The Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal. 271 



then with the other." . . . "The tea is taken hot from the 

 pan and packed firmly in boxes, both hands and feet being 

 used to press it down," &c. As tea drinkers are not the 

 least fastidious portion of the community, we would recom- 

 mend Mr. Bruce to endeavour to introduce a substitute for 

 the feet in these operations. 



We think it would be a hardship to adopt Mr. Bruce's 

 advice with regard to the prohibition of Opium in Assam. 

 The Assamese have few luxuries, and to deprive them of 

 such as they have, would be doing them a very questionable 

 kind of service. We doubt if levying high duties on opium 

 land would have the effect of preventing the cultivation of 

 the drug ; if the Assamese are fond of opium they will have 

 it, and public measures for putting down its cultivation and 

 preventing its introduction, would be rather difficult to en- 

 force in an isolated province, surrounded as Assam is on 

 all sides by countries in which opium might be cultivated 

 without restriction. Mr. Bruce, however, states, that a 

 native of Assam will steal, sell his property, and even his 

 children for opium ; and as Mr. Bruce himself dealt in the 

 drug up to the period of his employment as Superintendent 

 of Tea Cultivation, he had doubtless the very best oppor- 

 tunities of witnessing the immoral effects he describes. 



Let us hope, however, that the cultivation of tea will in 

 that province be carried on to an extent that will sup- 

 ersede opium both as a source of profit and luxury. It 

 will be our duty to watch the progress of this new staple, 

 and while we shall hail with satisfaction every successful 

 step towards its introduction, we shall freely point out what- 

 ever appears to us likely to retard or endanger the final 

 success of the scheme. 



Note. — We find the report published in the Edinburgh Philosophical Journal to 

 be the same with that which appeared in the Journal of the Asiatic Society. How 

 it could have passed through the Tea Committee without eliciting some observation 

 from Dr. Wallich, we cannot imagine. 



