LIBRARY ANNEX 2 §§^S^^^ 5^5"? 1^5 *-^ CHARLES WILLIAM WASON COLLECTION CHINA AND THE CHINESE THE GIFT OF CHARLES WILLIAM WASON CLASS OF 1876 1918 Cornell University Library RM 2S1.S95 A popular treatise on tea :its qualities 3 1924 024 015 566 The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924024015566 OHEA TEA. POPULAE TREATISE ON TEA : ITS QUALITIES AND EFFECTS. The bond of ComiUerce was designed T' associate all the branches of mankind; And if a bounteous plenty be the robe, Trade is the golden girdle of the globe. Wise to promote whatever end He means, God opens fruitful nature's various scenes; Each climate needs what other climes produce, And offers something to the general use ; No land but listens to the common call, And in return receives supply from all. COWPER. BY JOHI SUMNER. [EISTTEEED ^T STj!k.TI03SrEEa' HA.IL3L.] BIRMINGHAM: PRINTED BY WILLIAM HODGETTS, 22, CANNON STREET. 1863. PREFACE. The great Anglo-Saxon race are essentially a tea-drinking people; wherever they are established on the wide world this fragrant terb — this pleasant and gentle stimulus — is considered to be one of the necessaries of Ufe. Tea soon became an established favourite with our ancestors, and its use increased most rapidly. How few now would view with complacency the idea of being deprived of their tea! and yet, if perchance the plant which yields this grateful beverage should be made the subject of conversation, beyond the bare fact, that it comes from China in chests, has a series of hard names, and that the green variety has a bad reputation as being ini- ndcal to sleep, we venture to say that, to nine'tenths of society as ordinarily constituted, all is a mystery respecting the history, use, fiscal value, or eifects on the human frame, of this extraordinary Chinese leaf, which has alternately been lauded as a cordial and de- nounced as a poison. Simple as it may seem, information on these points is by no means easily acquired; I have not found any work which professes to bring together, in a connected and intelligible form, that valuable and scientific knowledge which, it is true, exists, but has to be sought for through many a ponderous tome ; a labour of love it might be to a few, who, like myself, feel a very great interest in the subject, but one scarcely compatible with the inclinations or the avocations of the many. This little Treatise, which I have arranged into chapters, as affording a natural division of the subject and as being convenient for reference, is an attempt to supply in a condensed and, I trust, a readable form, that information which I believe is much needed on the history, culture, statistics, and effects of Tea. As before stated, I have long taken an interest in the study of Tea; ciroumstances have made me practically cognizant with my theme ; and, as I do not pretend to set forth any theory on the action or constitution of Tea, or attempt to convey the idea that this little work respecting the plant is aught beyond a plain unvarnished history, derived from the best sources of information, it is to be hoped that the avowal may have the effect of disarming all hostile criticism. 98, Hi9H Stseet, Bieminsham, Jahuabt, 1863. INDEX. CHATTEH. HiSTOBT OP Tea 1 Botanical DESCEiPiioir of Tea — Habits of the Plant, Method op Puepahino Black, Gbeen, AND Scented Teas 2 Vabieties or Black and Geeen Teas ... 3 Sttbstitittes foe Tea used in vaeiotts Paets of the "WosLD ....... 4 Chemistet of Tea ...... 5 Medicinal Peopeeties of Tea, Opinions of Medical Men, Attthoes, &c., in eefeeence to the Subject ....... 6 The Social Inflitence of Tea .... 7 TEEATISE ON TEA. CHAPTER I. History of Tea. TEA' — called by the Chinese Tcba, Tha, and Te ; the French Th6 ; the Italians Te ; the Dutch Te ; tite Russians Tchai ; the Hindostanees Cha; and the Malays Teh — appears to have been used by the Chinese from remote antiquity ; at least, if we may credit their traditions and the writings of one Soliman, an Arabian merchant, who wrote an account of his travels about the year a.d. 850. The Chinese legend relates " That a pious hermit who, in his watchings and prayers, had often been overtaken by sleep, so that his eyelids closed; in holy wrath against the weakness of the flesh, cut them off and threw them on the ground. But a god caused a tea shrub to spring out of them ; the leaves of which exhibit the form of an eyelid bordered with lashes, and possess the gift of hindering sleep." A similar story is related concerning the introduction of Coffee into Arabia. Both legends were, probably, invented long after the qualities of Tea and Coffee were known. It was after the year 600 that the use of Tea became gene- ral in China, and early in the ninth century (810) it was intro- duced into Japan. The general opinion appears to be that Tea was not brought to Europe Hntil about the beginning of the T The original Eugllsli name was Tee ; there appeal's a great similarity in all these names. Pepys, in Ms Diary, Sept. 25, 1660, says — " I did send for a cup of Tee, a China drink, of which I had nerer drank before." The word aftenvards became altered to Tay ; in the earlier editions of Pope it is so spelled ; thus we iind in the Mope oftlie Lock: — '* Soft yielding minds to water glide away.**" And sip with nymphs their elemental tay." And ag'ain : — "Thou, great Anna, whom three realms obey, Dost sometimes counsel .take and sometimes tay." The modem editions have altered the spelling at the expense of the rhyme. seventeenth century. 'Hot infiisions of leaves had been long familiar as drinks in European countries. ^Dried sage leaves were much used in England ; and are even said to have been carried by the Dutch to China, to be there exchanged for the Chinese leaf. A Russian embassy to China also brought back to Moscow some carefully-packed Green Tea, "which was received with great acceptance.''''