June 2, 1890.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
827 
THE ABUSE OP COFFEE. 
Dr. F. Mendel (the British Medical Journal says) has 
recently enjoyed opportunities of studying the results 
of an unbridled abuse of coffee, and his results are now 
published. The great industrial centre round Essen in- 
cludes a very large female population. While the 
women of the working classes in this country are 
often addicted to dosing themselves with tea that has 
stood too long, it appears that the workmen's wives at 
Essen drink coffee from morning till night. Some 
consume over a pound of Oeylon coffee weekly, and 
one pound contains over sixty-four grains of caffeine . 
In consequence, nervous, muscular, and circulatory dis- 
turbances are frequent. The nerve symptoms are 
characterized by a feeling of general weakness, de- 
pression of spirit, and aversion for labour, in even 
industrious subjects, with headache and insomnia. 
A strong dose of coffee causes the temporary dig. 
appearance of all these symptoms. The musoular 
svmptoms consist of distinct muscular weakness, and 
trembling of the hands even during rest. The circu- 
latory symptoms are marked by a small, rapid, ir- 
regular pulse, and feeble impulse of the apex of the 
heart. Palpitations and heavim ss in the precodial re- 
gion are frequent. The hands and feet feel very cold, 
and the complexion becomes sallow. Dyspeptic symp- 
toms, chiefly of the nervous type, are very common. 
These coffee-drinkers cannot be cared by simple ab- 
stention from their favourite drink, with substitution 
of milk as a beverage. They require rest from work, 
open-air exeroise, cold ablutions followed by friction, 
and small doses of brandy. 
THE BUDGET AND THE TEA DUTY. 
The state of the home tea market is oalculated to 
raiBe the suspicion that some uncertainty still pre- 
vails as to the effect of Mr. Goschen's!budget. In 
the first place we are asked whether the reduced duty 
of 4d per lb. has already come into force, and if not 
when it is to begin to operate. Our belief is that 
as the budget year closes on March 31st, any altera- 
tion in duties takes effect from 1st April, but that 
such alteration cannot be finally recognized until a 
Resolution embodying the tea-duty portion of the 
budget passes Parliament. We suppose therefore 
that rebates will be granted on all tea paid for at 
the old duty when instructions oome to the Costoms, 
to say that the new rate has'been sanctioned. The 
following extract from the " Budget " article in 
the Encyclopedia Britannica is worth quoting • — 
Budget (lie. a bag or small sack), the nnme applied 
to an account of the ways and means by which a 
minister of finance purposes to defray the expenditure 
of the state. In the United Kingdom the chancellor 
of the exchequer, usually in April, lays before the 
House of Commons a statement of the aotual results 
of revenue and expenditure in the past finance year 
ending March 31st showing how far his estimates have 
been realized, anrl what sui-plua or deficit there has 
been in the income as compared with the expenditure. 
This is accompanied by another statement in which 
the chancellor gives an estimate of what the produce 
of the revenue may be in the year just entered upon, 
supposing the taxes and duties to remain bs they were 
in the past year, and also an estimate of what the 
expenditure will be in the current year. If the esti- 
mated revenue, after allowing for normal increase of 
the principal sources of income, be less than the esti- 
mated expenditure, this is deemed a case for the im- 
position ot some new, or the increase of some existing, 
tax or taxes. On the other hand, if the estimated 
revenue shows a large surplus over the estimated 
expenditure, there is room for remitting or reducing 
somo tux or taxes, and the extent of this relief is 
generally limited to the amount of surplus roalized 
in the previous year. The chancellor of the exchequer 
has to take parliament into confide c ! on his estimates, 
both uh regards revenue and expenditure; and when 
the taxation and expenditure obtain the assent of 
parliament, the results as thus adjusted beoome the 
final budget estimate for the year. 
The above note was written for yesterday's daily issue. 
This morning brings the mail and Mr. Gosohen's 
budget in full with the criticisms of the press 
and much general information. So far as we oan 
see, the reduction of 2d in the duty took the tea 
trade rather by surprise and opinions were divided 
as to the benefit to British-grown teas. However, 
although low-olass and China teas were expected 
to score at first, it was felt that the good charaoter 
of Ceylon and Indian teas was too well established 
to be affeoted and that all classes would desire 
to drink better teas.— As regards the date of the 
new duty coming into elect, we learn it was fixed 
a month later than the new budget year or for 1st 
May, thus explaining the oourse of the market 
recently which had puzzled a good many. We 
have further from a late Globe (18th April) the 
following important explanation:— 
Giving Effect to the Budget.— In anticipation of 
the Chancellor of the Exchequer's finanoial state- 
ment, instructions were, says the Press Association, 
last evening sent out to the Exoise authorities in all 
parts of the country respecting the increase of 6d 
per gallon on spirits. The duty will be charged on 
a higher scale forthwith, the necessary preliminary 
formality having been complied with as soon as the 
House of Commons assented to the first Budget 
resolution. In the lobby last evening the prevailing 
impression was that the Government would adopt a 
similar course in regard to tea duty, and would in- 
struct the Customs officials to be prepared to make 
the reduction as soon as the resolution dealing with 
the subject received the sanction of the House. 
We are informed, however, that the usual praotice 
will be departed from to some extent in this case. 
The Government, instead of allowing a drawback 
for the purpose of recouping the. traders for the 
amount of duty paid on existing stocks, propose to 
give the traders a fortnight in which to adjust matters 
and the duty will accordingly be paid on the higher 
scale until May 1st. This, it is held will meet the 
equities of the case, because, in view of possible redac- 
tion in the duty, the tea taken out of bond during the 
last two months has been abnormally small. 
MR. GOSCHEN AND THE TEA DUTY. 
This is what the Home and Colonial Mail says under 
it Notes on Produce and Finance on April 18th •— 
Although there have been plenty of rumours on the 
subject it was not generally expected that the 
Chancellor of the Exchequer would, in his Budget pro- 
t . he * ea dut y- The reduction of the duty 
from 6d to 4d has been received with some surprise in 
Mincing Lane The reduction will, no doubt, give a 
spurt to the trade. ' B ve * 
It is clear from Mr. Goschen's remarks and his 
admission that he 18 not in favour of the abolition of 
, ^.present reduction is all that is to be 
looked for from him. He said :-« The tipplers shaM 
£1 500000- ii l0a \ U l° n the tea d °* wilUmounUo 
£1,500,000 I know it has been said the reduction of 
2d will not beneat the consumer. But I am not pre. 
pared to admit that argument. We have to look tJour 
ron P rZnt ^ ° Ur reS P^sibility is that this duty 
represents a very large proportion of prime cost of the 
article, Now, ,f tea were sold, as it should be sold to 
the consuming c asses at something like cost price it 
would appear at once what an enormous relief would 
be given by 2d m the pound. But the relief is 
concealed by the fact that the middleman walks away 
with a large proportion of the price paid bv thl 
working classes for their tea. Will it be believed 
that in many villages the working classes pay as much 
as 2a, 2b bd, and 3s for tea which practically" with all 
costs included, does not cost more than lid or l 8 an( ] 
which many persons iu reduced circumstances buy of 
good qaal.tylat Is 6d. If you take the price of Is fid and 
ben say that upon that price yon aro going to d „ 
