119 
out “that Mr. Colquhoun was evidently under the ee that 
* P’u-érh tea is akin to the Souchongs and Boheas of the breakfast 
* table but of superior quality, like the delicate growths ae for 
* Imperial use. is opinion is, however, erroneous. P’u-érh tea is 
* certainly celebrated, but not in that way. Although produced, as I 
* understand, by a Thea its use is medicinal. The Chinese drink a cup 
** of it after a heavy sail as a digestive ; even two cups might per rhaps 
“ be indulged in, but to take three would be productive of inconvenience, 
* and four positively dangerous. I am of course merely quoting native 
* opinion. This much appears certain, the article is not fitted for the 
ps iniu table, andi is not likely to be apacios to foreign countries 
“ except as a drug, and never in large qua 
he specimens of "s érh tea in the Ms CR consist of loose 
tea contributed by Mr. Lockhart in 1859, and of cake-tea or brick-tea 
contributed in 1879 by Mr. Fryer. In neither specimen do the leaves 
appear like ordinar E i eral character. They are made up o 
an 
leaves have the a of tea as seen in this country. In colour 
accordi the 
the decoction it is evident that they have undergone some process o 
fermentation, and they still retain some fragrance, nen T this has 
now only a faint resemblance to good commercial t A decoction 
obtained from the brick-tea presented by Mr. Fryer is s of a bright rich 
colour, with a delicate aroma, but possessing a peculiar bitter flavor. 
It is possible that the Chinese value this tea on account of this 
From ati 
secondary v veins. 
In general outline, as also in the character of the venation and in the 
serratures along the edge, the leaves are indistinguishable (except 
perhaps in the difference in colour between the upper and lower sides) 
from what might be expected from Assam tea treated in the same 
nner. 
At present we have nothing but the leaves to go by. In the absence 
of flowers and fruit it is impossible to determine the plant yielding 
P'u-érh tea. The indications at present are that it is very near if not 
identical with the wild Assam tea-plant. This, it must be remembered, 
would be unfamiliar to the Chinese, and hence it is natural to suppose 
that P’u-érh tea is regarded by them as something distinct from the 
ordinary tea, and esteemed as a nervous stimulant and as an aid to 
digestion on account of its greater sega in theine, in the same way 
as the Bolivians use a decoction of Coca leaves. 
From Mr. Colquhoun’s description of die locality, it is clear that it 
does not grow in China, but is obtained from the Shan States of Siam, 
and chiefly from the neighbourhood of the town of P Bing. It is called 
P'u-érh tea merely because iin is the first Chinese town at which it is 
received after crossing the Yun-nan frontier. These Shan States have 
never been fully explored, ind it is probable that they contain numerous 
