TEA. 



tiie perfons employing it, the coiiclufions di'awii Irom its 

 ffFcdls mull be verj- precarious and ambiguous, and we mull 

 attempt by other means to afcertain its qualities with more 

 certainty. 



" To this purpofe it appears, from the accurate Dr. 

 Smith's experiments ' De Ailione Mufculari,' No. 36, 

 that an infuiion of green tea has the effcdl of deitroying the 

 fenfibility of the nerves, and tiie irritabihty of the mufcles ; 

 and from the experiments of Dr. Lettfom, it appears tliat 

 green tea gives out in diftillation an odorous water, which is 

 powerfully narcotic. 



That the recent plant contains fuch an odorous narcotic 

 power, we might pixfume from the neceflity which the Chi- 

 nefe find of drying it with much heat before it can be 

 brought into ufe ; and that, even after fncli preparation, 

 they mull abllain from the ufe of it for a year or more, that 

 is, till its volatile parts are (lill farther diHipated : and it is 

 laid, that unlefs they ufe this precaution, the tea in a more 

 recent ilatc manifeflly fhcws ftrong narcotic powers. Even 

 in this country, the more odorous teas often fliew their fe- 

 dative powers in weakening the nerves of the ftomach, and 

 indeed of the whole fyftcm. 



" From thefe confideratlons we conclude very firmly, that 

 tea is to be confidereJ as a narcotic and fedative fubllance ; 

 and tliat it is efpecially fuch in its moil odorous ftate, and 

 therefore lefs in the bohea than in the green tea, and the 

 moft fo in the more odorous, or what are called the finer kinds 

 of the latter. 



" Its efFedls, however, feem to be very different in dif- 

 ferent perfons ; and hence the different, and even contra- 

 diftory accounts that are reported of thefe effefts. But 

 if we confider the ■ difference of conftitution, which occa- 

 fions fome difference of the operation of the fame medicine 

 in different perfons, and of which we have a remarkable 

 proof in the operation of opium, we fhall not be furprifed 

 at the different operations of tea. 



" If to this we add the fallacy arifing from the condition 

 of the tea employed, which is often fo inert as to have no 

 effefts at all ; and if we ffill add to this the power of habit, 

 which can deftroy the powers of the moll powerful fub- 

 flances, we (hall not allow the various and even contradiftory 

 reports of is effetts to alter our judgment, with refpedl to its 

 ordinary and more, general qualities in affeifting the human 

 body. 



" From the experiments above-mentioned, and from 

 the obfcrvations which I have made in the courfe of fifty 

 years, in all forts of perfons, I am convinced that the qua- 

 lities of tea are narcotic and fedative. 



" It has been often alleged, that fome of the bad effefts im- 

 puted to tea are truly owing to the large quantity of warm water 

 which commonly accompanies it, and it is poffible that fome 

 bad effetts may arife from this caufe : but from attentive ob- 

 fervation I can affert, that wherever any confiderable effefts 

 appear, they are in nine of every ten perfons entirely from 

 the qualities of the tea ; and that any like effefis of warm 

 water do not appear in one of a hundred who take in this 

 very lai-gely. 



" But while we thus endeavour to eftablilh the poifonous 

 nature of tea, we do not at the fame time deny that it may 

 fometimes (hew ufeful qualities. It is very poffible, th.at in 

 certain perfons, taken in moderate quantity, it may, like 

 other narcotics in a moderate dofe, prove exhilarating, or, 

 like thefe, have fome effeft in taking off irritability, or in 

 quieting fome irregularities of the nervous fyftem. 



" As its bad eftefts have been often imputed to the warm 

 water that accompanies it, fo we have no doubt that fome 

 of its good effetts may alfo be afcribed to the fame caufe, 



and particularly its being fo often grateful after a full 

 me;fl." 



