338 
THE ISLAND OF CEYLON, 
procured from the interior; and what is brought thence is 
coarser and thicker in the appearance, and of a hot and pun- 
gent taste. The interior is not so well adapted by nature for 
producing this plant ; and the exactions and avarice of the 
Dutch, as we have already mentioned, at length reduced the 
King of Candy to such desperation, that he resolved to secure 
himself against their future attacks, by leaving nothing in his 
dominions which could excite their covetousness. With this 
view he has, since the last treaty he was forced to make 
with them, employed every means to prevent the growth 
and propagation of the cinnamon tree. 
As this spice constitutes the wealth of Ceylon, great 
pains are taken to ascertain its quality, and to propagate the 
choicest kinds. The prime sort, and that which grows in 
the gardens around Coiumbo, is procured from the laurus 
cinnamomum. This is a tree of a small size, from four to ten 
feet in height: the trunk is slender, and like several of our 
shrubs, a number of branches and twigs shoot out from it on 
every side. The wood is soft, light, and porous, in appear- 
ance much resembling that of our osier ; and when barked it 
is chiefly fit for fuel, to which use it is commonly converted. It 
is, however, sometimes sawed into planks, and manufactured 
into caddies and other pieces of furniture ; but its scent does 
not secure it from the attacks of the worms. A vast number 
of roots and fibres run out from the. root of the tree, and 
shooting up into slender twigs, form a bush around it. 
The leaf a good deal resembles that of the laurel in shape., 
4 
