248 Mr R. Warrington on the 



that much of the lighter particles must necessarily have been 

 lost in the process of decantation. A weighed quantity of 

 the sample was therefore carefully calcined, until the ash was 

 quite white, and the whole of the carbonaceous matter burnt 

 off; it yielded a result equivalent to 37*5 on the 100 parts. 

 During this operation also, no expansion or uncurling of the 

 leaf, as is generally to be observed when heat is applied to a 

 genuine tea, was seen ; in fact, it was quite evident that 

 there was no leaf to uncurl, the whole of the tea being 

 in form of dust. The question next presented itself as to 

 how these materials had been held together, and this was 

 readily solved ; for, on examining the infusion resulting from 

 the original soaking of the sample, abundant evidence of gum 

 was exhibited. 



The sample of green tea was of a precisely similar kind to 

 the black ; it yielded 4*55 grains of ash, &c., from 10 grains 

 of the specimen, or 455 per cent. A specimen of Java gun- 

 powder yielded 5 per cent, of ash ; so that we have in this 

 sample 40*5 per cent, of dirt and sand over and above the 

 weight of ash yielded by the incineration of a genuine tea. 



Thus we have then in these samples a mixture of tea -dust 

 with dirt and sand, agglutinated into a mass with a gummy 

 matter, most probably manufactured from rice-flour, then 

 formed into granules of the desired size, and lastly, dried 

 and coloured, according to the kind required by the manu- 

 facturer, either with black lead, if for black tea ; or with 

 Prussian blue, gypsum, or turmeric, if intended for green. 



Since examining these two samples, I have obtained, 

 through a friend, another specimen of green tea, having a 

 very different appearance ; that is, better manufactured, or 

 rather, I should say, more likely to deceive the consumer, 

 from its being made to imitate an unglazed tea. It is of a 

 yellowish-green colour, scented and granulated as the former 

 samples, and not much dusted ; it yielded 34 per cent, of 

 ash, sand, and dirt. 



On inquiry, I have learnt that about 750,000 lbs. weight 

 of these teas have been imported into this country within the 

 last eighteen months, their introduction being quite of modern 

 origin ; and I understand that attempts have been made to 



