240 



efforts we may expect to see Government making to 

 increase the supply of labour. Without being- over- 

 sanguine we may anticipate that within the next 

 twenty years, the quantity of tea exported from 

 India for the London market, will not fall short of 

 30,000,000 Ibs., which, if the duty be reduced to one 

 shilling-, as it must be, will still represent of the 

 revenues of England no less a sum than 1,500,000.* 

 The profits on this quantity of tea will be 1,500,000; 

 and the working- expenses will not fall short of 

 750,000. Two-thirds of the profits, or 1,000,000. 

 will probably go to increase the capital of Eng-land ; 

 and one third, with the whole of the working- expenses, 

 or 1,250,000, that of India, thus, in this respect, 

 making 1 a tolerably fair division of benefits. Every 

 acre of ground put under tea in India, now adds 

 25 to the revenues of England. Nor need the 

 objection be raised that the quantity of tea shipped 

 from China, will be reduced by the quantity shipped 

 from India. It is an established fact in economy, 

 that Supply influences Demand, and the capacity of 

 the World to consume Tea, appears to be so enormous, 

 and to be increasing- so rapidly, that there seems 

 little doubt, that by a slight reduction in duty, it 

 may be multiplied almost ad libitum. By the re- 

 duction of the prohibitive duties prior to 1784, the 



* In England the duty has been reduced from Is 5d to CJ; 

 ~) but in India nothing has been done to ameliorate the condition 

 of the labour market, so the picture here drawn looks very like 

 a Chateau en Espagne. January, 1867. 



