_ Tea in the District of Kangra. 81 
make a Jarge demand for Punjaub teas, is a low rate of sale. 
A foreign market is not, therefore, wanted, at least for a 
time. In addition, the Kohistan of the Punjaub, and the 
north-western frontier generally, possess extraordinary capa- 
bilities through means of their rivers; as by them teas can 
be conveyed, at a small rate, to Kurachee and Bombay, and 
from thence shipped to the European markets. The roads, 
too, in the Kohistan, as already stated, are admirable, and 
admit of beasts of burden being employed in the carriage of 
teas to the river ghats, a point of great importance. In 
Kooloo, the poppy is at present largely cultivated for pre- 
paring opium for exportation to China; and, I believe, that 
I speak within bounds when I mention, that more than a 
fifth of the land of that province is thus occupied. At pre- 
sent the demand for that drug is great, but how long that 
will continue is a question; and were the value of opium 
greatly to decrease, which may, at any time, occur by the 
cultivation of the poppy being legalized in China, that coun- 
try being as fitted for its cultivation as India, the whole of 
the land thus employed in Kooloo would become available 
for tea, To provide against such a contingency, a tea plan- 
tation might with advantage be there introduced, and ona 
sufficiently large scale to work a factory with success. In the 
Simla District, the Government land is in too small quantity 
to admit of such an arrangement. 
These remarks shew that the idea, generally prevailing, 
that land fitted for tea cultivation is limited, is erroneous ; 
and were all the lands in Kumaon, Gurwal, Kooloo, Kangra, 
&c., so employed, teas could be prepared in sufficient quan- 
tity to supply both the Indian and European markets. The 
great reduction in the duty on teas, which must shortly take 
place in Britain, will lead to a treble consumption ; and in- 
stead of 60,000,000 lb., we may shortly expect 180,000,000 
lb. to be consumed in our markets. The impetus, too, given 
to trade, generally, by the discovery of gold in quantity, in 
two hemispheres, will affect no staple article more than tea, 
and lead greatly to its increased consumption. An inexhausti- 
ble market, when that of India is supplied, is therefore pre- 
sented. 
VOL. LVII. NO. CXIII.—JULY 1854. F 
