1839.] extent and produce of the Tea Plantations in Assam, 171 



he said it was written in bis Patty, or history. The Ahum-Putty I have 

 never been able to get hold of; but this I know, that the information 

 about the Tea-plant pointed out by the old Norah man, as being on the 

 Tipum hill, is true ; for I have cleared the tract where it grew thickest, 

 about 300 yards by 300, running from the foot of the hill to the top. 

 The old man told me his father cut the plant down every third year, that 

 he might get the young leaves. 



To the west of Gabrew I did not find any Tea ; but to the westward of 

 the Dhunseeree river I found a species, (hough not the same as that we 

 use. If the people on the west side of the Dhunseeree river were ac- 

 quainted with the true leaf, I think Tea would be found. I planted it 

 all along the route I went, which may lead to its eventual discovery ; but 

 people should be sent to search for (he plant who are really acquainted 

 with it. I think a vast quantity of Tea would be brought to light if this 

 were done ; our tracts are distributed all over the country. How 

 much Tea they would all produce if fully worked, I will not pre- 

 tend to say; but in the course of this subject, I will mention such 

 matters relative to the tracts and the plants on them, that every 

 one may make his own calculation. Until lately we had only two 

 Chinese Black-Tea makers. These men have twelve native assist- 

 ants ; each Chinaman with six assistants can only superintend one lo- 

 cality, and the Tea leaves from the various other tracts, widely separat- 

 ed, must be brought to these two places for manufacture. The conse- 

 quence is, that an additional number of labourers must always be em- 

 ployed to bring the leaves from so great a distance. The leaves suffer 

 when brought in large quantities from a distance, as they soon begin to 

 ferment, and the labour of only preparing them so far in process that 

 they may not spoil by the morning, is excessive. The men have often to 

 work until very late to accomplish this. When labour falls so very heavy 

 and on so very few, it cannot be expected that it can be equally well ex- 

 ecuted, as if more had been employed. The leaves la.it gathered are al- 

 so much larger than they ought to be, for want of being collected and 

 manufactured earlier; consequently the Tea is inferior in quality. I 

 mention this, to shew the inconvenience and expense of having so few 

 Tea makers. 



The samples of Black-Tea made by the twelve assistants having been 

 approved of by the Tea Committee in Calcutta, it was my intention to 

 have distributed the men amongst the different tracts, but the late dis- 

 turbances on our frontier have prevented this arrangement ; and I have 

 been obliged to employ ten men in Assam (two others having gone to 

 Calcutta in charge of Tea) at the tract called Kahimg, which is becoming 



