Extent and Produce of the Tea- Plantations in Assam. 143 



until it lias become soft enough to roll ; it is then put into cast- 

 iron pans, set in brick fire-places, the same as described in 

 making the Sychee black tea. The part is made Tery hot by 

 a wood-fire, and seven pounds of the leaves are thrown into it 

 and rubbed against the pan, Avith the right hand until tired, 

 and then with the left, so as not to make the process fatiguing. 

 The pan being placed on an inclined plane, the leaves always 

 come tumbling back towards and near the operator, as he 

 pushes them up from him, moving his hand backwards and for- 

 wards and pressing on the leaves with some force with the 

 palms, keeping the ends of the fingers up to prevent their com- 

 ing in contact with the hot pan. After one hour's good rub- 

 bing, the leaves are taken out and thrown into a large coarse 

 bamboo-sieve, from this into a finer one, and again still finer 

 one, until three sorts of tea have been separated. The first, 

 or largest sort, is put into the funnel of the winnowing ma- 

 chine, which has three divisions of small traps below, to let the 

 tea out. A man turns the Awheel with his right hand, and with 

 the left regulates the quantity of tea that shall fall through 

 the wooden funnel above, by a wooden slide at the bottom of 

 it. The tea being thrown from the sieves into the funnel, the 

 man turns the crank of the wheel, and moves the slide of the 

 funnel gradually, so as to let the tea fall through gently, and 

 in small quantities. The blast from the fan blows the smaller 

 particles of tea to the end of the machine, where it is inter- 

 cepted by a circular moveable board placed there. The dust 

 and smaller particles are blown against this board and fall out 

 at an opening at the bottom into a basket placed there to re- 

 ceive it. The next highest tea is blown nearly to the end of 

 the machine, and falls down through a trough on the side into 

 a basket ; this tea is called Young Hi/son. The next being a 

 little heavier, is not blown quite so far ; it falls through the 

 same trough, which has a division in the middle ; this of course 

 is near the centre of the machine. A basket is placed be- 

 neath to receive the tea, which is called Hi/son. The next, 

 which is .still heavier, falls very near to the end of the fan, 

 this is]called Gunpotvder Tea ; it is in small balls. The heaviest 

 tea falls .still closer to the fan, and is called Big Gunpowder; 

 it Ls twice or three times the size of Gunpotvder tea, and com- 



