THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. Vak i, 1895. 
Ceylon tea had been introduced, each year witness- 
ing a larger proportion of Indian tea in the blend. 
Ceylon tea was found to be somewhat similar in 
character to this blend of India and China tea, 
which at that time was very rapidly gaining in 
popularity. Hence an article similar to that which 
was being produced by admixture of Indian and 
China tea was found ready made in the produce 
arriving from Ceylon, and its progress was naturally 
exceedingly rapid. 
STRUGGLE BETWEEN BUITI8H-GR0WN AND CHINA TEAS- 
As Ceylon continued to pour these annually-increas- 
ing quantities of her tea into the market, the strug- 
gle became a sort of triangular duel. There was 
evidently no room for the three suitors to public 
favour, and it was apparent that one, at least, must 
succumb. 
Enough for years past had been said and known 
about the impurities of some of the teas from 
China, and the epithet " lie tea," was a well-known 
expression as referred to certain teas manufactured 
in China, whereas no taint of any kind had ever 
sullied the reputation of either Indian or Ceylon tea. 
These teas — instead of being manufactured, as w;i> 
the case in China, by the unclean and objectionable 
process of hand labour, aggravated by the heat of 
almost tropical weather, — were made by machinery; a 
much more cleanly and salutary mode of operation. 
In addition to this, as most of the finest Chinese 
tea was always taken by the Russian market at high 
prices, we received less and less of the best China 
tea into this country ; and indeed the general quality 
of China tea all round fell perceptibly, and continued 
much below its ancient standard. 
Economy ok Indian and Ceylon Tea. — Besides this, 
it was found that the teas from our own dependencies 
Were more economical than those gnrvu in China 
because, being stronger, they would go farther. In 
Other words, it was unnecessary to put as much Indian 
or Ceylon tea into the tea-pot as China tea. Money 
•was saved by using Indian and Ceylon tea, in 
addition to its bein^ more palatable ; and what 
stronger inducement could there be to a nation of 
practical people ? 
Hence the battle gradually turned in favour of 
Indian and Ceylon tea. For the introduction of 
machinery, European intelligence and skill, enabled 
India and Ceylon to rapidly and steadily reduce the 
cost of production. Thus, it soon became evident 
that these qualities, pitted against the obstinate 
barbarity and the ignorance of the Chinese in adher- 
ing to their antiquated notions of cultivation and 
manufacture, must triumph sooner or later. 
Falling-off in Tea Duty. — About this time, 1885- 
1889, a very curious circumstance was taking place, 
which caused some trouble to the Chancellor of the 
Exchequer. Though afternoon teas were perhaps 
more in vogue than they had ever been before, and 
iea drinking had become so general I hat even the 
medical faculty were crying out against its possible 
abuse, the tea duty, instead of bringing in abetter 
revenue every year, suddenly became almost 
stationary, and continued so for some four or five 
years, and yet less tea did not seem to be drunk. 
This extraordinary ciicumstance induced some of the 
high officials at the Custom-house to try experiments 
•with Indian and China tea, and alter doing so they 
■wrote m the Customs' report : — 
" From the information which has been afforded 
us on the subject, we believe that we make a mode- 
rate estimate in assuming that Indian tea goes half 
as far again as Chinese tea, so far as depth of colour 
and fullness (not delicacy) of flavour are concerned. 
" Thus, if 1 lb. of Chinese tea produces 5 gallons 
of tea of a certain depth of colour and fulness of 
flavour, 1 lb. *bf Indian tea will produce 7£ gallons 
of a similar beverage." 
This is practically what the British house-wife 
bad found out years before, for is there not an un- 
written law in every house that tea must have a 
certain colour, and that if, when poured from the 
teapot, it is too pale, it must be allowed to stand 
a little longer ? The same Custom-house report also 
pointed out that the displacement of Chinese tea 
by that produced in India and Ceylon was practi- 
cally tantamount to a reduction of duty on Indian 
and Ceylon teas. Soon after this, on Al'ay 1st, U80, 
the duty on all tea was reduced from M to 4d, a 
step, which, in the long run, has proved beneficial 
alike to the National Exchequer and to the public. 
Directly the displacement of China tea became slower, 
or was temporarily arrested, the use of dry tea 
immediately increased. 
At the present time Indian and Ceylon teat> have 
displaced all but about 20,000,000 lb. annually of China 
tea. and even this small quantity seems to' haw but 
a precarious hold, so completely is the market domi- 
nated by the prevailing taste for Indian and Ceylon 
teas — the total quantity of Indian tea having gra 
dually risen until, in \m4, it reached 117,000.000 lb., 
and that of Ceylon until it reached, in the saint 
year, 71,500,000 lb., against 20,000.000 lb. of China; 
the per-centage of British -grown tea being thus M», 
against only 12 for China and other countries. The 
annual progress of Indian and Cevlou tea. mid 
gradual decay of China, is traced in Table L'(p. MB), 
which also shows the percentage used in eacli \ear. 
Showing (ir.olual Displacement of (liiiia Tea rinoa IsOo, 
with per-centage of each kind uxe<l, and (Ju/uility 
of all Tea per Head of Population. 
? China, Ac. £ Indian. S Ceylon. 2 Total. -z f 
— 102,265 
— I i 
— 100,815, 
— 111,786, 
— 117,601 
— 123,401 
— 127,001 
— 131,881 
— 137,2711 
— 145,327 
— 11W,104 
— 151,114 
— 157,81*5 
— 100.432 
— 158,321 
— lttU.Ool 
— 164,»56 
,000 1 170,7811 
,UyU 1 175,000, 
,000 1 182,409, 
,000 3 178.WU 
.000 0 188,501 
,OQ0 10 186,410 
,000 15 J 05.000 
,4011 18 104,00a 
,002 25 202,450 
,127 30 2"7.1» 
.(Mil 31 20B,0!» 
,078 33 214,341 
ooo I'M 
000 3 OS 
000 3-52 
,000 8 03 
.ooo 8-ei 
,000 3-92 
,000 4-01 
,000 4-11 
,000 4 , 22 
,1100 4 '48 
,000 1-4H 
,O0d 4-50 
,000 4"04 
,000 4 03 
,000 4 57 
,000 4-58 
,000 4 -00 
,000 4 - 82 
,000 4t»J 
',000 5-<Hi 
.ooo 4 -!»-_' 
,000 5-02 
:>■«:; 
1,000 4-m» 
44*2 5 1, 
837 5-.SG 
,704 5'4:i 
,385 5-41 
,044 5-5J 
The gradual fall of the China tea trade in this 
country may thus be traced to several causes ; but 
the whole can be summed up in the one great and 
all-important reason, viz.. the triumph of civilisation 
over barbarism; for melancholy though it is to see 
a great industry crippled, and well nigh obliterated, 
in so important a market as Great Britain, and to 
remember the unfortunate troubles which the 
event must have brought upon thousands of 
human beings, and the heavy losse= entailed 
even upon our own countrymen and our com- 
merce in the East, it is. after all, but a natural 
ciicumstance that the intelligence, science, and re- 
search, which are the outcome of European civilisa- 
tion, should reduce to impotence the obstinate con- 
servatism which for centuries has characterised, and 
even now characterises, the Chinese Empire. 
It is not improbable that the present war in the 
East may conduce to a greater displacement of China 
tea in other markets than those of Great Britain. 
The injury resulting to Chinese commerce, in the 
loss of so important a tea market as Great Britain, 
has now been followed by a terrible national military 
disaster ; and both these troubles are, in a measure, 
due to China s refusal to allow the civilisation of 
