Chap. XV. 
TEA MADE FROM PONGAMIA GLABRA. 
235 
ments for the purpose. Tliis was soon done, a little 
furnace built, and two pans fixed above the fireplaces, 
exactly as they are seen in the manufactories in China. 
Thus far ever3rthing went on well, but where were the 
tea-leaves to be procured ? There were none in the 
Calcutta garden, nor in any place nearer than the Hima- 
layas. " How can we make tea without tea-leaves ? " 
said the astonished Chinamen. I now explained to them 
that Dr. Falconer and his friends wanted to see the 
mode of manipulation only, that the article so made was 
to look at, not to drink, and that they must go out into 
the garden and try to find a substitute for tea-leaves. 
This explanation being deemed satisfactory, they wen-j, 
out to examine the trees of the garden. In a short 
space of time they returned bringing several parcels of 
leaves, one of which proved to belong to Pongamia 
glabra, and seemed the most likely to suit the purpose. 
Orders were now given to some of the natives to collect 
a large quantity of these leaves and bring them into the 
room which had been fitted up for the occasion. 
In the mean time the Chinamen had the fires lighted 
and everything in readiness to commence operations. 
The leaves were now thrown into the pans and heated 
for a few minutes, then taken out and rolled, then 
shaken out thinly on bamboo trays to dry off the super- 
fluous moisture, and finally thrown again into the pans 
and tossed about by the hand until perfectly twisted and 
dry. They were afterwards sifted and sorted into the 
various kinds known as hyson skin, hyson, young hyson, 
imperial, and gunpowder. Some of the sorts were re- 
fired several times, and portions of some of them were 