^ The date of the first intro- duction of Tea into England cannot be accurately learnt ; the Dutch had used it before any direct importation came to this country, and, probably, some small quantity had found its way through their agency. The first intro8uction of Tea into Europe is claimed for the Portuguese, who, as early as the year 1577, commenced a regular trade with China. Dr. Lettsom, who wrote on Tea in 1799, mentions, amongst a number of writers on the same subject — L. Baptista Bamusio, le Navigationi e viaggi nelli quali si Contienne, la Des- crittione, dell' Africa, del paese del Prete, Joannl del Mar. Bosao, Calicut, isole Moluohese la Navigazione iiiterno il mondo. Venet, 1550, 1663, 1S88, A transla- tion, in English^ of Giovanni Botaro, an eminent Italian author, printed 1590; Texeira, a Spaniard, 1610 ; Fischer, 1639 ; and Linsoot de Insula Japonica, 1699. Father Alexander de Rhodes, who travelled in China in 1623, speaks of the use of Tea among the Chinese, and of th« fact of its having begun to be known in Europe. Oleari0S, who was in Persia in 1633, mentions the fact of Tea being sold in the taverns, and largely consumed by the Persians. — (Lan- caster on Food.) Lord Macaulay, (vol. 4, p. 132,) says — " At the time when Monk brought the army of Scotland to London Tea had been handed round to be stared at and just touched with the lips, as a great rarity from China ; was, eight years later, a "regular article of import; and was soon consumed in such quantities that financiers began to consider it a fit subject for taxation." I It must have been to some such infusions that liugge, in his Diurnal, 1659, refers, wheu he states that Coffee, Chocolate, and a kind of drink called Tee was sold in alTnoat every street in London ; otherwise this is very much at variance with Lord Macaulay's state- ment, or with what we may infer from Pepys's remark. a Sage was in frequent use till after the middle of last century. In the Life of Whit- field it is stated that, when in his fasting humours at Oxford, " his food was nothing but iage tea without sugar and coarse bread." ,Tliis was about 1730. The leaf of the black currant is still used in some districts as an addition to tea, and is said to impart an agreeable flavour and pungency. 3 The Plant, by Schleiden, 2nd edition, p. 142. In 1664 the East India Company brought 2 lbs. 2 ozs. of Tea (probably something very choice) as a present to his Majesty. In 1667 they issued their first order to their agent at Bantam, to the effect that he should send one hundred pounds of the best Tea he could get. — ( MacpliersorC s History of Commerce with India, p. 130 — 133. Bruce's Annals, vol. 2, p. 210.) In 1667 it appears Pepys had introduced the herb into> his own house, for we find — " Home, and there find my wife making of Tea ; a drink which Mr. Felling, the potticary, tells her is good for her cold and dejluxions !" What a picture might be painted of the worthy Mrs. Pepys in the antique, yet picturesque, costume of the period, making her first cup of Tea, carefully measuring out the precious grains obtained from 'yii: Felling, the "potticury", at an enormous price — not less than a crown an ounce. If Tea should become fashionable it will cost as much per year as the claret. But Fepys consoles himself with the idea the price is coming down ; and from that huge side pocket of his, produces the hand-bill of Thomas Garway (whom he has immortalized) in Exchange Alley, which evidently pleases the lady ; for the worthy merchant says, that although " Tea in England hath been sold in the leaf for six pounds, and some- times ten pounds, the pound weight, he," by continued care and industry in obtaining the best Tea, " now sells Tea for 16*. to 50«. a pound." The following account of the Introduction of Tea into Eng- land is taken from the Comprehensive History of England, vol. 2, p. 784, and will be read with interest : — " The age of club- houses had now (1660-1689) fully commenced, and was so con- genial to the English character, that it bid fair to be perpetual. Here every political subject of the day was subjected to free and close examination ; and, as not merely the higher but middle classes attended these new places of entertainment, a knowledge of public affairs was more widely diffused, and the spirit of national liberty nursed into full vigour." ' Besides these club- X The political Influence wielded by the coffee-houses was looked upon with such aversion by the Govemmeat. that a Proclamation was Issued to suppress them ; but caused BO much dissatisfaction, that the King: (Ghas. 11.) yielded to a petition of the coffee-men, and, on their promising to restrain all seditious conversations, it was withdrawn. — Hume's History of MngUmd, Jones's Series, p. 799. " Here," says a Pamphleteer of 1673, " haberdashers of political small wares meet, and mutually abuse each other and the public with bottomless stories and heedless notions." B 10 houses — where pipes and tobacco, as well as wine and strong drink, were always at hand to animate the discussion — there were coflFee-houses of a more temperate character, where not merely politics — but also the subjects of religion and literature — were debated by their frequenters, who usually repaired to them when the business of the day was over. The beverages chiefly used at these last places were Coffee, Chocolate, and Tea ; and the introduction of this important herb — Tea — into England, by which the whole economy of diet was changed, as well as tem- perance promoted, health improved, and life itself lengthened, is worthy of particular note. Although known by report in Europe as a favourite Chinese beverage, during the sixteenth century, it was not introduced until the earlier part of the seventeenth