127. _CINNAMON is the under bark of the branches of a tree of the bay
tribe_ (Laurus cinnamomum, Fig. 40,) _which is chiefly found in the
island of Ceylon, but which also grows in Malabar and other parts of the
East Indies._
_This tree attains the height of twenty or thirty feet. Its leaves are
oval, each from four to six inches long, and marked with three principal
nerves. The flowers stand on slender footstalks, and are of pale yellow
colour; and the fruit is somewhat shaped like an acorn._
There are two principal seasons of the year in which the Ceylonese enter
their woods for the purpose of barking the cinnamon trees. The first of
these commences in April, and the last in November: but the former is that
in which the great crop is obtained. In this operation the branches of
three years' growth are cut down, and the outside pellicle of the bark is
scraped away. The twigs are then ripped up lengthways with a knife, and the
bark is gradually loosened till it can be entirely taken off. It is then
cut into slices, which, on being exposed to the sun, curl up in drying. The
smaller pieces or quills, as they are called, are inserted into the larger
ones, and the whole are afterwards tied into bundles.
Cinnamon is examined and arranged, according to its quality, by persons
who, for this purpose, are obliged to taste and chew it. This is a very
troublesome and disagreeable work; and few persons are able to continue it
more than two or three days successively, as the cinnamon deprives the
tongue and lips of all the mucus with which they are covered. After this
examination, the bundles are made up to the length of about four feet, and
weight of eighty-eight pounds each.
From the roots of the trees numerous offsets shoot up. These, when they
have attained the height of about ten feet, are cut down and barked, being
then about the thickness of a common walking-stick. The cinnamon which they
yield is much finer than any other.
A French ship, bound in 1782, from the island of Bourbon, to Cape François
in St. Domingo, and having on board various oriental productions, the
cinnamon tree among the rest, was taken by the late Admiral Rodney, who
presented the trees to the assembly of Jamaica; and, from this parent
stock, different parts of that island were afterwards supplied. In Ceylon
the cinnamon trees are said to be so common as to be used for fuel and
other domestic purposes.
The smell of cinnamon, particularly of the thinnest pieces, is delightfully
fragrant; and its taste is pungent and aromatic, with considerable
sweetness and astringency. If infused in boiling water in a covered vessel,
it gives out much of its grateful flavour, and forms an agreeable liquid.
An oil is extracted from cinnamon, which is heavier than water. This is
prepared in Ceylon, and almost wholly from the small and broken pieces. It
is, however, obtained in such small quantity that the oil of cassia (128)
is generally substituted for it. Indeed the cassia bark is often
substituted for cinnamon, to which it has considerable resemblance,
although, in its qualities, it is much weaker, and although it is
immediately distinguishable by its slimy taste.
The virtues of cinnamon are not confined to the bark. The _leaves_, the
_fruit_, and the _root_ all yield oil of considerable value. That from the
fruit is highly fragrant, of thick consistence, and, in Ceylon, was
formerly made into candles for the exclusive use of the king.
128. _WILD CINNAMON, or CASSIA, is the bark of a tree of the bay tribe_
(Laurus cassia), _which grows in the East Indies and China, and is
distinguished by having spear-shaped leaves, each with three nerves._
This _bark_ was well known to the ancients, and highly esteemed by them:
but, since the use of cinnamon has been generally adopted, the cassia bark
has fallen into disrepute on account of its inferiority. It is thicker and
more coarse than cinnamon, of weaker quality, and abounds more with a
viscid mucilaginous matter. For many purposes, however, cassia, as being
much less expensive, is substituted for cinnamon, but more particularly for
the preparation of what is called oil of cinnamon: and nearly the whole of
what is at present sold under the name either of simple or spirituous
cinnamon water is prepared from cassia.
The _buds_, as well as the _bark_, of this tree are used in culinary
preparations, and for several other purposes. They are chiefly imported
from China.
129. _CAMPHOR is a white resinous production of peculiar and powerful
smell, which is extracted from two or three kinds of trees of the bay
tribe that grow in the islands of the East Indies, and in China._
_Of these the principal is_ Laurus camphora (Fig. 41). _It is of
considerable height, much branched, and has spear-shaped leaves, with
nerves, of pale yellowish green colour on the upper side, and bluish
green beneath. The flowers are small and white, and stand on stalks which
issue from the junction of the leaves and branches._
Camphor is found in every part of the trees; in the interstices of the
perpendicular fibres, and in veins of the wood; in the crevices and knots,
in the pith, and in the roots. The modes by which it is extracted differ in
different countries. In Borneo and Sumatra, the largest pieces are picked
out with sharp instruments; and the smaller ones are procured by rasps, to
which, along with bits of wood and other impurities, they adhere. The
Chinese cut off the branches, chop them very small, and place them in
spring water for some days. They then put them into a kettle, and boil them
for a certain time, during which they keep constantly stirring them with a
stick. As soon as the camphor, in a white and frosted appearance, is
observed to adhere to the stick, the whole is strained. The liquor is
subsequently poured into a basin, and, after some hours, the camphor
coagulates into a solid mass.
