246 CULTIVATED VEGETABLES. 



coffee, which was publicly sold in London in 

 1652, must have augmented the sale consi- 

 derably, but the introduction of the tea leaf 

 from China, about the middle of the seven- 

 teenth century, caused a consumption of 

 sugar beyond whatever could have been ex- 

 pected by the early Colonial planters; for 

 the most sanguine speculators never could 

 have calculated on the sudden change which 

 has taken place in the general beverage of 

 the whole nation, since our commerce has 

 been established with China. 



Sugar is now scarcely deemed a luxury, 

 even by the cottager ; habit has made it one 

 of the necessaries of life, and few, if any 

 civilized people would be content to live 

 without it ; for, in addition to the quantity 

 consumed at our tea-tables, and in our con- 

 fectionary and pastry, it forms the basis of all 

 our made wines ; is often used as a composi- 

 tion in our malt liquors, and the distillers 

 draw great quantities of spirits from it. The 

 farmer often uses it to fatten his Christmas 

 ox, and its use has even descended to the 

 blacking of our shoes. 



The quantity of raw sugar imported into 

 Great Britain in the year 1?87 was 1,926,741 

 cwt., and in the year 1811, we received from 



