70 Memoir of Tom Smith. 



respond with liim on any topic of public in- 

 terest; and Mr. Smith often availed himself 

 of the privilege. His suggestions were al- 

 ways most kindly received, and it was quite 

 evident from the answers that they had been 

 attentively weighed. One matter that he 

 urged on his lordship was the following. He 

 had seen letters from officers in India, from 

 which it appeared that the growth of tea was 

 being greatly extended there; and he sub- 

 mitted that if this was encouraged by the 

 Government, it might be as well to be pre- 

 pared for ill-will on the part of the Chinese, 

 which might lead them to give assistance to 

 the Eussians in their designs on India. This 

 assistance he thought might take the shape of 

 allowing Eussian forces to pass thi'ough their 

 territory, or at all events to be advantageously 

 stationed on their western frontier. To meet 

 this contingency, he suggested the formation 

 of military colonies in the high and healthy 

 regions bordering on Thibet, which would at 



