S2 



TEA. 



than 410 lbs. According to ]Milbum's ''Oriental Commerce," 

 the consLimptiou in 1711 was 111,995 lbs.; 120.595 lbs. in 1715, 

 and 237,901 lbs. in 1720. In 1745 the amoimt Tras 730,729 lbs. 

 Por above a century and a half, the sole object of the East India 

 Company's trade -with China was to provide tea for the consump- 

 tion of the United Kingdom, The company had the exclusive 

 trade, and were bound to send orders for tea, and to provide ships 

 to import the same, and always to have a year's consumption in 

 their warehouses. The teas were disposed of in London, where 

 only they could be imported, at quarterly sales. The act of 1834, 

 however, threw open the trade to China. 



Erom a Parliamentary return, showing the quantity of tea re- 

 tained for home constunption in the United Kingdom, in each 

 year, from 1740 to the termination of the East India Company's 

 sales, and tbence to the present time, it appears that in 1740, 

 1,493,695 lbs. of tea were retained for home consumption. Two 

 years afterwards, the quantity fell to 473,868 lbs., and in 1767 

 onlv 215,019 lbs. were retained. Xext vear the amount increased 

 to * 3.155.417 lbs. ; in 1769 it was 9,114.854 lbs.; in 1795, 

 21,342,845 lbs. ; in 1836, 49,842,236 lbs. 



The return in question also specifies the quantity of the various 

 kinds of tea, with the average sale prices. 



According to the annual tea reports of ^Messrs. Tr. J. Thomp- 

 son and Son, and Messrs. W. E. Eranks and Son, the total im- 

 ports of tea during the last fifteen years were as follows, 

 reckoned in milhons of lbs. : — 



Years. 



Black. 



Green. 



Total. 



Home Consumption. 



1838 ,,. 



... 26,786 ... 



... 8,215 ... 



35,001 



. . 36,415 



1839 ... 



... 30,644 ... 



... 7,680 ... 



38,324 



36.351 











.. 31,716 



1841 ... 









. . 36,811 



1842 ... 



... 31.915 ... 





, 41,644 



37,554 



1843 ... 



.. 39,518 .. 



7,340 ,. 





. . 39,102 



1844 ... 



... 39,644 ... 



... 8,749 ... 



, . 48,393 



.. 41,176 



1845 ... 







... 51,338 



. . 44.127 



1846 ... 



... 44,017 ... 





... 56,5C3 



.. 47,534 



1847 ... 



... 46,887 ... 



.. 8,368 ... 





46,247 



1848 ■•• 







... 45,123 



. . 48,431 



1849 ... 



... 43,234 ... 



... 9,156 ... 

 ... 8,427 ... 



... 52,400 



.. 50,100 



1850 ... 



.. 39,873 ... 



... 48,300 



51.000 



1851 ... 



... 62,369 ••• 



9,131 ... 



... 71,500 



. . 54,000 



1852 





... 9,175 ... 



, 64,700 



. . 54,724 



The dutv on tea was gradually raised from 9d. per lb. in 1787 

 to 3s. a lb.' in 1806. It was 2s. 2d. per lb. until 3Iay, 1852, when 

 4d. per lb. was taken off, and fiu^ther annual reductions are to be 

 made. Down to the year 1834 the duty was an ad valorem one 

 of 96 per cent, on all teas sold under 2s. a lb., and of 100 per 

 cent, on aU that were sold at or above 2s., charged on the prices 

 which they brought at the East India Company's sales. The ad 

 valorem duties ceased on the 22nd of April, 1834, and under the 

 act 3 and 4 William lY. c. 100, aU tea nnported into the United 