cen- tury ; and that, too, in small quantities by the Dutch East India Company. Its introduction into England is attributed to Queen Catherine; and, while her example brought it into partial fashion among the courtiers, its qualities were so highly appreciated by a few, that Waller, who calls it in a royal birthday ode " the best of herbs," thus eulogises it : — " The muse's friend, tea, does our fancy aid, Repress those vapours which the head invade. And keeps that palace of the soul serene Fit on her birthday to salute the Queen." The first entrance of Tea, however, was in such small packets, that they were presented to the King as rarities, so that it was not till about eighteen years after that so large a shipment as 4,713 pounds of this precious plant was imported into England by the East India Company. This consignment, however, was so overwhelming that, for six years, little more than 400 pounds followed. In its first form, as an article of traflBc, Tea was sold in a liquid state, and in this way, also, was taxed at the rate of 8d. per gallon.' Thus it continued to be sold in single cups, and at a high price, until after the Revolu- tion, when the use of it became more general, and the art of tea-making was esteemed a household accomplishment — while, for Tea drinking, " a female sovereign reigned over Britain."^ I This was enacted 1660. There is a great discrepancy in tlie accounts relating to the introduction of Tea ; if it was such a rarity (1660) can we suppose the legislature would have taxed it ? They could hardly have Imown it. To account for the tax, it might have applied equally to Coffee, Chocolate, and the Tea madefi'om various leaves. z Great Anna, see Note, page 7. 11 Tea must have been expensive in 1710. In the original edition of the Tatler there are many advertisements, of vehieh the annexed is a specimen; it is dated Oct. 10, 1710. " Mr. Fary's \6s. Bohee Tea,' not much inferior in good- ness to the best foreign Bohee Tea, is sold by himself only, at the Bell, in Gracechurch Street. Note the best foreign Bohee is worth 30s. a pound, so that which is sold at 20*. or 21s. must either be faulty Tea, or mixed with a proportionate quantity of damaged Green or Bohee, the worst of which will remain black after infusion." In 1689, a duty of 5s. per lb. was imposed. It was formerly well known that smuggling was carried on to a considerable extent ; and, after every other means of checking it had been tried to no purpose, Mr. Pitt proposed in 1784 to reduce the duties from 119 to I2# per cent. This measure was signally successful. Smuggling and the practice of adulteration were immediately put an end to, and the legal imports of Tea were about doubled. In 1795, this duty was raised to 25 per cent., and after successive augmentations in 1797, 1800, and 1803, it was raised in 1806 to 96, ad valorem, at which it continued till 1819, when it was raised to 100 per cent, on all Teas that brought above 2s. per lb. at the Company's sales, this con- tinued to the 22nd April, 1834. The duty on Teas sold under 2s. per pound being 96 per cent. The duties were then altered— s, d. Bohea (cummon Black Tea) 1 6 per lb. Congou, Tvrankay, Hyson Skin, Orange Pekoe, and Campoi 2 2,, Souchong, Flowery, Pekoe Hyson, Young Hyson, Gun-'» . „ powder, and other Teas not enumerated j " These duties were repealed in 1836, and an equal duty of 2s. \d. levied on all Teas; since which time the duties have been altered to the present duty of Is. 5d. In 1711, the quantity returned for home consumption was 141,995 lbs., this had increased in 1720 to 237,904, and in 1740 to 1,302,549, the next twenty years shews it increased lo 2,293,613, 1780 to 5,588,315, this kept gradually increasing until the reduc- tion of the duty to the present Vs. 5d., which has stimulated the consumption until it has reached nearly 80,000,000 of pounds, as shewn by the following Table, issued by the Board of Trade. I This was most probably the same Tea that we now call Congfou. » The import for the year 1862-3 is expected to reach nearly 100,000,000. 12 TEA. Quantities retained for Home Consumption in the United Kingdom. Kett Amount of Duty reoeived thereon. Rate of Consumption per Head of the Population. Bate of Contribution per Head ' to the Bevenue. Sate. 1841 1851 1859 1860 1861 lbs. 36,675,667 53,949,059 76,303,661 76,816,394 77,927,749 3,973,668 5,900,625 5,404,376 5,441,151 5,519,822 lbs. 1—37 1—96 2—65 2—65 2—67 > d. 2 11} 4 3^ 3 9 3 9 3 9J We learn from this that the average consumption of Tea in the ten years ) 841 to 1851, when the duty was 2s. '2\d per lb., was 45,312,363 lbs., yielding £4,937,146 ; while, in the three years 1859-60-61, when the duty wasl«.5d., it was 77,016,6011bs., yielding £5,453,116 ; thus affording an excellent instance of the superior advantage to the revenue of moderate duties. The average sum contributed to the revenue from Tea by each of the population was 3«. 7|d. under the higher duty, and 3s. 9%d. under the lower. The trade in Tea, from its origin down to 1 834, was monopo- lized by the East India Company. Considerable quantities, indeed, were smuggled into the country ; the high duties, and the prohibition to all not of the Company, being powerful incen- tives, as no British subject, not authorized by the Company, was allowed openly to import Tea. Being thus the only sellers, they had it in their power, by limiting the quantity brought to market, to raise the price above its natural level, and to realize immense profits at the expense of the public. The legislature endeavoured, at different periods, to prevent the Company from abusing their monopoly, by enacting regulations for the sale of Tea. In 1745 the Tea duties were much reduced in amount; and, by a statute passed in that year, (18 Geo. 2, c. 26,) it was enacted — " In