An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon in the East Indies: Together with an Account of the Detaining in Captivity the Author and Divers other Englishmen Now Living There, and of the Author's Miraculous EscapeKnox, Robert
History
An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon in the East Indies: Together with an Account of the Detaining in Captivity the Author and Divers other Englishmen Now Living There, and of the Author's Miraculous Escape
Knox, Robert
Sri Lanka -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800; Sri Lanka -- Social life and customs
[The Cinnamon Tree.] I proceed to the third Tree, which is the
Cinnamon, in their Language Corunda-gauhah. It grows wild in the
Woods as other Trees, and by them no more esteemed; It is most on
the West side of the great River Mavela-gonga. It is much as plenty
as Hazel in England in some places a great deal, in some little, and
in some none at all. The Trees are not very great, but sizable. The
Cinnamon is the [The Bark.] Bark or Rind, when it is on the Tree it
looks whitish. They scrape it and pull it off and dry it in the Sun:
they take it onely from off the smaller Trees, altho the Bark of the
greater is as sweet to the smell and as strong to the tast. The [The
Wood.] Wood has no smell, in colour white, and soft like Fir. Which
for any use they cut down, favouring them no more than other wild
Trees in the Wood. The [The Leaf.] Leaf much resembleth the Laurel
both in colour and thickness; the difference is, whereas the Laurel
hath but one strait rib throughout, whereon the green spreads it self
on each sides, the Cinnamon hath three by which the Leaf stretches
forth it self. When the young leaves come out they look purely red
like scarlet: Break or bruise them, and they will smell more like
Cloves than Cinnamon. It bears a [The Fruit.] Fruit, which is ripe
in September, much like an Acorn, but smaller, it neither tasts nor
smells much like the Bark, but being boyled in water, it will yield an
Oyl swimming on the top, which when cold is as hard as tallow and as
white; and smelleth excellently well. They use it for Oyntments for
Aches and Pains, and to burn in Lamps to give light in their houses:
but they make no Candles of it, neither are any Candles used by any
but the King.
Here are many sorts of Trees that bear Berries to make Oyl of, both in
the Woods and Gardens, but not eatable, but used only for their Lamps.
There are other Trees remarkable either for their strangeness, or use,
or both. Of these I shall mention a few.
[The Orula, the Fruit good for Physick, and Dying.] The Orula, a
Tree as big as an Apple-Tree, bears a Berry somewhat like an Olive,
but sharper at each end, its Skin is of a reddish green colour, which
covereth an hard stone. They make use of it for Physic in Purges; and
also to dy black colour: Which they do after this manner; They take
the fruit and beat it to pieces in Mortars, and put it thus beaten
into water; and after it has been soaking a day or two, it changeth
the water, that it looks like Beer. Then they dip their cloth in it,
or what they mean to dy, and dry it in the Sun. And then they dip it
in black mud, and so let it ly about an hour, then take it and wash it
in water: and now it will appear of a pale black. Then being dry, they
dip it again into the aforesaid Dy, and it becomes a very good black.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account