\T. 



O I* A. 1 1^ I O A. OF X O P* 



as it occurs in commerce is the dried leaves 

 of the tea-plant, and is generically classified as 

 Green and Black under, which names it is best 

 known to the public. Commercially, they are classed as 

 China, Japan, India, Ceylon, and Java teas, but are again 

 divided into numerous varieties and grades, having terms 

 derived from the districts and localities of production, or 

 indicative of age, form, or quality, from the delicate prod- 

 uct of the young leaf-bud up to that of the large, old, 

 and fully expanded leaf. These numerous appellations 

 which distinguish the commercial qualities of tea being 

 almost entirely of Chinese origin. 



Tea and China are almost synonymous terms. It is 

 indisputably the " Land of tea." Its cultivation forms the 

 chief industry of that country, and has been the largest 

 contributor to the revenue of the government for centu- 

 ries, its export being the principal feature of all her foreign 

 dealings. The welfare of the inhabitants of her fairest 

 provinces depend on its production. It has been in 

 universal use among them from time immemorial, forming 

 not only the regular beverage of the people, but also 

 administering to the luxury of the epicure. They drink it 



