362 November 1748. 



is drank here in the morning and afternoon, 

 efpecially by women, and is fo common at 

 prefent, that there is hardly a farmer's wife 

 or a poor woman, who does not drink tea 

 in the morning : I was confirmed in this 

 opinion when I took a journey through 

 fome parts of the country which were ftill 

 inhabited by Indians. For Major General 

 yohnfon told me at that time, that feveral 

 of the Indians who lived clofe to the Euro- 

 pean fettlements, had learnt to drink tea. 

 And it has been obferved, that fuch of the 

 Indian women, as ufed themfelves too much 

 to this liquor, had in the fame manner as 

 the European women, loft their teeth pre- 

 maturely, though they had formerly been 

 quite found. Thofe again, who had not 

 ufed tea preferved their teeth ftrong and 

 found to a great age. 



I afterwards found, that the ufe of 

 tea could not entirely caufe this accident. 

 Several young women who lived in this 

 country, but were born in Europe, com- 

 plained that they loft moft of their teeth 

 after they came to America : I afked, whe- 

 ther they did not think that it arofe from 

 the frequent ufe of tea, as it was known, 

 that ftrong tea, as it were enters into and 

 corrodes the teeth ; but they anfwered,. 

 that they had loft their teeth before they 



had 



