146 RECORDS OF OLD TIMES 



half the profits beyond that amount. There was a 

 touch of the romance of discovery in the first 

 chapter of the history of this remarkable company. 

 During Mr. Henley's residence in the Mauritius, 

 where he held a public appointment, he gave a 

 dinner party, and after they had joined the ladies 

 he accidentally returned to the dining-room, and 

 was arrested by a strong and pleasant odour of coffee. 

 In reply to his inquiries, his servants told him that 

 no coffee had been made or served. Mr. Henley 

 said he could not be mistaken, and there was the 

 odour. The servants again declared that none had 

 been used. It was then discovered on investigation 

 that some dates, which had been provided for dessert, 

 had been thrown behind the fire, and their burning 

 had caused the aroma of the fragrant berry. He 

 thereupon took some dates, put them into a shovel, 

 and roasted them over the fire, the result affording 

 a still stronger proof of the similarity of the odour to 

 that of the best coffee. Proceeding with his experi- 

 ment, he crushed the fruit down when dried, 

 together with some of the hard stones, and when 

 the compound was roasted, poured boiling water on 

 it, and made an excellent and delicious decoction, 

 which, it seemed to him, might easily pass for 

 excellent coffee. For nearly two years he employed 

 himself in devising ovens and other apparatus for 

 converting dates into coffee, which, with a mixture 

 in certain proportions of the finest Neilgherry 

 berries, produced a beverage superior to anything 

 of the kind he had ever drunk. He came to 