order to prevent the Company from depriving the public of the benefit of this reduction, that, in case the Tea imported by the East India Company shall not be Euffieient to ansvrer the consumption thereof in Great Britain, ' and to lieep the 1 The Company were expected to keep twelve months' stock in, hand; this did not Improve the quality. The Black Teas were excessively "fired," to prepare them for this long keeping ; they became a little mellowed by age, but would have been considerably^ better had not the excessive "firing" been necessitated by the length ol time they were to jbe kept. 13 prioe of Tea in this country upon an equality with the price thereof in the neigh- bouring continent of Europe, it shall be lawful for the said Company to import into Great Britain such quantities of Tea as they shall think necessary from any part of Europe." And, by another section of the same statute, it is enacted — " That, if the East India Company shall, at any time, neglect to keep the British market supplied with a sufficient quantity of Tea, at reasonable prices, it shall be lawful for the Lords of the Treasury to grant licenses to any other person or persons, body politic or corporate, to import Tea into Great Britain from any part of Europe." McCuUoch's Art. Tea, East India Company. Tea has played a very prominent part in the world's com- merce ; — the introduction and gradual spread of Tea has tended materially to develope and foster our Navy. The East India- men were the finest, best manned, equipped, and officered, of our trading vessels. We say were, for, of late years, the intercourse with other more remote countries has called into existence vessels equally large and well served ; but the East India-men were very first-class vessels, manned and officered by the very pick of England's mercantile marine long before Cook had discovered Botany Bay. We must not conclude this passing notice of the History of Tea without giving a short account of the two ships laden with Tea, which had so powerful an influence in hastening the Ame- rican Revolution. The consignees of these two cargoes of Tea at Boston were intimidated by mobs, who maintained that the Tea so charged with duty should not only not be landed, but peremptorily sent back ; and they threatened, at the same time, whoever dared to encourage or assist the captains in landing the cargoes with the direst penalties. The consignees on this were anxious to store the Teas and wait for further instructions, but this reasonable request was not permitted; — the Bostonians sending down a strong guard to Griffith's Wharf to watch the ships and prevent any landing. The captains of these vessels, at a public meeting, were ordered to return to England ; to which they replied, " the collector could not give them any clearance until they had discharged their cargoes." As for the captains of the Tea ships — the governor had ordered that they should not be allowed to pass the forts without a permit from himself, and Admiral Montague had sent down two ships of war to guard all the passages out of the harbour. The two ships were eventually boarded by an armed mob, disguised as Mohawk 14 Indians, and by skippers and men of colour, in overwhelming numbers, — they broke open the chests and emptied their con- tents into the sea, with much joy and jubilation. This was June 7, 1774. The first blood drawn in this memorable war, was on the night of the 18th and 19th of April, 1775, when General Gage sent a detachment of troops from Boston to Concord, about twenty miles, to destroy military stores gathered by the Americans. The battle of Bunker's Hill, or more pro- perly. Breed's Hill, took place on the 17th of June. CHAPTER II. Botanical Descbiptton of Tea — Habits op the Plant, Mode of Ctjitttre, Pkepabation op Blags: and Gkben Teas, Method op scentino. Tea is a polyandrous plant, botanically considered, a single species of the natural order Columniferae; the leaves are alter- nate, on short, thick-channeled foot stalks, evergreen, with a blunt knotched point and serrated, except at the base, and bear considerable resemblance to the Camellia, but not so smooth and shining; the plant itself is more bushy than we see it in our green houses — has numerous branches and a very dense foliage ; the flower grows at the foot of the leaf — a white blossom with a yellow style and anthers, much like the wild white rose. Others have described the appearance of the leaves as resembling the broad-leaved myrtle. The wood of the Tea plant is hard and tough, emitting an unpleasant odour when cut. There are several varieties of the Tea plant distinguished by Botanists, as Thea Viridis, Thea Bohea, and Thea Striata. " The black and green, with all the diversities of each, are mere varieties, like the varieties of the grape altered by cultivation, climate, and ^oil; only the most civilized nations of Europe have succeeded in producing good wines, which is also the case with Tea; for the agricultural and manufacturing skill of the Chinese is unquestionably pre-eminent" — Mcculloch's Com- mercial Dictionary. " The Tea plant grows wild both in China and Japan, but thrives best in the cooler parts of the temperate zone, even as far north as the 40th degree of north latitude.' The districts of China, which supply the greater part of the Tea exported to Europe and America, lie between the 25th and 31st degrees of north latitude, and the most favoured are those that lie between 27° and 31°. Every province of China pro- duces more or less Tea, beside the maritime ones, but it is of inferior quality and retained for local uses.