CŒUR, Jacques, a French merchant and royal treasurer, born at Bourges near the end of the 14th century, died in the island of Scio, Nov. 25, 1456. He was at first one of the masters of the mint at Bourges, and afterward engaged in commerce on a vast scale, visiting Egypt and Syria, establishing depots throughout the East, and covering the Mediterranean with his ships. Thus he acquired a great fortune and attracted the attention of Charles VII., who in 1435 appointed him head of the French mint, and afterward treasurer. His excellent management of affairs caused the king to ennoble him, and to intrust him with high functions in the French provinces, and with diplomatic missions in Italy. Cœur contributed 200,000 crowns to help the king in rescuing Normandy from the English. After the successful end of the war, his influence became so great as to give offence to envious persons, who after the death of the king's mistress, Agnes Sorel, charged him with having poisoned her, and caused him to be arrested (1451), and his vast property to be confiscated. Although the charge was proved to be groundless, he was detained in prison till 1455, when he effected his escape. Repairing to Rome, he was kindly received by Pope Nicholas V., and was enabled to gather the broken remains of his fortune. Pope Calixtus III. selected him in 1456 as captain general of a fleet against the Turks. On this expedition Cœur was overtaken by illness, died, and was buried in the church of the Franciscans in Scio. He had vainly implored the clemency of Charles VII. in favor of his family. Under Louis XI. his memory was exculpated from all charges, and a part of his property was afterward restored to his descendants. See Jacques Cœur et Charles VII., ou la France au XVe siècle (2 vols., Paris, 1853).
CŒURS D'ALÊNE (Awl-hearts), an Indian tribe in Idaho and Washington territories, of the Selish family, although their dialect differs greatly from others of the language. They call themselves Skizoomish, or Skitzuish, but are known generally by the above name, given them by the French voyageurs. They were poor, distrustful, and cruel, and lived on fish, roots, and small game, not visiting the bison grounds. Although estimated in 1822 at 2,000, they numbered but 300 in 1870. In 1841 Father De Smet visited them. In 1842 a Catholic mission was begun, which was removed in 1846 to a place 30 m. from Cœur d'Alêne lake (the source of Spokane river), where they had a church, a mill, and dwellings. The tribe became Christians, but viewed with jealousy the entrance of whites into their country; and in 1858 their chief, Vincent, with 100 warriors, joined Kamiakin, the Yakama chief, in his attack on Col. Steptoe. They were defeated by Col. Wright in the battles of Four Lakes and Spokane plains, and have since been peaceful. A part of the tribe in Idaho had a reservation set apart for them by an executive order of June 14, 1867: and by order of July 2, 1872, those in Paradise valley were removed against their protest to a reservation between the Okinakane and Columbia rivers and British America.
COFFEE (Turkish, kahve), the seeds of the plant coffea Arabica, of the order cinchonaceæ; also the beverage prepared by infusion or decoction of them in boiling water. In southern Abyssinia the plant grows wild in great profusion, and there it has been in use from very remote times. Its name is therefore generally derived from Kaffa, the name of a district S. of Abyssinia. It also grows wild in western Africa. The coffee-producing belt of the world lies between the isothermal lines of lat. 25º N. and 30º S. The plant grows at an altitude as high as 6,000 ft. above the sea; but it does not flourish where the temperature is below 55º. It thrives in warm situations upon the slopes of hills and in soil not retentive of rain.
The Coffee Plant.
The cultivation of coffee is widely diffused throughout the tropics, the principal countries being Brazil, Java, Ceylon, Sumatra, the isle of Réunion, the western coast of India, Arabia, Abyssinia, the West Indies, Central America, Venezuela, Guiana, Peru, Bolivia, and some of the Pacific islands. The plant attains the height of 8 to 20, and sometimes 30 ft. The trunk is covered with a grayish bark, and its white flowers grow in thick clusters around the branches. It is usually kept down by pruning to about 5 ft. in height, to increase its productiveness and for convenience in gathering the fruit. The slender and pliable branches then spread out and bend down like those of an apple tree. The plants are raised from the seed in nurseries, and when a year old are transplanted and set out in rows. In three years they begin to yield fruit, but are not in full bearing till the fifth year; they continue to yield for 20 years or longer. The leaves, of oblong-ovate and pointed form, grow in pairs, one opposite the other. They are four or five inches long, smooth and shining, and of dark green color. The plant being an
