522 LAURACE^. 



of Garcia, saw branches of the cinnamon-tree as early as 1571 at Bristol 

 and in Holland. 



At this period cinnamon was cut from trees growing wild in the 

 foi-ests in the interior of Ceylon, the bark being exacted as tribute from 

 the Singhalese kings by the Portuguese. A peculiar caste called challas, 

 who are said to have emigrated from India to Ceylon in the 13th 

 century, and who in after-times became cinnamon-peelers, delivered the 

 bark to the Portuguese. The cruel oppression of these chalias was not 

 mitigated by the Dutch, who from the year 1656 were virtually masters 

 of the whole seaboard, and conceded the cinnamon trade to their East 

 India Company as a profitable monopoly, which the Company exercised 

 with the greatest severity.' The bark previous to shipment was 

 minutely examined by special officers, to guard against frauds on the 

 part of the chalias. 



About 1770 De Koke conceived the happy idea, in opposition to the 

 universal prejudice in favour of wild-growing cinnamon, of attempting 

 the cultivation of the tree. This project was carried out under Gover- 

 nors Falck and Van der Graff with extraordinary success, so that the 

 Dutch were able, independently of the kingdom of Kandy, to furnish 

 about 400,000 lb. of cinnamon annually, thereby supplying the entire 

 European demand. In fact, they completely ruled the trade, and would 

 even burn the cinnamon in Holland, lest its unusual abundance should 

 reduce the price. 



After Ceylon had been wrested from the Dutch by the English in 

 1796, the cinnamon trade became the monopoly of the English East 

 India Company, who then obtained more cinnamon from the forests, 

 especially after the year 1815, when the kingdom of Kandy fell under 

 British rule. But though the cJudias had much increased in numbers, 

 the yearly production of cinnamon does not appear to have exceeded 

 500,000 lb. The condition of the unfortunate chalias was not amelio- 

 rated until 1833, when the monopoly granted to the Company was 

 finally abolished, and Government, ceasing to be the sole exporters of 

 cinnamon, permitted the merchants of Colombo and Galle to share in 

 the trade. 



Cinnamon however was still burdened with an export duty equal to 

 a third or a half of its value; in consequence of which and of the com- 

 petition with cinnamon raised in Java, and with cassia from China and 

 other places, the cultivation in Ceylon began to suffer. This duty was 

 not removed until 1853. 



The earliest notice of cinnamon in connexion with Northern Europe 

 that we have met with, is the diploma granted by Chilperic II., king of 

 the Franks, to the monastery of Corbie inNormand}^ a.d. 716, in which 

 provision is made for a certain supply of spices and grocery, including 

 5 lb. of Cinnamon.'^ 



The extraordinary value set on cinnamon at this period is remarkably 

 illustrated by some letters written from Italy, in which mention is here 

 and there incidentally made of presents of spices and incense.* Thus 

 in A.D. 745, Gemmulus, a Roman deacon, sends to Boniface, archbishop 

 of Mayence (" cinn magnd revere ntid"), 4 ounces of Cinnariion, 4 



1 Tennent, op. cit.n. 52. ^Jaffe, Bibliotlieca Eenim Germanicarum , 



- Faidessus, Diplomata, etc., Paris, 1849. Berlin, iii. (ISO'G) 154. 199. 214. 216-8. 109. 

 ii. 3(J9. 



