Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1830-06-03
-CnLYrRE OF ITA

Inc following Interesting acconntuf the cub
inre aud preparation ni Tea, was elicitpd from
! MIR. MajorlbRnks before the committee OF the
british House Of Commons, on the subject oil
the Indian trade. Mr. NJ. bad bean seventeen
years in the service Of the East india Compa-
ny, (ufw which he was lately Chairman, and a
resident in China during The greater part of tue
tune.
The black tea is grown and manufactured in
the province Of fokien. with The exception oil "a
bout one third of thai son called bohea, which
third part is produced on the northeastern cor
ner ot the province OF Canton, in district cal
led Wo Ping, which gives its name 10 The tea
in question The green tea is all grown in the
provinces OF klang-non, klang'Si, and Che
HANK but chiefly in the two former. The ten
plants OF all these provinces are suppo.ed 10 be
Of one species the difference in the manutac-
tured Article arising from difference oil soil, eli.
mate aud manufacture. Green tea has been
made in the district from whence the black tea
comes, and yice Uersa. Some OF II e buds oil
The plant in Foken are picked III the ea'ly part
OF the spring. before they have burst those
from Pekoe tea, the most valuable part OF the
plant oil which buds small portion IS mixed
with the hes! parcels of Congo, TO give them a
flavor. Pekoe is also brought TO Canton un-
mixed with other leaves.
The tea sent 10 Russia is said to be Pekoe,
slightly adulerated by the mixture OF other
leaves. In the beginning Of May the leaves are
stripped off the plant new crop IS then
thrown out and picked in about six weeks at.
terwards, and u third crop about the end oil
summer the two first picked are the best, aud
nearly equal in quaIty.-1he third crop OF
leaves yields tea Of litIl lie strength and inferior
favor hence the best crops are composed
wholly Of the choice leaves Of the two first ga
therings with the small sptinkllng Of tine buds
and Peltoe. The black tea in Fokien is sad To
be cultivated largely by couagers in small plots
of ground or gardens. The leaves are picked
by The family, aud are Immediately carried to
market, where persons, whose business lies ia
that line, collect quantities Of them, and man
ufacinre them in parI, that Is, expose them 10
be dried by the wind under the shade aud at.
forwards TO he further dried IN a heated ware.
house. The persons whom we cal. the mer
chants, and the agents of,he hong merchants,
come to the tea districts and purchase from The
men be fore mentioned, quantities OF the dried
leaves Of the FIRST, second and third gatherings,
discriminating the leaves OF young aud Cld
plants, of those grown in well known favorable
spots &c. &c.-They then complete the dry ing
process, according as il may be requisite, and
employ the woman and children 10 select the
bard, the best leaves. with more or less discH'
mination according to the object of making 'e
~ fine, mdding or com mon tea. The lea IS
made into parcels OF from 100 to 600 chests
each, with distinctive name to each parcel,
and conformity ofqualiy, where the tea mer-
chant acts honest hence those parcels itea
which under Chinese names have proved IN a
series Of years of excellent quality and similar
characters, and which are greatly sought after
al the London sales, are moi the produce of any
particular farm. but owe their character 10 the
skill and good faith with which tea meI chants
or the hong merchants agents have executed
their commission in selecting only superior par
GELS of leaves in the market OF Woo-yshan
Green tea brought from the three provinces
above mentioned. Like the black tea the dit
ferent classes are formed by selecting the BET
ter from the inferior leaves after they have
been dried the ligh, leaves separated by win
moving machine from the heavier, form Tyson
skins Copper is never used in making green
tea. The blooming appearance OF Tyson, gun
powder &c. is said ~ arise from the effects
of carefully roasting the leaves in vases placed
over fire, and by rubbing them against the
sides 9th vessel. la this process with the
green teas much skill is requisite, and there Is
a class of persons who are hired by some OF the
lea merchants 20 superintend their respective
Bohsa tea is composed partly
of the lower grades the Fu-y-shan tea, when
has been left unsold after the departure Of The
last ships eli the season, AID pasiiv OF shs