

NATURAL HISTORY. — hi 
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|greateft plenty, and is the peculiar produce of that 
)Hland. “Lhe natives call it rafe coronde,-1.e. tharp, 
\fweetcinnamon. ‘The Dutch Eaftindia company ex- 
}port it annually, under the ftri€teft orders of no other 
/€mnamon being mixed with it. Every fort of cinna- 
mon tree muit grow acertain number of years be- 
|} fore it is ftripped of the bark. Thofe growing in 
_walhies, of a white, fandy foil, will ripen in five years ; 
while others,- found in a wet, flimy foil, will be at 
| teaft feven or-eight years before they can be {tripped : 
_ And fuch as grow in the fhade of larger trees, are not 
venly Jater, but produce a bark not fo {weet or agree- 
able as the more early cinnamon trees. The bad 
€innamon tafies bitter, and fmells like camphire. The 
| fweetnefs is entirely owing to a thin membrane, which 
adheres to the infide of the bark. The flavour dif- 
| @ufes itfelf through the whole fubftance, while the 
cinnamon is drying #m the fun. ‘The fragrancy of 
the {mell, and the iweetnefs of the tafte, have caufed 
this fpice to be coveted by all nations. The bark 
may remain on fome trees, 14, 15, or 16 years, with- 
out fuffering any material diminution 1n its qualities ; 
| but after this period, the tafte and {mell decreafe,, 
and approach to thofe of camphire. The cinnamon 
firippea from trees that are too aged, may be known 
by its being thick, and confequently flat ; from the 
fun not having the power of warping it in the drying. 
The amazing quantities imported into Europe, and 
ether parts of the world, are falfely faid to be pro- 
duced by the trees barking again, in four or five 
years: Lhe real caufe is, that the trees, being cut - 
down tothe ground, {prout branches, which grow, 
_and ripen, fo as to prodtice bark in five, fix, feven, or 
eight years. A fpecies of dove, likewile, contributes 
| greatly to the confiderable produce ef cinnamon. 
Uhefe doves are called cinnamon eaters, from eating 
vaft quantities, and difperfing its fruit over the fields,. 
| for the fubfiftence of their young. ‘Thus is the veg- - 
etation of the cinnamon tree extended over the whole 
land. - 
The oil drawn by fire from cinnamon, is efteemed 
| aS one of our rit cordials. The camphire. which is 
extracted from the root, is'a moft ufeful and valua- 
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