( 123 ) 



are imported to us, and upon fqueezing, or prefTing them with 

 great force, a larger quantity of the oil was exprelled than 

 could be imagined, and I oblerved that this oil was very clear and 

 tliin. 



I alfo cut coffee beans into very fmall fraginents, or pieces, 

 in every diredlion, and I always found them to be of a very open 

 and fpongy texture : for, whereas, almoft all feeds confill of a 

 farinaceous, or mealy fubftance, (except in that part where the 

 young plant is contained) this feed, on the contrary, is formed 

 of nothing but fibres, branching or fpreading one among another, 

 and the cavities between them, in many places, filled with oil ; for 

 when I cut off very fmall pieces from the bean, I could plainly 

 perceive the oil, and take it out from the part where it lay. 



From the middle of a bean, I cut a very fmall flice, and placed 

 it before the microfcope, in order to fhew the open and f])ongy 

 texture of this feed ; and in Plate V. fig. 9, A BC D, is reprefented 

 this particle, or piece of bean when magnified, the natural fize of 

 which was no larger than miglit be covered by two grains of fand. 

 The parts which in this figure appear clofed up, and fome of 

 them to confift of globules, were filled with oil. When a cofiee 

 bean is thus cut into fmall pieces, and the pieces prefTed between 

 the fingers, or fqueezed between any hard fubftances, the fingers, 

 or whatever is ufed in fuch preifure, will be much ftained with oil ; 

 (that is to fay, in proportion to the force applied) and I will ven- 

 ture to fay, that by a fingle operation of this kind, more than one 

 thoufand little drops of oil will be exprelled : it is here to be noted, 

 that the oily particles formed in the coffee bean are not perfectly 

 of a round figure, but in many places they lie together in iiTC- 

 gular fhapes. 



Tiiis formation of the coffee bean being confidered. we need 



