Elaboración de corcho en Barcelona, procedencia verdadera del «corcho francés»

Alicante, 22nd February. At Barcelona in Catalonia they boil the cork bark in place of burning it, which makes it white, clean, and very elastic. All of the cork used in Britain under the name of French corks are sent from Barcelona to France and shipped to Britain as if made in France. They won’t allow the exportation of cork from Catalonia and all of it must be wrought up into corks for bottles. The best corks I ever saw are some that I get here; they are the most elastic, velvety, and pliable. They make exceedingly light walking sticks of the young cork trees.