government 

 to pass in 1697 a number of re- 

 gulations. One of these regula- 

 tions stated, " that it was deter- 

 mined not to obstruct any more, 

 by measiues of constraint and 

 harshness, the navigation of the 

 Malabars, and their trade in the 

 productions of their country, con- 

 sisting chiefly in arcca, wild cin- 

 namon, and pepper, which the 

 Company could not exclusively 

 purchase from them." 



Vol. UX. 



In 1687 the Dutch imported 

 into Holland cinnamon to the 

 amount of ] 70,000lb. This quan- 

 tity is stated to have been lesa 

 than the usual annual importation. 

 In 1 7 30 they imported 640,000lb. 



The Dutch continued to enjoy 

 the exclusive commerce of this 

 spice for many years. The means 

 adopted for this end were well 

 imagined, but not so correctly 

 carried into effect. The corre- 

 spondence between the Directors 

 and the Supreme Government 

 evince the care that was taken to 

 " direct and command that no 

 cinnamon should be exported but 

 what was of an excellent quality." 

 The Directors complain repeatedly 

 that much of the cinnamon im- 

 ported from Ceylon was of a bad 

 quality. They enumerated the 

 defects, and stated, in their letter 

 bearing date September, 1768, 

 that for several years it had been • 

 of such a bad quality that they 

 had not dared to bring it to the 

 sales, for fear of ruining the credit 

 of the Ceylon cinnamon. On 

 several occasions they returned a 

 number of bales of " bad, ill- 

 sorted cinnamon," that the Ceylon, 

 government might institute an 

 inquiry respecting the causes why 

 their commands were so much 

 neglected. They complain much 

 of the inspectors of cinnamon j 

 and add, that they imist either be 

 very deficient in a knowledge of 

 their duty, or extremely negligent. 

 According to oral information, the 

 chief cause of defective cinnamon 

 having been exported was, that 

 the requisitions from Holland 

 were always for a larger quantity 

 than they were al)le to procwre of 

 an excellent (p'.ality. 



Before the Kandian w.nrj which 

 terminated in 176(5, (he Dutch 



2 L annually 