* I Fortune'* China. ^ Fortune, Meyer, Lankester on Food, 16 The Tea plant is also extensively cultivated in Japan, Ton- quin, Cochin China, Nepaul, and Thibet, and was early introduced into the New World, where it grows luxuriantly, even without cul- ture, at the present moment in the Brazils ; but requires Chinese poverty and Chinese patience to dry the leaves for general use ; hence its failure in America. Experiments have been recently made to grow the plant in South Carolina, and although it flou- rished and the Tea promised well, yet the high price of labour caused its failure. * Both mountain and plain produce the Tea plant, but it seems to delight most in a light, rooky, ferruginous soil, on sunny slopes where there are springs ; these latter situations, where the water passes freely ofi" by the rocky substratum, produce the finest Tea. Mr. Fortune says the soil of many plantations is very thin and poor, in some places little more than sand, such soil as would grow pines and scrub oaks. Black Tea is grown for the most part in the maritime pro- vince of Fokien or Fu-keen, (lat. 22-24 N. long. 116-120 east,) and marked on the map " Black Tea District" — ^but some Bohea (very common) is produced in the province of Qwantung (Can- ton) in the district of Woping or Hoping. Green Tea is grown in the maritime provinces of Qwantung, Kiangsi or Keangsoo, and Che-ICiang — chiefly in the two former — ^the word grovyn may be rendered produced, for we shall pre- sently explain how the two different kinds are made from one leaf. Assam and the slopes of the Himalayas produce excellent Teas — DuNLOP' speaks highly of various districts, their capa- bilities of producing the best of Teas, the salubrity of the climate, and a return of from 200 to 300 per cent, per annum for outlay on capital ; whilst jungle land can be had free and land fitted for Tea culture at an anna per acre per year the first year, which is increased annually until it reaches 16 or about 2s., at which it ceases. Such planting on the Himalayas Ls effected by terracing ; young plants and seeds to any amount are procurable at the nearest Government station, gratis ; the busy I Hunting on the Himalaya. 17 time is from April to September ; after which the Tea planter (lucky fellow) may spend the next seven months in visiting his friends; or, in the enjoyment of splendid fishing and shooting, vyith which this beautiful country abounds. The modes of cultivation may differ slightly in different districts, but the usual method of forming a tea plantation is as follows : seven or eight seeds are put into a hole, of which seeds only two or three spring up ; these are afterwards transplanted into rows when about a year old, and the main shoots are cropped, which makes the plants grow shrubby and bushy, — their height not being allowed much to exceed three feet, they are placed in rows, three or four feet apart, and much resemble a garden of gooseberry trees. According to some authorities, the cropping commences when the bushes are three years old, and these say the trees require renewing every five or six years ;— according to others, the cropping commences in the fourth or fifth year, and is continued to the tenth or twelfth ; the fact probably being that the leaves are gathered from all in the third year, and the plants for fine Teas are not permitted to stand beyond the fifth or sixth — ^the commoner kinds only being allowed so long as ten years; these last, perhaps, with inferior care and on worse land. Plants are not allowed to be overshadowed by large trees, and certain vegetables are not permitted in their vicinity on account of supposed noxious influences. The leaves are stripped off the plant in the beginning of April, a new crop is then thrown out, and picked about six weeks afterwards, and a third about the end of May ; — the two first pickings are the most highly flavoured, delicate, and nearly equal in quality. — " There is very great choice in Tea, connois- seurs being much more particular in their taste than even the most fastidious wine drinkers. Some of the individual shrubs are greatly prized; one of them, called the "egg plant," grows in a deep gully between two hills, and is nourished by water which trickles from the precipice. Another is appropriated exclusively to the imperial use, and an ofiicer is appointed every year to superintend the gathering and curing. The produce of such plants is never sent to Canton, being reserved entirely for the Emperor and the Mandarins of the Court. It commands enor- 18 mous prices, the most valuable being said to be worth about iG30 per pound weight, the cheapest not less than £5." — C Chambers' Journal, Nov., 1861.^ We are told (Meyen) that Pekoe or Pak-ho, means "white down," and consists of the first downy sprouts or leaf buds of three-year-old plants, — this appears erroneous as applied to the bulk of the Pekoes imported into this country, which is known as Canton make ; the leaves of these are long and wiry, nearly the largest Tea leaves w^ are acquainted with. The Pekoes known to the trade as " Foo Chow Foo," are small and favour the supposition, but these are of comparatively modern import, and relatively small in quantity as compared with the former, and could scarcely be known to Meyen. The finest Gunpowders are said to be these buds^which appears not unlikely. The third and after-gatherings are more woody and yield less soluble matter on infusion or decoction. The refuse and decayed leaves and twigs are pressed into moulds and sold under the name of " Brick Tea." The bricks being commonly har- dened by mixing the leaves with the serum of sheep and ox blood. DuNLOP says that the Hunnias or Snow men (Himalaya Range) prepare Brick Tea by boiling it many hours, they then throw it into a large vessel of boiling water and mix it with salt and ghee (clarified butter), adding suttou (parched gram or chicken vetch) ; the appearance of this Brick Tea, he describes as disgusting, looking like cake tobacco, badly dried, and often