Mr Bruce' s Eeport on the Manufacture of Tea. 127 



been unfortunately involved. I have had something more 

 than tea to occupy my mind, and have consequently not been 

 able to commit all my thoughts to paper at one time ; this I 

 hope will account for the rambling manner in which I have 

 treated the subject. Such as my report is, I trust it will be 

 found acceptable, as throwing some new light on a subject of 

 no little importance to British India, and the Bi'itish public 

 generally. In drawing out this report, it gives me much plea- 

 sure to say, that our information and knowledge respecting 

 tea and tea-tracts are far more extensive than when I last 

 wrote on this subject ; — the number of tracts now known 

 amounting to 120, some of them very extensive, both on the 

 hills and in the plains. A reference to the accompanying 

 map will shew that a sufficiency of seeds and seedlings might 

 be collected from these tracts in the course of a few years to 

 plant off the whole of Assam ; and I feel convinced, from my 

 different journeys over the country, that but a very small por- 

 tion of the localities are as yet known. 



Last yeai-, in going over one of the hills behind Jalpore, 

 about 300 feet high, I came upon a tea-tract, which must 

 have been two or three miles in length, — in fact I did not see 

 the end of it ; the trees were in most parts as thick as they 

 could grow, and the tea seeds (smaller than what I had seen 

 before) fine and fresh, literally covered the ground : this was 

 in the middle of November, and the trees had abundance of 

 fruit and flower on them. One of the largest trees I found 

 to be two cubits in circumference, and full forty cubits in 

 height. At the foot of the hill I found another tract, and, 

 had time permitted me to explore those parts, there is no 

 doubt but I should have found many of the Naga Hills covered 

 with tea. I have since been informed of two more tracts 

 near this. In going along the foot of the hills to the west- 

 ward, I was informed that there was tea at Tetvcack, or near 

 it : this information came too late, for I had passed it, just a 

 little to the east of the Dacca River, at a place called Cherie- 

 doo, a small hill projecting out more than the rest on the 

 plain to the northward, with the ruins of a brick temple on it ; 

 here I found tea, and no doubt, if there had been time to exa- 

 mine, I should have found many more tracts. I crossed the 



