BOOK III. CHAP. VII. 68; 



pagated by the feed, whicli is Town, about five feet afunder, at the 

 latter end of September, or beginning of Oclober, and at firit but 



IHghtly 



it is betu-ecn tlie fcveral kinds of fiifjar. Bat, nonvithftaiidino; this diifercncc, it may jullly be 

 <luclVioncd wlietlier an improvement ot ijualiiy niii^ht not, by bringing it into more <;cncral roj)a a- 

 lion, caule the eonfuniptlon to become double, or treble, what it is at preicnt ; in which e\enr, 

 the planters, who bellowed the moll pains in the culture ami curint^ ot it, would be the greattll 

 gainers. Be this as it will, the proprietors ot woin-out land in Jamaica, which is not rich enough 

 tor a longer cultivation in canes, might find it turn to good account in cotiee, much belter perhaps 

 than in pafturage; tor fuch kind ot land, which is either naturally too intenile, or too much ex- 

 haulted, to be capabFe of yielding either good canes or rich grals, would probably anfwer pcr- 

 feftly well for the ptoduiSlion ot cotiee ot the moll elleeined lort. 



Gathering the Rentes. 



The Arabians, when they perceive the fruit come to maturity, fpread cloths under the trees ; 

 which they fliake, and the ripe truit drops readily. This circumllance deferves the particidar at- 

 tention of the Well-India planters, moll of whom are accullomed to gather it as loon as it turns 

 red, and betoie it begins to (liiivel: wheieas the Arabians wait tor the tokens, which fliew that the 

 berries have attained to their lull maturity. It is a certain fact (as I have betorc hin'ed), that the 

 ripe berries, which fpontaneoully tall to the ground when they are dry, or have been ftiaken down 

 by tlie vvind, have by tar the bell flavoui'. 



Manner of Curing. 



The Arabians, after gathering the berries, fpread them upon mats, and expofe than to the fun 

 (others lay, they lay them in the fliade) until they are perfectly dry ; and, alter they are cleared 

 from the hulk, the drying is again repeated, to prevent them from heating on board Ihip. Alter 

 this, they are winnowed, or ^vell cleaned ; without which, they would not be fo marketable, nor pro- 

 duce fo gtiod a price. Objec1ions> are made to drying them in the fun, on the iuppolition that this 

 procels may extract great part of their virtues, particularly the tine flavour giod coltec has, which 

 is fo gr.atettil to the fmell, when it is firll poured out. And, in the fmaller illands, other objec- 

 tions are made to the eixpence of ercifling buildings, to ihade their coffee tVom the iuu and rain. Fur 

 iny own part, I conceive that moiflure is the principal bane to coffee ; and that it is not fo much in- 

 jured by expoCure to the fun and bree7e. They, however, who think differently, may, in Jamaica 

 (where materials for the purpofe are plentiful enough in all parts), conftruCt a drying-houfe, or (bed, 

 where it may be guarded trcm dews or rains, as well as ttom a too violent action ot the lun npon 

 it, and yet be lufticiently ventilated by a continual circulation of air. 



Shipping it. 



The French exceed us vaftly in this refpecT:; and the greater price, which the coffee of their 

 American produce gains beyond ours, is owing, in a great degree, to their fuperior care and ma- 

 nagement. One would hardly fufpert the merchants and planters could be capable of fo much in- 

 attention, as to (liip coffee in vcflels loaded with rum and coarfe fugars, confined in a ihip's hold; 

 So much ot it ouyht to be collerted together at one place, as to load a velTel. This is a point very 

 ealily to be regulated in Jamaica, either by the fociety of coffee- planters at their meetings, or by 

 the merchants there, who buy it up for exjiortation, and who ought to ufe erpial care not to flotv it 

 in their ware-houfes (before its embarkation) among cafks ot rum, fugar, pimento, ginger, falt- 

 li(h, or other commodities of llroiig fmell, whole vapour may be communicated to the coffee, and 

 alter the qualities of it in any degree. The French put it into calks that are perfeftly dry. In the 

 Windward Iflands, where the bell of their American coffee is made, the fhip is neither laden with 

 raw fugars, nor rum. Clayed fugars only arc exported with it ; which are ot little, it any, detri- 

 ment to it. The captains take care alio to place it between decks, or in fome other very diy pai t ot 

 the fliip. The Englifh, on the contrary, llow raw fugars and rum in almoll every part ot it ;. and 

 thefe do a conliderable injury to the coffee that lies near them. Moll ot the Englifh iliips are hired 

 for the freight ; the captains tlow the goods as they receive them ; and the owners are fatistied, if 

 the veflel is but well-filled. It is a matter of little concern to theiri, whether the feveral kinds of 

 goods have been properly dlfpofed, or whether they have received any detriment by lying near each 

 other. The French Ihips are generally laden tor the proprietors own ufe : the captains buy the 

 goods themfelves; and, that they may be able to give a proper account ot tlieir management, and 

 to fhew that they have acled with prudence and caution, they are obliged to pay great attention to 

 the ilowage of their veflel, and to the prefcrvation of their cargoes. Hence it follows, that the 

 coffee, which is carried to France, is better than that which is brott^ht to England. Another jxjint 



ought 