much decomposed — nevertheless these men drink it four or five times daily, it being almost the only nourishment they have, when travelling, its use seeming to render them capable of enduring great fatigue. See also Atkinson on the Amoor. There is sometimes a fourth gleaning, called "autumn dew;" but the leaves are old, withered, and all but worthless. The long -argued question — "whether Black and Green Teas are made from the same leaf" — has been definitely an- swered in the affirmative ; there is a difference between the Thea Bohea and Thea Viridis, but one more of shape than quality, the latter being broader and less pointed. When freshly gathered, the leaves are very different to what we know ; they have not the aroma or pungency that we so much esteem, the pleasant taste 19 and fine natural scent is developed in the "curing'''' process. In this difference of curing, consists the variance between Black and Green Teas. Fortune, considered at present our best authority on such matters, gives a detailed account of the Manufacture of Tea, which is thus summarised in the " Chemistry of Common Life." Thus for— GREEN TEAS. BLACK TEAS. 1. The leaves are roasted almost imme- 1. They are allowed to be spread out ia diately after they are gathered. the open air for some time after They are dried off quickly after the they are gathered. Tolling process. The whole opera- 2. They are then further tossed about tion is speedy and simple. until they become soft and flaccid. 3. They are now roasted for a few mi- nutes and rolled ; after which they are exposed to the air for a few hours in a soft andmoist state. 4. Lastly, they are dried slowly over charcoal fires Dr. Lankester C" Popular Lectures on Food" p. 305,) speaking of Tea, says " the leaves, having been gathered, are always submitted to a sorting process, which consists in sepa- rating the larger from the smaller leaves. They are then dried in the open ,air, and during the drying are submitted to various treatments, but more particularly to tossing in the air. The Chinaman takes a handful of the leaves, and throwing them well about, they are thus dried most effectually. It is at this stage that a different plan is pursued, according as it is wished, to manufacture Green or Black Tea. After drying, the leaves are roasted in hot uncovered pans, and from the exposure to the air Green Tea results. This is called the dry way ; but if, during the process, the pans are covered, the evaporating mois- ture is retained, and a kind of fermentation takes place among the leaves, which is attended with an alteration in the colour, and this Tea is called Black Tea. This is called the wet way." Other authorities assert that the Black Teas acquire their fragrance by a partial decomposition — a slight heating of the leaves, by allowing them to lie in heaps, which are turned from time to time — (a somewhat analagous process to hay-making) prior to the roasting ; this roasting is performed in small iron furnaces, several of them in a row, heated by charcoal — a man takes charge of three or four of these, and into each is thrown 20 a small quantity of the leaves only, these are rapidly stirred in rotation from time to time, a few minutes sufl5cing to thoroughly dry them. Green Teas are dried at once, retaining more of their natural juices than the Black — to which many are inclined to ascribe their stimulating properties. The chemical compositioii ' of Black Teas being much altered by this decomposing or sweating. Much has been said against the colouring of G-reenTeas, more importance having been attached to it than is at all necessary ; the cry of " coloured " Teas has been made a bugbear to frighten people into the use of "uncoloured Green Tea" for trade purposes. The substances principally used are Prussian blue (Ferro-cyanide of Iron,) English or Dutch pink, a yellow-coloured gypsum (sul- phate of lime and turmeric) ; these are mixed together according to the shade required, and the leaves thus tinged, frequently faced by the addition of French chalk, which imparts the glossy or pearly appearance, — all these ingredients are perfectly harm- less in the infinitessimal quantity taken ; in fact, they are all but insoluble in water ; this colouring is effected during the process of heating, and is done by experienced hands only ; the colourman, if we may so designate him, marching up and down the furnaces, throwing in a pinch of colour here and there, and noticing the effect when he next comes round. We do not write in defence of " coloured Tea," neither are we of opinion that " Tea must be painted green, or green is he Who tries to pass it off as real green tea ;" but re-iterate the opinion that coloured Teas are harmless in as much as the matters employed in their colouration are inert and insoluble. There are Teas which, strictly speaking, can neither be called black nor green — they are black looking, but are in reality green, as they appear so when expanded by the action of water; these are — Oolongs,* Capers, and Pekoes — the two latter having their dark colour somewhat heightened by a facing I This Is said to be the true Green Tea, " uncoloured," that we are to nse in pre- ference to all others. Some assert that the colour is removed by a steaming process, and the leaves afterwards dried. 21 of gum, &c. ; the decomposition or sweating alluded to as con- stituting the main difference between the manufacture of Green and Black Teas occurs to us in these as being suspended at an early stage. We now come to the interesting process of scenting — a pe- culiarly delicate, nice operation, requiring great skill in the manipulation ; flowers, herbs, &c., are used in great variety. The following list is given by Mayen, C Chemistry of Common Life ; J to which we append the English names and description. 