I'Hfi "^tnOPtCAt AQRtCVLrvmSf. 



[July i, i8S6. 



iliwii cost of common teas. As far as can be at prcscut 

 ascertained, shipment by sailing-ship have shown a 

 more sutisf ictory result than by steamer, and it may 

 he predicte 1 that, should the Conference system be 

 continued next season, it will have the effect of still 

 further divertinif the carrying trade to siiiling-ships. 

 Tlie new season's Congous began to. arrive on 

 May 13 last. 'With the exceptioM of a few Paklius, 

 musters were not shown uutil dune 10, when about 

 .'>15,U00 chests had come to market, the result being 

 that it was impossible to taste and value more than 

 a very small portion of the samples before the open- 

 ing of the market, which took place on June 19, the 

 following being the quotations for the various districts 

 as compared with the previous season: — 



Season 1885-86. Season 1884-S.l 

 Tls. per picul. Tls. per picul. 



Paklins lU to 26 ., 15 to 80 



Paklums 17" to 49 ... 20 to 35 



Panyongs 12 to 32 ... 15 to 33 



Sueykuts 10 to 20 ... lOJ to 27 



Yunghows 12 to 20 ... 10 to 23 



Saryuues 9 to 16 ... 10.^ to 1% 



Scumoos 12 to 34 ... 14 to 35" 



Tong-fong-tongs... 14i to 16 ... 10 to 17 

 Dust&Siflings ... 4 to 9 ... 4 to 7§ 

 Hates of exchange being 3s. 7^d., against last 

 season's 3s. 9f., for four mouths' sight credits ; rates 

 of freight to London, £4 to £3 per ton, or the same 

 as| last season; and to Australia 3()s. per ton, against 

 £2 and £2 10s, per ton. As regards the quality of 

 the crop, the general impression was that, owing to 

 the unusually wet and cold spring, there was again 

 a scarcity of finest kinds, but that the teas generally 

 were of fair average quality, and possessed consider- 

 able strength, the exceptions being those from the 

 Sen Moo, Sar Tune, and Youug How districts, which 

 were below the average. For a few days after the 

 opening transactions were not on a large scale, buyers 

 securing their favourite chops of fine and finest teas, 

 while medium Pan youngs were selling cheaply. Dust 

 and sittings were, however, in strong demand at full 

 rates. The "Gleneagles" was despatched for London ou 

 June 27, and after this buying became more general, 

 very large transactions taking place for both England 

 and Australia, prices for the lower grades being well 

 supported while the better kinds went in the favour 

 of the buyer. All through July the active demand 

 continued, the low rates of exchange enabling a com- 

 paratively high tael cost to be paid ; and early in 

 August advices being received that fine and finest kmds 

 had met with a favourable reception, both in England 

 and Australia, the remaining first crop teas were 

 cleared otf the market at full rales. "With heavy 

 arrivals in Loudon recourse was again largely had to 

 ' public sale without reserve,' with the usual result 

 of low prices and losses to the importer ; still buyers 

 on this side being sati.sfied, that with the increased 

 export to Australia, supplies of Congou could not be 

 in excess of the actual requirements, there was no 

 falling-oif in the demand here; and in fact, as the 

 .-eason progressed, rates for common kinds gradually 

 bardene ', and in November the highest prices were 

 reached, when low dust realised 5 to 6 taels per 

 pk'ul, and low cofflmon Congou 9^ to lOj tales per 

 picul. And it was a matter of surprise to most 

 merchants that, with such quotations, the teamen were 

 uuabie to bring larger supplies to market ; but, juding 

 from the quality of the latest arrivals, ib was evi- 

 dent that every available leaf had been collected, 

 bome of it being from three to five years old, and it 

 still remains to be seen whether such low quality will 

 be allowed to go into consumption in England. 

 I'Three to five years old leaf made into tea ! Talk of 

 baugy leaf after this. — Ed,] 



" The results to the tea men, they having profited 

 by then- severe experience of last season, must have 

 been most pleasing, they having secured large profits 

 on their first-crop ventures and a good percentage 

 throughout the season ; while so far it is doubtful 

 if the foreign merchant has done more than come 

 o ut clear. The supply of first-crop Congou was about 

 30,000 chests less than laat year* but the total 



af-rivals for the season were 600,000 chests, as com- 

 pared with 612,250 chests last season. Souchonf/s, as 

 a rule, could not compare in quality with those of 

 the previous year; but fine and finest kinds found 

 ready sale at very full prices, while the common 

 grades throughout the .season have, in sympathy with 

 Congous, brought high rates as compared with taol 

 cost of last season. 



