368 VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES. 



Peter de la Valle, a Venetian, acquaints his corre- 

 spondent with the writer's intention of bringing home 

 to Italy some coffee, which he speaks of as an 

 article unknown in his own country. Thirty years 

 after this, some gentlemen returning from Constan- 

 tinople to Marseilles brought with them a supply of 

 this luxury, together with the vessels required for its 

 preparation ; but it was not until 1671 that the first 

 house was opened in that city for the sale of the pre- 

 pared beverage. 



Coffee-houses date their origin in London from 

 an earlier period. The first was opened in George 

 Yard, Lombard Street, by one Pasqua, a Greek, 

 who was brought over in 1 652 by a Turkey merchant 

 named Edwards. 



The first mention of coffee that occurs in our 

 statute books, is found in the act 12th Car. ii, cap. 24, 

 (Anno 1660) whereby a duty of fourpence per 

 gallon, to be paid by the maker, was imposed upon 

 all coffee made and sold : three years after this, 

 coffee-houses were directed to be licensed by the 

 magistrates at quarter-sessions. 



Coffee cannot be cultivated to advantage in cli- 

 mates where the temperature at any time descends 

 below 55 degrees of Fahrenheit's scale. The trees 

 flourish most in new soils on a gentle slope, where 

 water will not lodge about the roots. In exposed 

 situations it is necessary to moderate the scorching 

 heat of the sun by planting rows of umbrageous trees 

 at certain intervals throughout the field. 



Coffee-trees are usually raised from seed in nur- 

 sery grounds, and are afterwards planted out at 

 regular distances, which vary according to the nature 

 of the soil. Where this is very dry or gravelly, the 

 trees seldom rise higher than six feet, and may be 

 planted five feet apart ; but in rich soils, where they 

 attain the height of nine or ten feet, or more, the 



