92 



TEA. 



is no need to do more than thus touch upon the undeveloped re- 

 sources of tea production. — Travers on tlie Tea Duties. 



The consumption of tea in Russia is very great, as the middling 

 classes make a more frequent use of that beverage than the rest. 

 Every year 60,000 chests of tea arrive at Maimiatchin and Kiakhta, 

 of the declared of&cial value of £1,185,000 sterling ; and to this 

 may be added £38,650 for inferior tea used by the people of the 

 south, which makes the total declared value of the tea introduced 

 about one and a quarter million sterling. The consumption of 

 Russia may be assumed at over fifteen millions of pounds, although 

 we have no correct data, as in the case of shipping retmms, to cal- 

 culate from. In 1848, however, the Russians took 136,217^ boxes 

 of fine tea of the Chinese, for which they paid 5,349,918 silver 

 roubles — one million sterling. The quantity forwarded from 

 Kiakhta into the interior consisted of — 



Foods. 



Flowery or Pekoe tea ..... 69,677 



Ordinary tea .... . 183,752 



Brick tea . . . . . . 116,249 



Equal to about fifteen million lbs. English. 



Brich tea of Thibet. — A sample of this curious product was shown 

 by the East India Company in 1851. It is formed of the refuse 

 tea-leaves and sweepings of the granaries, damped and pressed into 

 a mould, generally with a little bullock's blood. The finer sorts 

 are friable masses, and are packed in papers ; the coarser sewn up 

 in sheep's skin. In this form it is an article of commerce through- 

 out Central and ^^orthern Asia and the Himalayan provinces ; and 

 is consumed by Mongols, Tartars, and Tibetans, churned with 

 milk, salt, butter, and boiling water, more as a soup than as tea 

 proper. Certain quantities are forced upon the acceptance of the 

 Western tributaries of the Chinese Empire, in payment for the 

 support of troops, &c. ; and is hence, from its convenient size and 

 form, brought into circulation as a coin, over an area greater than 

 that of Europe. — Dr. Hooker, in Jury Reports. 



The quantity and value of the tea imported into the United 

 States, from 1821, is thus stated : — 



Years. 



Pounds. 



Value, dolls. 

 . 1,322,636 



Years. 



Pounds. 



Value, doUs. 



1821 



. 4,975,646 . 



1835 



. . 14,415,572 



. 4,522,806 



1822 



. 6,639,434 . 



. 1,860,777 



1836 



.. 16,382,114 . 



. 5,342,811 



1823 . 



. 8,210,010 . 



. 2,361,245 



1837 



.. 16,982,384 



. 5,903,054 



1824 



. 8,920,487 . 



. 3,786,312 

 . 3,728,935 



1838 



.. 14,418,112 . 



. 3,497,156 



1825 



. 10,209,548 . 



1839 



. 9,439,817 . 



. 2,428,419 



1826 . 



. 10,108,900 . 



. 3,752,281 



1840 



. 20,006,595 . 



. 5,427,010 



1827 . 



. 5,875,638 . 



. 1,714,882 



1841 



. 10,772,087 . 



. 3,075,332 



1828 . 



. 7,707,427 . 



. 2,451,197 



1842 



. 13,482,645 . 



. 3,567,745 



1829 . 



. 6,636,790 . 



. 2,060,457 



1843 



. 12,785,748 . 



. 3,405,627 



1830 . 



. 8,609,415 . 



. 2,425,018 

 . 1,418,037 



1844 



. 13,054,327 . 



. 3,152,225 



1831 . 



. 5,182,867 . 



1845 



. 17,162,550 . 



. 4,802,621 



1832 . 



. 9,906,606 . 



. 2,788,353 



1846 



. 16,891,020 . 



. 3,983,337 



1833 . 



. 14,639,822 . 



. 5,484,603 

 . 6,217,949 



1847 . 



. 14,221,410 . 



. 3,200,056 



1834 . 



. 16,282,977 . 



1848 



. 18,889,217 



The annual reports of the Secretary to the Treasury, for the last 



