Dec. t, 1894,] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
419 
'TEA 
To the Editor. 
SWEEPINGS" AND CAFFEINE. 
London, Nov. 1. 
Sir, — I send you enclosed particulars of the " Tea 
sweepings" as a friend received them last season ac- 
cording to the dates on the sheets from all the docks 
and warehouses but two. This you will find on 
sheet No. 1. On sheet No. 2, you will note the 
position of affairs as they appear for this season 
showing that the London and India Docks and Hay's 
Wharf had such pressure brought upon the directors 
by influential men who store goods, although other 
than Tea, and perhaps not understanding the Tea 
trade, that tltey had to agree to allow the Tea to 
go to the "Tea Merchant" at Hamburg. These Tea 
sweepings are separated from the woody matter by 
sifting, then the iron is taken out of them by mag- 
nets, then the dust is blown out of the tea leaf and 
the Tea is sold as "Indian" and "Ceylon," the dust 
is treated for Caffeine. There was no question of 
price because the Caffeine manufacturers in this 
country offered to pay the Dock Company and Hum- 
phrey's Wharf any amount that was offered to them 
by foreigners. As this large quantity of Tea will 
seriously compete against low class teas coming from 
India and Ceylon, the Tea trade are taking the 
matter up, because as long as they knew that the 
Tea sweepings were being denatured and turned into 
Caffeine they knew that they would not compete 
against shippers. Further than this, the Tea mer- 
chants and owners of tea estates looking into this 
affair ask " By what right or authority do these 
wharves and docks allow the Tea to go to Germany 
to be there sold against them as Tea?" Some of 
the Wharves have sent notice to the Custom House 
to come and examine Indian Tea which has been 
sent to this country in China packages, all marks 
having been removed. 
When calculating 390 tons of Tea sweepings as the 
quantity made per annum, as far as I can learn, 
about 20% to 25% of this material is dust and dirt. 
—Yours truly, OBSEEVEE. 
SHEET No. I. 
Particulars of the disposal of Tea Sweepings de- 
livered fro in the different Wharves and Warehouses, 
from Oct. 1st, 1893 to 30tliSept. 1894. 
Which were denatured and turned into Caffeine 
in this country under. 
Port Order 33 
London and India Docks, Manager : Mr. Champ. 
St. Katherine's Dock 
Commercial Road 
Cutler Street 
Wrightson's 
Trinity Bonded 
St. Olave's 
Buchanan's Wharf 
Oliver's Wharf 
Monastery Bonded 
Abbey Wharf 
6 tons 
28 tons 
63 tons 
25£ tons 
22* tons 
36 tons 
22 tons 
97 tons { 
48 tons 
— 58 tons 
8 tons 
4 tons 
Humphrey Hay's Wharf • 45 tons 
Red Lion Wharf • • 10 tons 
Chamberlain's Wharf - - 11 tons 
Colonial Wharf • • 8 tons 
Brook's Wharf - 12 tons 
Metropolitan Bonded Warehouse 24 tons 
Monument Bonded Warehouse 15 tons 
215 tons 
125 tons 
340 tons 
The Tea Sweepings from these two establishments were 
»ent, we understand, to Hamburg to Tea merchants. 
Lafone Butlers Wharf 40 tons 
Barber's Warehouse nitons. Estimate 50 tons 
63 
SHEET No. 2. 
Probable quantity of Tea Sweepings that will be 
made in the year from, 1st October 1894 to the 
30th September 1895. ' 
The Wharf-owners and Warehouse-keepers who have 
decided to act under the Port order 33 
Buchanan's Wharf 
Oliver's Wharf 
Monastery Bonded 
Abbey Wharf 
viz., that it be 
denatured and 
turned into Caf- 
feine in England, 
tons 
58 tons 
(a) 
(a) Musset offered 65s per ton for this man's tea, but 
he said nothing would induce him to let it go tQ 
Wrightson's Trinity-Bonded . 
85* "tons 
St. Olave's 
22i- „ 
48 tons 
Red Lion Wharf 
10 „ 
Chamberlain's Wharf 
H .. 
Colonial Wharf 
8 _ 
Brook's Wharf 
12 ,, 
Metropolitan Bonded Warehouse 
24 „ 
183 „ 
The following firms, warehouses and wharves have, we ■ 
understand, agreed to allow Mr. Musset, a well-known 
tea dealer in Hamburg, to have their, tea sweepings. 
He treats these with magnets to get out the iron and 
then blows the dust out of it. The larger leaf is sold 
as tea and some has been sent to England in plain 
packages. It is well known on the Continent and sold 
to the English Colonies, and seriously competes with the 
low priced tea and brings great discredit on " Indian " 
and " Ceylon Teas" :— 
London and India Docks— Manager, Mr. Champ. 
St. Katherine's Dock - 6 tons 
Commercial Road - 28 ,, 
Cutler Street - - 63 ,, 
— 97 tons probable 
quantity. 
45 tons 
Humphr ey Hay's Wharf 
Lafone Butler's Wharf 
Barber's Warehouse 
Monument Bonded Warehouse 
Total 
10 ., 
192 „ 
15 „ 
The proprietor has not yet decided what "he will do 
with the tea sweepings this year. 
P.S.— No question of price could arise, for we offered 
55s per ton or any higher price that was offered bv 
foreigners. It was given to the foreigners to be treated 
to obtain tea at the same price, rather than let our 
Caffeine manufacturers have it. 
P.S.— Nov. 2nd— Since writing you last night I 
learn that the Tea Trade and Tea Brokers' Associa- 
tion have decided to have a meeting and thev have 
called it for Monday. Yesterday Messrs. Machin 
Appleton & Smiles discovered that they had bought 
some tea at 4Jd per lb., and when they came to look 
at it found that it was marked B.P. and it came by 
the "Iris " from Hamburg. They asked a friend to look 
at it, and he at once detected the wood and dirt in 
it. Further than that he put it under a strong power, 
and distinctly saw pieces of glass and also pieces of 
white wood which always gets into what is called the 
hole in a warehouse. Into this hole everything is 
swept from the warehouse, frequently broken 
bottles and broken glass. Wheh the warehouse dis- 
poses of the tea for making into caffeine they pass 
it through a coarse sieve, sufficient to stop the iron 
hooping and some of the nails and large pieces of 
wood. This tea was sold at 4Jd per lb. here, and it 
was put up in two lots, one marked No. 1/17 and 
18/34. The question arises how was it that the Cus- 
toms allowed this tea to pass without recognizing it '! 
Ono of the surveyors this morning mentioned that 
for the last year they had not been troubled with 
the "low quality" teas coming from Hamburg and 
that hj supposed they had been lax in their inspec- 
tion. Another tea merchant most pertinontlv en- 
quires how was it that this tea came into the country 
declared as Ceylon tea or Indian tea, and what was 
the nature of the packages and marks. Here again that 
ought to have been stopped under tho Merchandise 
