VANILLA OF THE ISLAND OF BOURBON. 
175 
ART. XLIIT. — ON THE VANILLA OF THE ISLAND OF BOURBON. 
By M. Bouchardat. 
The greater portion of the vanilla we receive comes 
from the maritime countries of Mexico ; it also grows on 
the banks of creeks shaded by the mangoes, which are 
sometimes under water at high tide ; also in Colombia, and 
in Guiana. Attempts have been made to cultivate it at 
Cayenne, St. Domingo, and the Isle of France. These 
efforts have also been followed in the Island of Bourbon. 
M. Menier has lately received two boxes of vanilla from 
this colony, and has forwarded a specimen of it to me, 
which gave rise to the following investigations on the sub- 
ject. 
The vanilla of the Island of Bourbon is certainly pro- 
duced by the same plant as that of Mexico; the husks 
present the same general characters ; they are from six to 
seven inches long, shrivelled, furrowed longitudinally, nar- 
rowest at the two extremities, and bent at the base. These 
husks are rather soft, viscous, of a reddish brown color ; 
they possess in a considerable degree the characteristic 
odor of vanilla; they readily become covered with the 
white crystalline efflorescence. 
The vanilla of Bourbon only differs from that of Mexico 
in the following unimportant characters ; it is generally 
less plump, from one-third to two-thirds of an inch shorter, 
and rather thinner. Its color is redder, and not so brown ; 
it is drier and less unctuous. Above all, it is distinguished 
by the characters of the extremities, which dry up and con- 
tract, losing that flexibility so characteristic in the Mexican 
variety. These differences, which are very trifling, suffice 
to render the vanilla of Bourbon less valuable in a com- 
mercial point of view. I am of opinion that these differ- 
ences arise partially from the mode of preparation or pre- 
servation of them ; for instance, in the manner of drying 
the husks, and in the coating of them with oil. In general 
