78 
COFFEE. 
afterwards planted in the French West India 
islands. According to the account of a French au- 
thor, Martinique was the first island that received 
the coffee-tree. It was carried there by M. de 
Clieux, who, during a long and laborious passage, 
in which the fresh water fell so short as to be 
distributed in portions to each passenger, shared 
his daily allowance with the plant which was under 
his care ; and by this management succeeded in 
bringing it alive to the island of Martinique. Here 
a soil and situation the most favourable to its 
growth was decided on ; the tree carefully attended 
till it produced its fruit, and the seeds distributed 
to the different inhabitants of the island, with di- 
rections for their cultivation. All the success that 
could be expected attended their endeavours ; the 
plants multiplied exceedingly ; and after a few 
years were transported from Martinique to St. Do- 
minique, to Guadaloupe, and to the other neigh- 
bouring islands. About this time, or a little after, 
the coffee-plant was introduced into Cayenne by a 
Frenchman, who brought the fresh seeds from Dutch 
Guiana. In the year 1717? the French East India 
Company sent some of the Mocha coffee to the 
island of Bourbon ; from whence all the plants 
which have since been cultivated there are de- 
scended, and the berries gathered from them are 
known in commerce by the name of Bourbon 
coffee. 
The coffee-tree succeeds very well in all those 
countries which are situated either within, or in the 
