48 CULTIVATION OF COFFEE IX VARIOUS COUNTRIES. 



ten varieties of the coffee, but only one is found indigenous 

 to India, and it is questionable if this is not the Mocha 

 species introduced from Arabia. 



The island of Ceylon is situated in the Indian Ocean, and 

 belongs to Great Britain. Little is known of the aboriginal 

 inhabitants of the island; at present they resemble the Hin- 

 doos of the neighboring continent, and consist in part of 

 Singhalese. The Singhalese spoken language is peculiar to 

 this island; but their written language is either Pali or 

 Sanscrit. Ceylon claims to possess historical records dating 

 back some twenty-four centuries, and their authenticity as 

 regards descriptions of ancient towns, buildings, and works of 

 art is established by existing ruins, proving that the island had 

 been at a remote period inhabited by a powerful and numerous 

 people. Ceylon was known to the Greeks and Romans in the 

 time of Alexander ; it was also visited by traders in the sixth 

 century, and by Marco Polo in the thirteenth century. Little 

 was known of it, however, until 1505, when the Portuguese 

 established a regular intercourse with the island, being encour- 

 aged thereto by the King of Kandy, who first paid them 

 tribute in cinnamon, to defend the island against the Arabian 

 pirates. The Portuguese were subsequently expelled by the 

 Dutch, who in turn were driven from the island by the 

 British. " The total export of coffee from Ceylon in the year 

 1837 was valued at less than $500,000. 



" In 1870 the export was over 94,000,000 Ibs., equivalent to 

 fully $17,500,000 in the consuming markets. Within the past 

 fifteen years even the number of coffee plantations in Ceylon 

 has increased from 404 to 1,004 ; the extent of land planted 

 from 80,000 acres to 200,000, or over 312 square miles, and 

 the crops have generally been favorable. This is exclusive of 

 coffee cultivated by the natives in their gardens, supposed to 

 cover 50,000 acres more. 'Native' coffee is the kind usually 



