18 



adverting to the desultory manner in which the 

 question of tea culture in India, has been treated 

 by every author who has written on the subject, 

 with the exception of Mr. Me Clelland. To what 

 conclusion but one, can we come, when we find an 

 authority, who has been supposed to be acquainted 

 with the question in all its details, stating very 

 gravely that a temperature between 30 and 80 

 is requisite; and when we find, that this is as gravely 

 taken up by a popular and more philosophical 

 author/ And after expressing a hope that the 

 spirit of his remarks would be taken in the proper 

 light viz. a strong wish to protect, as far as his ability 

 would allow, the interests of Government this gifted 

 botanist summed up his very able report with these 

 words. ' As affairs stand now, the scheme must recom- 

 mence ab origi7ie r \}\vo\vii}g a loss of nearly three years, 

 and of large sums ot money : to say nothing of 

 the revulsion that must have taken place in the 

 minds of all interested in its prosecution. I have 

 above stated my conviction that success is, under 

 the circumstances alluded to, certain : and I have 

 adopted this conviction on the following grounds: 



1st. That the tea plant is indigenous to, and 

 distributed extensively over, a large portion of UPPEK. 

 ASSAM. 



2nd. That there is a similarity in configuration 

 between the Valley of Assam, and two of the btt 

 known tea provinces of China 



