366 



Report on the Tea Plant of Upper Assam. 



[Oct. 



man considers it possible that the phmt was introduced into Assam.* 

 Now, however, that the plant has been traced to Bamo, nearly a degree 

 and a half farther to the eastward, it appears pretty certain that the Tea 

 has straggled from the East into Assam. The line of continuation be- 

 tween Assam and Bamo is about S. S. E. If the plant had been intro- 

 duced in remote periods, I should consider that the changes of its suc- 

 cessful cultivation would be increased. 



Mr. McClelland has observed, that of the Tea localities visited by 

 the deputation, that of Kujoo is the oldest : he also points out the pro- 

 bability of the seeds having been transmitted along the course of cur- 

 rents. With reference to this I may obsei've, that the course«of the 

 rivers throughout the Tea district are nearly east and west, and that 

 with this the direction of the Tea localities, which is in that of longitude, 

 corresponds almost exactly. Westward of Gubroo, how^ever, the case is 

 different, for the river Dhunseeree has a northerly course; and not only 

 is this the case, but the distance between the rivers is considerably in- 

 creased. I consider it, therefore, probable, that Gubroo is really the 

 limit of the distribution of the Tea plant in Assam, and, if this be found 

 not to be the case, that the localities w^ill occur in the direction of lati- 

 tude and not in that of longitude. 



Anneslea. Of this genus only one species exists, occurring on low 

 hills, certainly not 200 feet above the level of the sea, about Moul main, 

 lat. 17 « N. 



Of the last remaining plant of this order, I sent home an account in 

 1835, under the name oi ErythrocMton ; this occurs on the island of Ma- 

 damacan, near Mergui, lat. 12 » N. at the level of the sea. 



Mr. Griffith, after animadverting on the imperfect method hitherto 

 adopted in attempting the cultivation of the Tea plant in the British 

 possessions by the importation of seeds and plants from China, lays 

 down his own plan, which appears to promise better success. 



I now come to the consideration of the steps, which in my opinion 

 must be followed, if any degree of success is to be expected. Of these 

 ^he most important is the importation of Chinese seeds of unexception- 



* In the valley of Hookhong Tea appears to be rare, and none certainly exists in any 

 place visited by Captain Hannay. Among the low undulated hills, separating this 

 valley from the district of Mogoung, two localities occur, of which one is situated on a 

 au]lah, called by the Burmese, the Tea-Tree Nullah. At Bamo it was brought to me 

 from hills, one day's journey from the town ; it is curious that the specimens werft 

 certainly superior to any of those from more westerly localities; the leaves being not 

 only smaller, but of a much finer texture. 



