10 



subsequent process of preparing the leaves for 

 use/ ' The naturalization ' continued His Lordship 

 f of so many foreign plants and vegetables, the 

 natives of climates very different from our own 

 would, of itself, afford very sufficient encourage- 

 ment for any attempt of this kind. There, are, 

 however, some shrubs and trees that are familiar 

 to us, of such delicacy as hitherto to have lan- 

 guished wherever transplanted; the mangosteen 

 is one of these : the claret grape has deteriorated 

 in every other spot, and probably the same is 

 the case with the hock grape. In both instances 

 the desideratum has been, a peculiar soil, united 

 to a peculiar climate. We have no such cause 

 of apprehension with regard to the tea plant, 

 which nourishes over a space embracing many 

 degrees of longitude and latitude. As a practical 

 agriculturist, I am inclined to think that few of 

 the foreign herbs and plants that are become not 

 only naturalized, but also the mainstays of our 

 Agriculture, afforded in the first instance, a greater 

 promise of successful experiment? 



His Lordship having thus practically enunciated 

 his news, proceeded in an equally practical manner 

 to carry them out, by appointing a Committee of 

 able men to submit to Government ' a plan for the 

 accomplishment of the object, and for the superin- 

 tendence of its execution/ This Committee was 

 called the Tea Committee, and amongst the mem- 



