120 THALAMIFLOUiE. 



Chinese give it the name of Yutieti ; it scarcely colours water, 

 and it is only used on occasions of ceremony. 



There are two processes described as employed by the 

 Chinese in preparing the Tea for market. According- to the 

 first, a few pounds of the leaves are put into a heated pan, and 

 shifted by the hands of the operator as quickly as possible. As 

 soon as the heat becomes too great, they are thrown out, and 

 a few at a time are rolled between the palms of the hands, 

 while assistants are fanning in order to cool them more quickly. 

 This process is repeated several times till the leaves become 

 quite dry. On every repetition the heat of the pan is diminished. 

 The second method describes the leaves as plunged into boiling 

 water for half a minute : after they are partially dry, they are 

 rolled with the fingers, and thrown on heated plates, where they 

 are kept constantly stirred with the hand till the desiccation is 

 completed, and occasionally taken oif and rubbed between the 

 fingers in the heated state. The process, according to either 

 method, is rapidly performed, so that, in China, a man usually 

 manufactures 600 lbs. a week, for six months. 



According to Kaempfer, the Japanese employ the flowers of 

 Olea fragrans, fragrant olive, now commonly cultivated in 

 our gardens, to give a higher flavour to their Teas. 



The infusion of Tea has long been a favourite beverage. Its 

 eftects are soothing and exhilarating, and it has a decided efi^ect 

 in facilitating digestion. When taken in excess and in a strong 

 infusion, it produces a state of nervous excitement, attended with 

 accelerated circulation, insomnolency, convulsions, and other bad 

 consequences. It is remarked in China, that persons addicted 

 to its excessive use, are debilitated, of a leaden complexion, 

 with the teeth black, and subject to diabetes. 



A strong infusion of green tea is sometimes employed as an 

 injection in leucorrhoea, and as a lotion in mild ophthalmia. The 

 Chinese employ the inferior descriptions of tea in dyeing black ; 

 and to revive the colour of Nankin. 



The analysis of the leaves gives, extractive, mucilage, a good 

 deal of resin, gallic acid, and tannin. According to experiments 

 made in the Royal Institution of London, green Tea is more 

 astringent than black, and contains more soluble matter. It is 

 a vulgar error to suppose that the former contains copper, as 

 none can be detected on analysis, and the plates on which the 

 leaves are dried, are either of earth or iron. 



For a very good account and figure of the Tea plant, the 

 reader is refered to Sir W. Hooker's Botanic Magazine. The 

 only fault in the representation is that the leaves ought to have 

 been of a much deeper green. 



