No. 12.— 1860-1.] 



CINNAMON 



375 



throughout the East are descriptive,* and that this, which is 

 a possessive noun, bears the signification of "that which 

 belongs to the Sinhalese " I am disposed to treat it as a 

 plant indigenous to Ceylon. f 



The objections, however, to this are two-fold ; 1st, that 

 although so early as in the days of Moses, " Sweet Cinna- 

 mon" and "Cassia" Avere known, (Exod. xxx. 23, 24,) J yet 

 it is not mentioned as a product of Ceylon until after the 

 Muhammadans commenced a traffic in the Indian seas ; and 

 2ndly, that the "Cinnamon regio" of the ancients is 

 described as the opposite or Eastern Coast of Africa. 



For obvious reasons I feel a very great diffidence in 

 advancing an opinion upon this part of the subject, and 

 would therefore merely suggest for your consideration 

 whether the non-mention of Cinnamon until after the 

 Muhammadans had commenced to trade with Ceylon, may 

 not fairly be attributed to causes § other than the absence 



* Thus, tippilli or 'long-pepper,' goes by the name of Maghada 

 (Behar) the country where it was originally found. So likewise Chma- 

 mul ' caculia eathertica' or China-root is so called after the name 

 of the country from whence it was introduced into Ceylon. 



t "With less evidence in its favour, Dr. Gardener would have us believe, 

 that the coconut palm is indigenous to Ceylon. — Lee's Ribeiro, p. 213. 



X Dr. Royle, having indicated the routes af ancient commerce, con- 

 cludes this part of his subject with some remarks on the place whence 

 the articles were brought into Egypt and Palestine ; and he says : "But 

 Cinnamon and Cassia, nard, calamus, and onycha having been shewn 

 to be peculiar Indian products, known to ancient commerce —there 

 can, I conceive, be no doubt that the West Coast of India, and 

 probably also the Island of Ceylon, were reached eyen in the early 

 time." See Asiatic Journal, vol. xxxviii. p. 156. As between India 

 and Ceylon, w r e have already shewn that Cinnamon was a peculiar 

 product of the latter country. 



§ It may appear strange that so few of the indigenous productions 

 of Ceylon itself are mentioued ; that is to say, only precious stones and 

 pearls, without a single allusion to cinnamon and ivory, with which the 

 Island abounds. This apparent inconsistency, however, is removed when 

 we come to consider the very nature of the Sinhalese commerce ; and 

 at the same time serves to shew the vast extent and importance of the 

 latter. For, as w r e have already seen, the trade of Ceylon consisted for 

 the most part in the exchange of foreign goods, brought thither in great 

 quantities from distant regions ; in comparison with which the sole pro- 

 duce of the Island itself, would seem very trifling and insignificant. 

 Besides, cinnamon grew only in the interior, and not in the northern 

 parts of the Island, to which alone Sopater's visit was confined ; and we 



