The object of the drying and rolling is both to diminish the bulk and to enable the leaves to preserve their flavour. No tea is thought fit for use till it is a twelvemonth old ; and the rich and luxurious Chinese keep the fine tea in jars, made of the finest porcelain, some of which are thought to communicate an additional aroma to the tea, and all of which have very narrow mouths (as may be observed in those brought to Europe, and sold at a high price), to retain the peculiar odour. If the tea contracts damp, it is taken out and roasted again.
To make the infusion, the Chinese pour boiling water on a small portion of the leaves; they do not allow it to stand or macerate, as is done in England, but instantly pour it off again, by which they obtain only the more volatile and stimulating portion of its principles. The poorer Chinese indeed boil the very inferior and coarse leaves, which alone are within their reach, and drink the decoction repeatedly during the day. This is done not only to extract such virtues as the tea possesses, but to qualify the water, seeing that little good drinking water is met with in China. Travellers find a supply of tea a very valuable accompaniment on long journeys, as it improves the most brackish waters. The exciting effects of fresh tea are such that it is rarely used till it has been kept twelve months, as already stated ; and where indulged in, it produces great mental excitement. This property is diminished by repeated readings, but as green tea is less exposed to heat than black, it retains more of this power. Besides, the green tea for exportation undergoes some process, which changes its colour, giving it a bluish-green hue. The Chinese themselves do not consume those kinds of green tea which are prepared for exportation. It is altogether a mistake to suppose that the colour of green tea is owing to its being dried on copper pans, as none such are used, and the most searching chemical analysis Is unable to detect a trace of copper unless as a constituent of the vegetable.
The subject of the adulteration of tea has occupied a large amount of attention within the last few years. Irrespective of any adultera tion, however, the value of tea varies enormously, according to its delicacy and aroma. Mr. Wray, when at Malacca, had a small quantity of "Mandarin tea" given to him by some Chinese merchants ; it is a kind never sold to foreigners, but commands 508. per lh. in China
itself. The vast hulk of tea used by the Chinese is of poor quality; and much of the poorest is mixed to adulterate the better kinds for the English market. Mr. Wray estimates that the Chinese consume 2,000,04,000 lbs. of tea annually, more than ten times as much as they sell to all other countries. iWhcn the English tea trade with China was wholly conducted by the East India Company, it is believed that the sophistication mostly took place after the tea reached the hands of other dealers; but now the Chinese adulterate it themselves. Mr. Wray states that seven-eighths of all the tea shipped from China in 1859 was adulterated ; this was publicly announced at a meeting of merchants, held in Canton in April, 1859, to consider the shbject. The adulterants were found to be : spent tea-leaves from some of the provinces, unsound leaf from others, and three or four sorts of plants. When brought to this country, the tea sold at a (nominally) low price in the poorer neighbourhoods, undergoes a still further process of adulteration. This is proved, not only by the analyses of Drs Hassell and Letheby, and others, but also by the Excise seizures which so fre quently occur. All admit that imitations of good tea can be produced by very easy means; and this facility offers a perilous temptation to dishonest persons. es Tea period when tea was first introduced into this country has already been noticed. The first importation by the English East India Company took place in 1669, from the Company's factory at Bantam. The directors ordered their servants to " send home by their ships one hundred pounds weight of the best by they could get." In 167S, 471311es were imported ; but in the six following years the entire imports amounted to no more than 410 Ilea The continuous official accounts of the trade do not commence before 1725; but, *wording to Nlilburn (` Oriental Commerce '), the consumption in 1711 was 141,995 lb..; 120,695 lbs. in 1715 ; and 237,904 lbs. in 1720. Then, taking periods twenty years apart, we find that the quantities eutered for home consumption were, in round numbers, 1,000,000 lbs. in 1740 ; 4,000,00016s. in 1760 ; 5,000,00016s. in 1780; 20,000,000 lbs. in 1S00; '22,000,000 lbs. in 1820; 32,000,000 lbs. in 1840; and 77,000,000 lbs. in 1560.