BENEFIT TO ENGLAND. 127 



present exports of China are say 100,000,000 Ibs., and 

 for a great portion of that she is indebted to spurious 

 leaves ; for every pound she had to supply last, or this 

 year, she would have 2j Ibs. to supply next year. Would 

 the Chinese, who is in the habit of drinking tea from his 

 childhood, give up the use of it for 20 cents per lb., which 

 does not, it seems, pay the Chinese. The Chinese who, 

 as has been seen, pay for Pouchong and Souchong kinds 

 in their own country, from 52 cents to 115 cents per lb., 

 and for Yen Pouchong, from $3 75 to $7 50 per lb., 

 give up the use of it for 20 cents ! ! ! 



Would the smoker give up his tobacco for the usual 

 price? Of course not. And if the Chinese were asked 

 to sell his teas for his own consumption, he would natu 

 rally ask upon what grounds ? And if he saw an urgent 

 demand for tea, he would be urgent in holding out for 

 higher prices, so that, as the demand was increased, the 

 price would go up. That is the natural sequiter in all 

 commercial matters and instead of the consumer in 

 England deriving the benefit of the reduction, it would 

 go to the Chinese. 



Tea is not like other crops. It takes three years be 

 fore any material quantity of tea can be had of tea-trees, 

 and then, if a sufficiency of trees and lands be planted to 

 produce a quantity to meet the demand, from the small 

 quantity obtained the third year, the increase of the 

 third, fourth, and fifth years would glut the market ; 

 well, if to avoid this the Chinese only planted moderately, 

 so that the increase on the fourth year would be sufficient 

 to meet the increased demand, then for that four years 

 the revenue would go to the Chinese ; but it would go 

 for a longer period, for the Chinese would not commence 



