A View of the Tea Trade of Europe. 
Holland, England, France, and Oftend, 
amounted to 4,100,000 lbs. ° Since that 
period the confumption of this commo- 
dity has fo rapidly increafed, that Europe, 
with the free ports of Ame: 
annually 30,000,000 lbs, ™ 
The Commutation Ad, which paffed in 
1784, may be faid to have effeéted a per- 
fect revolution in the tea trade of Europe. 
Prior to this meafure, the Englifh were, 
indeed, in the habit of importing a greater 
quantity of tea from China than any 
other zzdividual nation; but the feveral 
powers of Europe collectively employed 
more fhipping in this concern, end con- 
junttively brought home larger freights, 
of which, during the American war, not 
lefs than 12,000,000 lbs. were fmuggled 
into England. During the years 1772 to 
1784, the foreign powers of Holland, 
France, Denmark, Sweden, &c. employ- 
ed 138 vefiels, which imported from Can- 
ton 152,525,482 lbs. of tea. Inthe courfe 
of the fame period, the Englifh Eaft In- 
dia company fent out 107 veflels, which 
brought home 69,726,048 lbs, from which 
Ireland, and the Britifh poffeffions in the 
Welt Indies, were fupplied. At prefent, 
fince the paffing of the Commutation A&, 
Great Britain imports, in its own bot- 
toms, from three to four times the quan- 
tity of tea, which it formerly was able to 
difpofe of within itfelf, on account of the 
great encouragement held out to fmug- 
gling. In the fame proportion as the 
Englith trade has increafed, that of the 
other powers of Europe has declined: 
They not only no longer import fuch large 
quantities of tea as formerly, but frequent- 
ly cannot even find purchafers at their pub- 
lic fales, though their prices have been 
confiderably reduced. 
Though the obj-é& of the embaffy to 
China, under Lord MacarTNEY, was 
not fatisfactorily accomplithed, the Eng- 
lifh ftill reap effential benefit from their 
trade to that empire. ‘The quantity of 
tea fold by public au&tion, by the Eaft 
India company, from’ Sept. 1, 1784, to 
Mar. 1,1797, amounts to 216,273,685lbs. 
for which the purchafers have paid 
37:647,230l. * The company’s annual 
imports of tea, and other productions of 
China, amount, annually, on ap average, 
to from 15 to 1,600,000. according” to 
the purchafe price in Canton. Thefe 
goods, on their arrival in England, on 
account of the expence of freight, in- 
furance, and other incidental charges, 
AoE STED 2 edo eee PTs Pras eae 
* This fum includes the duty, amounting 
te 4,332, 1391. 
‘ica, import, 
31 
may be valued at 30,000;000]1, The ar- 
ticles witch they export in return, con- 
fitting of woollens, tin, lead, and iron, 
may be computed at 1,000,9001.: In ads 
dition to thefe articles of home produc- 
tion, they carry to China, from their 
Eait India péffeflions, cotton +, fandal 
wood, pepper, wax, ivory, &c. to the'va- 
lue of 700,000]. not including 250,000]. 
worth of opium, which is fmuggled. The 
Fait India provinces of the Britifh empire 
receive in return 330,000l. in filks, nan- 
kins, porcelain ware, tutenag, quickfilver, 
&c. Before the breaking out of the prefent 
war, the reft of Europe fent out annually 
to Canton, goods tothe value of 200,000). 
for which they imported Chinefe commo- 
dities, of the value of 600,000). 
Of thefe articles of importation, tea 
forms the chief and principal. commodity. 
The following is a correét regifter of the 
fhips employed in this trade, from 1776 to 
1795, with the returns of their freightage, 
ENGLAND. 
No. of phips. ibs. 
7G: eet I! tn ae NG Ao? wer 
GL iiauM oer MOLE ne ater oul Cc] oyifc sta 
1778 wee gi) a) O99, 788 
LPO ioe 7 im 45372,021 
1730 ee oo _ 
w78ift — 17 — -11,592,819 
1782 —= g = 6,857,733 
1733 ¢) 6 — 4,338,295 
BOA Nien eT — 9,916,716 
5 en 08 — 10,583,628 
1736 — 18 — 13,480,691 
1797) fai (27 — 20,610,919 
1788 — 29 = | (22,096, 70% 
1789 — 27 T=) Owe Fae 
17gQ: — 21 — 17;991,032 
OTTO Ty eg — 922,369,620 
2 Nae rama eS iC 
LEAS 3 20 er Ne? — 16,005,414 
1794. — 18 — | 20,723,705 
POS umes ae — 23,733,819 
The other powers of Europe, including 
the ftates of North America, which have 
carried on a regular trade with Canton 
fince the year 1785, have, during the 
above period, imported 229,742,540 lbs. 
of tea in the following proportions: 


1776. Sweden -—- 2  — 2,562,500 
Denmark — 2 — 2,833,700 
Holland — ‘5 — 4,923,700 
France = 3 —= 2,521,600 
12,341,500 _ 
-_ 
+ Bombay fends annually to China 275,000 
cwt. of cotton, exclufive of other commodi- 
ties. ‘See Moore’s §* Narrative of an Expe- 
dition azainf? the Sultan of Myfore,” page 38x. 
t The extraordinary ingreafe of this year’s 
, importe, 
