36  THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST  [July  i,  1892. 
“ Good  old  horse.”  I exclaimed. 
“ High  old  horse,”  he  added. 
'*  And  by  the  way,”  he  continued,  “ a practical 
planter  tells  me  in  his  letter  how  he  arrives  at  the 
coBt  of  the  Oeylon  crop.  But  I don’t  place  much  re- 
liance on  his  figures,  tor  he  omits  the  serious  and  all 
important  item  of  interest  oa  the  cost  of  bis  estate.” 
“ I seethe  Russian  contingent  has  arrived.  Did  you 
get  any  information  from  them  ? ” 
11  Not  very  much,  though  I gave  them  a capital 
dinner  and  a fine  entertainment  at  our  local  Rother- 
hithe.  No,  they  ar6  rather  close  ; but  one  indisoreet 
member  admitted  to  me,  after  his  thirtieth  cup  of 
hot  samshu,  that  things  weren’t  quite  so  bad  in  Russia 
as  they  were  represented  to  be,  and  personally  that 
he  took  a cheerful  view.  And  here  he  became  lost 
to  my  cheerful  view  beneath  the  table.” 
“ Well,  now  that  we  are  within  a measurable  dis- 
tance of  praotioal  politics,  have  your  ideas  changed  at 
all  during  the  month  ? ” 
“ I can’t  say  that  they  have.  I hold  to  the  figures  I 
before  gave  yon  as  to  the  extent  of  the  crop  and  the 
prieps  foreign  era  should  not  exceed.  One  would  have 
thought  that  in  common  with  many  other  crops  tea 
would  have  been  backward  this  season.  But  I’m  to  d 
musters  can  be  in  Haukow  by  the  5th  of  May, if  wanted. 
There  is  one  pull  buyers  will  have  this  year  and  that 
is  in  exchange.  Merchants’  bills  have  already'  been 
Bold  forward  at  4s  Oid  per  tael,  which  is  16  per  cent 
lower  than  last  May’s  average  rate.  I hope  they  won’t 
throw  away  the  advantage.  hut  surely  there  cant 
be  any  desire  to  rush  things  this  year?  I know  what 
losses  are  and  I have  just  closed  my  18'J1  shipment 
account  by  the  payment  of  Tls.  2,500  loss  on  200  half- 
ohests  tea.  Here  are  some  losses,  all  authentic,  which 
will  make  your  hair  stand-:— 
s 
d 
s 
a 
Cost 
2 
4 
sold  at 
1 
0 
3) 
2 
2| 
» 
0 
n 
1 
10 
jy 
0 
n 
»» 
2 
1 
»> 
1 
°i 
refused 
. 2 
0 
js 
0 
9* 
1 
9 
if 
0 
10J 
These  are  Kiukiang  teas.  It’s  not  worth  while  troubl- 
ing you  with  the  sales  of  (ho  Hankow  district  teas. 
The  loss  was  veiy  uniform,  30%.  Try  a cup  ol  tea.” 
And  from  dainty  porcelain  I sipped  something  like 
water  tewitebed. 
“ What's  this  ?”  I asked. 
“Oh,  that’s  a new  country  tea:  look  at  the  infusion, 
how  thick  and  bright  and  red  it  is.  What  do  you 
think  of  the  flavour?” 
“Well,  A.vai,  as  (he  Americans  say  ‘it  amt  got  no 
flavour’.” 
“ Ah,  you  have  hit  it : that  is  jiot  what  the  Russians 
like,  pure  tea.  ’ 
“Pure  hot  water,”  I muttered,  as  I put  down  the 
soalding  liquid. 
“I  see  you  don’t  care  for  the  new  article.  Try  some 
champagne  out  of  earthenware.” 
Perhaps  it  was  fancy,  but  I certamly  liked  the 
novelty  and  thought  it  increased  both  the  flavour  and 
the  bouquet.  . . 
“Have  you  seen  the  China  As-ociations  circular 
on  tho  tea  question  ?”  I asked  us  I rose  to  leave. 
“Ob,yfS.”It  was  headed  “private  and  confidential;” 
hence,  perhaps,  the  reason  why  it  so  soon  became  pub- 
lic property.  It  didu  t contain  much  that  was  now. 
Amongst  other  suggestions  it  urged  that  immediate 
steps  should  be  taken  to  get  teamen  to  fire  the  leaf 
in  such  a way  as  to  prevent  the  recurrence  of  the  tar 
trouble  this  season.  Ju^t  r,s  if  a matter  like  that 
could  be  settled  within  a fortnight  of  tho  com- 
mencement of  a new  season.  Rome  was  not  built  :n 
a day,  and  the  Chinese  move  slowly.  There  is 
one  thing,  however,  that  I should  advise, 
and  that  is  as  soon  as  the  Hankow  season  is  over 
the  Ohaasze  committee  meet,  draw  up  a plan  of 
campaign,  tecure  the  good  offices  of  the  present 
Commissioner  of  Customs  litre,  a persona  c/ratissima 
with  the  authorities,  and  then  try  through  the  Tea 
Guild  to  obtain  the  co-operation  of  the  Taotai.  No 
effective  steps  in  this  matter  can  be  taken  unless 
the  sympathy  of  the  Taotai  is  enlisted.  Of  course, 
I will  do  the  little  that  is  in  my  power  to  attain 
this  end.” 
