THE ISLAND OF CEYLON. 
34 /' 
to exceed stout writing paper in thickness. It is of a 
light yellowish colour; it possesses a sweet taste, not so 
hot as to occasion pain, and not succeeded by any after-taste. 
The inferior kind is distinguished by being thicker, of a 
darker and brownish colour, hot and pungent when chewed, 
and succeeded by a disagreeable bitter after- taste. 
After the quality of the cinnamon has been by this 
means ascertained, it is made up into large bundles, each 
about four feet long, and all of the same weight. The 
weight of each bundle is at the time of packing up eighty- 
five pounds, although it is marked and reckoned for only 
eighty pounds; five pounds being allowed for the loss by 
drying during the voyage. The bundles are firmly bound 
and packed up in coarse cloths made of strong hemp or 
from the cocoa-tree; and are then carried on board the 
ships which touch at Ceylon for that purpose. In stowing 
the bales, black pepper is sprinkled among them so as to 
fill up all the interstices, and by this means not only is 
the cinnamon preserved, but both spices improved ; as the 
pepper, being of a hot and dry quality attracts to itself 
the moisture of the cinnamon. As the island of Ceylon 
does not produce within itself a sufficient quantity of pepper 
for this purpose, the ships which come to carry the cin- 
namon to Europe, bring along with them a sufficient 
quantity from the other parts of India, and particularly 
from the Malabar coast. 
After that part of the cinnamon which is fit for expor- 
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