July I, 1891.] 
THE TROPICAL AOWICOLTURIST. 
41 
TUJi CEYLON TEA ENTERPIUSE IN 
RUSSIA, 
It ia evident from the tonour of the letter 
addreasod by Mr. Rogivue to the Secretary of our 
Planters’ Asaooiation that the task to which he 
has addressed himself— that of introduoing our teas 
into Russia — 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 foreseen 
to a very great extent, when he was 
commissioned to undertake the work. We 
feel every oonfldenoe that, onerous as his appeals 
may be, our I'ea Committee will not be dis- 
couraged by what he writes, or nmove their 
hands from the plough in oon-iFqoence. He had, 
however, hoped that the marked falling-off in the 
obaraater of the China teas imported into Russia 
would have more readily disposed, than appears to 
be the ease, the numerous tea-drinkers of the 
latter country to welcome the alternative now 
offered to them. But it could not bat bo an 
uphill task to change the tastee formed 
during the long period which mu.st have 
passed since the caravans from tho north 
of China fir.-t carried the teas of that Empire 
across the steppes of Silnria to tho groat Russian 
market of Nijiii Novgorod. Sinue that trade 
oommenoed the Russiana have ever been known 
as the taa-drinking people par excellence of Europe. 
Coffeo baa never had such a footing among its 
peasantry as it has acquired in France and other 
Continental countries. Tea is the national drink, 
and hitherto that of China has had undisputed 
away over tho popular taste. We can therefore 
fuel no surprise that Mr. Rogivue has difficulties 
greater even than were anticipated to contend 
with, or that the progress lh.at ho is ns yet able 
to loport is but meagre. That gentlem.an appears 
to hope great things from tho opening of the 
kiosk of which his letter makes mention at the 
forthcoming French Exhibition to be held in 
Moscow. Of tha intention of holding this Exhi- 
bition wo had not previously hoard ; but from 
what Mr. Rogivue has written it promises to 
prove a great suooesB, not fewer than one million 
visitors to it being anticipated- In this respect, 
therefore, the antagonism between Germany and 
Prance promises to bear fruit for this Colony. It is 
to tbs rapprochement between Russia and France 
that the success expeoted for this new Show is 
due, the Tsar apparently being desirous that tha 
large amount of support to be given to it should 
ptoolaira the existing entente coriliale between 
himself, as the representative of all the Russiaa, and 
the Fri.noh R public. 
The amount asked tor by the Ceylon Commissioner 
(or his venture at Moscow and in connexion with this 
Exhibition is a large one, no leas than £.500 I But 
wo should, perhaps, look upon tho application mads 
for this amount more in the light of tha desire 
for a guarantee than as being the amount 
which it is ^foreseen will be really required. The 
rent to bo paid lor the kiosk (or tho sale exoluaive'y 
of Ceylon tea during the whole terra that tho 
Exhibition is to remain open is but £20'). Doubt- 
less, wo should say, to that initial expense will 
have to be added the cost of oreiting an ornate 
buijding, and probably an effort will be made 
to inereaso its attraction by tho presence of a 
staff of Sinhalese attendants such as added 
BO greatly to tho appearance of the Ceylon 
Courts at South Kensington, at tha great 
Paris Exhibition, and at other places. Wa 
know tho charge incurred (or this particular 
feature on those occasions was necessarily large ; 
but wo believe it to have been wisely inourred ; 
and to have yielded a compensatory return, if 
not in direct at least in indirect results, by 
making tho produce of our tea oatatoa more fully 
known and oonsequeotly more fully appreciated. 
Mr. Rogivue oomplains of the apathy, if not of 
the direct; antagonism, shown by the wholoaale 
dealers in Russia. This may, wo think, always 
be looked tor on tha occasion of any attempt to 
divert the ebanoels of wholesale trade. If suc- 
cessful, such an attempt must always have the 
effeot of disturbing existing arrangements, altera- 
tion as to which cannot but involve a large amount 
both of trouble and oost. Should, however, popular 
taste in Russia declare for Ceylon tea, opposition 
in such quarters must soon be overooine, and we 
notice that our Commissioner writes of the u-efiil 
aid afforled towards suoh an end by tho lata 
visit of M. I’opofl to Ceylon and by the exertions 
he has subaequenlly made in London and St. 
Pitersbnrg. We shall not presume to dictate to 
our local Tea Committee what answer should be 
given to Mr. Rogivue’s present application; but it 
seems to us that, at any rate, a certain amount 
of further outlay may be made produotivo of good 
results. 
Ju-t as we are closing these remarks, wo find 
in tho American Grocer an account of “ Tea 
and Tea Drinking in Russia ” in oonnoction 
with tho “ Fair at N jiii-Novgorai " from which 
we quote as follows 
yUe Chinesa quarter hss a queer lo ik, its honsea 
being all built with prujeoting roofs, with bnlU at 
the corni-rs, »nd euverod with yellow paint and gilded 
ebaraoters. Here are to bo found the offices of the 
great tea meroliaots with their samp us, the ware- 
houses filled with vast otoiea being oil the Siberian 
quay. Tea ia the groat staple of the fair. Iron and 
Bilks itu'l cotton and Caucasian goods have a large 
place in the Market, bat in spite of the supply by 
water of Oanlon tea, the Kia-bta wbiob o-mesiiix 
tbonsiiid versts overland, aii-l takes eighteen montha 
ill transit still rules »t Nijni. We visited a tea merchant 
aad sampled his tea. It is p ickcd in a case of lead, 
which is protected by a p ipered wooden cheat, which 
is again packed in a s'rong eowlitde covering with tha 
hair on. Oar shopkeeper had the cowhide covering 
unfastouod, and then with a long steel auger in which 
there wero an oblong groove and a very sharp point, 
be borud inti the centre ot.the cbc.d. Whim palled 
nut the groove of the migirwas f.i 1 of tea, A pro- 
fession d buyer tests the tea by rolling tho leaves in 
his fingers and then t-meili' g them ; soinetimes also 
bo chows a fi w leaves. Wo preferred to take our 
little package lo tho holel, and we found it a delici- 
ously davurod hlsok tea. 'The cost was loss than half 
a dollar a pound. 
Tea drinking is tho universal habit in Russis. My 
guMe in the Ailirondscks could uevi-r build his fire in 
tha morning till he had taken a “chaw of terbackor;” 
and Siilicman upon the desert was goo.l for noihii g be- 
fore his obtfao and pipe, so my Russian servant, like all 
Ids oountrymen, swallowed hot lea as soon as ho awoke, 
and repeated the not a d' xon times a day. Teahouses 
are as onmraou in 81. I’etercbiirg and Mosoow as 
“s-loons” are in New York and Obicayo. 'The ‘‘ sanio- 
vai-’’ is tho household god, and no pMisaiit is so poor as 
to be without one, though he may bo destitute of shoes 
and have 110 clothes hesi-les those which are upon his 
body. There are forty m-keis of samov-teiii Tou'a 
idono, au l s x tbrni a-oi d x ns are sold in Nij i eveiy 
year. The samovar is a h. rge uru ma le of brass or 0 p- 
per, with a tube rnuuiug throngli the Centre, in which 
charooil ia plac 'd au.l lighted 'This burning chareoal, 
like tile snered fire in tlie Jewi.-h temple, is never al- 
lowed to go out, and hoiico the water around the tube is 
always hot. Tho teapot stands upau tho top of the same- 
