o<\  MONTHLY. 
S 
Vol.  XV.]  COLOMBO,  SEPT.  2nd,  1895.  [No.  3. 
CINNAMON  OF  CEYLON. 
HE  following  interesting  paper 
is  specially  contributed  by  Mr. 
Peter  oe  Abrew,  of  Colombo 
a Fellow  of  the  Imperial 
Institute  : — 
The  island  of  Ceylon  has 
always  been  noted  for  its 
cinnamon  C Lauras  Cinna- 
momumj,  a spice  which  finds  a ready  market  in 
Europe,  especially  in  its  southern  countries,  Spain 
and  Italy.  The  South  American  States  use  it  chiefly 
for  incense,  and  other  countries  purchase  it  for 
chemical  and  confectionery  purposes. 
A species  of  cinnamon  grows  in  the  Malabar 
coast  of  Iirdia,  Manilla,  Cochin  China,  Sumatra, 
Leeward  Islands,  Bourbon,  Brazil,  Arakan,  and  in 
some  parts  of  Queensland,  but  the  quality  of  the 
spire  grown  at  tho.ro  pi  ices  ii  far  inferior  to  that 
produced  in  this  island  of  “ spicy  breezes,”  and  its 
markctaV'le  value  does  n-^t  compare  favorably  with 
ours.  Ceylon  cinnamon  was  at  one  time  a con- 
siderable source)  of  revenue  to  the  Government  of 
the  island,  but  now,  owing  to  the  lowness  of  the 
price,  its  value  in  tlds  respect  i.s  comparatively 
small. 
As  f.ar  back  as  the  time  of  Augustus  Crosar,  the 
Hjinans  had  communication  with  India,  and  it  is 
said  that  they  traded  largely  in  cinuamon  obtained 
from  Ceylon.  A pound  of  it  is  recorded  to  have 
fetched  as  much  as  £8  at  Rmie.  Its  va'ue  now  is 
about  7Jd.  per  lb. 
When  the  island  was  invaded  bj  the  Portuguese, 
the  Sinhalese  king,  who  lived  not  far  from  Colombo, 
paid  an  annual  tribute  of  seven  thousand  pounds 
of  cinnamon  to  the  European  invaders.  There  is 
no  authentic  record  to  show  how  the  native  monarchs 
caused  the  spice  to  be  prepared,  but  it  is  known 
that  they  were  very  jealous  of  foreigners  knowing 
the  modus  operandi.  n 1602  the  king  of  Kandy  sent, 
as  a present,  some  pepper  and  cinnamon  to  the 
king  of  Holland. 
When  the  Dutch  held  sway  here,  they,  knowing 
the  value  of  the  spice,  paid  much  attention  to  the 
cultivation  and  production  of  it.  Finding  it  to  be 
more  profitable  than  they  expected.  His  Excellency 
Governor  Fa'ck  in  1G70,  encouraged  the  industry 
and  the  systemati ) cultivation  of  cinnamon.  His 
successors  were  much  benefited  by  his  labours  ; they 
reaped  rich  harvests  before  they  eventually  left 
the  island,  but  did  not  pay  any  attention  to  the 
preservation  of  the  shrubs. 
When  the  British  first  occupied  the  island  they 
found  the  gardens  neglected,  and  His  Excellency 
Sir  Frederick  North  set  about  putting  matters  to 
rights  and  encouraged  the  development  of  the 
cultivation. 
Cinnamon  grows  in  both  the  low  and  the  high 
districts  of  the  island.  In  the  former  it  thrives 
well  in  a loose  sandy  soil,  and  its  qualicj  is  of  a 
superior  and  more  marketable  grade  than  that  found 
at  higher  elevations.  As  at  present  cultivated,  it  is 
not  allowed  to  grow  to  more  than  the  size  of  a 
shrub.  The  slender  sticks,  from  which  the  bark  is 
to  be  peeled  to  make  the  cinnamon  of  commerce, 
are  cut  down  us  soon  as  they  reach  a height  of 
five  or  six  feet. 
There  are  records  that  pieces  of  furniture  have 
been  made  from  the  wood  of  the  full-grown  cinua- 
mon tree,  but  that  must  have  been  prior  to  the 
introduction  of  the  present  method  of  cultivation. 
The  wood  is  white  and  light,  and  is  used  for  fuel. 
It  is  que.stionablo  whether  it  would  be  suited  to  the 
making  of  furniture  even  if  allowed  to  develop  fully. 
Tlij  leaf,  when  tender,  is  d.uk  red  or  s arlet.  As 
it  matures  it  gets  to  be  deep  green.  The  b'ossom 
is  a very  pretty  white  one. 
The  fruit  is  somewhat  I kn  an  acorn,  but  not  so 
large.  When  ripe  it  used  to  be  gathered  up  and 
put  in  nurseries  for  germination,  but  ti.is  is  seldom 
done  now.  Says  an  old  historian ; — “ 
“ It  is  gathered  by  the  natives  for  the  purpose  of 
“ex’racting  oil  from  it.  The  process  they  employ 
“ is  to  bruise  the  fruit,  boil  it,  and  skim  off  the  oil. 
" This  they  use  for  the  hair  and  body  on  great 
