Jïiàs hóes ^otally ptetofeited spice the island -dum^. ; îpâtsr-,
isessiani. $g
1.'>Tfe€^BamlsCTe|al differmtrspeéiesnof cinnamon trees on the
island ;; iat -îeasîfcy trees Itohiehülbq appearance resemble? them:-
JFour i sorts however sane alom: barked, <arid ;all these are species .oif
thé plant I have all along been describing; the laurus mmamomuM-
CHnnamon is ibabwh among the natives tyf ’4h« name of curundu,
and it is' foÿ vât-ionsoeféthêts jo in e d to tins, %ppejlati<a*4hat the
several kinds ^rfti idistófi|^sbeai. alFh^rriisse curundu, or honey-
cinnamon, is -distinguished -]by eitedarge^ broads >lbfek :leaw^
and is acctotnted to havèiithëi<fineét flavour, The naixmrimdùi,
or snake cinnamon, !has ah a large leaves, and is«®ot; gpfeally
inferior in quality to the fertoerl. Ufaecapuru cwrradw, or camphor
cinnamon, is an iafepor jspecids : its root yields camphor
by ^distillation ; or if an iöèisipn fbe rmade in it, a gummy
substance containing camphor distils ©f itself from.u0ef ^ rm d .
The cabatte curundu is /an astringent species c f cinnamon, hârsli
tp tthé taste, with rather smaller leaves thari the former -spits.
These four are the; only species of. cinüamon-tree 'whiöhtprö-
duces this Spice of aY good quality, or indeed which aréneyer
allowed to be barked by th e servants of government. There
are some other varieties -which are easily distinguishable}^ The
saevel curundu has its bark of a soft, fibrous texture,: neither
só eompact nor so firm as those already mentioned, but easily
bending without breaking; when chewed fit leaves/a, slimy muGUS
in the mouth. The dcuuml curundu, or flat cinnamon, receives
its name from the hark, on being dried, not rolling itself »together,
but remaining flat. The nica curundu is distinguished
by its long narrow leaves. These are the only species which
5
even, from appearance run any risk of being cpnfounded with
' ' tile (prdp.ett-Jeijmflmon.
i k i T i i p s s g e s s e d / i l ^ l t h e ÎPqta&Ü- ninpyrirm grew
as vwell’ds natives-vthate.in'tthfe state, alone it'Apts to be found
i#pdrfeption.fJ ande-thato'. upon, »being plantedti t ||gygc;failed>to
dfegëneratei t^lié^^©paga#É^so6lth^sïteiiM A jC wMi
tributdfl, to o tfogi birds, whb» is wallow -the berrjes,* .but the kernels
f|Qfc- t disshl'vângÎïn) theii^tàmàehslàrfirthro^i ;%pd thfts j dis»; ;
pgrsed up ùfid doAra'wher€afeR>Æeg8yrd^phapéei3tp,;fly»f During
, tlëKèoiiirSeéï'o# the last .’eenturyjo howèyeCÿ;.v§|iperi€nGe;has shewn :
’ that thé* cultivated xâhnâmon i» esjeryj ; wn-jto equal to the .wild.
Tfië-Dùtchcg&vernot, Falk, ufirsto attempted to;'?teM cimiamnyp
trees by arttein his gardèh a t Pass near , Golumbc);; and . sppn
raised: indhapispot a plantatioprof®everal thousands, Ayhjoh yielded
ehmamon of the first qiiahtyi AfteffgttfiSjihe employed flip.- sam^
me^spseto- extend the cinnamon gardens aroundrColumbo, and
fot».-? Thi^juseful ^hm 1#!. have
, tendered his memory .highly .MbSteemedi; -and jhe jis still xemenj-
bered b n ; the island as One who preferred the public, benefit to
li#tewh private interest j i the : oflly ; character fit tp preside oyct
aSeolony. . koweArer;- did toot follow h is example;
Mtting andqcoUetMtog .the cinnamon, seemed to .b e théir pidy
care, and they Avereoatslittlë trouble mid expence (either to in-«
éteëse bn '^dÉÊiiitiie^ the PiStipplyi, t Thqi -woods , - were therefore
fôind^hÿ^tisâin a . neglected and exhausted state ; bu t we were
fbftu1iatoifeiA0u|;h| on takirigüCoèaiirbo,t-- to find stored, upitherg
a vâsf ' quantity of cinnamon which thèy had • not had; an oppoy-t
tuiiity to- send off to p Europe. , » The-styictest attention, is, now
paid to the1 cinnamon, gardens by governori?North. ,;§ince his
Y t