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KOLA.
Whence
Kola
comes
—
Early
Mention
of—
Early
Trade
in
—
Cure
for
Drunkenness
—
The
Cattia
eduhs
—
Substitutes
for
Tea.
KOLA
can
scarcely
be
called
a
tea,
because,
as
a
drink,
it
is
produced
from
a
nut,
instead
of
a
leaf,
but
it
is
put
here
because
it
contains
the
alkaloid
Theine,
Its
botanical
name
is
Sterculia
acuminata^
and
it
is
a
native
of
tropical
West
Africa,
although
now
introduced
into
the
West
Indies
and
Brazils,
The
earliest
mention
of
it
that
I
have
found,
is
in
"the
Sieur
Briie's
Journey
from
Albreda,
on
the
river
Gambia,
to
Kachao,
by
land,
in
the
year
1700."
Shortly
after
his
start
from
Gambia,
he
was
entertained
by
a
Portuguese
lady,
and
*'
after
a
short
Compliment,
one
of
her
Slaves,
a
young,
handsome
Girl,
but
very
im-
modestly
dressed,
presented
the
General
a
Pewter
Basin
full
of
Kola,
a
fruit
much
valued
by
the
Portugueze.
It
is
bitter,
and
makes
the
Teeth
and
Spittle
yellow."
Barbot
^
gives
a
very
bad
illustration
of the
nut,
and
the
following
description.
"The
Colais a
sort
of
fruit,
somewhat
resembling
a
large
chestnut.
The
tree
is
1
A
Description
of
the
Coasts
of
North
and
South
Guinea,
etc.,
by
John
Barbot,
etc.
Now
first
printed
frotn
his
original
MS.,
1732.
96