COFFEE. 73 



In the island of Grenada, according to the returns made to 

 the local Treasury of the staple products raised, while there were 

 64,6541bs. made in 1829, the quantity had decreased to 13,651 Ibs. 

 in 1837. 



The colony of British Guiana was formerly noted for its produce 

 of coffee. The following figures mark the decline of the culture 

 of this staple, showing the exports in Dutch pounds : 



Demerara and Essequibo. Berbice. 



1834 .... 1,102,200 . 1,429,800 



1835 .... 1,299,080 



1836 .... 2,117,250 



1837 .... 1,849,650 



1838 .... 2,486,240 

 1339 .... 747,450 



1840 .... 1,531,350 



1841 .... 568,920 



1842 1,372,650 



1843 .... 428,800 



1844 716,137 



1,979,850 

 2,684,100 

 2,217,300 

 1,700,550 

 1,255,800 

 1,825,950 

 519,750 

 804,470 

 999,300 

 774,600 



Thus the exports of the colony which in 1836 were 4,801,350 Ibs., 

 had declined in 1844 to 1,490,737 ; whilst in 1831 we received 

 from British Guiana 3,576,754 Ibs. of coffee, in 1850 we only 

 received 8,472 Ibs. 



There are about 500 acres under cultivation with coffee in St. 

 Lucia. The exports, which in 1840 were 323,820 Ibs., had declined, 

 in 1844, to 58,834 Ibs. 



The British West Indies exported to Great Britain, in 1829 

 and 1850; the following quantities of coffee : 



1829. 1850. 



Ibs. Ibs. 



Jamaica .... 18,690,654 ... 4,156,210 



Demerara . . . 4,680,118 .. 17,774 



Berbice .... 2,482,898 .. 698 



Trinidad .... 73,667 .. 96,376 



Dominica . . . 942,114 .. 792 



St. Lucia . . . 303,499 .. 35 



Cuba. For the following valuable remarks and details of coffee 

 culture in Cuba, I am indebted to Dr. Turnbull's "Travels in the 



West:" 



At the period of the breaking out of the French revolution, the cultivation 

 of coffee could scarcely be said to have reached the South American continent ; 

 so that till then its cultivation was in a great measure confined to Arabia and 

 the Caribbean Archipelago. Its extreme scarcity during the war enhanced its 

 price so enormously, that on the first announcement of peace in 1814, the plants 

 were multiplied to infinity, and coffee plantations were formed in every possible 

 situation on the Coste Firme of South America, along the Brazilian shores of 

 that continent, and even at some points on the coast of Southern Africa. To 

 show the extreme rapidity with which the cultivation has been extended, take 

 the statistical returns of La Guayra, the chief port of the State of Venezuela, 

 from whence the whole export of coffee in the year 1789 was not more than 

 ten tons ; and of late years from that port alone, and in spite of the internal 

 disunions of the country, it has reached the enormous quantity of 2,500 tons. 

 In the Isle of Bourbon (now Reunion), and the Mauritius and Ceylon, the 

 planters have also applied themselves to this branch of industry ; it has been 

 prosecuted successfully in our Eastern Possessions, and the French government, 



