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LAUREL. 
nothing in his dominions that could excite their co- 
vetousness. 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.” 
The Island of Ceylon affords several kinds of cin- 
namon trees, which are known by different names : 
stime of these from their appearance may readily be 
mistaken for the true cinnamon, and four of them 
indeed are allowed by government to be barked for 
commercial purposes. We shall not, however, take 
any further notice of these varieties, but confine 
ourselves to the description of the species which 
really constitutes the wealth of Ceylon. This is a 
tree of a small size, from four to ten feet in height : 
the trunk is slender, and has several branches and 
twigs shooting out from it on every side. The wood 
is soft, light, and porous, in appearance much re- 
sembling that of our osier ; and, when barked, it 
makes good fire-wood, for which purpose it is com- 
monly used. A vast number of roots and fibres run 
from the root of the tree, and, shooting up into slen- 
der twigs, form a bush around it. The leaf resem- 
bles the laurel, and is at first scarlet, but afterwards 
changes to a green. It is deserving of remark, that 
the leaves taste and smell strongly of cloves, and that 
an essential oil has been distilled from them, with 
all the properties of that spice, while that obtained 
from the wood is decidedly of the flavour of cin- 
namon. 
We learn from Mr. Percival that the blossom of 
