Philosophical transactions, Vol. L. Part II. For the year 1758. / Giving some account of the present undertakings, studies, and labours, of the ingenious, in many considerable parts of the world.

by Various; Royal Society

IN regard to the first article of your paper, now before me, which is the inquiry desired to be made concerning the spices, I am of opinion, that the true Cinnamon grows no-where but on the island of Ceylon, unless Cassia be allowed to be the same tree, which I am inclined to think.

Nº. 9. contains seeds of the Cassia or wild Cinnamon-tree. As for the seeds of the true Cinnamon-tree, I believe they are very difficult to be got; for as the Dutch are the sole masters of this spice, and get a good deal of money by it, I fancy, according to their usual custom, they have very well guarded against the transplantation of it. I hope however, that these seeds will not be unacceptable to the society, as Cassia itself is of some value; and as I am very doubtful, whether this tree is not the same with the true Cinnamon, being of opinion, that the difference observed in them arises from the different method of curing their barks, or from the taking the bark from different parts of the tree, or at different seasons, or of different ages, or perhaps all these.

I have made inquiry concerning this from some very intelligent persons, and found them to be of opinion, that the Cassia and Cinnamon-tree were of the same genus. I have inquired further concerning the method of curing it at Ceylon; but as this is done by the natives, the Dutch are not very well acquainted with it; nor could I obtain any good account of it, different people giving me different relations. Some said, it was the inner bark, some the middle, and some the outer; tho’ of the young branches, they seemed in general to agree, that it was gathered at a certain season of the year, and that one part of the cure was burying it in sand for some time. This may be tried with Cassia, and may perhaps take away that viscosity or glutinous quality observed by chewing it, and which is the principal mark for distinguishing it from Cinnamon. As to their chemical oils, I have heard many people say, that they are not distinguishable otherwise, than that from Cinnamon is generally better, or, as it may be called, stronger, than that from Cassia; and accordingly bears a better price. But the Dutch company’s chemist at Batavia, if I may give him this title, informed me, that they are essentially different, and plainly distinguishable. But I must confess myself very doubtful of the knowlege or veracity of this chemist, and strongly suspect, that they are no otherwise different than in goodness, as many other oils drawn from the same subject are.

I observe the price of Cassia is greatly risen in England within these two or three years; but whether this be owing to an increase in the consumption, or a decrease in the importation of this commodity, I cannot say.

The Dutch government of Batavia has this year, in some new regulations of their trade, prohibited to all persons the dealing in any of the fine quilled sort of Cassia, and declared the same to be contraband, and reserved for their company only; and put it upon the same footing as their Cinnamon.

What reasons induced them to this, I am yet a stranger to; but it makes me suspect, that the rise of this commodity in Europe is owing to some other cause than a deficiency in the importation thereof. Perhaps some discovery has been made rendering Cassia equal to Cinnamon.

In Persia, I think, they make not so great a difference between them as elsewhere; and I myself, for want of Cinnamon here for some months past, made use of the fine quilled Cassia; and the difference I observe between them I imagine to arise rather from the greenness and want of dryness in the Cassia, than any thing else, or perhaps from the method of curing it: for if there happens to be a little too much Cassia put into my chocolate (and other things I use in it), a little bitterish taste arises, something like what we meet with in most barks; tho’ I do not remember to have observed this of Cinnamon: but as to its boiling to a jelly, as Quincy mentions, I find no such thing, and think it bears boiling as well as Cinnamon. Nor do I think its distilled water more subject to an empyreuma than that of Cinnamon.

I have inquired of the country people here, who bring it us, and they tell me the finest sort is the inner bark of the small branches; and indeed that it is the inner bark, I think, is evident in Cinnamon as well as Cassia; no outer bark of the youngest branches of any tree having, in my opinion, that smooth surface observable in both these barks.

I once thought, that it was better to take the bark from the body of the tree than from the branches, imagining that the bark from the trunk or body of all trees must in general be stronger, let its natural taste be what it will, than from its branches. This I find to be so in Cassia; and I have been informed, that the large ligneous pieces of Cassia have afforded rather more oil in distillation than the fine quilled sort, their weight being equal; but upon trial I could not make the bark from the trunk curl or roll up, as it ought to do, owing, as I suppose, to my unskilfulness, or to rigidity, or the natural position of its fibres; for the bark of the younger branches curled of itself, wanting hardly any other assistance than the sun.

I have already observed, that Cassia is found in chewing to have a viscidness, which Cinnamon has not. I have endeavoured to remove this in a little I send you, marked B: pray let me know, if it answers; and be assured, it was taken from the younger branches of the tree, of which I send you the seeds.