In Japan it is usual to obtain camphor by cutting the roots and extremities
of the branches into chips, and exposing them to the steam of water in
close vessels. In other countries the roots, wood, and leaves, are all
boiled in large iron pots, having a kind of tubular apparatus, which is
stuffed with straw, and leads to certain large vessels called receivers. In
this operation most of the camphor becomes condensed in a solid form
amongst the straw; and the remainder passes with the water into the
receiver.
In a crude state camphor is formed into irregular lumps of yellowish grey
colour, somewhat resembling nitre, or saltpetre. It is imported into Europe
in canisters; and the refining of it was long kept a secret by the
Venetians. The Dutch have since performed this work; and large quantities
of camphor are now also refined by some of the English chemists. The best
camphor is imported from Sumatra.
The principal use of this drug is in medicine; and it was formerly in high
repute. Dr. Cullen says that it has been employed with advantage in fevers
of almost all kinds: but, since the free use of opium has been introduced,
camphor has been little employed in this country, though its utility has
been fully established by some of the most eminent practitioners of the
Continent. It has often been found to relieve tooth-ache and rheumatism.
Several preparations of camphor, in combination with other substances, are
used in medicine, of which, perhaps, the most common is that with spirit of
wine. To insects the effluvium of camphor is so disagreeable that they
quickly avoid it. Hence it is customary to place pieces of it in
collections of natural history, to prevent their destruction by these
voracious little creatures.
For carpenters' work the _wood_ of the camphor tree is much in request. It
is light and durable; and, in consequence of long retaining its aromatic
smell, is not liable to be injured by insects.
Plants of the camphor and cinnamon trees were captured, from the French, in
1782, by Admiral Rodney, and afterwards conveyed to Jamaica, and propagated
there.
Several shrubs and plants of our own country contain camphor in
considerable quantity. The principal of these are _rosemary_, _sage_,
_lavender_, and _marjoram_.
130. _The COMMON SWEET BAY_ (Laurus nobilis) _is an evergreen shrub,
which grows in Italy and other southern parts of Europe, and is
principally celebrated as that which was anciently used to form the crown
of victory among poets._
_Its leaves are of shining green colour, somewhat spear-shaped, and often
waved towards the edge. The flowers appear in April and May, in clusters
of three or four together on short footstalks. The corolla is in four
segments of yellowish white colour, and is succeeded by an oval berry
covered with a dark green rind._
This handsome shrub is common in our gardens and shrubberies. Its _leaves_
afford, by distillation, an useful oil, which is occasionally employed in
medicine. They are also employed, in cookery, to flavour custards,
puddings, stews, and pickles; and Dr. Woodville assures us that they may
thus be used not only with safety, but even with advantage, as assisting
digestion.
The _berries_ or fruit of the bay tree, which have an aromatic smell, and a
warm, bitterish, and pungent taste, were much used by the ancient Romans
for culinary purposes. We import them chiefly from the coasts of the
Mediterranean. From the berries, in a recent state, the people of Spain and
Italy obtain, by pressure, a green aromatic oil, which is employed in
medicine, externally, as a stimulant in nervous, paralytic, and other
disorders.
131. _The ALLIGATOR PEAR is a pear-shaped fruit, produced by a species of
bay tree_ (Laurus persea), _that is much cultivated in the West Indies._
_This tree, which is an evergreen, has a straight stem, and grows to a
considerable height. Its leaves are somewhat oval, leathery, transversely
veined, and of beautiful green colour; and the flowers grow in bunches._
To the inhabitants of the West Indian islands, particularly the negroes,
this _fruit_, which ripens in the months of August and September, is an
agreeable, and, in some respects, an important article of diet. When ripe
the pulp is of yellow colour, of consistence somewhat harder than that of
butter, and, in taste, not much unlike marrow. The negroes frequently make
their meals of these pears, a little salt, and plantains; and they are
occasionally served up at the tables of the white people as fruit.
Their exterior surface is covered with a green skin; and in the centre
there is a large round seed or _stone_, extremely hard and woody, with an
uneven surface. This stone is used for the marking of linen. The cloth is
held or tied over the stone; and the letters are pricked by a needle,
through the cloth, into the outer covering of the stone. By this means it
is stained of an indelible reddish brown colour, in the direction along
which the needle has passed. The _leaves_ are used by the negroes
medicinally.