" Odloiicis. — As noticed in the early part of the 

 report, the teamen made preparations for doing an 

 extensive business in these kinds ; but the reopening 

 of Formo.sa upset their calculations, and though the 

 market opened at about last year's rates, the result 

 was a heavy loss to them. And this remark will also 

 apply to the fine string.s, which sold cheaply as com- 

 pared with former years; but the autumn crop being 

 bought .at very low ra.tes in the country enabled sellers 

 to recoup themselves. The quahty of these teas 

 throughout the season has been most disappointing, 

 besides which there has been a much larger admixture 

 of dust, which is most detrimental to their sale in 

 the great cousuming country, namely, the United 

 states ; and unless much greater care is taken in their 

 preparation there can be no doubt that this valuable 

 trade will be wholly diverted to Amoy, whose teamen 

 are fully alive to the importance of the question. 



" ,'<cenled Teas. — It would appear as if these teas 

 were going out of consumption in England, for although 

 laid down this season at a fairly moderate cost, the 

 result h:is been most disastrous to the buyers. 



" Floiren/ Fckoes proved to be a fine quality, 

 and found ready sale at extreme tael cost. The 

 circulars issued by the Foochow rjeneral Cham- 

 ber of Commerce furnish you with full and de- 

 tailed tabli^s of statistics, so that it is unnecessary 

 for me to append them ; but you will notice that 

 while to England the export shows a further small 

 decrease, that to Australia and the United States is 

 again lai'ger, while the Kussian trade in brick tea 

 continues to increase; but of this we have no parti- 

 culars beyond those given in the Customs Keturns. 

 You will have noticed the continued fall in the value 

 of silver, the latest quotation for four mouths' sight 

 credits on Loudoa being 3s. SJd. per dollar. In 

 conclusion, I would draw your attention to the following 

 startling figures as regards the import into, and con- 

 sump'ion of tea in, Great Britain. For the eleven 

 months ending Nov. 30, 1885, the total amount of 

 tea delivered was 204.290.693 lb., against, during a 

 similar period in 1M82, 192,126,826 lb., or an increase 

 in three years of 12,163,867 lb.; but the deliveries 

 of China Congou alone had fallen from 120,345,012 

 lbs. for eleven months in 1882 to 111,644,820 lb. in 

 1885, or a decrease of 8,700,192 lb. The import 

 of China Congous showed a still more alarming de- 

 crease, the figures being: — Imported into Great Bri- 

 tain, Juno 1 to November 30, 1882, 122,214,950 lb., 

 against, for same time in 1885, 98,647,700 lb., or a 

 tailing off of 23,567,256 lb ; while the consump- 

 tion of Indian and Ceylon teas for same time were, 

 in 1882 16,040,006 lb., and, in 1885, 03,387,384 lb., or 

 an increa'^e of 17,347,378 lb. 



" The sole ctuse for this enormous decrease in the 

 consumptiuM of China Congous is undoubtedly the 

 continuous falling off in the quality of the tea pro- 

 duced, and this should be a matter for the serious 

 consideration of all concerned in the prosperity of the 

 port; and you. Sir, would be doing a good work— Could 

 you bring these facts home to the officials of this 

 province ? " To this highly-interesting and exhaustive 

 letter of my obliging friend on the engrossing subject 

 of tea there can be but little, if anything, to add. 

 More than once has it been brought to the notice of 

 the high officials that so little care is taken by the 

 tea-growers in the upper districts to produce again a 

 fine quality of Cougou, as was the case some ten or 

 fifteen years back, and that they should be encouraged 

 to put in fresh tea-shrubs and root out the old ones, 

 and otherwise to be careful in the cultivation and 

 the rearing of the plants. I will again make a fresh 

 endeavour to bring the Viceroy's attention to this 

 important matter, and I hope it may meet with the 

 desired success. But it must be said, ca the other 



