in the following manner: when the leaves are gathered, they are directly tatched, and then very much rubbed by mens' hands to roll them; after which they are spread to divide them, for the leaves in rolling are apt to stick together; they are then tatched very dry, and afterwards spread on tables to be picked; this is done by girls or women, who, according to their skill, can pick from one to four catty each day. Then they are tatched again, and afterwards tossed in flat baskets, to clear them from dust; they are then again spread on tables and picked, and then tatched for a fourth time, and laid in parcels, which parcels are again tatched by ten catties at a time, and when done put hot into baskets for the purpose, where they are kept till it suits the owner to pack them in chests or tubs; before which the tea is again tatched, and then put hot into the chests or tubs, and pressed in them by hand. When the tea is hot it does not break, which it is apt to do when it is cold. Singlo tea being more dusty than hyson tea, it is twice tossed in baskets, hyson only once.

It appears that it is necessary to tatche these teas, whenever they contract any moisture; so that if the seller is obliged to keep his tea any time, especially in damp weather, he must tatche it to give it a crispness before he can sell

it.

It is to be observed that the quantity of leaves tatched increases with the times of tatching; at first only half or three quarters of a catty of leaves are put into the tatches.

Tunkey singlo tea is the best, which is owing to the soil; it grows

near the hyson country. Ordinary singlo tea is neither so often tatched or picked as the above described.

There are two gatherings of the singlo tea; the first in April and May, the second in June; each gathering is divided into three or more sorts; the leaves of the first are large, fine, fat, and clean: of this sort there may be collected from a pecul, from forty to fiftyfive catties, usually forty-five. The second sort is picked next, and what then remains is the third or worst sort.

Tunkey, like other singlo tea, is made into two or three sorts; the best is sometimes sold for hyson of an inferior growth.

Of hyson there are also two gatherings, and each gathering is distinguished into two or more sorts; but as great care is taken in gathering it, sixty catties may be chosen from one pecul, when only fortyfive, catties can be chosen from singlo.

Hyson skin, as it is called, has its name from being compared to the skin or peel of the hyson tea, a sort of cover to it, consequently not so good; it consists of the largest leaves, unhandsome leaves, bad coloured, and flat leaves, that are amongst the hyson tree. This tea is known in London by the name of bloom tea.

Gomi, (or gobee,) and ootsien, are also leaves picked from the hyson leaves. Those called gomi are small, and very much twisted, so that they appear like bits of wire. The ootsien are more like little balls.

There are many different growths of singlo and hyson teas, and also some difference in the manner of

curing them, according to the skill or fancy of the curer; this occasions difference of quality in the teas, as does also a good or bad season a rainy season, for instance, makes the leaves yellow; a cold season nips the trees and makes the leaves poor.

Bing tea is so called from the man who first made that tea; it grows four days journey from the hyson country. The leaves of bing are long and thin, those of singlo are short and thick.

The tricks in tea are innumerable. In the bohea country, when tea is dear, (and probably. they use the same method in all tea countries,) they gather the coarse old leaves, pass them through boiling water, then cure them as other leaves are cured; after which they pound them, and mix them with other teas, putting five or six catties of this tea dust to ninety-five catties

of tea.

To make Bohea Tea Green.

For this purpose coarse Ankoy tea is generally taken: the leaves should be large. (Ankoy is no other than the tea tree from the bohea country, propagated at Ankoy). Take ten catties of this tree, spread it, and sweat the leaves by throwing water over them, either hot or cold, or tea water. When the leaves are a little opened, and somewhat dry, put them into a hot tatche, together with a small quantity of powdered chico, a fat stone, and tatche them well, then sift the tea and it is done. If it happens not to be green enough, tatche it again; it is the frequent tatching that gives the green colour to the tea leaves."

To make Green Bohea.

then put them in the sun to dry a First water it to open the leaves, little, then tatche. them once, and proceed to cure them as bobea leaves,

over a charcoal fire. This is seldom

done, because it is seldom worth doing, green tea being generally the dearest; moreover, green tea does not make so good bohea as bohea does green.

and which is of the bobea kind, Hoping tea, already described, after being cured as bohea, is sometimes altered to green, and becomes like the leoo-ching, before mentioned, and is sold at Canton to foreigners for singlo.

It is to be observed, that all these worked up teas, as they may be called, and teas of improper growths, are more commonly mixed with true teas for the European market, than sold separate by themselves; so that the proportions in which they are mixed make combinations without end. The differences to be observed in teas arise from the soils; the methods of curing owing to the skill of the curer, sometimes to his caprice; neglect in the curing; using bad fires; wood, and that green, instead of charcoal; sometimes straw or broom for bad teas; and to the seasons, which should not be too wet or too dry, too cold or too hot. The Chinese also sell at Canton all sorts of old teas for new, after they have prepared them for that purpose, either by tatching or firing, and mixing them with new teas.

