14 
THE TEOPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [July 1, 1899. 
Moreover, thanks to British enterprise and capital, 
a Railway is now in the course of constrnction which 
will connect St. Jean d' Arc, Haifa and DamascTis, and 
so ta.p a considerable tract of country which no 
railway has hitherto reached, so that the demand for 
luxuries, such as tea so considered in this country, 
will undoubtedli/ increase in the ftitui-e. On the other 
hand, it should be remembered that coffee, though 
dearer than tea is the beverage of the country, while 
the latter is not. And even those who are most 
Rccastomed to the drinking of tea only indulge in 
the habit daring the winter or cold months all 
through the summer and the autumn they drink 
coffee as being, so it is held less heating. Never- 
theless the habit of tea drinking is certainly (/rowing 
though chiefly confined at present to the towns. / 
am, gentlemen. Yours faithfully, (Sd.) W. S. Richard, 
E. 21. Consul. 
Caesaeea, Turkey ; 31st January^ 1889. 
Messbs. W. 8. (Jresswell & Co., Calcutta. 
De4R Sirs, — I do desire to make a work on tea 
now I will give information on this work. 
In our province the merchants sell much tea by 
boxes or by pounds, but now usually by pounds. 
Our province people can pay for a pound, viz., four 
hundred drams, for a good one from fifteen to sixteen 
' piastress. 
In Turkey there is import tax on tea, the morchan- 
'dise which come from foreign countries import tax 
Ts 8 per cent. 
I If you make trade with us I hope that other mer- 
.c\hant8 cannot sell as us. I hope you give answer 
tA my letter. There is nothing to read for this time. 
Ydjurs truly, (Sd.) Y. Z,\.mbak,tian Beothees. 
My address is this : 
\y. Zambak.tian Bros., (Caesaeea), Kasiei, 
, Turkey, Asia. 
i Jerusalem, Tuekey, Wth lebruary, 1899. 
W. d^R'^'^B, Esq , Calcutta, India. 
Deae . §s, — In reply to your letter of the 5th ultimo 
I beg to state that the tea imported into Palestine 
is for lijie most part of an inferior quality, and is con- 
sumed by the Jewish population and Russian pilgrims. 
The consumption, however, of tea in this country is 
on the increase, the natives having of late years taken 
to tea drinking, but as a rule they are indifferent to 
the quality. The price generally paid for the ordinary, 
kind is at the rate of la. to Is. 3d. per pound retail 
sold in jlb. packets and it is a blend of China and 
Indian tea (sample No. 1.) 
The Europeans and better class of the inhabitant, 
consume generally Ceylon tea or Orange Pekoe which 
are retailed at Is. 6d., to 2s. 6d. per pound and is sold 
in bulk and in lib. packets (sample No. 2.) I forward 
samples by post.— I am, dear Sir, Yours faithfully, 
(Sd.) John Dickson. H.U. Consul. 
Kharput, Tueicey, nth February, 1899. 
Messrs. W. S. Ceesswell & Co., Calcutta. 
Gentlemen, — In reply to your note of the 7th 
December last asking for information respecting the 
tea trade in this province I beg to forward the follow- 
ing particulars : — 
The amount of tea used in the province during the 
year is about two thousand okes (the oke being nearly 
equal to 2|lb., distributed as follows :— 
Kharput and the neighbourhood ... TOOokea. 
Malatia district . . . . . . 700 „ 
Arabhia ••• •• •• •• 500 „ 
Egia 100 „ 
As regards the country of origin of tea imported into 
this province, I am informed that about 75 per cent, 
is Chinese tea, the remaining 25 per cent, being Indian 
of better quality than the China tea and higher in price. 
The quality of the tea used is for the most part very 
inferior, only about 10 per cent, being fairly good. 
The import is obtained entirely from Constantinople, 
there being no direct trade with China or India. 
At that port tea, like other imports from foreign 
countries, is subject to a duty of 8 per cent, and in addi- 
tion to this an interprovincial duty of one per cent, is 
levied on its introduction into this province. 
Owing to the defective condition of the means of 
communication in this part of the Empire the cost of 
transport is very heavy and trade is thus greatly ham- 
pered. 
Under these circumstances, and in view of the pover- 
ty-stricken condition of the province, there is but little 
hope of any great expansion of the trade taking place 
at an early date. 
The tea as it comes from Constantinople is packed io 
comparatively small tins holding only a few pounds 
each. 
Prices vary twenty-eight piastres (=48. 8d. ) the oke 
to fifty piastres (=8s 4d.)— I am. Gentlemen, Your 
most obedient humble servant, (Sd.) I. Francis Jones. 
Hee Majesty's Legation, Teheban, Pebbia; l%th 
February 1899. 
Messrs. W. S. Ceesswell & Co., 10, Hare Stebet. 
Calcutta. 
Sir, — I have received your letter of the 2nd December 
1898 regarding the prospect of the tea trade in Persia. 
I am making enquiries at the various trade centres, 
and will inform you of the results. Owing to the ex- 
treme slowness of communication in this country, I fear 
it will be some months before I can send you full infor- 
mation ; but you shall have it as soon as possible. The 
import tax on tea is 5 per cent ad valorem. — 1 am. Sir, 
Your obedient servant. (Sd.) H. M. Dch.vnd. 
British Vice-Consulate, Mohammeeah, Persia ; 2ith 
February 1899. 
Sir, — In reply to your letter of 2nd December re- 
garding the tea trade in this province, I have th« 
honour to inform you that the import of fen is increasing 
and is likely to increase. 
The tea is Indian, Ceylon, China and Japan and is 
shipped by British steamer from Bombay. 
The imports for the past three years were as fol- 
lows : — 
Lxnded at Reshipped Transhipped 
Year. Mohammerah to Karua India to Karnn 
Ports. 
Cwt. Cwt. Cwt. 
1896 19 li 65 301 
1897 191" 133i 240 
1898 388| 82i 797§ 
The second column should be deducted from first to 
show local consumption. 
The following varieties are sold in Mohammerah 
Bazar at retail price given. 
[Exchange, Krans 35 = R3. 10.] 
1. Java tea, 290 tins of about a pound, at Krans 150. 
2. Calcutta tea, Krans 10 per 61b. 
3. Ceylon tea, Krans 11 per 61b. 
4. "White China Tea (Pekoe), Krans 5 per lb. 
5. Khaldar (Java Pekoe), Krans 14 per 51b. tin, or 
Krans 30 per lib. tin. 
Indian and Ceylon is either loose or in packets 
packed in cases of 1001b and 2001b. Paper packets 
generally bear a label in Persian giving the name 
of some Persian trader either in India or here. 
Samples are enclosed of above. 
Import dues of tea if owned by Europeans 5 per cent 
ad valorem once and for all. 
Tea imported by Persians pay no customs at 
Mohammerah, but an octroi of Krs. 0 025 per lb. 
package, with other charges including literature 
coming to about seven krans per case. If re-shipped 
it pays customs on shipment and at other places in 
the interior. 
Through native cargo pays customs at Shushter 
Krans 12 75 per mule load of 2 large or 4 small 
cases,! it is liable to further dues at other plaoea 
beyond Shuster. 
The British India and the Bombay and the Persia 
Steam Navigation Companies issue through Bombay 
B L from Bombay to Nasri and Shushter on the 
Karnu. 