1. Sweet Scented Olive. 2. The Chloranthus is nearly allied to the Pepper Tribe, and has a very fragrant odour. 3. The ordinary Gardenia is the " Cape Jessamine," a sweet scented evergreen. 4. Aglaia odorata is called "sweet scented citron wort." 5. Mogorium sambacis a genus of the Jasmin Tribe, and Oil of Jasmin may be distilled from it. 6. The Vitex is the Vervain or Verbena Tribe, some are Aromatic and used as tea, or to flavour it. 7. Camellia called from Camellus. 8. Jesuit Camellia sasanqua, " Lady Banks Sasan- qua," grows in China. 9. lUicum — the Aniseed tree, used as a spice in Chinese Cookery. 10. Magnolia yulan, used in China to make a fevei drink , is bitter and aromatic 11. Rosaindioa — the " Monthly Rose" 12. Murraga, a genus of the Orange tribe. 13. Bixa is a genus of the Arnotto Tribe, which is ' used for colouring cheese and butter. To this may be added Peach Blossoms, Orange, Hyacinth, and other flowers. In the process of scenting the Tea, a small quantity of Tea leaves are thrown into the furnace, and some of the above odoriferous agents added, — the heat speedily extracting and imparting the aroma ; the Tea thus prepared is very powerfully scented and unfit for use, serving only to mix with a larger quantity of unsceuted Tea, and so to communicate a due amount of fragrance. These processes are, no doubt, kept secret by many of the makers, whose marks or brands, as we should call them here, are as well known as the names and trade marks of our most skilled manufacturers. 1 . Olea fragrans 2. Chloranthns inconspicuus 3. Gardenia florida 4. Aglaia odorata 6. Mogorium sambac 6. Vitex spicata 7. Camellia sasanqua 8. Camellia odorifera 9. lllicum anisatnm 10. Magnolia yulan 11. Kosa Indica odoratissima. 1 2. Murraga exotica 1 3. Bixa orellana CHAPTER III. Vaeieties op Green and Black Teas. There are so many different kinds of Tea, that we cannot expect to give more than a general indication of them. Of Green Teas there are Gunpowder, Ouchain Gunpowder, Hyson, Young Hyson, Imperial, Hyson Twankay, Hyson Skin, and Twankay. There is also a spurious Gunpowder, properly called Lie Tea, which is composed of tea dust, mixed with rice or gum water, — a specimen of Chinese ingenuity. These Teas are again subdi- vided ; the name given bearing reference to the district where they are grown, or the port whence they are shipped. The varieties of Green Teas are, after all, not to be compared with the Black, which are exceedingly numerous. Commencing with the highest grade of Black Teas we first notice Pekoe. — The finest of which is called "Flowery Pekoe;"' there is the Assam growth of the same, very chaice and strong, with a peculiar malt-like flavour ; all the Assam Teas have great strength, and, although the plant is described by Botanists as identical with that grown in China, there is a pungency about it not possessed by the latter, attributable to a large amount of tannin ; the leaves have the down-like appearance described at page 17 ; one portion of them being white, which perhaps gave rise to the name of " flowery." There is Scented Pekoe, commonly called Orange Pekoe, the odour of which is frequently derived from avariety of scents,beside orange blossoms ; the Scented Orange Pekoe ordinarily imported has a long, wiry, close-twisted, thin leaf, with a black glossy appearance — this is the Canton Pekoe. There are also the Scented Orange Pekoes from Foo Chow Foo, these differ greatly from the last named ; the leaf is small, brown, with something of the flower- like appearance at the base of the leaf, the scent of this is more delicate than the former, I There are two spocimens of Flowery Pekoe in the South Kensington Museum, marked " euperflne" ana " very fine ;" the fonner SOs. per lb., and the latter 40s. 23 but it has not the same strength ; there is also more variety in the flavour. We have also the ordinary Pekoe Tea, which has a brown close- twisted leaf, is strong, but free from scent: •another variety is called Hyson Pekoe, this partakes somewhat of the qualities of both these teas. The next variety of Black Tea we notice is Caper, called by some Black Gunpowder ; of this we have also the Canton and Foo Chow Foo makes ; the former, as the ease with the Pekoes, black and shining, but instead of the long, wiry, close- twisted leaf, Capers are rolled into small balls; the latter are simi- larly made, but have a natural colour, are wanting the gloss of the former, which is imparted by gum, and they have more fra- grance and variety of scent ; the commoner kinds are great rubbish, and frequently made of warehouse sweepings, decayed leaves, &c., rolled up with gum. There is a plain Caper called in China Chulan, which was formerly in much repute here. Oolong is the next Black Tea on our list ; this is a remark- ably strong pungent tea, with large, coarse, brown leaves, and more resembles the plain Pekoe than any other kind we are acquainted with. There is great variety of this Tea, some very costly, and almost entirely consumed in China; the Padre Oolong is the favourite beverage of the Mandarins and people of rank ; there is Pekoe Oolong, which, as may be inferred, par- takes of the character of both. A Peach-blossom Oolong was imported in some quantity a few years since ; it had the strong almondy flavour of the blossom, was curious and uncommon, but not likely to become a favourite. ' The foregoing remarks apply to what are commonly known as Scented Teas, which are usually considered as Black; we have adhered to this arrangement for simplicity, yet, strictly speaking, these Teas are green — black or brown externally, yet, green in appearance when expanded by the action of water. Next in order, we shall rank what we may fairly designate Black Teas Proper, and giving value priority of place, the first will be Souchong — (of which the Lapsang is considered the finest) — there are grades of this downward to very ordinary I There is Oolongr Tea in the South Kensington Museum, valued 21s. per lb. ; also a curious Tea, called Cumshaw, made up into the shape of balls, faggots, and cigars. 