344 VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES. 



a single stick), the exporting of it, the peeling of the 

 bark, extracting the oil either from that or the leaves, 

 or the camphor from the roots, except by the servants 

 of government, and by their order, as well as the wil- 

 ful injuring of a cinnamon-plant, were all made crimes, 

 punishable with death, both on the persons committing 

 them, and upon every servant of government who 

 should connive at it.'* 



In order to keep up the price of the spices, the 

 Dutch government was formerly accustomed to have 

 these destroyed, when supposed to be accumulated 

 in too large quantities. Sometimes, it was said, this 

 oriental produce was thrown into the sea, and some- 

 times the work of destruction was accomplished by 

 other means. M. Beaumare relates, that on the 

 10th June, 1760, he beheld, near the Admiralty at 

 Amsterdam, a blazing pile of these aromatics, which 

 were valued at eight millions of livres, and an equal 

 quantity was to be burnt on the ensuing day. The 

 air was perfumed with this incense, the essential 

 oils, freed from their confinement, distilled over, 

 mixing in one spicy stream, which flowed at the feet 

 of the spectators; but no person was suffered to 

 collect any of this, nor on pain of heavy punishment 

 to rescue the smallest quantity of the spice from the 

 wasting element! 



When in its natural state, the cinnamon-tree at- 

 tains to the height of twenty or thirty feet, sending 

 forth large spreading branches, clothed with thick 

 foliage. The leaf, when first developed, is partly of 

 a bright red, and partly of a pale yellow; it soon, 

 however, assumes a verdant hue, and when at its 

 full growth is on the upper surface of a dark olive 

 colour, and on the under side of a lighter green; it 

 somewhat resembles that of the bay, but is longer 



* Bertolacci's Ceylon, p. 241. 