132. _SASSAFRAS is the wood of a North American tree of the bay tribe_
(Lauras sassafras), _and is imported into Europe in long straight pieces,
which are of light and porous texture, and covered with a rough fungous
bark._
_This tree is sometimes twenty or thirty feet high. The branches are
crooked, and the leaves various, both in form and size, some of them
being oval and entire, and others having two or three lobes. They are
pale green, and downy beneath. The flowers, which are of a dingy yellow
colour, appear in pendant spikes._
This _wood_ has a fragrant smell, and an aromatic and somewhat acrid,
though sweetish taste, that are also observable in the _bark_, the smaller
_twigs_, and the _roots_, all of which are imported into this country as
well as the wood. Infusions and decoctions of sassafras are frequently
taken as a medicine for improving the tone of the stomach and bowels, in
persons whose humours are in a vitiated state. Soon after its introduction
into Europe, in the year 1560, this medicine was in such high repute as to
be sold, on the Continent, at the rate of fifty livres per pound; and its
virtues were extolled in numerous publications that were written on the
subject. It is, however, now considered of little importance; and sassafras
is seldom employed but in conjunction with other medicines, which, in their
nature, are more powerful. Infusions of sassafras are sold in the streets
of London, under the name of _saloop_.
We are informed that, in many parts of America, where the sassafras trees
not only grow in great numbers in the woods, but are planted along the
fences of enclosures, it is not unusual to make bed-posts of the wood, for
the purpose of expelling bugs. Its powerful scent drives away these
disagreeable insects; and some persons put chips of sassafras into their
wardrobes and chests, to prevent the attack of moths. This wood serves for
the posts of enclosures, to which, by its lasting nature in the ground, it
is peculiarly adapted.
The _bark_ of the sassafras tree is used by the American women for dyeing
worsted, which it does of a permanent and beautiful orange colour.
133. _The CASHEW NUT is a small kidney-formed nut, which grows at the
extremity of a somewhat pear-shaped Indian fruit._
_The tree which produces it_ (Anacardium occidentale, Fig. 42) _somewhat
resembles a walnut tree in shape, as well as in the smell of its leaves,
which are leathery, somewhat oval and shining. The flowers are red, and
sweet-scented._
The size of this _fruit_ is nearly that of a large pear, and the colour of
its pulp is sometimes yellow and sometimes red. The singularity of its
form, with a nut or stone at the extremity, instead of the centre,
generally excites the surprise of persons when they first see it. In a ripe
state the fruit is sometimes roasted, cut in slices, and used as an
agreeable acid in punch. Its juice, when fermented, is made into wine; and,
on distillation, yields a spirit which some persons prefer even to rum.
The _nuts_ are each enclosed in two shells, connected together by a
cellular substance, which contains a thick, inflammable, and very caustic
oil. The kernels of these nuts have a peculiarly sweet and pleasant
flavour, and are eaten either raw or roasted, and sometimes even pickled.
It is said that the negroes of Brazil, who eat of these nuts as part of
their sustenance, find them peculiarly wholesome, and that they are
relieved, by the use of them, from various disorders of the stomach. They
are also used in medicine, as almonds; and, when ground with the chocolate
nut, they greatly improve its flavour. Cashew nuts may be kept, without any
great alteration of their quality, for many years. If the shells be broken,
and the nuts be laid for a little while on the fire, they open of
themselves; and the kernels being taken out, the thin brown skin which
covers them must be removed previously to their being eaten. It is
necessary to be cautious, respecting the oil, that it do not come in
contact with the mouth or lips; as, in such case, it would inflame and
excoriate them.
The _oil_ of the cashew nut is sometimes applied, by the inhabitants of the
West Indies (though much caution is requisite in the use of it) as a means
of corroding cancerous ulcers, corns, and ring-worms; and some of the West
Indian ladies, when they imagine themselves too much tanned by the
scorching rays of the sun, cut off the outer shell of the nut, and rub the
oil upon their faces as a cosmetic. The immediate consequences of this
extraordinary operation are swelling and blackness of the parts; and, in
five or six days, the whole skin peels off, leaving the face so sore and
tender, that it is impossible for the person using it to appear abroad in
less than a fortnight; by which time the new skin is sufficiently hardened,
and is as fair as that of a newly-born infant. There are, however, few
British females who would consent to be thus flayed alive for the sake of
rendering themselves fair. This oil tinges linen a permanent rusty iron
colour.
From the Cashew nut tree a milky _juice_ is obtained, by tapping or
incision, which stains, of a deep black colour, whatever it touches. The
fine black varnish so much used in China and Japan is the resinous juice of
a tree called _fsi-chu_, which is conjectured to be the cashew nut tree.