TRINIDAD : THEN AND NOW* 



307 



trees that so generally perished were a variety of the 

 cocoa which gave excellent fruit, but which were far 

 more tender than the other two varieties, forastero 

 and creole cocoa, so generally planted in Trinidad 

 since the year 1756. I am not sufficiently acquainted 

 with cocoa to judge on this subject : my informant 

 has spent the whole of his life on cocoa estates.' ' 



11 Whatever the cause of the decay of the cocoa 

 plantations, the effects were ruinous to the colony. 

 It was abandoned by the greater part of its inhabi- 

 tants ; and there are many letters and other docu- 

 ments in existence which speak of the history of those 

 who remained behind ; they had to dispose of their 

 few articles of plate and even of their negro slaves to 

 supply themselves with such necessaries as they could 

 not raise on their plantations. ' ' 



Joseph goes on to describe other incidents in con- 

 nection with cocoa cultivation, but I think I have quo- 

 ted enough for the purpose of this article. There are, 

 or were up to a few years ago, traces of many small 

 plots in what had become high forest lands, showing 

 that cocoa had been largely cultivated ; in some of the 

 more favoured spots in the central range of hills. I 

 know of one man near Matura who discovered a plot 

 of over twenty acres of good cocoa hidden in the high 

 forest and quickly availed himself of that knowledge 

 to purchase a hundred acres that would include this 

 plot. The verge of the forest in which it was situated 

 was near the road — such as it was in those days — and 

 consequently he made a good bargain, I believe there 

 were others also who profited in a similar way. 



