COFFEE-TRADE. The extent to which the cultivation of coffee has been carried in the British possessions, the vast amount of capital embarked in plantations suited to its growth, the multitude of hands engaged in its culture, and the shipping necessarily employed in connection with that trade, invests the article, in a commercial point of view, with great importance; while as a beverage, the tendency of which is to wean the community from indulgence in intoxicating liquors, renders it second to no commodity in the British tariff.
The history of the coffee-trade prior to 1850 is only valuable now as an example of a commodity for which there is a universal craving amongst mankind, struggling successfully, and at last triumphantly, over fiscal restrictions, high duties, differential duties, and an endless mass of antiquated obstructions. In common with other important necessaries of life, it has now attained to the natural state of unrestricted competition, though it still pays a customs duty of three-pence per pound.
The following is an estimate of the annual exports of coffee from the principal places where it is produced, during the last four years, and as nearly as can be ascertained of its annual consumption for the same period in those countries into which it is imported from abroad at the present time, viz. :—
| 1850. | 1851. | 1852. | 1853. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil, shipment from | Tons. 80,000 | Tons. 142,000 | Tons. 133,000 | Tons. 126,000 |
| Java ..... | 40,000 | 60,000 | 69,000 | 62,000 |
| St Domingo..... | 20,000 | 18,000 | 25,000 | 20,000 |
| Cuba ..... | 4,000 | 5,000 | 4,000 | 5,000 |
| Porto Rico ..... | 6,000 | 5,500 | 9,500 | 9,500 |
| La Guyra & Venezuela | 12,000 | 10,500 | 12,000 | 12,000 |
| Costa Rica ..... | 4,000 | 3,000 | 3,000 | 3,000 |
| British West India | 1,000 | 1,500 | 1,500 | 1,500 |
| Ditto East India and Ceylon..... | 18,000 | 16,000 | 21,000 | 16,000 |
| French colonies, East and West Indies... | 500 | 500 | 500 | 500 |
| Dutch—West Indies | 500 | 500 | 500 | 500 |
| Manilla 600, Arabia 1400 ..... | 2,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 |
| 188,000 | 264,500 | 281,000 | 258,000 | |
| Deduct supplies directed to and retained in U. States | 63,000 | 94,000 | 88,000 | 85,000 |
| Supplies available for Europe ..... | 125,000 | 170,500 | 193,000 | 172,000 |
| Estimated real consumption in Europe | 155,000 | 176,500 | 191,400 | 193,000 |
| Surplus ..... | 1,600 | |||
| Deficit ..... | 30,000 | 6,000 | 21,000 |
| 1850. | 1851. | 1852. | 1853. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Britain (official) | Tons. 14,000 | Tons. 14,500 | Tons. 15,700 | Tons. 17,500 |
| France do. | 15,300 | 18,500 | 21,500 | 21,500 |
| Belgium do. | 16,500 | 17,500 | 20,700 | 20,000 |
| Holland, estimated... | 12,000 | 13,500 | 15,000 | 15,000 |
| Germany, Zollverein, and the other States, included in the now Customs Union ..... | 49,000 | 56,000 | 58,000 | 58,000 |
| Bohemia, Galicia, and Hungary ..... | 4,500 | 6,000 | 6,000 | 6,000 |
| Austria ..... | 9,000 | 10,500 | 11,000 | 11,000 |
| Switzerland ..... | 5,700 | 6,500 | 7,000 | 7,000 |
| Italy, Greece, Levant, and North Africa... | 12,500 | 14,000 | 15,000 | 15,000 |
| Spain and Portugal... | 5,000 | 6,000 | 6,000 | 6,000 |
| Sweden, Norway, and Denmark ..... | 8,000 | 9,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 |
| Russia, Finland, and Poland ..... | 3,500 | 4,500 | 5,500 | 6,000 |
| Estimated consumption in Europe..... | 155,000 | 176,500 | 191,400 | 193,000 |
| Estimated consumption in U. States... | 65,000 | 84,000 | 92,000 | 92,000 |
| Total consumption | 220,000 | 260,500 | 283,400 | 285,000 |
| Estimated fresh supplies in the year... | 188,000 | 264,500 | 281,000 | 258,000 |
| Deficit ..... | 32,000 | 2,400 | 27,000 | |
| Surplus ..... | 4,000 |
| Tons. | |
|---|---|
| 1850..... | 22,680 |
| 1851..... | 20,870 |
| 1852..... | 21,470 |
| 1853..... | 21,400 |
The above quantities may be considered the nearest ap-
proximation to the truth which the present state of commercial statistics can supply; but any one familiar with the writings of modern travellers in the south of Europe and in Asia must be convinced that a very large quantity of coffee is consumed in Turkey, Syria, Palestine, Persia, Egypt, Abyssinia, &c., regarding which commerce takes no note, and of which no statistics have ever yet been collected. (w. L.)