Clean singlo tea is called pi-cha, or skin tea. A custom formerly prevailed to put fifteen or eighteen catties of very bad singlo tea into the middle of a chest, which was

covered

covered on all sides by good tea; and this was done by the means of four pieces of board nailed to each other, making four sides, or a well for the chest, whereon good tea was spread, and also within two inches of the top, was drawn out. The good tea was called pi-cha, skin tea, or the skin or covering to the bad, which the Chinese called the belly. This method of packing singlo tea has long since been discontinued.

The bohea country is about twenty-five easy days journey from Canton. The singlo about forty. The hyson much the same.

Bohea usually comes to Canton at the cost of 9 to 11 tales the pecul.

Singlo and second hyson 14 to 18.
Hyson 30 to 39.
Congo, peko, and souchong, very

various.

To these prices must be added the charges of warehouse room, packing, the duties on exportation, and the seller's profit, in a country where money is often two per cent. per month, and seldom less than 20 per cent. per ann.

Bohea, Voo-yee, the name of the country.

Congo, or cong-foo, great or much care or trouble in the making or gathering the leaves.

Peko, pé-how, white first leaf. Souchong, sé-ow-chong, small good thing.

Lee-oo-ching, the name of a place.
Hoping, ditto.
Honan, ditto.
Ankoy, ditto.
Song-lo, ditto.

Hyson, he-tchune, name of the first crop of this tea.

Bing-min, name of the man who first made this tea.

VOL. XLIV.

Loot-sien, true sort, is what really grows in the Loot-sien country. Some tea is planted near Loot-sien, that passes for that tea, and that is the case in all the countries.

Besides the teas before enume rated, many other teas are planted, as in the Honan country, and the quantities they produce cannot be easily ascertained; but, upon the whole, it is reckoned, that in ten parts, not above three are 'exported.

In 100 Chinese, it is reckoned forty only can afford to drink tea; the others drink water on 7. Many, when

3 D

when they have boiled their rice, put water into the tatche in which the rice was boiled, to which some grains always adhere; the water loosens them, and is browned by the rice; that water they drink instead of tea.

The tea sent into Tartary is mostly green, perhaps in the proportion of

seven to two.

Old bohea is reckoned good by

the Chinese; in a fever they use it to cause perspiration, and put into it a little black or coarse sugar, with a little ginger.

Old hyson, one or two cups made strong, removes obstructions in the stomach, caused by overeating or indigestion. It is to be used, if a weight is felt, some hours after eating, and it will remove it.

USEFUL

List of Patents for new Inventions, granted in the Year 1802.

gow, in North Britain, merchant, for a method of drying all kinds of yarn, whether linen, woolen, cotton, or silk, or composed of all or either of those articles, as also all kinds of cloth, or stuffs, commonly called piece goods. Dated January 2.

Thomas Parkinson, of the parish of St. George, Bloomsbury, Middlesex, gent.; for an apparatus to be applied to engines for conveying fluids therefrom. Dated January 2.

Abner Cowell Lea, of the parish of Ashton, near Birmingham, Warwickshire, manufacturer; for a method of manufacturing the furniture for umbrellas and parasols. Dated January 2.

Lewis James Armand Estienne, of Faul-street, near Finsbury-square, Middlesex, gent.; for an invention, communicated to him by a foreigner, of reducing human excrement into a powder, divested of all nauseous smiell, preserving at the same time its fertilizing properties, in rendering land infinitely more productive and vegetative than any other manure hitherto discovered. Dated January 9.

Robert Brown, of New Radford, Nottinghamshire, lace-manufac

turer; for a method of manufacturing nets of all kinds. Dated January 16.

Joseph Lewis, of Brimscomb, in the county of Gloucester, dyer; for certain improvements in the art of dyeing, by means of a new method of cooling the cloth, and other piece goods (particularly in dyeing black); and a new mode of applying the fire for the purpose of heating the boiler, or other vessels, and which may be also applied to the heating of other boilers, or vessels, where heat is required. Dated January 16.

Joseph Hall, of Pitt-street, in the parish of St. Mary, Newington, Surrey; for a hammer for guns, pistols, and other fire-arms, which contains the prime, and effectually preserves it from damp and rainy weather. Dated January 16

Richard Willcox, of the city of Bristol, engineer; for improvements on the steam-engine, furnace or boiler, and air-pump. Dated January 23.

Paul de Philipsthal, of the Ly. ceum, in the Strand, gent.; for an optical apparatus, whereby he is enabled to represent, in a dark space or scene, the human figures, in va rious characters, proportions, and sizes, and by which means painters and other artists may accurately enlarge or diminish with more cer3D 2

taunty