On the Tea-Plantations in India. 305 



wild tea-plants in Assam is of such extent as to afford any- 

 thing like a return to the Assam Company. From what we 

 have ourselves seen of the tea-plant in the Sing-Pho jungles, 

 in the Muttack, and in Raja Parunder Sing's territory — the 

 only three tracts in which it occurs — the whole root and branch, 

 if converted into tea, would not make a single consignment 

 such as would annually be expected from the Assam Tea 

 Company ; and after a careful examination of Mr Bruce's 

 report, as it appears in the Edinburgh Philosophical Journal, 

 we regret to find that, in our opinion, the 120 tracts with 

 which Mr Bruce has covered the map of Upper Assam, are 

 for the most part either imaginary, or altogether dependent 

 on native report. Mr Bruce's adoption of the term tract for 

 each little patch of jungle in which a few tea-plants are found 

 assembled, is, as we have already stated, enough to lead to 

 misconception. It is not, however, more objectionable than 

 the term tea-forests, we believe applied in the same way by 

 Dr Wallich. In our own report we employed the terms colony 

 and locality ; the latter term we believe was adopted by Mr 

 Griffith, who also used the term patch in preference to colony, 

 which was objectionable, inasmuch as it implied that the 

 plants were introduced rather than indigenous. We think, 

 therefore, that Mr Bruce should, according to that respect 

 usually paid to priority in such cases, if not to avoid the ap- 

 pearance of exaggeration, have employed some one of the 

 above terms in preference to tract, which it might be proper 

 to confine to an assemblage of tea-patches, as the Muttack 

 tract, Tingri locality, Sing-Pho tract, Ningrew locality or 

 plantation, according as the plants may be of the wild or cul- 

 tivated stock. The remainder of Mr Bruce's report is chiefly 

 made up of details regarding the manufacture of tea ; but as 

 these are derived entirely from the Chinamen employed, for 

 whose word Mr Bruce, as well as the public, can have no se- 

 curity, this part of the report is to be received with some limi- 

 tation. The quality of the tea produced will be the best cri- 

 terion of the merit of the process or manipulation employed. 

 The proverbial neatness and delicacy of Chinese execution we 

 .should have thought at variance with the following part of the 

 process of making souchong, as given by Mr Bruce : 



