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lower class of people, who generally live poorly, and procure little animal 
food, tea conveying little or no nourishment, is a bad succedaneum for beer; 
article introduced among the leaves, at the time it is fired or tached, which is always with the hyson 
three times, and the common twankays and hysonskins twice, sometimes thrice. The blacks (bohea 
tea excepted) are also fired twice, besides both kinds, viz. blacks and greens, are a good deal exposed 
to the sun before and after their undergoing this process. The black teas are produced in the pro¬ 
vince of Fokein, and about twenty-four days journey from Canton ; the greens are cultivated further 
off, from thirty to thirty-three days journey from Canton; the former I should think about 700 miles 
distant, and the latter near 1000 from Canton. The Chinese merchants call the former the Bohea 
Country, and the latter the Hyson Country. I understand the finest sorts of the blacks, viz. the 
Padra Seudry and Souchong and Pekoe, is produced from those trees that are cultivated on the higher 
land and hills; the trees that grow on the low grounds do not produce good tea. The first gather¬ 
ing of the leaves, which always comprise the finest tea, is in the month of April, or early in May; 
the second in June, or the beginning of July; and the third, which is the last gathering, is in August 
or the beginning of September. The curing of the green tea is a more expensive and longer process 
than the black, and it is al ways much later in the season before we get them at Canton than we do the 
black teas. The quantity fired at one time does not exceed two catties, which is put in a vessel made 
of iron, something in the form of pitch ketties on board of ships, or our saucepans; and these are 
called taches by the Chinese, and are fixed like our coppers in brick work in our kitchens; the per¬ 
son employed in firing keeps turning the tea with his hand for a certain time, a few minutes only, 
and then takes it out of the tach for a fresh supply; it is done very quick; I have seen this part of 
the process myself in the neighbourhood of Canton. The hyson and fine hyson skin and twankay 
leaves are twisted or rolled in the palm of the hand previous to their being fired ; the blacks, I believe, 
do not undergo that process. In general, I think the leaves of the green teas are larger than the 
blacks. There are several sorts of tea in China, which have never been seen in Europe, and of such 
superlative quality, as to fetch amongst themselves the high prices of from eight to sixteen tales the 
catty. This account I had from a missionary, who was at Pekin sixteen, years, and who 1 saw about 
twelve months before I quitted China. I have seen one kind of this tea, the leaf of which is nearly 
•white, but very different from the pekoe, which you know has a whitish appearance.—Notwith¬ 
standing so much has been said by various people of the unwholesome and very prejudicial effects 
arising from the use of tea, I am of opinion it is quite erroneous. I have now been in the habit of 
smelling and tasting teas for the last eighteen years, the last four of which I passed in China, and 
you know how much my time was employed for days, weeks, and months, examining teas in this 
manner every day; besides which I always breakfast off it, and drink it in the afternoon, and if the 
article possessed any pernicious qualities I should certainly have felt it long before this, ft is, I think, 
the drinking it too hot which makes it prejudicial, if it be so at all. I always drink it warm, but not 
hot. The green tea is a stronger astringent than the black, but I think it quite as wholesome; as 
proof of it, the Chinese themselves in the northern provinces of China and at Pekin drink nothing else 
but green tea. In the southern they drink wholly black .—If there are any other questions relating 
to the above subject you wish to know, and I can give, I shall have much pleasure in communicat¬ 
ing it. E. LARKEN.’ 
In addition to the above testimony, Mr.Venn and Air. Wright have been tasters to the East India 
Company of the teas which have been imported, and place marks on each chest of tea as good, very 
good, superlatively good, best, very best, extraordinary, fine, incomparable, the bloom, and so on in 
degrees of comparison, which we Grammarians are unacquainted with, but which directs the pur¬ 
chase; and these gentlemen have been employed upwards of 40 years, sometimes in a morning tast¬ 
ing seventy cups, of all sorts, and never found any thing in teas at all prejudicial to their healths: 
the former asserts, that Dr. Lettsom’s account of Air. Nash’s losing his life by tasting of teas is founded 
upon mistake; and Dr. L. promised to alter the mistatement. 
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