23U Philosophical Society of London. 



them, if not to both, and probably the brackish ill-tasted 

 water iu many parts of those countries first led to its use 

 as an infusion. 



Tea was first introduced into Europe by the Dutch East 

 India Company, early in the sixteenth century, and a quan- 

 tity of it was brought over from Holland in 1666 by Lords 

 Arlington and Ossory. In consequence of this, tea soon 

 became known amongst people of fashion, and its use by 

 degrees since that period has become general. Cornelius 

 Boutekoe, a Dutch physician, wrote a treatise in praise of 

 tea as early as 1678. The lecturer passed on to consider 

 the soil and culture best adapted to this plant, and observed, 

 that according to Kaempfer, no particular gardens or fields 

 are allotted for it, but that it is cultivated round the borders 

 of rice and corn fields without any regard to the soil ; that 

 there are usually from six to twelve seeds in each vessel ; 

 that they are promiscuously put into a hole four or five 

 inches deep at certain distances from each other. The rea- 

 son why so many seeds are put into one hole is, that they 

 contain a great quantity of oil, which is apt to turn rancid, 

 and then they will not germinate. They then vegetate 

 without further care. The leaves are not fit to be plucked 

 before the third year's growth, and in about seven years ihe 

 shrub rises to a man's height j but as it is then but scantily 

 provided with leaves, it is cut down to the stem, from which 

 an exuberance of fresh shoots arise. The tea tree delights 

 particularly in valleys, or on the declivities of hill, and upon 

 the banks of rivers where it enjoys a southern exposure to 

 the sun ; though it endures considerable variations of heat 

 and cold, as it flourishes in the northern clime of Pckin, as 

 well as about Canton. 



The Doctor then proceeded to describe the manner and 

 the seasons of gathering the leaves, and the method of 

 curing or preparing tea in Japan. Of the varieties of lea. 

 Dr. L. observed of the green, the bing, imperial, or bloom 

 tea 5 the hy-tiann, hi-kiong, or hayssuen, known IQ u* 

 by the name of hyson, so called after an East India mer- 

 chant of that name, who first imported it into Europe; and 

 the singlo or songlo, which name it receives from the place 

 where it is cultivated. Of the bohea teas, the soochuan or 

 sutchong, by the Chinese called s-aaty-ang and sact-chaon 

 or 5u-tyann ; the camho or soumlo, called after the name 

 of the place where it is gathered ; the cong-fou, congo or 

 bong-fo ; tlie pekao, pccko, or pekoe, and the common 

 bohea called moji by the Chinese. 



The Doctor mentioned other kinds of tea which wert 



rolled 



