APPENDIX. 139 
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bundles, each bundle worth, at an average, about thirty 
ticals of flowered silver. 
Q. Is the price reasonable, and the quality good ?— A. 
The quality is generally coarse, but the thread is round 
and even. It is dirty from long land-carriage, and not 
well crossed on the reel; it is likewise generally cased ; 
I sent some of it to England, but have not yet received 
account sales. 
Q. What description of tea is generally imported by the 
Chinese?— A. It is made up in cakes, and is of various 
qualities; I used to drink some of the best and found 
it very palatable. It is all black tea, and bears no resem¬ 
blance to the varieties exported from Canton. The result 
of my inquiries is, that this tea is not the produce of 
China, but of the Shan country, or Lao ; the Burmans al¬ 
ways informed me this was the case. 
Q. Can you state the prices of this tea?—A. I cannot 
exactly recollect, but it is very cheap. 
Q. Do you think it would answer for the European mar¬ 
kets?— A. The taste is peculiar, and I think would not, at 
first at least, suit the European market. Its cheapness, 
however, would be a great recommendation to it. 
Q. What is the quality and quantity of the cotton ex¬ 
ported by the Chinese ?— A. In quality, the cotton is short 
in the staple, but fine and silky. This was the character 
given in the Bengal market to some musters which I carried 
round to Calcutta. Considerable quantities are taken to 
our province of Dacca yearly by Burman boats, where, I 
understand, it fetches a higher price than ordinary Bengal 
cottons. Respecting the quantity, my inquiries lead me to 
think that it does not exceed twenty thousand bales yearly, 
each bale of one hundred viss, or three hundred and sixty- 
five pounds: this cotton is always cleaned from the seed. 
