116 PRESENT AND FUTURE CONSUMPTION. 



larly clean, and tastefully arranged, with his cheerful 

 round face and small eyes ; looking to one side of the 

 apartment, there may be seen a little tea pot, and be 

 side it a tea cup, to which the whole family have 

 recourse at meals (three times a day), in common ; 

 and in the intermediate time, as the one or the other 

 may be thirsty ; or as a neighbor visits, the pot is again 

 in requisition. Such tea drinkers cannot use, at the 

 lowest calculation, less than 20 Ibs. of tea a year each ; 

 but 30 Ibs. would be nearer the mark. 



Now the Chinese who has not tea will buy tea ; the 

 woman will card, spin, and weave her cotton into cloth, 

 that she may increase its value, go and sell it, and buy 

 tea for the price, or oftener barter it for tea. Then may 

 be asked where ends the number of Ibs. consumed by the 

 above number of people ? 



Probably the quantity now exported by sea to all 

 places may be under 120,000,0001bs. I should say the 

 mark would be 96,000,000 to 100,000,0001bs ; that by 

 caravan to the N. West of China it is impossible to 

 know. It is not easy for a white man to pass through 

 Nepaul ; the Nepaulees and the Gourkees are daring 

 hill people, and wild. The Thibetians are like the 

 Chinese ; and to pass through the Singphoo, Mesmees, 

 and Camptees, would be impossible. So to ascertain 

 what the export in that direction is at the present day, 

 or to form an approximation to what it may be, is out of 

 the question; Martin puts it down at 10,000,000 Ibs. 

 If it be said the Chinese are tea makers, and that conse 

 quently they must consume a great deal, that is not a se- 

 quiter. It may be recollected of Grimaldi the clown 

 making a tour to Newcastle to eat fresh salmon : when 



