WORLD'S PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION. 247 



hardly suspected by those who are interested in the trade, 

 so that, although ousted from her monopoly, China has 

 still a great market for her produce. 



Great quantities of tea are consumed in the domains of 

 the Czar and it is believed that the Russians use as much 

 tea per capita as the Chinese themselves. The "Sam- 

 ovar " or tea-urn is always steaming and the natives never 

 cease sipping tea while there is water left to make it. It is 

 served at all hours of the day, in palace as well as hovel, 

 being regarded as much a necessary of life there as bread 

 or tobacco. Shops abound for its sale in the principal 

 cities ; bargains made and business transactions sealed 

 over steaming tumblers of tea. 



The earliest official record of the importation of Tea 

 into the United States is in 1790, the order of increase for 

 its importation, value and consumption in the country by 

 decades since that year being as follows : 



Imports, Value. Consumption Average 



Year. Pounds. per capita. Import 



Price. 



1790. 

 I800, . . 



1810, . . 



1820, . . 



1830, . . 



1840, . . 



1850, . . 



1860, . . 



1870, . . 



1880, . . 



1890, . . 



The first duty levied on tea by the United States was 

 in 1789, when a tax of 15 cents was imposed on all Black 

 teas, 22 cents on Imperial and Gunpowder, and 55 cents 

 on Young Hyson. But in order to stimulate American 



