Horatius, a famous Roman, who defended the Sublilian bridge against the army of Porcius. See ROMAN HISTORY.

COCOA or CACAO, the seed or kernel of the Theobroma Cacao, a tree extensively cultivated in the West Indies, Brazil, and other districts of South America. These are contained in pods shaped like a cucumber; each pod producing from 10 to 30 nuts about the size of a large almond. The shell is dark-coloured, thin, and brittle; and the kernel throughout is of a brown colour. The nuts have a light agreeable smell, and an unctuous, bitterish, but not ungrateful taste. The principal use of the cocoa is to form the beverage called chocolate. See CHOCOLATE.

Cocoa has never been so extensively used in Great Britain as on the Continent. Humboldt estimated the quantity consumed in Europe in 1806 at 23,000,000 lbs. Until a recent period, the consumption of cocoa in England had been comparatively small, probably owing to the heavy duties imposed on it; but since 1832, when the duty on cocoa from British possessions was reduced from 6d. to 2d. per lb., the consumption has greatly increased. The annual average quantity consumed for the three years ending 1831 was only 446,578 lbs.; while that for the three years ending 1842 was 2,072,332 lbs.

In 1842, this duty was further reduced to 1½d. per lb.; but the duty on foreign cocoa continued at 6d. per lb. till 1846, when it was reduced to 2½d. These duties were equalized and fixed at 1d. per lb. in 1853, when the duties on husks and shells were also fixed at ½d. per lb., and on the paste or chocolate at 2d. per lb.

Quantities imported for consumption in Great Britain in 1851—

| Lb. Rates of Duty. | Nett Revenue | |-------------------|-------------| | Cocoa, from British Pos., | 2,396,611 | 1½d. per lb. | | " foreign........... | 581,733 | 2½d. | | " Husks and shells, | 640,303 | 1½d. of Brit. Pos. | | Chocolate & Cocoa Paste, | 14,134 | 2½d. of Brit. Pos. |

The quantities of cocoa entered for home consumption during the 3 months ending 5th April in 1852, 1853, and 1854, were respectively 978,527, 1,178,754, and 1,380,123 lbs.