HISTORICAL 5 



Holland, especially in Amsterdam, and together with 

 the " coffee-house " arose the " chocolate-house," recog- 

 nisable by its sign-board : "Hier schencktmen Seculate" 

 (" Here chocolate is served "). 



In those times, however, cocoa was still a rather 

 expensive drink. In France about six francs was paid 

 for half a pound, and Louis XIV., who started the 

 practice of serving chocolate to the guests at his re- 

 ceptions, soon decided to abandon the custom on the 

 score of its expense. In the middle of the eighteenth 

 century the price of cocoa fell considerably. This 

 cocoa, however, was no longer a product of Mexico. 

 Venezuela had become by far the most important cocoa- 

 producer. This country began to ship cocoa to Europe 

 in 1634, and the trade grew rapidly to such importance 

 that the Spaniards prohibited the export to any other 

 country but Spain, in order to help the cocoa industry 

 in that country. But this prohibition had not much 

 effect. 1 The Venezuelans considered it more advan- 

 tageous to do business with other nations, and went on 

 selling cocoa secretly to Dutch and English merchants. 

 This secret commerce became so great that towards the 

 end of the seventeenth century Spain received no 

 "Caracas cocoa" whatever; it all went to Amsterdam. 

 The export at that time was estimated to be not less 

 than 65,000 quintals, or 3,250,000 kilograms. 



In the seventeenth century the Windward Islands 

 began to become important as cocoa-growing countries. 

 In Trinidad the first cocoa trees had been planted by 

 the Spaniards as early as about the year 1525. These 

 were entirely of the Criollo variety, and the produce 

 ,was much appreciated and even preferred to the 

 Venezuelan (" Caracas") cocoa. 



In the Leeward Islands the cultivation was taken 

 up later. In 1655, as old writers inform us, 2 the 

 Caribbean Indians showed a Mr. du Parquet the cocoa 



1 Jumelle, Le Cacaoyer, p. 145. 



2 Histoire nature-lie du cacao et du sucre (a Paris, rue de la Harpe, chez 

 Laurent d'Houry, MDCCXIX.) ; no author's name. 



