THE CINNAMON TREE. 



4S3 



that period cinnamon was collected in the forests 

 and jungles, since an idea prevailed that its 

 excellence depended on its spontaneous growth, 

 and that if once subjected to culture, it would 

 no longer he genuine. 



When Talk was appointed governor of Ceylon, 

 he felt the inconvenience of depending for a 

 regular supply on such a resource, the more 

 especially as the greater part of the cinnamon 

 trees lay in the dominions of the king of Candy, 

 who frequently, with or without apparent reason, 

 refused the cinnamon peelers admission into his 

 dominions, and the Dutch were, in consequence, 

 often restricted to less than half their required 

 annual exports. 



Governor Talk, in his attempt to remedy tliis 

 evil, by cultivating the cinnamon tree iu the 

 territory belonging to the Dutch, was discouraged 

 bj' the prejudices of the natives, and discounte- 

 nanced by the parsimony of the Supreme Govern- 

 ment of Batavia. It was said, "for one hundred 

 and fifty years Ceylon had supplied the requisite 

 quantity of cinnamon, the expense of which 

 was ascertained and limited : why then risk the 

 success of a new plan, attended with extraordi- 

 nary cliargos." This public spirited governor 

 nevertheless persevered in his undertaking, and 

 to his success the English owe the flourishing 

 state in which they found the cinnamon planta- 

 tions of Ceylon, when they captured that island. 

 This tree is now cultivated in four or five very 

 large gardens, the extent of which may iu some 

 measure be imagined by the quantity of cinnamon 

 annually exported thence, amounting to more 

 than 400,000 lbs.; and from the number of 

 people who are employed in the cinnamon 

 department, these being from twenty-five to 

 twenty-six thousand persons. 



The trade in this produce had always been a 

 monopoly; during the government of the Dutch, 

 this was enforced with an excessive degree of 

 rigour, at which humanity revolts. It is painful 

 to contemplate man, when greediness for exclu- 

 sive gains, the meanest of all motives, incites 

 him to acts of oppression and tyranny. "The 

 selling or giving away the smallest quantity of 

 cinnamon (even were it but a single stick), the 

 exporting of it, the peeling of the bark, extract- 

 ing tlie 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 wilful injuring of a cinnamon plant, were 

 all made crimes, punishable with death, both ' 

 on the persons committing tliem, 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 sometimes the work of destnio- 

 tion 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 tliis incense, the 

 essential oils, freed from their confinement, dis- 

 tilled 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! 



The cinnamon tree is very difficult to rear in 

 hot-houses in this country. Yet many plants 

 are to be seen, which regularly flower and ripen 

 their seeds in Britain. 



Cassia, or Bastard Cinnamon (I. cassia). Tliis 

 tree is found in China, and several parts of South 

 Asia. It yields the same products as the true 

 cinnamon, but of inferior quality and value; 

 and thus often serves to adulterate the other. 

 What are called cassia buds, are the hexangular, 

 fleshy receptacles of the seeds of the true cinna- 

 mon, and perhaps of the cassia trees. 



The trees which are cultivated are kept as a 

 sort of coppice, and numerous shoots spring 

 apparently from the roots; these are not allowed 

 to rise higher than ten feet. We are told, that 

 when the trees first put forth their flame- 

 coloured leaves and delicate blossoms, the scenery 

 is exquisitely beautiful. In three years after 

 planting, each tree affords one shoot fit for cut- 

 ting, at the fifth year from three to five shoots 

 may be taken; but it requires the vigour of 

 eight years' growth before it yields as many as 

 ten branches of an inch in thickness. From the 

 ages of ten to twelve years is the period of its 

 greatest perfection ; but its duration of life is not 

 limited, as the root spreads, and every year sends 

 up new shoots or suckera. 



Trees which grow in rocky situations, and the 

 young shoots, when the leaves are of a reddish 

 colour, yield tlie best and most pungent aromatic 

 bark. The tree is known to be in the best state 

 when the bark separates easily from the wood, 

 and has the inside covered with a mucilaginous 

 juice; but if that be not carefully removed, the 

 flavour of the spice is injured. The shoots are 

 cut when from half to three-quarters of an inch 

 in thickness, and in lengths of from two to three 

 feet. Many hands are employed in this work ; 

 each man is obliged to furnish a certain quantity 

 of sticks. When this part of his task is fulfilled, 

 he conveys his fragrant load to a shed allotted 

 for the purpose, where the bark is instantly 

 stripped from the wood, and freed from the ep - 

 dermis, which is scraped off. The fragrance dif- 

 fused around, during tliis process, is described as 



