FOREIGN NOTICES. 



135 



Saharunpore Botanic Garden, in 1S31, I again 

 mentioned the subject, and included it in the reporl 

 which was presented to liis lordship, in which I 

 stated my wish ' to attempt the cultivation of the 

 tea plant, of which the geographical distribution 

 is extended, and the natural sites sufficiently va- 

 ried, to warrant its being easily cultivated.'" — 

 "Though unacquainted with the fact, I was, in 

 the year 1839, informed by Mr. Greene, that Sir 

 Joseph Banks had many years previously recom- 

 mended the cultivation of tea in the Himalayan 

 mountains, and that Dr. Govan had also done so 

 at a later period. Dr. Wallich also, in the year 

 1832, presented a paper to the Committee of the 

 House of Commons, recommending the cultivation 

 of tea in the districts of Kemaon, Gurhwal, and 

 Sirmore. Not having had an opportunity of de- 

 tailing my reasons for the opinions which I had so 

 long entertained, I did so in my ' Illustrations of 

 Himalayan Botany,' pp. 107 to 127, published in 

 1834. ,; — "At the time that the above paper was 

 printing in this country. Lord W. Bentinek, with 

 the sanction of the Court of Directors, had deter- 

 mined upon attempting the cultivation of tea in 

 India. A Tea Company was appointed, who re- 

 ported that, ' the experiment may be made with 

 great probability of success in the lower hills and 

 valleys of the Himalayan range.' To this they 

 say they were led by a ' very able and interesting 

 letter of Dr. Falconer on the subject.' This let- 

 ter, or report, is remarkable for coincidence in 

 argument and in opinion with what I was at the 

 same time writing and printing in E:^«land ; and 

 this without any communication of ideas; for the 

 two essays must have crossed each other at sea." 

 — " Tea seeds arrived in Calcutta in January, 

 1835, and produced numerous plants, which were 

 dispatched to the districts where it had been de- 

 termined to establish tea nurseries, that is, to As- 

 sam, and to the Kemaon and Gurhwal portions of 

 the Himalayan mountains. I had recommended 

 several situations, as Bheemtal, Hawulba^h, Dey- 

 ra Doon, and Pinjore, in valleys elevated from 

 2000 to 2500 feet; Almora, Jurreepanee, Nairn, 

 and Sabathoo, at elevations of from 4000 to 5000 

 feet; and one locality, Mussooree, at 6500 feet of 

 elevation, in 30° of north latitude. Dr. Falconer, 

 without any communication, selected Chejooree, 

 Rama Serai, and Koth, ac elevations of 4000, 5000, 

 and 5300 feet; with two situations, Ruroo and 

 Bechur-bagh, in Sirmore, at 5100 and 5400 feet. 

 He subsequently selected the valley called Deyra 

 Doon, elevated 2500 feet, as a favorable site, es- 

 pecially after irrigation had been facilitated by 

 the establishment of canals. Sites were at the 

 same time selected in Kemaon by the commission- 

 er, Mr. Traill, and placed under the charge of 

 Mr. Blinkworth, a plant collector of the Calcutta 

 Botanic Garden, until October 4, 1.83?), when he 

 was placed under the general superintendence of 

 Dr. Falconer. One nursery was established at 

 Bhurtpore, between Bheemtal and the GhagUT 

 range, at an elevation of 4500 feet ; ai.d a second 



nursery at Luchmaisur, near Almorah, at 5200 

 feet of elevation. The general directions given 

 by the Calcutta Tea Committee were, that ' a de- 

 cided winter climate of six weeks or two months' 

 duration, with frost as well as snow, is essential 

 to ensure final success with really good sorts 

 of tea." 



The plantations were thus established, and im- 

 mediately began to grow with all the vigor that 

 had been anticipated. The next step was to ob- 

 tain some Chinamen who understood the art of 

 preparing tea; not an easy task. The men first 

 ensxa^ed refused to proceed to Kemaon ; Dr. Wal- 

 lich, however, succeeded in engaging nine others, 

 who reached their destination in April, 1842. In 

 January, 1843, the first sample of Himalayan tea 

 was received in England, and "reported on by 

 members of the Chamber of Commerce, who pro- 

 nounced the tea to be a very good marketable 

 article, and w T orth in London about 2s. 6d. per lb. 

 The specimen sent to London was reported on by 

 Messrs. Thompson, of Mincing-lane, and pro- 

 nounced to be 'of the Oolong Souchong fine kind, 

 flavored and strong. This is equal to the superior 

 black tea generally sent as presents, and better, 

 for the most part, than the China tea, imported 

 for mercantile purposes.' " 



Dr. Jameson, then in charge of the tea planta- 

 tions, and from whom this sample was received, 

 " having proceeded to visit the Kemaon tea nurse- 

 ries, reached them in April, 1843, when he found 

 them ' looking admirably, and the Chinamen em- 

 ployed in manufacturing black (Pouchong) Tea ;' 

 which, he states, ' appears to be a much superior 

 quality-' On the 30ih August there were for- 

 warded by the overland route 16 small canisters 

 o: the above tea, covered with wax-cloth to pro- 

 tect it from wet. The wax, unfortunately, gave 

 a little of its flavor to the tea, as the canisters got 

 injured, and did not arrive at the India- house be- 

 fore the month of December." 



These teas, notwithstanding the injury they 

 had sustained from unskilful packing, were re- 

 ported by the brokers to be worth from Is. 2d. to 

 3s. 6d. per lb. 



Since 1843 various other plantations have been 

 established. " The latest report of Dr. Jameson 

 shows the quantity of land under tea cultivation, 

 in the districts of Kemaon and Gurhwal, including 

 the Deyra, to be 176 acres, and the total number 

 of plants, 322,579. The plant is stated to be 

 thriving in different localities, extending over four 

 degrees of latitude and three of longitude, and that 

 100,000 acres are available in the Deyra only, for 

 the purpose of tea cultivation." 



In July, 1846, a sale of tea took place at Al- 

 morah, " with considerable increase in the prices. 

 The average price was 6 rupees 14 a., and some 

 of it sold as high as 7 rupees 7 a., that is, some- 

 thing more than 7s. per lb., without any duly; 

 and it was a further gratifying fact, that most of 

 the tea had been purchased by natives." 



In August, 1847, " Dr. Jameson wrote from 



