Page 129 - Arabian Studies (I)

The Diary of a Mocha Coffee Agent 113
(a) Referring to the steel sold on 6 June
The Thirty Tons of Lead and Steel your Honours sent by Prince
William are sold; the former at five Mocha Dollars a quarter the
hundred weight, and the Latter at Sixty five Mocha Dollars and a
half the Mocha Bahar. There is nobody permitted to purchase
Lead ashore but the Governor, who is a very bad Paymaster, and
being always in want and bare of money he will never let us be
behind hand in our Customs, or easy until we have advanced them
as much or more than they amount to. If Your Honours send
annually Fifty Tons of Iron and Ten Tons of Steel that is
sufficient for this Market . . .
Cb) Referring to Mocha coffee, in relation to that sent down from
Bait al-Faqilf 1
We can’t say much in commendation of the Mocha coffe, but as it
is cheaper hope your Honours will approve of our purchasing
it. . . The reason why little coffee comes to Mocha is that it is
previously sold at Bait al-Faqlh, where the Turks buy three-
quarters of the country’s coffee produce. The coffee that is
brought to Mocha is from several villages that lie 3 to 6 days South
of Mocha.

(c) Referring to the difficulties experienced in buying Coffee at
Bait al-Faqlh
There has been by all Accounts a very good Crop of Coffee this
year, but yet we did not find it come to market in that plenty as
we expected from the great quantity we were made to believe
there was in the Country, but ‘tis to be observed that what they
call great Crops must now be esteemed no more than what were
bad ones formerly, as a great many Plantations have been
destroyed in the Civil Wars, and others daily decaying thro’ the
Emaum’s Oppressions, that there is not Coffee sufficient to
Supply all Demands. The greatest is from Juddah which market
governs those of Lohayah and Beetlefuckee, and the Price of
Coffee is influenced by it, and in a manner as Stocks in Europe,
rises and falls, as good or bad news arrives from thence. There has
been about Three hundred Bales of Abbysine Coffee imported this
Season, but as that is now cleaner than the Coffee generally
brought to this Market, it sells for a higher price, and was all
brought up for the Busseroh Market.

(d) Referring to the non-purchase of Coffee by the Dutch
The Dutch have bought no Coffee this Season it exceeding their
Limited Price . . . and we wonder why they would even buy at
that rate, having such vast Quantitys of their own so much cheaper
from Java and Ceylon, and we are told they make but a small
Difference in Europe between that and Arabia Coffee.