ADULTERATION OF TEA. Ill 



Mr. Fail-bridge states in his evidence before a com- 

 mittee of the British Parliament, " that the better kinds 

 of teas have degenerated." And Sir J. Francis Davis, 

 the British Minister at Canton, says, " two kinds of 

 bohea are brought into this country (England) from 

 China. The lowest of these is manufactured on the 

 spot, therefore called Canton Bohea ; being a mixture of 

 refuse congou with a coarse kind "called waping, the 

 growth of the provinces." 



(I call most respectfully the attention of the U. S. 

 Government to these pages, and beg them to reflect on 

 the serious injury they will inflict on the country by the 

 dissemination of China tea seeds, such as the Chinese 

 will give). " Again," states Sir J. F. Davis, " the con- 

 sumption of bohea in this country (England) has of late 

 years increased to the diminution of congou, and the 

 standard of the latter has been generally lowered." 



And again Sir J. F. Davis stated, " the young hyson, 

 until it was spoiled by the large demand of the Ameri- 

 cans, was a genuine delicate young leaf, called in the 

 original language Yien-Tsien, before the rains, because 

 gathered in the early spring. As it could not be fairly 

 produced in any large quantities, the call for it on the 

 part of the Americans was answered by cutting up and 

 sifting other green tea through sieves of a certain size." 



All the old leaves are of a reddish color, and require 

 some coloring matter to make them green or black. All 

 the black teas are classed as follows : 



1st quality, Flowery Pikoe ; 2d of that quality is Pekoe. 



2 " Pouchang. 



3 " Souchang. 



4 " Compoi. 



