July i, 1S91.] THE TROPm^L AOT^tlLTORIST. 4t 
THE CEYLON TEA ENTEEPRISE 
RUSSIA. 
It is evident hom the tenour of the letter 
addressed by Mr. Rogivue to the Secretary of our 
Planters' Association that the task to which he 
ha? addressed himself— that of introducing our teas 
into Bussia — is to be no light one, nor can his 
object be obtained apparently without a further 
outlay of a considerable amount. 
But both these facts were doubtless foresaen 
to a very great extent, when ha waa 
commissioned to undertake the work. We 
feel every confidence that, onerous as his appeals 
may be, our Tea Comm ttee will not be dis- 
couraged by what he writes, or remove their 
hands from the plough in consequence. He had, 
however, hoped that the marked fallirig-off m the 
character of the China teas imported into Russia 
would have more readily disposed, than appears to 
be the case, the numerous tea-drinkers of the 
latter country to welcome the alternative now 
offered to them. But it could not but be an 
uphill task to change the tastes formed 
during the long period which must have 
passed since the caravans from the north 
of China first carried the teas of that Empire 
across the steppes of Sibi ria to ihe great Russian 
market of Nijni Novgorod. Since that trade 
commenced the Russians have ever bem known 
as the taa-drinking people par excellence of iCurope. 
Coffee has never had euch a footing among its 
peaeantry as it has acquired in France and other 
Continental countries. Tea is the national drink, 
and hitherto that of China has had undisputed 
Bway over the popular taste. We can therefore 
feel no surprise that Mr. Rogivue has diffioulties 
greater even than were anticipated to contend 
with, or that the progress that he is as yet able 
to report is but meagre. That gentleman appears 
to hope great things from the openirsg of the 
kiosk of which his letter makes meotion at the 
forthcoming French Exhibition to be hnld in 
Moscow. Oi the intention of holding this Exhi- 
bition we had cot previously heard ; bat from 
what Mr. Rogivue has written it promises to 
prove a great success, not fewer than one million 
visitors to it being antioipated- In this respect, 
therefore, the antagonism between Germany and 
France promises to beir fruit for this Colony. It is 
to the rapprochement between Russia and France 
that the success expected for this new Show is 
due, the Tsar apparently being desirous that the 
large amount of support to be given to it should 
proclaim the existing entente cordiale between 
himself, as the representative of all the iiussias, and 
the French R-public. 
The amount asked for by the Oe3'lon Commissioner 
for his venture at Moscow and in connexion with this 
Exhibition is a large one, no less than £500 1 But 
we should, perhaps, look upon the application made 
for this amount more in the light of the desire 
tor a guarantee than as being the amount 
which it is foreseen will be really required. Tte 
rent to be paid for the kiosk for the s>ile exolusive'y 
of Ceylon tea during the whole term that the 
Exhibition is to remain open is but £200. Doubt 
less, we should say, to that initial expense will 
have to be added the cost of oreuting an ornate 
building, and probably au effort will be made 
to increitse its attraction by the presence of a 
staff of Sinhalese attendants suah as added 
BO greatly to the appearance of the Ceylon 
Courts at South Kensington, at the great 
Paris Exhibition, and at other places. We 
know the charge incurred for this particular 
feature on those occasions was nr cessarily large ; 
but we believe it to ha?e been wisely incurred ; 
and to have yielded a compensatory return, if 
not in direct at least in indireot results, by 
making the produce of our tea estates more fully 
known and consequently more fully appreciated, 
Mr. Rogivue complains of the apathy, if not ot 
the direct antagonism, shov/n by the wholesale 
dealers in Bussia. This may, we think, always 
be looked for on the ojcasion of any attempt to 
divert the channels of wholesale trade. If suo- 
cesstul, such an attempt must always have the 
effect of disturbing existing arrangements, altera- 
tion as to which cannot but involve a large amount 
both of trouble and cost. Should, however, popular 
taste in Russia declare for Oeylon tea, opposition 
in such quarters must soon be overcome, and we 
notice that our Ooramiasiouer writes of the useful 
aid affor led towards such an end by the late 
visit of M. Popofi to Ceylon and by the exertions 
he has subsequently made in London and St. 
Petersburg. We shall not presume to dictate to 
our local Tea Committee what answer should be 
given to Mr, Kogivue's present application ; but it 
seems to us that, at any rate, a certain amount 
of further outlay may be made productive of good 
results. 
Just as we are closing these remarks, we find 
in the American Grocer an account of " Tea 
and Tea Drinking in Bussia " in connection 
with the " Fair at N.jni-Novgorad " from which 
we quote aa foUow.-i : — 
The Cliinese quarter hag a. queer look, its housea 
being nil built witia proj'^oting roofs, with bi lis at 
the corners, «nd covered with yellow paint and gildi;d 
characters. Here are to be fonnd the offices of the 
great tea msrohaet^i with iheir samples, the ware- 
houses filled with vast stores being on the Siberian 
quay. Tea is the great staple of the fair. Iron and 
Bilks and cotton and Caucasian goods have a large 
place in the Market, but in spite of the supply by 
water of Canton Sea, the Kiaihta which comes six 
thousmd versts overland, an'i takes eighteen munths 
in transit still rules at Nijni. We visited a tea mrrchant 
sad Bampled his tea. It is parked in a. case of lead, 
which is protected by a papered woudeu chest, which 
is again pai^keii in a s rong cowhide covering with the 
hair on. Our shopk-eper had the cowhide covering 
unfasieued, and tiiea wiih a long steei auger in which 
th'rre were an oblonfj groove aud a very sharp point, 
htj bored int > the centre of the chest. When pulled 
out the groove of the .-.ugfr waa fa i of ten. A pro- 
fe-sion-.l buyer tests the tea by rolling the leav.-s in 
his fingers and then smsUii g ttietu ; sometimes ulso 
ho chew.= a frfw leaves. Wu preferred to take our 
liitle package to the hotel, and we found it a delioi- 
ous'y flavored bluck tea. The cost was less than half 
a dollar a pound. 
Tor drinking is the universal habit in Russia. My 
guioe in the A.dirond«c'k^ could never build his fire m 
the morning till he had taken a " chaw of terbacker;" 
and Salitm«n upon the disertwas good for uoihirg be- 
fore his ootfee and pipe, so my Russian survant, like) all 
Ills connaymen, swallowed hot tea as soon as he awoke, 
and r peated the acta di zen times a day. Teahouses 
are ra commoa in St. Petersburg and Moscow as 
" 8>l()ons" are HI New York and Chioapo. The "samo- 
var" ia the household god, and no peasant is so poor as 
to be without ouH, though he may bo ciestitute of shoes 
and have no clothes besides those wliich are upon his 
body. There are forty mikers of samovmsia Tou'a 
nlone, an 1 SIX thou a'jd di z n< are sold in Nij ii eve.y 
5e.%r. The samovar is a large uru mmiu of i^rass or C' p- 
P' r, witi. H. tube rnnninL^ througii the oeutrs in wiiich 
charco d is plRced and lighted. This buruiug cha.coal, 
lik i (he sacred fire in toe J6wi>h temple, is never al- 
lowed to go out, and hence the water around ihe tube is 
always hot. The teapot stands upon the top of the samO'' 
