The History of Coffee ....
According to historical data, de Cleiu embarked at Nantes in 1723. He had prepared a glass covered box to transport his coffee plant, in order to absorb the suns rays for cloudy days. One of his passengers was envious of the captain and did everything in his power to disrupt the captain's success. But, fortunately, this passengers attempts failed. The captain and his precious plant arrived in Martinique safely.
In a letter written to L'Annee Litteraire (a great Enlightenment periodical), the captain tells of the infinite care he bestowed upon his delicate plant. He speaks of the passengers attempts to kill the plant by tearing off a branch. He tells a story of rationing water supplies and how he shared his ration of water with his most precious cargo, the coffee plant.
After his arrival in Martinique, Captain de Clieu planted his coffee plant on his estate in Precheur where it multiplied with great success. From the seedlings of this plant came most of the coffee trees of the Antilles with the first harvest gathered in 1726. The captain says he not only planted the tree in the most suitable growing area of his estate, but he also planted thorn bushes around the plant to protect it from thieves. His concern for his precious plant was so deep, the captain took even stronger measures to protect the plant by having his most endearing employees stand guard around the plant until it reached maturity. De Clieu was so attached and protective of his coffee plant and it's seedlings, he vowed to only give seeds to those he knew would give the plants the care necessary for their prosperity.