The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1843-03-04

don Spectator viii be read with interest, and may
give some useful information relative 10 the Chr
nese trade. The opening vi the new Chinese Pors
TO American commerce, which We hope VII be soon
effected may have the effect Of extending our uade
with that empire far beyond lis present limits
European countries with the exception OF Russia
and America, have hitherto drawn their supplies oil
tea from the eastern districts through the port oil
Canton. About 1880, the annual importation oil Tea
into Great Britain amounted 10 nearly thirty millions
of pounds the consumption OF the United States va
ried from SIX 10 eight mlllionsi the consumption oil
Holland to something than two millions and an
half; the importations Of Germany To about Two
millions the mportations OF South America, france,
Italy. and Spain, scarcely amounted to one million.
Some tea must have been exported from me haroors
on the Southeast Of China by The Junks trading
with Tonquin an Cochin China, Singapore and other
places in the Eastern Archipelago pui we nave 10
means OF conecturiDg its amount The trade WIN
Canton at the time we referring to was primer
pay IN the hands of the East India Company, mo"
thrown open,) the country-trader oil lndia ana lne
Americans, IN the proportion of one hall to the couh-
try-traders and onehalf to each of the others Inc
exports 10 England consisted exclusively g" Tea the
exports 10 America chiefly OF tea, along WIN snaii
quantities OF nankeens, raw and wrought silks, SUI
gar, and some minor articles the exports 10 inuia
were 10 triiling amount tea, china-ware, sugar
nankeens cassa, and camphor but the imports from
that country were chiefly balanced by bills and oul-
lion. The imports from England consisted OF wool
lens in value one-half of the whole, cotons onequar
ter metals and miscellaneous articles another quar-
ter. The imports from America were IN value cot
tons one half woolens one-quarter and mscellane-
Gus articles another quarter. The imports from In
dia were-opium To the value Of mole Than TWO NH
lions Of pounds cotton tin pepper, beiel-nui and
other articles TO the value OF about million j he
articles Of export exclusively the produce OF Tue
Chinese PROVINCES South Of the fang-tse- klang-
Two of their staples cotton and earihen-ware) are
imported TO considerable amount And the whoie
of the commodities they produce are not enough 10
pay for the necessary imports, woolen aud cotton
cloths, and opium, (also become necessary ior
them, let moraliss say what they ILL., Tor the lalter
is always paid in cash.
The trade from the tea-districts TO the Northern
provinces of China, TO Chinese Tartary, TO ,Russia,
and TO Independent Tarary is active and extensive
The annual import of tea into Russia alone, Ia lS5O,
amounted to five millions and a half pounds. inns
the amount of The legitimate traffic at the sta
ton OF kiachta, but gives idea OF the busy trade
along the Great Canal, supplying the whole OF the
provinces OF China except Setchuen, north oil the
lang-tse-kiang, the whole OF Central ASIA, norm
and west of China Proper, and numerous remote
hordes within the Russian frontier, who procured
supplies Of tea of which the Government kne" noun
ing Some idea OF the state of tiis trade may DE
gathered from what witnessed by IImkowiskl,
on his route from kiachta 10 khalgan on the Great
Wall. AT Urga he met several caravans OF forty
cames, laden with tea, for Ulassutai a station IN
Chinese Tartary, west of the road he travelled
From the 25lh September to I'd October, ne met
daily small paites Of traders all OF whom carried
ventures OF tea the I'd October, he met Chi-
caravan, with two hundred cars laden WIN hne
black tea for kiachta the 9th and 9Th he met
caravans with equal quantities. the last Of sui inner
quality on the 4th November he met ''the great Tea
caravan for kiacha"; on the 9th, another scarcely
less numerous from the 18th to the IAN, (the DAY
on which he reached khalgan,) he met numerous
ri and A
gan, he was informed that there constantly de-
pot OF tea large enough 10 load at any time 2ooo
camels When he recrossed the desert IN July IRON
khalgan TO kiacha, the tea caravans when ne pass
ed seemed quite as frequent. limkowlsa UaNcheu
along the principal line of traffic north OF the Great
ALL but there many minor routes TO the east and
west of 1t and equally frequented line conducts
from the Hoangho westward TO kashgar on the
South, Guldja on the Moth. Tea is a necessary Of
life in China and Chinese Tartary, and scarcely less
so in Russia, and among the independent nomades
and great trading towns between the Chinese iron
tier, the Oxus and the Caspian; and ali these coun
tries are supplied from the Eastern groups OF tea
countries. 4 he returns iroD Russia are furs; oil
which greater quantity IS required to balance the
tea and other imports than that country itself can
spare and lurs consequently imported for the de-
mands Oh this trade. The Chnese would take sill
yer, but its expectation is prohibited IN Russia
The returns from Tsrtary and Northern China
consist OF cattle, some articles oil dom, stic manu-
1aclure, some articles oil European manufacture,
which find their way into Central Asia, and drugs
ginseng from the land of the Mantchoos, and rhu-
barb from the mountainous region on the upper Ho
ang-ho. The teas sent to the North are the finest
blacks, and the ile-ea above mentioned,-a william
Gus compound of the refuse of the bettereas, moss
es ferns boiled up with bull ck's blood 9TH
animal substance, and made up into cakes ike cho
colate.
The tea of the Eastern group supplies the domes-
tic consumption of the provinces Immediately adj
Joining, and Is exported into Siam and Burmah, and
westw ard through Thbet as far as Ladak. Ii is of
the coarsest quality, and, far as can be learned
most frequently prepared much IN the same way
the ule-tea. Dut beyond the fact OF there being a
steady permanent trade IN this commodity along the
route indicated, scarcely any thing is known with
certainty
The tea-distrcts are the centres Of the productive
industry OF China, and of it, commercial wealth and
enterprise with reference both TO ITS foreign and do
mesuc trade They 10 China what Stafford
shire, Lancashire and Yorkshire are TO England
The minor trsfcs ulster round and take their direc-
ton from the great staple trade. The principal
porcelain manufactures IN the Eastern tea-dis-
tricts. The articles of foreign manufacture import
ed at Canton, aud the Russian furs imported at hi
achta find their way Of course 10 the producing DIS
tricts, and from them are distributed through the
empire, or re-eNpored IN the lunks Of Fo-kien aud
Che-kiang TO be exchanged for trepang, edible
brds-nests, shark-6ns, aud tortoise shell The trade
Of the Eastern tea d strcts IS the centre OF yitaltyo
the overland trade TO the port Of Canton Of the
coasting trade froio Fo.ken and Che-kiang to Msnt
choo Tartary, and Of the triAng trade to Japan Of
the traffic on the Grand Canal and along the roads
which branch off from its termination TO the Amur,
Kiachts Iii, and ksshgar. 1t lends greater energy
TO the coast and river fisheries, and keeps alive uA
manufactures in the coal district Northwest Of Pc
kin. The Western tea-dlstricts are on a smaller
scale and after ruder fashion for Setchuen, koe-
itchoo, Nuunan, the North of Sam and Burmah,
and the Thibets while the Eastern group are for
the weather. coast-auds, and the whole Of the rest
Of the world. To understand and appreciate Alright
the commercial capabilities of China, IT is necessary
to master thoroughly the conditions and relations Of
these two groups Of provinces.
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