[ 869 } 
liber at i one fern el triennio fadla ; n;n enim putfrrenaf- 
citur cortex feme l detrattus. 
This (hews, that the bark was gathered every 
three years : but Mr. Ray was not acquainted, that 
the plant was cut down, in order to take off the 
bark, once in three years. 
In the account above mentioned to be given to the 
Society by Dr. Watfon, no defcriptions are given 
either of the plants of Ceylon, or Malabar j but he 
quotes Burman, who fays, that he had nine different 
forts of Cinnamon from Ceylon, of which that, 
which is the heft, is brought to us, and called by 
the name Raffe Coronde. 
What the differences between thefe forts were, 
does not appear whether in leaf or bark, or manner 
of culture. And I muff obferve, that in all the 
fpecimens in the Britifh Mufeum I could obferve 
no difference of fpecies. But this is to be under- 
flood, that every fort coming from Ceylon is, by the 
Dutch and by the fh ops, called Cinnamon ; and that 
of our own growth is by them always called Caffia. 
The reafon is obvious. 
The fpecimens, which I now produce, of the 
Canella or bark of the Cinnamon of Sumatra, I pro- 
cured in the year 1 755. from Mr. Tho. Combes, a 
gentleman then in the fervice of the Eaft India 
Company in Sumatra, by means of a friend. 
I was then attempting to form a fociety for the 
carrying on a General Natural Hiftory, to try proper 
experiments, and to employ proper painters and en- 
gravers fuitable to the importance of the fubjeCt; and 
therefore attempted to eftablifh a correfpondence in 
thofe parts, whofe productions are as yet little known 
to the publi:. 
I men- 
