WE continit: our chat over a rrv of tea 7 



\ i«Kl ivfrt«hiiu'ni by somo travolK-r wliu pfnetratod 

 the forests of AHHam, or. maybt*, the discovery was 

 !na<Ir l)y an rntorprisingsavago. IiiKiinilarly romantic 

 hurrouju lings, and under tlio HtiuuihiK of hunger, thirst, 

 desire for comfort, or curiosity, were discovered many 

 of the raw materials that are the foundation of some 

 of the world's great industries. 



To China belongs llu* honour of teaching the world 

 to drink tea. The beverage became popular in that 

 country during the sixth century a.d.. but it was not 

 until late in the sixteenth century that Euroiw began 

 to sample it. The product first came to Great Britain, 

 from China, in the early part of thesevente<nth century, 

 and fetched ten guineas |x»r pound. By lOGO, England 

 had so far acquired a taste for tea that the beverage 

 was ser\ed in London coffee-houses, those famous old 

 niei'ting-plaof s for the business men, scholars, wags 

 and gossips of that period ; Pepys. according to his 

 ■' Diary," first tasted it at one of these resorts. In 

 1064 the English East India Company sent a present 

 of some tea to Queen Catherine, wif«' of Charles II. ; so 

 kindly did she take to the now beverage that Society 

 Iwgan to patronize it, and it l)ecame the fashionable 

 drink. But only the wealthy could afford to be fa^hion- 

 able, for tea was then costing about GOs. per pound. 

 During the next hundred years larger quant itii's were 

 import<'d from China, and as it Im eame less of a novelty 

 the price fell; by 1740. it coulil \x' bought for from 

 7s. to 24fl. per pound, according to quality. 



The rapid ri.se (►f tea to jKjpularity dates imiI} from 

 about the middle of last century. The supply then 

 began to increase by leaps and bounds, and the prioo 

 to fall, 88 a result of the Britihh Empire entering into 