24 Teas ; the distinguishing characteristics of this Tea are frag- rance and delicacy ; it is the refinement of Black Tea — one ■which many would not appreciate and would consider as devoid of strength. Congous are next ; these are called by the Chinese Kung- Foocha, or " worked Tea," alluding to the process of manufacture — ^hence our English term Congou ; these form something like half of our import, and contain more divisions and sub-divisions than any of the others ; — there are varying qualities of Kaisows, Monings, Oopacks, Ankoi, Tayshans, Sinchune, Ho Hows, Bohea, &c., &e., the better kinds are, more or less. Pekoe or Souchong-flavoured, Tayshan and Bohea especially are very com- mon, though some are more valuable than others. CHAPTER IV. Sttbstitotes Eoii Tea ttsed in YAniotrs paets op the "World. The Paraguay Tea, or Mate, ranks next in importance to the China Tea, both as regards its real usefulness and the extent of its consumption ; this is the leaf of an Ilex (Holly,) and is said to have been used by the Indians from remote anti- quity. It is prepared by drying and powdering, and has then much of the aroma of some kinds of China Tea, and the infusion has an agreeable bitter taste and pleasant odour, — and is con- sidered more exciting than China Tea, CDr. JohnsovCs Chemis- try of Common Life. J The name of Mate is derived from the vessel or cup in which it is infused, and from which it is drank. Hot water is poured upon the powdered leaf, then a lump of burnt sugar, and sometimes a few drops of lemon juice, are added. The infusion is sucked through a tube (bombilla) often made of silver, which is open at one end, and has a perforated bulb or strainer at the other. Mate grows wild in the forests of Brazil and Paraguay, and attains to twenty feet in height ; the leaves are three or four inches long, quite smooth, blunt, wedge-shaped, and deeply serrated. Something like five millions of pounds per annum of these are gathered at considerable risk to the collectors ; a tree is selected, the main branches are cut off, and when a sufficient quantity has been got together it is thrown upon hurdles, and a fire having been kindled, when the flames cease to ascend, the hurdles are placed over it, and the branches suflSciently dried are removed to a clear hard floor made by hammering the earth with wooden mallets — the leaves are then stripped ofi' and after- wards packed into damp hides, which are sewed up, left to dry, and become in a few days perfectly solid. The Ilex Paraguaensis thrives well in hot houses, and may be seen in great vigour in the Kew gardens. B '20 We next consider the leaf of the Coffee Tree ; it is com- monly used in the islands of the Eastern Archipelago. Dr. Gardiner (quoted by Dr. Lankester) sent to the Great Exhi- bition of 1851, coffee leaves dried and prepared as tea, and stated that he obtained theine from them in considerable quan- tity — ^larger than from Tea or Coffee. Mr. Ward, who lived some time in Sumatra, published in the Pharmaceutical Journal, an account of the action of the Coffee leaf upon himself and the natives, — he says they prefer it to the seeds, and that he found all the comforts aftd advantages of Tea to be derived from its use ; these leaves are sold in Sumatra at about Ig-d. per pound. Specimens are to be seen in the South Kensington Museum. Another plant, containing theine, is the Paulinia Sorbilis ; it grows on the river Tapagos, on some of the head waters of the Orinoco, and in the valley of the Amazon, the fruit is gathered when ripe, and roasted, powdered, and then made into cakes with water, and baked in the sun ; a table spoonful of this scraped is added to a pint of boiling water. Dr. Stenhouse states that he found this Guarana bread (native name) to be richer in theine than any tea or coffee he had met with, contain- ing as much as 5 07 per cent., whilst good Black Tea yields 2"13, with a larger amount of oil or fat than either, and in that respect more resembling chocolate. It may not be uninteresting to notice here a number of sub- stitutes used as tea in various parts of the world — these have been arranged in a tabular form by Professor Johnstone ; none of them contain theine, have not the beneficial action on the nervous system, and would never be likely to supersede the use of China Teas. (See opposite page.) 27 Nature of the Plant Natural Order. Where collected and used. Names given to it. Hydrangea Tlmiibergii Hydrangeacse ... Rhaiuaacea; Amat^a, or Tea of Heaven. China Catha Kdiilis Ceiastracese Myi'tiiceffi ,... Abysshila Khat or Chaat. Glapttyria nltida Bencoolen (flow- ers u,sed) Bitlo •) Ditto V DULo J Tea-plant and Tree of Long Life. Rutaeese Sanguisorbiaceae MyvtaceiB Tea-plants and Tasmania Lepio^pernuin scoparium et Tea. Myi'tacese Cbili Melaleuca scopariaet M. ^e- ni ^t i Holia Substitute for Paraguay Tea. Ditto Pboki lea glandulosa ^ . LegnininosSB New Granada ... Centi'al America Brazil Sante Fe' Tea. Sc'ophulariaccjB VerbeuacesE C'lienopotllpceae Cppn'ibiiaecse ... Aquifoiiaeeaa ... Ebamnaceae Caplta6. Mexican Tea. Mexico and Co- Cheiiopodinm ambrosioides North A mcrica ) Ditto J Appalachian Tea. Ditto New Jersey Tea (medicinal) Ditlo Gaultheria pi-ocumbens Ledum polustre ) Ditto Labrador, or James's Tea. Oswego Tea. Mnnritiiifl Jlouarda didyma ) Bourbon, or Faham Tea. Orchidacese France Micioineii.n. theiisonensis ... SI achyt.ivphe. a Jamac-iensiB Pnmi", S|ii 'oea, § nuxedl ■with f Fvag-i-aria colli- V na, or F. Vessiea J Verbenaceae Northern Europe / Sloe and Strawberry Tea — Kosace