CLOVE AND CINNAMON. 
31 
in height from five to twenty feet. The form of the tree is 
conical, and the branches grow at nearly right angles with 
the trunk, and they begin to shoot a few inches above the 
ground. The plantation contains nearly four thousand trees, 
and each tree yields, on an average, six pounds of cloves a 
year. They are carefully picked by hand, and then dried in 
the shade; we saw numbers of slaves standing on ladders, 
gathering the fruit, while others were at work clearing the 
ground of dead leaves. The whole is in the finest order, 
presenting a picture of industry, and admirable neatness and 
beauty. 
"It is pretty generally known that the Dutch, for nearly 
three centuries, have been deriving great commercial advan- 
tages by their exclusive possession of those islands in the 
Indian Archipelago which produce the nutmeg and clove 
trees. In order to appropriate these spices to themselves, 
they either destroyed or enslaved those people who possessed 
them. They uprooted numberless trees, and even burned 
the fruit which they had already prepared, lest, by bringing 
a large quantity into the market, the price might be reduced, 
though it was in their own hands. Such barbarian avarice 
excited the indignation of many, who longed to foil and after- 
wards laugh at their policy. 
"M. Poivre, who had visited many parts of Asia, in the 
character of naturalist and philosopher, availing himself of the 
official station he held as Governor of Mauritius, or Isle of 
France, sent to the least frequented of the Moluccas in search 
of those precious plants. Those whom he had commissioned 
were successful in the enterprise, and on the 27th of June, 
1770, returned to the Isle of France, with four hundred and 
fifty nutmeg, and seventy clove tree stalks, ten thousand nut- 
megs in blossom, or ready to blossom, and a box in which 
clove seeds were planted, many of which were above the 
earth. Two years afterwards, he obtained even a larger 
supply. 
"Some of the plants were sent to the Sechelles, to Bourbon, 
and to Cayenne, but a greater number were retained in the 
