MANUFACTURE. 53 



The tlcvclopniciU of «)iir ni.iiuifaclurcs is an iiUcrcslin;^ study, 

 for \vc arc a|)t lo forj^cl, in this aj^t- of luxuries, the years of toil and 

 thought that it has taken in lurfect them. 



We have to look hack to the ori^^inal home of the Cocoa plant 

 for our first i^limpses of its j)rcj)ar.ition as food, and to thr time 

 of our early travellers for its introduction into Hurope. 



Daniel Concuna writes <jn "The Orij^in of Chocolate in the 

 Intlies. and its Introduction into Kurope," X'enice, 174S (translate-d 

 from the Itali.ui) : " The .i^dory of so pleasant a discovery beloni^^s to 

 the province of Chiapa ; its history, however, dtx^s not tell us the 

 year of the invention, hut from what can be i^^athered from various 

 authors, it took place about the middle of the i6th century. " 



The usual r«)U).,^h-and-ready plan of manufacture in those 

 early days is described by Mr. Hui^^hes in the Afficrican Physician 

 (1672) : " In Jamaica there is a sort of Chocolate made up of only 

 the jxiste of the Cacao itself, in rowls or lumps of a |>>und or two, 

 the better for keepint^ i^^ood. And it may be had here in Enj^land. 

 neat and }.jood, of merchants and seamen that travel to those |xirts 

 and brin;4 it over." 



The minle of {)reparation was as follows : — 



" I'or this purj)ose tlu-y have a broad, smooth stone, well 

 |X)lished or j^lazed, very hard, and beinj^ made tit in all res|K'Cls 

 for their use, they i^^rinde the Cacaos thereon very small, and when 

 they have so done, they have another broad stone natly, nn.li r 

 which they keep a j^entle fire. 



"A more speedy way for the makinv; uj) «>f the Cacao into 

 Chocolate is this : They have a mill mad(.' in the form of some 

 kinde of mault-mills, whose stones arc firm and hard, which w«>rk 