By 9 Geo. II. c. 35, if a veffel, coining from foreign 

 parts, and having 6 lbs. or more of tea on board, fhall be 

 found at anchor, or within two leagues of the (hore, &c. 

 all lucii tea, with chell and package, fhall be forfeited. The 

 importer of any coffee, tea, or cocoa-nuts, fh;Jl within tliirty 

 days enter the faid tea, &c. and warehoufe it. (10 Geo. 

 c. 10. 5 Geo. III. c. 43.) That which is landed without 

 entry and warehoufing fliall be forfeited. But this fhall not 

 extend to any coffee or tea imported by the Eafl India Com- 

 pany. The coffee and tea intended for home confump- 

 tion fhall be entered and the duty paid. ( 10 G. c. 10.) 

 A permit (liall be given for the removal of tea from any 

 wareiioufe, whether it be boliea, congou, fouchoug, or 

 pekoe tea ; and fueii tea fhall in the permit be fpecified under 

 tiie denomination of lil{ick tea ; and if the tea be neither 

 bohea, congou, fouchong, nor pekoe tea, then fuch tea fliall 

 be fpecified under the denomination of ^r«n tea. 43 Geo. III. 

 c. 129. 



By 13 Geo. III. c. 44. no licence fhall be granted to the 

 Eafl India Company to export tea, unlefs there remain in the 

 warehoufes a quantity not lefs than ten millions of pounds 

 weight. 



No tea is allowed to be imported, except from the place 

 of its growth, on pain of forfeiture. ( 1 1 Geo. c. 30. ) And 

 by 24 Geo. III. c. 38. all the duties upon tea imported, 

 fold, or ufed in this kingdom, fhall ceafe from September 15, 

 1784 ; at which period the Eafl India Company is difcharged 

 from the payment of duties on tea in their warehoufes ; and 

 afterwards there fhall be paid a duty of 12/. 10s. per cent. 

 computed upon the grofs prices for all tea delivered by the 

 Company to the purchafers, which duty fliall be di-awn back 

 on exportation to any place where the drawback is already 

 allowed. The Company is required to make four fales in the 

 year, and to fell fuch quantity as fhall be fufScient to fnpply 

 the demand, provided an advance of id. per lb. be bid upon 

 the prices at which tlie teas fhall be put up ; and at the 

 four firfl fales after paffing the aft, thefe prices fhall not ex- 

 ceed the following rates ; via. for bohea tea. Is. fd. per lb.; 

 congou tea, 2x. ^d. per lb.; for fouchong tea, 3/. 31/ per lb.; 

 for finglo tea, 3^. 4^. ^fr lb.; and for hyfon tea, 4J. 11 J. 

 ^^rlb.: and afterwards the whole price at which the teas 

 are put up, fhall not exceed the prime cofl, with the 

 freight and charges of importation, lawful interell from 

 the time of the arrival of fuch tea in Great Britain, 

 and the common premium of infurnnce. In lieu of the 

 duties on tea, this aft fubftitutes an additional duty on win- 

 dows. See Commutation Atl. 



By this fame aft, the inland duty upon cocoa-nuts and 

 coffee fhall ceafe from September ij, 1784, and the follow- 

 ing additional duties be paid ; viz. for every pound of cocoa- 

 nuts, the produce of Britifh America, 6d. and the produce 

 of any other place, \s. 6d. ; and for eycry pound of coffee, 

 the produce of Britifh America, 6d. and tlie produce of auy 

 other place, 2s. 6d.; aiid thefe duties are fubjeft to an addi- 

 tional impr.ll of 5 per cer.l.- and ^percent thereon impofedby 

 19 Geo III. c. 25. and 22 Geo. III.c. 66. 



If coffee or t^'a are intended to betaken out for export- 

 ation, th;:y (hat! be deliv-red out on fecurity that they Ihall 

 beexpor;ed, a:!d not r -landed. 13 Geo. c. 10. 



No drawback IhaJl be allowed on tea exported, except to 

 Ireland, &c. where the Aviiole duty on exportation fhall 

 be allow. 'd. 18 Geo. II. c. 26. 17 Geo. III. c. 27. 

 43 Geo. III. c. 69. 



Evi i-y perfon having in his cuftody more than fix pounds 

 weight o£ tea, is a dealer ; and felling without a licence, to 



be 



