504 MYRISTICE^. 



appraised per ounce at 3 sols 8 deniers, equal to about 8s. dd. of our 

 present money. ^ 



The use of these spices was diffused throughout Europe long before 

 the Portuguese in 1512 had discovered the mother-plant in the isles of 

 Banda. The Portuguese held the trade of the Spice Islands for about 

 a century, when it was wrested from them by the Dutch, who pursued 

 the same policy of exclusiveness that they had folio vv^ed in the case of 

 cloves and cinnamon. In order to secure their monopoly, they endea- 

 voured to limit the trees to Banda and Amboyna, and to exterminate 

 them elsewhere, which in fact they did at Ceram and the small neigh- 

 bouring islands of Kelang and Nila. So completely was the spice 

 trade in their hands, that the crops of sixteen years were said to be at 

 one time in their warehouses, those of recent years being never thrown 

 on the market. Thus the crop of 1744 was being sold in 1760, in which 

 year an immense quantity of nutmegs and cloves was burned at 

 Amsterdam lest the price should fall too low.- 



During the occupation of the Spice Islands by the English from 

 1796 to 1802, the culture of the nutmeg was introduced into Bencoolen 

 and Penang,^ and many years afterwards into Singapore. Extensive 

 plantations of nutmeg-trees were formed in the two islands last named, 

 and by a laborious and costly system of cultivation were for many 

 years highly productive.^ In 1860 the trees were visited by a de- 

 structive blight, which the cultivators were powerless to arrest, and 

 which ultimately led to the ruin of the plantations, so that in 1867 

 there was no such thing as nutmeg cultivation either in Penang or 

 Singapore.^ 



Though so long valued in Europe and Asia, neither nutmegs nor 

 mace seem to have been employed in former times as a condiment in 

 the islands where they are indigenous.® 



Collection and Preparation — Almost the whole surface of the 

 Banda Isles, observes Mr. Wallace,'' is planted with nutmeg-trees, which 

 thrive under the shade of the lofty Canarium commune. The light 

 volcanic soil, the shade, and the excessive moisture of these islands, 

 where it rains more or less every month in the year, seem exactly to 

 suit the nutmeg-tree, which requires no manure and scared}'' any 

 attention. 



In Bencoolen* the trees bear all the year round, but the chief harvest 

 takes place in the later months of the year, and a smaller one in April, 



^ Leber, Appreciation de la fortune priv4e as 85s. to 90s. per lb. ; — to these rates must 



au moyen age, ed. 2, 1847. 95. be added the duty of 7s. \d. per lb. 



2 Valmont de Bomare, Dirt, d'llistoire * Seemaun, Hooker^a Journ. of Bot. iv. 



Nat. iv. (1775) 297.— This author -srrites as (1852) S3. 



an eye-witness of the destruction he has ^ CoUingwood in Journ. of Linnean So- 

 recorded: — "Le 10 Juin 1760, j'en ai vu a ciefy, Bot., x. (1869) 45. 

 Amsterdam, pres de I'Amiraute, un feu * Crawfurd, Dictionary of the Indian 

 dont I'aliment 4toit estirae huit millions /sZa;^(Zs, 1856. 304. — Much additional infor- 

 argent de France : on devoit en brftler mation will be found in this work, 

 autant le lendemain. Les pieds des spec- "^ The Malay Archipelago, i. (1869) 452. 

 tateurs baignoient dans I'huile essentielle — See also Bickmore, Travels in the East 

 de ces substances ..." Indian ArchipeJ.ago, 1868. 225. 



' How tempting the cultivation must « Lumsdaiue, Pharm. Journ. xi. (1852) 

 have appeared, may be judged from the 516. For further information on the ma- 

 price of mace, which we find quoted on the nagementof nutmegplantationsin Sumatra, 

 3rd January 1806, in the London Price consult the original paper. 

 Current (which gives only import prices). 



