2O8 CULTIVATION AND MANUFACTURE OF TEA. 



than the ill-regulated produce of Hankow and Foochow, and it is only 

 the conservatism of the consumer, who is not yet entirely habituated to 

 the Indian flavour, that prevents our losses being much heavier than 

 they are. Every year this preference for the leaf that has been longer 

 known is wearing away, and our buyers will soon have to reckon with 

 its disappearance. As yet, Indian Tea is hardly taken on the con- 

 tinent of Europe at all ; but here, too, it will penetrate sooner or later, 

 as it is doing into America and Australia, and then there will be no 

 corner of the earth where the sway of China Tea will be undisputed. 

 Until foreigners can supervise the packing of the leaf in China as they 

 do in India, the produce of the latter country will continue to have an 

 unfair advantage. The time no doubt will come when we shall be able 

 to go up and buy the raw leaf on its native hills, pack it by our own 

 methods, and bring it down by railway to Shanghai for shipment ; but 

 for years yet we labour under the disadvantage of having to buy it just as 

 the Chinamen choose to prepare it, without any real knowledge of the total 

 crop at any time, i>r any immediate power to manipulate the Teas to suit 

 the tastes of consumers. 



Mark you, this is an enemy's opinion. May his prog- 

 nostications be accomplished to the letter ! 



The following is from the Tea Gazette lately received : 



THE CALCUTTA TEA SYNDICATE. 



We are glad to leam that this most useful body intends to continue 

 its operations in opening up, wherever possible, new markets, although 

 there will be no more soliciting supplies of Tea for Australia the 

 feeling being that the trade in this direction may now be left to take 

 care of itself. 



The Tea Syndicate has done a great good, and those able to 

 ship to Australia should at once arrange to take the fullest advantage 

 of the opening made for them. We would have wished that the 

 Syndicate had continued actively its operations there, but perhaps 

 they are right in leaving, now, the further development of the trade 

 they have so successfully founded to private enterprise. It will be 

 the fault of owners themselves if they do not take advantage of the 

 large market opened to them. 



I conclude my notice of Australia as a market by the 



