c).

In a lecture delivered by Dr. Lindley before the Society of Arts,
alluding to the colonial products shown, at the Great Exhibition, he
said:--

"There was one sample which ought to be mentioned most especially;
namely, the cocoa of admirable quality which comes, or which may
come, from Trinidad. Cocoa--cacao, as we should call it--is an
article of very large consumption. Enormous quantities of it are now
used in the navy; and every one knows how much it is employed daily
in private life. It is, moreover, the basis of chocolate. But we
have the evidence of one of the most skilful brokers in London, who
has had forty years experience to enable him to speak to the
fact--that we never get good cocoa in this country. The consequence
is, that all the best chocolate is made in Spain, in France, and the
countries where the fine description of cocoa goes. We get here
cocoa which is unripe, flinty, and bitter, having undergone changes
that cause it to bear a very low price in the market. But it comes
from British possessions, and is, therefore, sold here subject to a
duty of only 18s. 8d. per cwt., whereas if it came from a foreign
country it would pay 56s.[3] The differential duty drives the best
cocoa out of the English market. Still it appears that we might
supply, from our own colonies, this very cocoa; because, as I have
said, there was exhibited, from Trinidad, a very beautiful sample,
quite equal to anything produced in the best markets of the
Magdalena, of Soconusco, or of other places on the Spanish main. It
had no bitterness, no flintiness, no damaged grain in it; but all
were plump and ripe, as if they had been picked. The cocoa from the
Spanish main goes into other countries, for the preparation of that
delicious chocolate which we buy of them. It is thrown out of our
market by the differential duty. But it is their own fault if our
own colonies do not produce fine cocoa, as Trinidad has conclusively
proved."

The exports of cacao from St. Lucia, where there are now 300 acres
under cultivation, have been as follows:[4]--I have also added the
produce of St. Vincent and Grenada imported here:--

Grenada. St. Lucia. St. Vincent.
lbs. lbs. lbs.

1828 75,275 17,384
1829 300,051 93,793 12,216