1734 . . . . 
1785 . . . . 
. . . 10,856,578 lbs. 
1746 . . . . 
1800 . . . . 
. . . 20,358,702 
1758 . . . . 
1833 . . . . 
. . . 31,829,619 
1768 . . . . 
In 1806, the Excise Duty was raised to ninety per cent. — 1819, to nearly one hundred per cent, on the 
sale price of all teas — a tax which must have had a powerful effect in checking the growth of consumption. 
In spite, however, of this, it is well known that the importations into this country have exceeded the aggre- 
gate consumption of the whole western world besides. By a letter written from Siberia to Canton, in 1819, 
it appears that the quantity annually carried to Russia amounted to 66,000 chests, containing about 
5,000,000 lbs., and no material increase has since taken place. 
Next to the British trade, the most considerable in tonnage and value at Canton, has been that of the 
United States; subject, however, to fluctuations from which our own has been free. The remission of the 
tea duties, gave it, in 1833, a sudden stimulus, and the exports and imports at Canton, on the part of the 
Americans, each of them exceeded eight millions of dollars on board of nearly fifty small vessels. In con- 
sequence, however, of the losses sustained upon the teas, the American tonnage in the following year, 1834, 
was greatly reduced, nor was it expected very soon to reach its previous amount. The annual consumption 
of teas, in the United States, has been commonly estimated at about 8,000,000 lbs. Until the year 1824, 
our North American colonists, in Canada and Nova Scotia, were chiefly supplied with teas smuggled across 
the lakes from the Northern States of the Union; but in that year, the East India Company began to send 
an annual provision of about three ship loads of cheap teas to Quebec and Halifax, which had the effect of 
altogether stopping the American supply. 
A difference once arose between the Court of Directors of the East India Company, and the principal 
tea-dealers of London and Edinburgh on the subject of what is termed “lot money.” This charge, as is 
stated in the petition, addressed in October, 1828, to the directors by the principal tea dealers, requesting 
that it might be discontinued, was originally a perquisite granted to one of the Company’s servants, and 
which, though unsupported by any claim of right, or of advantage to the trade, the Company have now 
appropriated to themselves. Their refusal to cancel this charge, which the Court intimated by letter to the 
memorialists excited the strongest dissatisfaction among them. The lot money was, in the infancy of the 
Company, given to one of the servants of the concern, but the company finding that it was extremely pro- 
ductive, took it to themselves, and although not warehousemen laid on charges which were found to be 
oppressive and insupportable. The servant alluded to, lost this valuable perquisite in rather an odd way. 
He was so struck with the liberality of the Directors, in throwing him an addition to his salary, that he 
determined to invite them to dinner at his house at Blackheath. The entertainment which his gratitude 
dictated was such, as even the directors themselves were unaccustomed to ; there was not a delicacy 
of the season that was not on the hospitable board. The directors were all astonished, and after congratula- 
ting each other on the magnificent treat, they returned home silent, but in deep thought. Next morning an 
inquiry was instituted into the amount of the salary and fees of their generous entertainer, and the “ Lot 
money” was immediately struck off from his office, and adopted into the general concern. They however, 
had so lively a feeling of the warmth with which he gave them a taste of his gratitude, that they increased 
his salary, we are told, about £1500 or £2000 a year. 
It is a question of some importance, how far a sudden increase in the demand for tea at Canton is cal- 
culated to injure its average quality. The essential services derived by the East India Company from their 
experienced inspectors, who from long practice, acquired that readiness in discriminating the slightest shades 
of quality, which nothing but practice can confer, have demonstrated the expediency of such professional 
persons being still employed under the free-trade system, by all those, at least, who are not rash enough to 
trust to themselves or to the Chinese. One of the inspectors, Mr. Reeves junior, informed the writer of this 
at the close of 1833, that he had detected many attempts to pass off spurious or adulterated teas among the 
black kinds. The greater portion, indeed, of a particular description of tea, distinguished by the term Ankoi 
was mixed with spurious leaves. These were of various kinds, but appeared generally to be largish leaves 
cut up, though it was found impossible to ascertain the trees or shrubs to which they belonged. The two 
most prevalent were a thick, soft, dark green leaf, very smooth, and a palish hairy leaf, with the veins 
strongly marked. The former is not detected easily, and only by inspecting the leaves after infusion, as it 
imparts no bad smell to the tea, and is hardly perceptible even to the taste; the latter is readily discovered 
by its giving to the tea a “faint and odd” smell, as well as taste. 
But this was nothing in comparison with the effrontery which the Chinese displayed in carrying on an 
extensive manufactory of green teas from damaged black leaves, at a village or suburb called Honan, exactly 
opposite to the European factories, but divided from them by the river. The remission of the tea duties in 
the United States occasioned, in the years 1832 and 1833, a demand for green teas at Canton which could 
