46 PERUVIAN BARK. 
Jesuits, that were settled in South America. They 
had been instructed in the use of it by the inhabitants 
of Peru, to whom it had long been known ; and it 
continued, for many years, to be a lucrative article of 
commerce to them. For its officinal name of cinchona 
it was indebted to the lady of a Spanish Viceroy, the 
Countess del Cinchon, who, about 170 years ago, de- 
rived great benefit from taking it. 
The tree from which it is obtained grows sponta- 
neously, and in great abundance, in several of the 
mountainous forests of Quito and Peru. The proper 
time for cutting it is from September to November, the 
only season during which there is any considerable 
intermission from rain. The Indians, as soon as they 
have discovered a spot where the trees are in sufficient 
number, build a few huts for themselves, and one large 
hut for containing the bark, to preserve it from wet. 
They then go forth, each furnished with a large knife, 
and a bag which will hold about fifty pounds' weight 
of bark. Each tree occupies two men. They first 
cut or slice down the bark as far from the ground as 
they can reach. They then tie to the tree several 
sticks a little distance apart, and each about half a 
yard in length, to serve as a ladder by which they can 
ascend to the upper part, always slicing ofFthe bark as 
far as they can reach, before they fix a new step. In 
this manner one of the two mounts to the top, whilst 
the man below collects what his companion cuts. To 
relieve each other, they ascend the different trees by 
turns ; and they are generally able to fill their bags 
once in the course of the day. When they return to 
their huts, they spread out the bark to dry, and they 
are very careful to preserve it from wet, which would 
greatly injure it. 
There are three sorts of bark in use : the pale, the 
red, and the yellow. Of these the two last have re- 
cently been discovered. The red is now very scarce, 
and is seldom brought into Europe. The pale bark is 
