due performance of digestion; half-a-pint twice a day, at the most, being sufficient. The effects produced upon many persons by a strong infusion of green tea, are of a distressing nature;-such as extreme uneasiness of the stomach, nausea, trembling of the limbs, wakefulness, and palpitation of the heart. The habitual use of it gives rise to chronic indigestion, nervousness, and, sometimes, a state little short of general paralysis. It is, however, in this kind of tea that tee-totallers generally revel, and by the excessive use of which they impair their appetite for more nutritious food.

To show the reputation which tea enjoys with us, it may be remarked that the number of teadealers in Great Britain and Ireland, in 1839, amounted to 109,179, and is now, doubtless, much greater; the quantity of tea consumed in the United Kingdom in 1841 was 36,681,877, and in 1851 had risen to 53,965,112 pounds.

Coffee is the produce of a tree called Caffea Arabica, which is a native of Arabia and Ethiopia. It was introduced from Persia or Arabia into Constantinople in 1554, but did not find its way, till more than a century later, to the other parts of Europe. It was brought to London, in 1652, by a Turkey merchant, named Edwards, who was accompanied by a Greek servant, Pasqua, skilled in the preparation of the beverage. Under the auspices of the latter, the first coffee-house was opened in George Yard, Lombard Street. From Europe, coffee was carried to the West Indies and to South America, where it is now extensively cultivated for purposes of trade. It appears, therefore, from what has been stated,

that scarcely two centuries have elapsed since tea and coffee, which of all luxuries most nearly

approach to necessaries of life, were introduced into this country; and the potato has only been

in general use with us for about seventy years. The introduction, then, of these three important commodities is one of the many results of maritime discovery, and extended commercial intercourse.

The coffee-tree averages about ten feet in height, and has long trailing branches, with smooth elliptical leaves, and flowers resembling those of the jasmine. The fruit is a round, pulpy, red berry, the size of a small cherry, and containing two seeds enclosed in a cartilaginous membrane. In Arabia, the berries, when ripe, are shaken from the trees on cloths placed beneath; in the West Indies they are plucked with the hand. The berries are deprived of their pulpy exterior and membrane, either by exposure to and drying in the sun, and subsequent friction, or by the action of a machine constructed for the purpose.

Coffee beans, or seeds, consist of much horny albumen, and a peculiar principle termed caffeine, which is identical with theine. Before roasting, they have an herbaceous flavour and odour; the effect of roasting being to alter the chemical character of the bean, to develop tannin, and an empyreumatic oil, to which coffee owes its aroma and stimulating action, and to double the size and diminish the weight of the seed.

"The roasting of coffee should take place in a close revolving cylinder, over a clear but moderate fire, and should not be carried too far, as is generally the case in Britain. When the beans have acquired a light chestnut colour, the process is completed, and they should then be cooled quickly, by being tossed up into the air, and

as

ground immediately in a covered mill or mortar. The infusion should be prepared as soon possible from the powder, about half an ounce being used for every half-pint of water. In this speedy succession of the various steps of preparation, lies the secret of the excellency of continental coffee, and the inferiority of our own. When the beans are roasted some days, or perhaps weeks, before the beverage is prepared, a large portion of the aroma is dissipated, and its fine flavour destroyed. The employment of white of egg, or fish-skin, to clarify coffee, is objectionable; clearness is thus purchased at the expense of strength. The addition of milk, which should always be hot, and of sugar, heighten the nourishing qualities of this beverage, and, in the morning, render it a substantial article for breakfast ; but when it is taken after dinner, to promote digestion, the milk, and, if possible, the sugar, should be dispensed with."*

In preparing the infusion, as also that of tea, care should be taken that the water is quite boiling. The practice of boiling coffee is objectionable; it deprives it of much of its aroma, and frequently renders it bitter. Too much water

should not be used in preparing it; for the sake of health, as well as of the palate, "little and good" is the best policy. The addition of chicory, in small quantity, heightens the colour, improves the flavour, and is not attended with any injurious consequences.

When well prepared, the infusion of coffee is a very wholesome and delicious drink. It causes warmth in the stomach, and diffuses a comfortable * Food of Man.

feeling over the frame. It slightly quickens the circulation, and excites the nervous system; allaying irritability, and rendering the intellectual faculties clearer. When taken in small quantity, after a full meal, it is said to promote digestion. Highly nervous and sensitive persons should be careful how they make use of coffee or tea; and neither of these drinks should, under any circumstances, be taken immediately before going to bed. The quantity of coffee consumed in Great Britain and Ireland in 1841, was 28,421,093 pounds, in 1851, 32,564,164 pounds.

Chocolate and cocoa are prepared from the nut of different species of Theobroma, known popularly as cocoa-trees. These trees have large simple leaves, clustering flowers, and fruit in the form of oval-pointed pods, in the pulp of which the seeds are imbedded. The seeds, which are the parts used in the preparation of the above substances, contain about 53 per cent. of oily or buttery matter, some albuminous material, starch, gum, and a peculiar principle called theobromine, which resembles theine and caffeine. Chocolate and cocoa differ in the mode of preparation; the former is prepared by roasting and grinding the seeds, and then mixing them up into a paste, with starchy matter to thicken it, sugar to sweeten, and vanilla or cinnamon to impart flavour; the latter is prepared by grinding the seed which has been roasted with the husk, which is removed in the preparation of chocolate. Cocoa is therefore lighter and less oily than chocolate, and both are far more nutritious, though less stimulating, than either tea or coffee.

Paraguay-tea, or maté, is the produce of a