108 EXPEDIENTS ADOPTED IN 



celerated by such means ; and whether adopted 

 from motives of utility or economy, it may be 

 sufficient for all purposes of the present inquiry 

 to state the fact, as gathered from the testimony 

 of the Chinese, that the finest teas are not exposed 

 to the sun, but that many souchongs of excellent 

 quality commonly are, and the congous invariably. 



Leaves gathered after rains more particularly 

 require exposure to the sun. I have seen the 

 Ho Nan leaves collected under such circumstances 

 so treated, and then kept twenty-four hours in 

 a cool place, and afterwards exposed to the sun 

 again with advantage. Indeed leaves which are 

 gathered during rains, or in cloudy weather after 

 much rain, must be dried before or over a fire pre- 

 viously to their being roasted. " To carry such 

 leaves thus turgid and full of juices to the Kuo," 

 said an excellent workman, "would be boiling them 

 instead of roasting thern." 



The houses and stoves erected for this last pur- 

 pose appear similar to those employed in the pro- 

 cess denominated poey, under which article a de- 

 scription of these houses will be found. 



The manner of drying the leaves in this process 

 is differently described by different persons ; and I 

 imagine there may be many modes of performing 

 it. Some Chinese say that the stoves are built 

 in the centre, and the leaves placed on stands 

 erected on either side, as for the common Bohea ; 

 others, that the stands are placed over the fire, and 



