752 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[May  I,  1896. 
TEA  IN  EUROPE. 
It  is  evident  that  tea  was  known  in  Europe  as 
an  economic  plant  in  common  use  among  the  Chinese 
many  centuries  before  it  had  a place  as  a commer- 
cial commodity  with  the  n.ations  of  Europe.  Just 
when  and  how  it  was  first  introduced  has  not  been 
settled.  Mention  of  the  jjlant  and  the  tea-drinking 
customs  of  China  are  found  in  the  records  of  the 
earlier  travellers. 
In  the  eighth  century,  Moorish  adventurers  made 
mention  of  the  of  China  in  their  journals.  In  the 
year  1600  a Spaniard,  “ Texeria,”  noted  tea  as  being 
as  being  used  by  the  natives  of  Malacca.  It  was 
in  general  use  in  Persia  in  the  seventeenth  century, 
being  mentioned  by  “ Olearius”  in  163J,  as  having 
been  brought  overland  by  the  Usbe:k  Tartars.*  Pos- 
sibly tea  may  have  been  known  in  Europe  in  the 
fifteenth  and  sixteenth  century,  through  travellers. 
Marco  Polo  resided  in  China  for  years  in  the 
fifteenth  century,  and  it  is  not  r.nlikely  that, 
being  a merchant,  his  attention  was  drawn  to 
the  universal  use  of  tea  in  that  country,  and  he 
prompted  to  send  or  take  some  to  friends  in  Venice. 
The  ships  of  the  King  of  Portugal  found  their  way 
to  China  in  1517,  audit  is  scarcely  supposablc  that 
the  Chinese  custom  of  drinking  tea  escaped  notice. 
The  earliest  positive  record  of  the  appearance  of 
the  fragrant  leaf  in  continental  Europe  was  after 
the  formation  of  the  Dutch  East  India  Company, 
in  1602.  This  supposition  is  supported  by  a 
record  made  in  1588,  by  Eathor  Giovanni  Pietro 
Maffei,  who,  in  alluding  to  his  travels  in  China,  says  : 
“ They  yet  press  out  of  a certain  herb  a liquor 
which  is  very  healthy  which  is  called  c/n'a,  and  they 
drink  it  hot,  as  do  the  Japanese.  And  the  use  of 
this  causes  them  not  know  the  meaning  of  phlegm, 
heaviness  of  the  head,  or  running  of  the  eyes  ; nut 
they  live  a long  and  happy  life,  without  pain  or 
infirmity  of  any  sort.” 
Another  sixteenth  century  author,  in  a book  pub- 
lished in  Milan  in  1596,  and  which  was  translated 
into  English,  says  : 
They  have  also  an  herbe,  out  of  which  they 
presse  a delicate  iuyee,  which  semes  them  for  drincke 
Instead  of  wyue.  It  also  preserues  their  health,  and 
frees  them  from  all  those  Euills,  that  the  immoderate 
vse  of  wyne  doth  breed  into  up.” 
It  is  significant  that  Doctor  Veuner,  in  his  “ Via 
Recta  at  Vitam  Long.rm,”  published  in  16:-!8,  makes 
no  mention  of  tea.  The  work  treats  of  dietetics,  and 
mentions  the  nature,  character  and  dietetic  value  of 
the  foods  and  drinks  then  in  use  in  England.  Lamb, 
who  for  fifty  years  was  Master  Cook  to  the  Kings 
and  Queens  of  England,  makes  no  mention  of  tea  in 
his  “Royal  Cookery;  or,  the  Complete  Court  Book,” 
published  in  1710.  It  was  advertised  that  year  in  the 
Taller  \ or  rather,  a “ Bohea  Tea,  made  of  the  same 
Materials  that  foreign  Bohea  is  made  of,  16s.  a Pound.” 
“A  Poem  in  Praise  of  Tea  ” was  issued  in  1712 
by  an  East  India  warehouseman,  as  fallows. 
“ From  boisfrousWine  I tied  to  gentle  Tea  : 
. For,  Calms  compose  us  after  Storms  at  Sea. 
In  vain  wouT  Coffee  boast  and  equal  Good  ; 
The  Chrystal  Stream  transcends  the  flowing  Mud. 
Tea,  ev’n  the  Ills  from  Coffee  sprung,  repairs, 
Disclaims  its  Vices,  and  its  Vert ue  shares. 
“ To  bless  me  with  the  Juicj  two  Foes  conspire. 
The  clearest  Water  with  the  purest  Fire, 
Wine’s  Essence  in  a Lamp  to  Fewel  turns, 
Exhales  its  Soul,  and  for  a Rival  burns. 
The  Leaf  is  mov’d,  and  the  diffusive  Good, 
Thus  urg'd,  resigns  its  Spirits  in  the  Flood. 
“ In  curious  Cups  the  liquid  Blessing  flows, 
Cups  fit  alone  the  Nectar  to  enclose. 
Dissembled  Groves  and  Nymphs  by  Tables  plac’d, 
Adorn  the  Sides,  and  tempt  the  Sight  and  Taste, 
Yet  more  the  gay,  the  lovely  Color  courts. 
The  Flavor  charms  us,  but  the  Taste  transports,’ 
cct.,  etc. 
4-  ♦ 
Other  bits  of  poetry  of  the  same  period  indicate  a 
general  knowledge  of  the  world’s  most  famous  leal, 
as  follows : 
The  muse’s  friend.  Tea,  doth  our  fancy  aid. 
Repress  those  vapours  which  doth  the  head  invade. 
