The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-08-20
THE COFFEE TP .rp


=" ry. .amption over the
The cultivation and e ..,,,.,,;o, ~ ,oos. h.vs ss
lowed very much in =. ..r,e csoyr.rb,c.l lines "a
the cultivation OF mvar ana n has hecoms ecu.lv
lmpst'ah' &c article Of commerce. Like sugar, !
from naVf e been first introduced as luxury 1t has
becsm more or less q necessary Of life to a large
por ion OF the civilized world. The coffee plant
~as early known 10 have been native Of Arabia |
and especially IN the neighborAood Of Yemen, not
FAR distant from Mocha, the port Of its expectations
ard hence fts name Of Mocha coffee. The period at
which 4 was first introduced to is the form Of an
infusion from the roasted and crushed berries is I'M
CERTAIN though it is rot thought to date farther
back than the early part of the fifteenth century.
Ancient writer's msee no Eeution Of il use, NOR
do modern authors allude to it earlier than the six
teenfh cereury. German physician, called Leon
mart. wig said 70 have beer the first European who
igave any notice of coffee end whose wsrk was pGh-
hshed IN 1875. 1t was vesy accurately described by
Prosrer AIt1nrs, who had seen it IN Egypt when
resident there as physician to tho Venetian Con-
sui in his work onfthe s1edical plsFts Of Egwt ana
which appeared in 1851 and 1891
public coffee hosse was drstcstabshex in Lon,
den in l652.
Turkey merchant, named Edwards, brought
aleng with him fros' the Levant some bags Of c:f
fee aud a Greek servant, accustomed to make il.
His house soon became t4-onged with visisers
anxious 10 arG taste the new beverage.
The servant was permitted by Mr.. Edwards, soon
Afterwards to gvatify the ocreasng public tsete, to
open a coffee house in St Micheals ally, CNsnhi
where the Virginia Coffee louise afterwards stood.
Garrsway's near by tte same locality, ~ls the
first house Of re kind opened in London sscr tn.
w. .~0n. lnrao - uonn-
tinucd in ls41, when it patronzed bytAe writer
of this article, then vsiorg London.
According 20 the bes.slthority, coffee wee intro
duced into France between the years $40 aed 1860,
and the first douse for the sale of coffee waS opened
in MarseiIes in l67l and another in Paris the fol-
lowing year. Between sse years 1850 aRdif690, the
Dutch first planted ccOee beans, which they.ad pro
cure from Mocha, in the vicinity of Batavs Island
OF Java. In 1890 they-senta plant to Europe, and
the berries which Il produced were subsequently
sent to the West Indissnnd to Surinam 0Ei from
which the frs. coffee plantations in those Countries
were supplied.
The cultivation Of cssee met with great success
in St Domingo, and 10. K1any years was the source
from which Europe derived it's chief suppses-hav
ing exported at one tine about 3S GOO tons, or
about seventysx million, lbs; and it was supposed
that bad not the revolxEen broken out in 1I92, it
would in that year hare exported4a 900 tois, or
about eighsy-four million lbs. The devastation by
that event caused amoei . total cessation in t1s
supplies
Being driven from s.. Domingo, its culture was
greatly augmented in CubS, .Jamai,a, Surinam aud
Java, and was subsequently introduced with great
success into Brazil.
AS the culture advanced is Brazil, it declined in
Cuba the growta Of sugar having been found capa-
a nd hair
able.
1t was some time after coffee was first planted in
Brazil before il became an article Of export to any
great extent.
In l774, a Franciscan friar, FAMED villaso,
cultivated a single tree in the garden Of
TIE convent Of St. Antonio. Brazil was then
governed by the Marquis de Lavadio as
yiceroy. The first fruits OF the tree were
presented TO the marquee, who distributed them
among the most respectable planters, explaining to
them the advantages Of adding another valul6e
article 70 the produce of the country; but being
strong in their pTeiudices in favor OF sugar and in
dico few took pains n cnltiyate u. AMI honee Is
progress was very slow. In ls0s Don Joas vi. fed
from Portugal TO Rio de Janeiro, and soon after
opened tie port TO foreign trade. The annual crop
OF cofte tLen did no. exceed $4,000 bags, Of 100
lbs. each or 5000 900 lbs Although the revolution
IN Ct Domingo had oyerthroF n us Culture there,
Cuba and Jamaica continued, - some ex en-, 70
supply the trader. In 1920 Its increase IN Brazil
had swelled TO 100 900 bag. rae decrease OF
supply, by the desolaton OF =. Domingo, caused II
20 reach the enormous price Of Ass. per cwt.,
nearly 374c. per b.. in London, To the years lslT
ard 1871. This great price stimulated TIE
production In Brazil. The fall Of $; Domin.
20 had caused he culture Of indigo to be Trans
ferred 20 British India and its culture aba2dol
ed ia Brazil with sagar, for coffee. Hence enancips.
ton in St. Domingo gave the monopoly q the cul'
tivation and supply OF indigo TO British india, where
IL has remained ever SINCE
In l7so Just previous 10 the revolution, Hay.iex
ported 1885 80 lbs. OF coffei IN ISIS we fad
The exports fell to about 70 900 900 lbs and at this
time they do not probably exceed thirty or thirtyaye
millions. The export Of sugars in 1873, j1st be-
fore the re roIton, reached 10000 900 lbs. 10 hi.
nov ceased and TIE population actually lnp9rt sup.
plies from Cuba and Porto Ricp. In 1881, the year
IN which the emancipation act went into effect, ia.
maica exported to England
Sugars, est...,............ ,156,253 Tos,ots
We thus nd hat the exports OF coffee fell or the
first FIVE years after emancipa about onehalf,
and sugar nearly in equal ratio In August, 1851
the negroes we're emancipated by the Euglish gov
eminent Ia Jamaica which struck a death blow az
its culture there, while sugar had rneasuraby super.
seded IT. growth In Cuba These causes combined,
with the unrestricted supply o. African slave IA
Dor to give its culture powerful impulse in Bra
zil. Hence, we fnd by the year 1880 is
crop had increased to 100000 bags, or
64,d60,0O0 lbs. The slave trade, by convention
with England was 70 cease IN February, 1880. Inis
produced an enormous import o. slaves, which could
only he disposed OF az low prices aud on long Gre
dts. This, again, stimulated the planting Of new
estates, ard the crop rapidly increased, 20 thai In
1910 II actually reached 1850 SOS bag, or about
los 600 900 lie. The cultivation being found profit
able, the demand for slaves continued, and notvi,h
standing the attempts Of the British government TO
put stop TO H. the slave trade has been continually
carried on clandestiney since the inspirations
from Ahic3 having amounted to from $4,000 To
0,O00 annually, the vessels supplied for which hay
lran eli DC luT M ttoi out IN tha
cities Of the United states and sailing under what
ever colors lest answered. their purpose % coacel
ment.
The increase IN tie crop since ls40 has been very
rapid and IN ls47 reached about ,SOl5 53 bag
about 2ss 600 lbs The low prices ia 1873 aud 81
had tendency to check production The difcul'ies