The tea had been found by Mr. Bruce on the Naga Hills ; but in his latest account, published in August 1839 in the Journal of the Asiatic Society, he gives an account of the discovery of 120 tea, tracts, some of them very extensive, both on the hills and in the plains.
In 1834, Lord William Bentinck, Governor General, urged upon the Court of Directors the importance of cultivating the plant, and a com mittee, consisting of eleven European and two native gentlemen, was appointed to mature and carry out a plan for introducing the plant into such districts of India as seemed best suited to its culture. As it bad been found in a wild state in Assana, the committee proceeded thither, estab lished nurseries and organized a sort of exploring service under dr. C. A. Bruce.
Chinese seed and young plants were also intro duced, and were found to thrive well. At first, progress was very slow and unsatisfactory. A sample of the produce of the new gardens was sent to the Directors in 1836, but it arrived in such a mouldy condition that it could not be tested. It is said that thi; specimen merely con sisted of green leaves, and that no attempt bad been made to render it commercially valuable. Those in charge of the plantations knew nothing whatever of the process of manufacture, and in 1837 it was necessary to introduce Chineee tea makers and artisans. . Under their superintend ence, consignments of Assam tea were forwarded to the Court of Directors in the years 1838-39, and were found, on arrival, to be of excellent quality, and commanded very high prices in the open market. So good was it that it at once attracted the attention of speculators, and a com pany, which was afterwards styled the Assam Company, was formed for the cultivation of the tea plant and the manufacture of tea in Upper Assam. I4aving thus seen the industry adopted by the commercial world, the Indian Government with drew in favour of private enterprise, and handed over two-thirds of its establishment, gardens, and nurseries to the company. The remaining third was retained for a few ye,ars longer, and was subsequently disposed of (1849) to a China man for 900 rupees.
But in 1850 the E. I. Company despatched Mr. Fortune -to China to glean all possible information regarding the tea plant and the manipulation of its leaves, and to bring plants and seed of the best varieties, as also some experienced cultivators and work-people.
From 1863 to 1865, Calcutta went fairly mad about tea; speculators set to Work at the purchase -of enormous- tracts of land in Assam and else where, which were subsequently disposed of to limited liability 'companies at enormous profits.
Eventually the bubble burst, and for a time the very name of tea cultivation fell into unmeasured odium. From 1866 to 1868, estates on which many lakhs of rupees had been expended, were sold for a few hundreds. Some shrewd capitalists, however, bought up the more conveniently situated plantations, and quietly developed their product ive capacities. The rehabilitation of the Indian tea industry fairly commenced in 1869, and has continued to make rapid progress ever since.
The India tea plant flourishes from the con fines of Afghanistan to the borders. of Burma, from the 25th to the 33d degTee of latitude, and from the 70th to the 95th degree of longitude. Tea grows on the Himalayas at an elevation of 7000 feet above the level of the sea, in the valley of the Doon, at the base of the Himalayas, an elevation of 2000 feet, on the banks of the Brahma putra in Assam, and the Surma in Sylhet, at a very small elevation above the level of the sea. On hill or plain, from 1000 to 8000 feet above the level of the sea, the tea plant tluives well, and the only condition that it appears to require is a light and porous soil. Over this vast area, wherever tea has been planted, it has more than answered the expectations of .growers. It is now cultivated to a great extent in Assam, Dacca, Koch-Bahar; Chittagoug, Chutia Nagpur, Darjee ling, Terai, Kangra, Garhwal, Kamaon, Cachar, Sy'het, Dehra, Hazaribagh, to a considerable extent on the Neilgherry Hills, with smaller plantations on the Shevaroys.
Tea cultivation was undertaken on the Neil gherries about 1863, and although not much had been done there, it was clearly established that tea would grow, the plants attaining a large size, and yielding very fairly. Just when tbe matter was being taken up, coffee was introduced, for which the climate was found very favourable, and it practically superseded tea.