ISLAND OF CEYLON. 225 



" are weighed, and received by the company as payment of the 

 ** aflelTment or tax impofed on thefe people by government. 

 " A man muft be a very good hand indeed, that can gather 

 " thirty pounds of cinnamon in a day ; whence it is eafily 

 " calculated, how many perfons it will take to gather ten or 

 " twelve million pounds, and that too of the belt ; for what 

 " is brought in is looked over before it is weighed, and the 

 " refvife of it burned. 



<* At the time for gathering this drug, the company are 

 " obliged to draw out a cordon of feventy-two miles in cir- 

 " cumference ; and as there are a great many of thefe corps de 

 *' garde, it follows that the company muft pay a great many 

 *' 'Europeans, as well as Cingalefe. Thefe cinnamon barkers are 

 " under the command of a captain, called a Malabadde, and are 

 " diftributed into four different claiTes. All the Cbiliafes muft 

 " be ready at all times to work at the Governor's command, for 

 " on him it depends how much is to be barked and delivered in; 

 ** and this again depends on the demand for it from Europe" 



This important article of luxury was well known to the an- 

 tients. The Greeks called it YLmxyMi^ov, and fometimes HuAo>:a(r<«, 

 or Cajia Lignea, and Kao-o-ia c-i^ty^, to the bark, from the pipe- 

 hke form it aftlimed by the rolling up. V/e have applied the 

 word Ca^Jia to the inferior cinnamons of Malabar and Su' 

 matra. 



The Romans called it Cinnamo7num, but generally with fome 

 addition. The Xy/o-cinnomomum, or the wood, we are told by 

 Pliny, was fold for twenty denarii, or twelve fnillings and eleven 

 pence /^r pound. The juice, or exprefted oil, at one thoufand 



Vol. L G g denarii, 