And  make  the  p.alace  of  the  soul  serene  — 
Fit  on  a birtliday  to  salute  our  Queen. 
— Poj)e. 
And  thou  gre.at  Auue  whom  these  realms  obey, 
Doth  sometimes  counsel  take  an  1 sometimes  Tay. 
— Pope's  Ode  on  Tea  to  Queen  Anne. 
There  is  plenty  of  evidenco  to  show  that  it  was 
an  article  of  trade  aud  commerce  in  England  in  the 
seventeenth  century,  and  in  general  use  early  in  the 
eighteenth,  there  bei eg  treatises  on  tea  bearing  date 
in  1730  and  earlier. 
In  September  1658,  the  following  advertisement 
appeared  in  different  London  journals  : “ That 
excellent  and  by  all  physicians  a2)proved  China  drink, 
called  by  the  Chinese  Trha,  by  other  nation.s  Tap 
alias  Tee,  is  sold  at  the  Pultaness  Head,  a cophee 
hou<e  in  Sn-eetin'/s  Jle.nts  by  the  Royal  Exchange, 
London.”  This  gives  credence  to  the  stoi'y  that 
Oliver  Cromwell  had  use  tor  the  teapot,  wdiich  was 
found  in  the  2>ossession  of  an  English  collector. 
There  is  preserved  in  the  British  Museum  a hand- 
bill supposed  to  have  been  circulated  between  1658 
and  1660,  by  one  Thomas  Garway,  “ tobacconist,  and 
seller  and  retailer  of  tea  and  coffee,”  and  who  thus 
described  the  famous  leaf  : 
'That  the  virtues  and  excellencies  of  this  Leaf  and 
Drink  are  many  and  great,  is  evident  and  manifest 
by  the  high  esteem  aud  use  of  it  (especially  of  late 
year.s)  among  the  Physicians  and  knowing  men  in 
France,  Italy,  llolland,  and  other  parts  of  Christen- 
dom, and  in  England  it  hath  boon  sold  in  the  Leaf 
for  six  pounds  and  sometimes  for  ten  pounds  the 
pounds  weight,  and  in  respect  of  its  former  scarce- 
ness aud  dearness,  it  has  only  been  used  as  a 
Reg.ilia  in  high  '.L’reatments  and  Enteriainments, 
and  Presents  made  thereof  to  Princes  and  Grandees 
till  the  year  1657.  The  srid  Thomas  Garway  did 
purchase  a quintity  thereof,  and  first  publicly  sold  the 
said  'Tea  in  Leaf  aud  Drink  made  accoi-ding  to 
the  directions  of  the  most  knowing  Merchants,  and 
Travellers  into  those  E astern  Countries  ; and  upon 
knowledge  aud  experience  of  the  said  Garway’s 
continued  care  and  industry  in  obtaining  the  best 
Tea,  aud  making  L'rink  thereof,  very  many  Noblemen, 
Phy.sicians.  Merchants  and  Gentlemen  of  quality 
have  ever  since  sent  to  him  for  the  said  Loaf,  and 
daily  resort  to  his  house  to  drink  the  Drink  thereof.* 
InA.  D.  1660  the  British  Parliament  imposed  a duty 
of  8d  per  gallon  on  all  tea  made  and  sold  in  coffee- 
houses, and  by  an  act  framed  in  the  same  year  the 
duties  of  excise  on  malt  liquors,  cyder,  perry,  me  id, 
spirits  and  strong  waters,  coffee,  tea,  sherbet  and 
chocolate,  were  settled  on  the  King  for  life.  That 
year  tea  sold  in  England  at  three  guineas  per  jiound. 
Mr.  Pepys,  of  the  Admiralty,  ir  his  diary,  under  date, 
of  September  25, 1661,  says  : “ I sent  for  a cup  of  tea, 
a Cliineso  drink,  of  w’hich  had  never  drunk  before.”  In 
1662,  Princess  Catherine  of  Portugal  became  the 
bride  of  Charles  II,  and  being  accustomed  to  the  use  of 
tea  in  her  native  land,  made  it  a popular  beverage  in 
her  adopted  country.  The  event  was  noted  by  the 
poet  Waller,  in  a birthday  ode  to  Her  Majesty  the 
Queen,  in  these  lines  : — 
'The  best  of  queens  aud  best  of  herbs  wc  owe 
To  that  bold  nation,  who  the  way  did  shew 
To  the  fair  region,  where  the  sun  doth  rise. 
Whose  rich  productions  we  so  justly  prize. 
Tea  w.as  brought  into  Eu^laud  from  Holland  in 
1666  by  Lord  Aldington  and  Lord  Ossory  at  a cost 
of  60s  per  pound.  In  1667  the  E.ast  India  Com- 
pany sent  100  pounds  to  England.  In  1669  the 
quantity  imported  into  the  United  K'ngdom  was 
1-13^  pounds,  at  an  average  price  of  60s  i>er  pound. 
No  further  record  of  imports  was  made  until  1678, 
when  1,713  pounds  were  imported  at  the  same  de- 
clared value.  Between  KklO  and  1678  the  records 
of  the  blast  India  Company  show  im]iorts  of  small 
volume  in  J670-V1  and  li>7.J-VI.  l''roni  1697  to  1699 
an  average  im^iort  of  20,000  jiounds  was  recoixled, 
"'..{athoritii  •.  China;  official  re))ort  to  Queen  Vic- 
lioia  by  R.  Montgomery  Martin,  1817. 