“ Well,  Awai,  I hope  that  you  will  have  a good 
season.” 
“ I hope  that  it  will  be  good  for  all  of  us.  Mean- 
time I don't  tlrnk  that  you  will  fiud  that  I flmll 
be  much  cut  either  in  my  facts  or  figures.  Obin- 
chin.”  H.  T.  W. 
[The  above  icitia's  should  have  been  signed  to 
tho  previous  Sermo. — Ed.]—  N.-C.  Herald. 
THE  CHINA  TEA  TRADE. 
TO  THE  EDITOR  OF  THE  NORTH-CHINA  DAILT  NEWS. 
Sib, — I have  read  with  much  interest  the  very  able 
and  amusmg  articles,  which  have  appeartd  in  your 
columus  recently,  on  the  Tea  Trade,  under  the  title 
of  Sermo  Sinensin  as  also  the  various  letters  which 
followed  cn  the  same  subjrct,  and  in  all  these  letters 
I find  the  same  refrain — “ The  Tea  Trade  of  China  is 
doomed  unless  the  Export  Duty  be  taken  off.” 
Now  it  is  easy  enough  for  your  correspondents 
to  sit  at  their  desks  and  write  these  “fate- 
ful” words,  but  why  stop  there?  How  about 
the  Chinese  Government?  Is  it  likely  that  Sir 
Robert  Hart  will  recommend,  cr  the  Tsungli  Yamen 
sanction,  the  abolition  of  a duty  wl  ieh  luiugs  in  a 
revenue  of  from  3,000.000  to  4,000,000  Hk.  Tie. 
per  annum,  unhss  it  can  be  shown  that  the 
abolition  of  tins  tax  is  expedient  and  b.  me  other  source, 
of  revenne  be  proposed  in  its  place.  * * * 
In  1887,  owing  to  the  represeula  i ns  made  to  Sir 
Robort  Harr  on  the  decadence  of  the  Tea  Tnde,  a 
despatch  was  addressed  by  him  to  the  Tsungli  Yamen 
on  the  subject;  the  Crmmissicuers  of  Oustoms  at 
Hankow,  Kiukiang,  Wuhu,  Shanghai,  Niogpo,  Foc- 
chotv,  Tsmt-ui,  Amoy  and  Canton,  were  repuested  by 
the  Inf pict03  General  to  investigate  tha  natter  fully, 
and  their  exhaustive  Reports  will  be  found  in  No.  11 
of  the  special  scrii  s of  the  Cu-toms  publications.  I 
do  not  propose  to  trespass  on  your  valuab'e  space 
with  extracts  from  these  Reports,  suffice  it  to  say  that 
r.o  reduction  of  the  duty  was  then,  cr  hes  fioce  been 
made. 
Let  us  examine  tho  pulse  of  th's  “ moribund  ” Trade, 
(so  I have  heard  it  called  for  I he  past  20  years)  and  try 
to  diagnose  “ its  ca  e.”  Tho  Customs  Reports  give  the 
following  figures  under  the  beading  of  total  Export 
of  l ea  to  Foreign  countiies  : — 
1882.  1S87.  1890.  1891. 
PicuK  Piculs.  Piru'-'.  Piculs. 
Biack  ..  ..  1,011,920  1,629,880  1,149,310  1,201  880 
Green..  --  178  840  1S4.680  129  500  206.760 
Brick  & Table;  219,030  331,280  307.440  336,100 
Dust,  Lent,  &c.  7,360  7,200  9,150  5,30q 
2,017,150  2,153,0-10  1,665,400  1,750,040 
These  statistics  are  instructive,  and  if  the  falling  off 
in  the  next  four  yearp,  be  as  large  as  it  has  been 
in  the  past  four,  some  prompt  and  decisive  steps  will 
have  to  ho  takeu  : though  the  :o:al  for  1S91  shows 
a slight  improvement  on  1890,  and  from  this  it  might 
be  inferred  that  the  doclino  h s been  arrested,  I 
fear  the  seeming  improvement  is  due  to  the  export 
in  1890  having  been  letarded  by  the  advance  in 
exchange,  aud  that  if  the  Oufforos  figures  were 
made  up  to  the  31s’  March,  instead  of  the  31st 
December,  the  t.ota's  for  L890  and  1891  would  be  re- 
versed. 
It  will  be  seen  (ben  from  the  above  table  that  the 
decrease  siuce  1887  has  be<  n entirely  iu  B ack  (under 
which  heading  th"  1 u-hms  include  Conge  u aud  Sou- 
chong, Oolong  and  T wchonp,  Flowery  Pekoe,  Sc. 
Orange  Pekoe  and  Sc.  C ip<  r);  loth  Green  and  Briok 
show  a slight  increase,  the  former  being  due  mainly  to 
the  increased  shipments  to  India,  which  amounted  to 
4,000,000  lb.  iu  1891  as  against  2,0'  0,000  lb.  in  1887.  The 
following  ia  a rough  estimate,  (open  to  correction,)  ofhow 
this  falling  off  in  the  export,  of  428  000  pula,  or  57,000,000 
lb.  as  compared  with  1887,  may  be  accounted  for 
