574 



On inquiry, I have learnt that about 750,000 fbs. weight of these 

 teas have been imported into this country within the last eighteen 

 months, their introduction being quite of modern origin ; and I un- 

 derstand that attempts have been made to get them passed through 

 the Customs as manufactured goods, and not as teas ; a title which 

 they certainly richly merit, although it must be evident, from a mo- 

 ment's consideration, that the revenue would doubtless be defrauded, 

 inasmuch as the consumer would have to buy them as teas from the 

 dealer. It is to be feared, however, that a market for them is found 

 elsewhere. The Chinese, it appears, will not sell them except as teas, 

 and have the candour to specify them as Lie teas ; and if they are 

 mixed with other teas of low quality, the Chinese merchant gives a 

 certificate, stating the proportion of the Lie tea present with the ge- 

 nuine leaf This manufacture and mixing is evidently practised to 

 meet the price of the English merchant. In the case of the above 

 samples, the black is called by the Chinese Lie-Jlower caper ; the green. 

 Lie gunpowder ; the average value is from Hd. to is. per tb. The 

 brokers have adopted the curious term gum and dust, as applied to 

 these Lie teas or their mixtures, a cognomen which at first I had some 

 difficulty in understanding, from the rapid manner in which the two 

 first words were run together. 



1 may subjoin the results obtained from the careful incineration of 

 a variety of teas, as they may be interesting, for the purpose of com- 

 parison, and illustrate the point 1 have mentioned as to these spurious 

 teas being mixed with genuine ones. 



Quantity of Ash in 100 parts of each of the following Teas : — 



Chains. 



Gunpowder tea made in Java 6*0 



Gunpowder, during the East India Company's Cbarter .... 6*0 



Kemaon hyson 6"6 



Assam hyson ........••• 6'0 



Lie gunpowder, No. 1 45 "5 



No. 2 340 



Scented caper 6'5 



Lie-flower caper 37'5 



Mixtures containing these Lie teas, No. 1 22-5 



„ „ No. 2 ..... . 110 



Robert Warington. 



