The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1852-05-29
Irom the IruI.,n idJ?nrJ
FEATURES OF
pNQTE(,

letter written by a friend now residing in
Portugal. The matter contained in it will
undoubtedly interest your readers.
T. y. SANEoRN.
My DLAi. SIR = Portugal Is a small State
:, feeble lo!k-iut it has 4 romantic Tlsto-
~ and even now, after wears Of decline 1t
has very striking features Mt much larger
suppose. than Vermont and New lamp
Shire. il has nearly four millions of inhabi-
tants. II i. a country Of ham!ets, and villa
oc~: even over the comparatively sterile
counties on the coast between Lisbon and
Cintra We pass through a series Of towns
Agriculture is the employment ola large part
of the people. 1t is still, however, rude
The plow in use here is very like the OLD
Roman. The beam is roueh hewn, crooked
stick. long enough TO supply the place Of a
chain. and actually passes into the ring Of the
woke. Upon this beam crotchcd stick is
.:xcd, hv mortisc, at an acute angle, to an
swcr the purpose CT coulter, Share and mould
Hoard. The end of the coulter, in the better
sort. is of iron, >harpcncd. y handle is made
by letting in a >tout p;cce of weed upon the
beam, making an opposite acute ang lie with
it. Itmore than ole woke otoxcn Is employ
ed. (and have seen four yoke blowing wheat
>tubhl..) they are connected by ropes instead
of chains. OF course furrow is not turned
the earth is only loosrne,l. Sometimes
t'lrrow is made only once in four or five feet.
and men with hoes draw it over the interview
ing space, and smooth it down, lcavin. the
field in wide ribs. The oxen are beautiful.
saw SOM, fifteen hundred yoke at a fair in
October. and do not think ever saw 50
many fine cattle together any where else.
'ihr harrow Is made by uniting three or
four sticks of hard wood by cross pieces at the
ends. and driving into them short pieces of
iron bars. about two inches hv three tourthS
of an inca. The plowman, if there be no
drivc'l carries a fine pole, twelve or fourteen
feet long, with the small end pointed with i
ron: i there he a driver he carries a shorter
instrument Of the same kind lie walks bv
the >ilc-cithrr side or in front, of the cat
tie: stands between their heads and goa,!s
them in the sides or turns them about bv
mcan> of a hide strap, fixed to the yoke and
Il e. u,
50 perfectly trained that they are as harmless
as kittens. SO also are the COWS: women
lead them by the horns, as children lead a
pet Iamih, In rainy weather the oxen often
have cloth like India rubber covering
their shoulders and loins The COWS. driven
into the streets, are generally Llankc'rd.-
They come attended hy the ca.yc, and are
MIXED at the door of the customer
CorrEE.-Ihc coffee plant is native of
Arabia. The time of its introduction into
Enr"i" is mentioned in work published in
'"'5, by a German rhy:ician. Th. sir>t
Office house opened in London was in lG52
Coffee was in use before that time in France
When coffee was first introduced INTO Brit
AN. it met with the most furious opposition
from o'C and yol'n@, crave men ana women
tar. In lG7i the women of Enulanl ,,r:i-
toned Parliament against a!iown. the use ui'
coffee, i'll wheel, petition i, was stated. that
men. by It's use. hcrauc like the noma,l> Of
the arabian deserts. and that if its u>r Wa,
persisted III, the offspring of might .i:..la-
Saxon ancestors would dwin,llc into ,ll.cc>-
son OF apes and pi=n,ir>: and on domestic
message, a hu>bar:! would stop on the way to
drink a couple of cups of coffee" Coffee.
however had still its advocates; and it has
been stated hv them, that wherever it has
been introrlnccl drunkenness has become
less frequent, and the people more sober.
In the reign of Charles H.. coffee hou>c>
We're shut up in England by proclamation. in
which it was stated that ''the retailing of cot
fee nour>hed sctlition, spread lies, scandal
fzr'i great men. and might he consi,iarr,!a
common nuisance" This arbitrary act occa-
stoned violent discomfort, and permission was
given to open the coffee house again, but the
landlords were forbid to keep sediton~ pa
perS on their premises. The coffee houses
had become political club honscs.
Four different kinds of coffee are used -
Mocha, which Is the best, comes down the
Persian Gulf from Arabia; its berries are of
mld'llng size, clean and plump, and of a
srcenlsh light olive hue: it sells dearer than
any other. The next best is Java. which is
crown in the Island of that name. and is cul-
tlvard i,y the D.tch The other two Iinds
are brazilian and West India coffee, which
are very similar. \ field of coffee in full
bloom is a sight worth going to Jamaica to
see.
The 1llali!. and effects of cctIee differ az
cor'ilng ia the manner N which it is roasted.
1t must be roasted with great care, and not
ovcrlonc. The Turks roast it in an iron
spoon Just before they arc going to use it
lhi> is the best plan. as coffee loses its flavor
II exposed after being roasted The reason
OF this Is evident; the roasting brings out the
essential oil to the surface this is volatile
and Is the line aromatic quality Of the bean;
1t therefore soon cvaporates when exposed to
the atmasI':,re.
ef i Is stated t!'sta couple of travellers
lately took lodgings for about ten DAYS at a
tavern in York county. Pa, and Jared sumn-