NATURAL H I S T O R Y. 



527 



required, as they paid a higher 

 price for them than the Dutch. 



Captain Forrest ascertained that 

 the nutmeg tree grew in New 

 Guinea, and transplanted a num- 

 ber of plants to the Philippine 

 islands. The French have suc- 

 ceeded in introducing the clove and 

 nutmeg trees into the isles of 

 France and Bourbon. They have 

 likewise introduced them into 

 Guiana and Cayenne. In the year 

 1785 there were 10,416 clove 

 trees on the Isle of France. The 

 English also have cultivated the 

 clove tree in the West India is- 

 lands. Martinico in the year 1797 

 imported into London 380 lb. and 

 the year following 200 lb. ; St. 

 Kltt's, 2981 lb. The extreme cu- 

 pidity of the Dutch eventually 

 ruined their own prospects. Had 

 they been contented with mode- 

 rate profits, the incitement to a 

 contraband trade would have been 

 much diminished, and foreign 

 nations would have had fewer in- 

 centives to incur much expense 

 and labour in cvdtivating spices in 

 their own establishments. Our 

 situation with regard to the cin- 

 namon trade is in many respects 

 similar to that of the Duch in the 

 commerce of cloves and nutmegs : 

 we have too long gazed with a 

 frigid indifference upon the rapidly 

 increasing cinnamon trade of the 

 Chinese, and treated with con- 

 tempt tlieir commerce in this ai- 

 ticle. Should it not rather have 

 excited us to adopt effectual means 

 to supply the demands of the west- 

 ern world from our own establish- 

 ments ? Even admitting that the 

 cinnamon exported from China is 

 inferior to the produce of Ceylon, 

 its quality however is such as to 

 serve as a substitute, and may 



eventually rival the best we can 

 produce. The third quality of the 

 Ceylon cinnainon is by many con- 

 sidered equal, if not superior, to 

 that brought from China, and 

 could in all probability be supplied 

 at as low, if not a lower, price. 

 This quality of cinnamon might 

 in Ceylon be collected to an al- 

 most unlimited quantity. A large 

 importation of this sort into the 

 London market, and sold at a 

 moderate profit, would in all pro- 

 bability soon lessen the demand 

 for that imported from China. 



By the London price current of 

 Jan. 10, 1815, we find the differ- 

 ent qualities of cinnamon quoted 

 at from 8s. 3d. per lb. to 13s. 3d. 

 The finest quality is becoming 

 lower in price. In tlie same price 

 current casia is (juoted at from 

 40l. to 45Z. per cwt. or from about 

 7*. to Ss. per lb. Inferring that 

 the third sort of Ceylon cinnamon 

 is of as good a quality, and will 

 fetch as high a price as the Chi- 

 nese cinnamon, the purchasers of 

 the rejected Ceylon cinnamon 

 must have found a good market, 

 and have at least lately made a 

 profitable speculation. Cinnamon 

 oil is quoted at from 25*. to 26s. 

 per oz. To procure an ounce of 

 cinnamon oil about 11 lb. of cin- 

 namon are required. \^'hile the 

 oil fetches this price only, the 

 Ceylon government cannot, con- 

 sidering the expenses incurred, 

 realise much more than 1*. 6d. 

 per lb. for the cinnamon used in 

 distillation ; and it will evidently 

 appear that when 2s. per lb. can 

 be obtained, there is in general 

 very little encouragement to ex- 

 pend much cinnamon in making 

 oil. 



The most certain, and undoubt- 

 edly 



