Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1858-01-06

stance, Tadllddln- -Ebn-Jecoub, even a
that time recommended cold water TO b,
drunk with The coffee, 10 prevent tht
sleeplessness resulting from its USE
But this was in direct opposition TO th'
, cause of the introduction of coffee. /
was used by those who wished to keeI
themselves awake during the holy nights
of prayer. The coffee was originally
drawn from large broxn vessel into
small cups, which were handed round,
more particularly during religious SER
vices, and this affords a ready explana-
lion of why this beverage Immediately
became, 10 some of the orthodox Mo-
hammedans, an object of enmity. and,
above all. subject for exceedingly
learned theological researches. The op-
posers of coffee went even SO far as 10
. Il m that the countenances of those who
drank coffee would; on The Of resurrtc-
lion. appear blacker than the coffee
grounds Since, however, according 10
the Koran, WON en- do not enter Paradise,
they may indulge without fear in the en-
joyment Of their favorite beverage
According to the other accounts pub
lahed by Add Alkader Ebu Mohammed.
1t appears also that the custom of coffee
/
drinking goes back beyond the time of
historical record in Abyssinis, and that
in Ar4bis even, coffee only suppIanted
drink of similar properties. the cafta,
made from the leaves of the Kat, { Caos.
trus eduLis. )the use of which they also
inherited from their ancestors, without
any account Of its origin.
When the Spaniards first landed in
NJ xico, they became acquainted with
native beverage, which had been used
from time immemorial, called by the
natives cAocolloa. and prepared from the
seeds of a tree which they named caca
hoOquahuia (cacao tree.) Wherever the
Spanish dominion has subsequently, .x.
tended, there also has the use of chocoI-
ale reached, and the rest of Europe has
asserted an abundant ella m TO share il
this new beverage.
In The commencement OF the seven
teenth century Quantity of carefully
packed dIied green leaves were present.
ed to Russian Embassy in China, in
return for their gifts of splended sable
furs. and even forced upon them in spite
OF Their protestations against such useless
wares. But when they brought the same
to Moscow. and had them prebared ac-
cordiug TO the directions. the tea, for
such ii was, found equally grea; ap-
prOval. Almost at the ssme time the
Dutch East India Company attempted
to sell sage 10 the Chinese. which, at
that lime. was used as tea is now, and !
they obtained in exchange Chinese tea.
In 1864. the English East India Com
pany considered that they made bril-
liant present to the Queen of England, in |
the shape oftwo pounds of tea. The use
of tea as beverage in China goes back
to the earliset periods. and the traditions
speak of it distinctly SO early as the third !
century. The oldest Chinese legend re-
minds one strongly of tie course of the
Introduction of coffee in Arabia. 1t mar
rates: "a pious hermit, who in his
watchings and prayers had often been
overtaken by sleep. SO that hiss eyelids
closed. in holy wrath against the weak
ness of the flesh. cut them off and
threw them on the ground. But a god
caused sea-sbrub to spring out of them,
the leaves of which exhibit tie form of
an eye lid bordered with lsshes, and
possesses the gift of hindering Sleep"
At the period when The Europeans FIRST
became acquainted with it, it was alrea-
dy spread generally over the whole of
South eastern Asia, and Europe did not
long remain behind its teachers. =
With the same passions with which
the Chinese takes his tea, the Brazilian
and almost the whole population of South
America rejoice 10 their mate, or Para
quay tea, the leaves Of Brazilian holly,
Iiez PdrGguoyensis. which is some.
times confounded with the Camini, the
leaves Of the Cassmi Congolia, or with
the Gaorana, kind of coffee prepared
from the seeds of Pauliima sor5ais. The
use of mate also has been q custom in
Brazil from time immemorial.
Thus have all these beverages become
everywhere necessarics of life; every
where is the origin of their use envelo. ed
in mythical obscurity; everywhere has
man. not led by rational considerations,
by knowledge of their properties and
action, or by comparison of them with
already known nutritive substances, but
rs it were instiuctively, added them 10
he number of his daily wants. I,
On account of the importance of the
substance itself, and Of the interest which
must naturally have been excited by the
just alluded to. chemistry
las sought to know how far it is able TO
contribute to the explanation of these
trange phenomena. Tne result has /;
proved contrary to all expectation, and