PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION. 287 



exceptionally high, owing to the war duty of 5 cents per 

 pound; the figures averaging in 1863 31 cents for Rio, 

 32 cents for Maracaibo, and 37 cents for Java, increasing 

 in 1864 to 42^ cents for Rio, 43 cents for Maracaibo, 

 and 49 cents for Java. From 1864 to 1880, however, 

 there was a steady decline in the prices of coffee, there 

 being at the same time a correspondingly steady increase 

 in its consumption. The prices ruling for the three leading 

 kinds of coffee in the American market, from 1880 to 

 1890, is as follows, per pound: 



Java. 

 Cents. 



18 

 16 



. . 16 

 . . 20 



. . 22 

 . . 22 



In many of the years from 1870 to 1880, Java, which 

 is regarded as the standard coffee, sold less than Mara- 

 caibo ; the latter frequently selling for less than Rio, 

 which is considered the lowest in the scale during the 

 same period. In 1875, however, the imports again in- 

 creased to 300,000,000 pounds, valued at $51,000,000. 

 Taking the population in 1856 at 27,000,000 and in 1875 

 at 42,000,000, it will be noticed that the increase in 

 quantity of imports was only 34 per cent., 21 per cent. 

 less than the increase of population for the same period, 

 while the increase in value was 146 per cent, meantime. 

 Figures which serve conclusively to prove that while, 



