54 



CINNAMOMUM 



Cuenca, the mercury is found, as in the departmen 

 of Mont Tonnerre, in a formation of quartzy sand- 

 stone, with a clay base or cement. This sandstone 

 is nearly 4592 feet in thickness, and contains bitu 

 minous wood and mineral pitch. 



Compact hepatic cinnabar has a colour between 

 dark cochineal-red and lead-grey. In its chemica' 

 constituents it differs very materially from the mineral 

 last described ; as, in addition to the mercury and 

 sulphur found in those bodies, there is usually a con- 

 siderable quantity of carbon, combined with silica, 

 alumina, oxide of iron, copper, and water. 



Cinnabar is distinguished from red silver by the 

 red streak it affords on paper, and also in being 

 entirely volatilised when heated ; from red orpiment, 

 by the colour of its streak, that of red orpiment being 

 orange yellow ; and from red leadspar, also by the 

 streak, that of the lead ore being lemon-yellow. 



It appears from some of the ancient naturalists, 

 that the term Minium was derived from the name of a 

 river of Spain ; and there are several passages in Pliny, 

 which show that the term " minium" was applied to a 

 corresponding substance with our cinnabar. He says, 

 that almost all the minium in use at Rome came from 

 Spain, and that the ore was sent over from Spain 

 sealed. He also says, that those who were employed 

 in reducing minium to powder, wore loose bladders 

 over the face, lest they should inhale the dust, the 

 effects of which were very pernicious. This custom 

 is also observed at the present day, by those who are 

 employed for a length of time in triturating prepara- 

 tions of mercury. The term cinnabar was originally 

 applied to the drug commonly called dragon's blood, 

 which is of a dull red colour ; it was afterwards trans- 

 ferred to the ore of mercury now under consideration. 

 See MERCUKY and SILVER. 



CINNAMOMUM (R. Brown). A new genus 

 of useful and beautiful evergreen exotic trees separ- 

 ated from the old genus Laurus of Linnaeus. It 

 contains the true, and the base cinnamon ; the 

 camphor tree, and six others having botanical dis- 

 tinctions, which show their non-affinity with the 

 laurels. They are kept in our stoves but require 

 much attention to keep them healthy. They must 

 be kept in a pretty high temperature ; not over 

 watered in winter, and at all times, their pots require 

 to be well drained, lest the soil with which they are 

 potted become soddened. They are propagated by 

 ripened cuttings, having their leaves on, potted in 

 sand, and covered with a striking-glass on heat. 



CINNAMON-TREE is the Cinnamomum verum 

 of 11. Brown, formerly the Laurus cinnamomum of 

 Linnaeus. This is the tree which yields the spice so 

 called. There are eleven other species of it distri- 

 buted over the islands and south east corner of the 

 continent of Asia. Some of them are found in Japan, 

 and most of them in the southern provinces of China. 

 But it is on the islands of Borneo, Java, Sumatra, &c., 

 and as far west as the island of Ceylon, that the true 

 cinnamon tree is found, and the spice of finest quality 

 manufactured. It is obtained from the young shoots 

 and branches of the tree, which are about half an inch, 

 more or less, in diameter. The united layers of 

 inner bark, between the cuticle and wood, is the part 

 collected ; and as, when longitudinally incised from 

 top to bottom, it shrinks spontaneously away from the 

 wood by the heat of the sun ; it is of course, easily 

 collected and sorted for sale. The inner bark of the 

 C. cassia is collected in the same way and sold as a 



distinct article of commerce ; but this, and the inner 

 bark of several of the other species are too often 

 mixed with, and sold as the true sort. 



CINQUEFOIL is the Potentillafntticosa of Lin- 

 naeus, a British plant, found on moist boggy places in 

 different parts of the country. Its flowers are yellow, 

 and rather showy, for which it is sometimes admitted 

 as a shrubbery plant in pleasure grounds. Cinquefoil 

 belongs to the natural order liosaceee, 



CIONUS (Clairville) . A genus of coleopterous 

 insects, belonging to the section Tetraviera, sub- 

 section Rhyncophora, and family Curculionidce, or the 

 Weevils. The species of which this genus is com- 

 posed, although small in size, are very beautiful in 

 their appearance, being nearly globose in form, with 

 a moderately long curved snout, the thighs are thick- 

 ened and dentated beneath, and the antennae are ten 

 jointed, and elbowed at the extremity of the long 

 basal joint ; the elytra are ornamented with alternate 

 stripes, having the appearance of tesselated work. 

 The species are found in the different states upon 

 various plants, particularly the water betony. The 

 type of the genus is the Curculio scropliufarits of Lin- 

 naeus; it is nearly one-fourth of an inch long, the larva? 

 of which is covered with slime, which enables it, being 

 unprovided with legs, to walk steadily upon the 

 leaves by the mere lengthening and contracting the 

 segments of the body. There are five other Brtish 

 species. 



CIRC^EA (Linnaeus), A genus of three species of 

 plants, two of them British. They belong to the second 

 class and second order of Linnaean botany, and to the 

 natural order Onagrarue. The C. lutetiana inhabits 

 damp shady places, and is sometimes a troublesome 

 weed in shrubberies. It is the enchanter's night- 

 shade of English botany. 



CIRCLE ACE^E. The enchanter's nightshade 

 family. A natural order of dicotyledonous plants, 

 containing two genera and twelve known species. It 

 is nearly allied to Onagrarite, but differs in having a 

 large fleshy disk, which fills up the tube of the calyx, 

 as well as in the binary division of its flower, and in 

 its solitary erect ovules. By some authors, however, 

 it is considered a section of Onagrarus, It bears 

 also an affinity to the order Haloragece. Its essential 

 characters are : calyx superior, tubular, with a two- 

 parted limb ; petals two, alternate with the lobes of 

 :he calyx ; stamens two, alternate with the petals, 

 'nserted into the calyx ; disk large, cup-shaped, filling 

 up the tube of the calyx, and projecting beyond it ; 

 ovary two-celled, with an erect ovule in each cell ; 

 style simple ; stigma emarginate ; fruit capsular, two- 

 celled, two-valved, and two-seeded ; seeds solitary, 

 rect ; no albumen, The plants belonging to this 

 order are . herbs or shrubs, with opposite, petiolate, 

 cordate, or ovate leaves, and racemose flowers. They 

 are found in shady places in the northern parts of the 

 world. They do not possess any known properties. 

 The only genera of the order are Circcea and Lojiezia. 

 Circcea is named after the enchantress Circe, from its 

 supposed use in incantations. It contains three species, 

 wo of which are natives of Britain. Circeea lutetiana, 

 common enchanter's nightshade, is frequently met 

 with in our woods, and is also found in the woods of 

 'anada and Nepal. Circeea alpina grows in wood 

 and stony places, near the side of lakes, in the north 

 of England and Scotland. 



The genus Lopezia has been named in honour of 

 he Spanish botanist, Lopez. 



