The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1843-01-09

ment of the internal currency, is believed to have
been chief cause of the measuresfor excluding 10.
reign opium, which gave occasion TO the war. The
Chinese are money loving, acute people, energetic
and enterprsng In their own way possessed OF great
mechanical talent, ana lnhabltlng country which
has many hae provinces. In time, their land must
become rich and profitable resort for merchants; but
any immediate extension of their trade is little less
problematical than the great trade with the Niger,
which worthy Mr. Buxton was to coDlure up AL
most nothing Is Known OF the economical condition
of China, and what is known does not promise i'm.
mediate great results The tea trade is the great
staple OF Chlna-the point upon which all the mer-
camille specuations of the Chinese turn. European
countries, (wrh the exception OF Russa,) and
America have hitherto drawn their supplies of tea
from The eastern tea DISTRICTS through the port OF
Canton. About 1880, the annual importation Of tea
INTO Great Britain amounted to nearly thirty mil
hons of pounds the consumption OF the United
States varied from six TO eight millions; the con-
sumption of Holland to something more than two
millions and half; the importations OF Germany to
America, France, Italy and Spain, scarcely amount
ed to one million. Some tea must have been ex-
ported from the harbors the southeast coast of
China by the junks trading with Tonquin and Cochin
China, Singapore, and other places in the Eastern
Archipelago, but We have means of conjecturing
its amount. The trade with Canton at the time we
ale referring to, was principally in the hauds of the
East India Company (now thrown open,) the coun-
portions OF onehaf to the countrytraders, and one
half between the others. The exports to England
consisted exclusively of tea; the exports America
chiefly of tea, along with small quantities OF nan
keens, raw and wrought silks, sugar, and some
minor articles; the exports to India were to tr1ng
amount, tea, china-ware, sugar, nankeens, cassia,
and camphor; but the imports from that country
were chiefly balanced by bills and bullion The
imports from England consisted OF wOoeDs, in va
ue one-half Of the whole, cottons one-quarter, me-
tails and miscellaneous articles another quarter The
imports from America were in value cOttons one
halt, wOollens one quarter, and msce la
neOus articles another quarter. The imports
from India were--opIum to the value of more
than two millions OF pounds; cotton, tin. pepper,
betel-nut, and other articles, to the value Of about
million. The articles of export are exclusively the
produce of the Chinese provinces South of the Yang
se-kang. Two of their staples Cotton and earth
enware) are Imported to considerable amount And
the whole of the commodities they produce are not
enough to pay for the necessary Imports woolen and
cotton cloths, and opium (also become necessary
for them, let moralists say what they will, for the
latter is always paid In cash. The trade for the tea
ds'ricts to the northern PROVINCES of China, to Chi
Tartary, to Russia, and to Independent Tarary
is active and extensive. The annual import of tea
into Russia alone, 10 1890, amounted TO five millions
and half pounds. This was the amount of the le
ultimate traffic at the station OF Kiachta but gives
idea of the busy trade along the Great Canal supply
chuen, north Of the Yang tse- Kiang, the whole O
Central Asia, north and west OF China Proper, anC
numerous remote hordes within the Russian frontier
who procured supplies OF tea of which the Govern
men, knew nothing. Some idea of the state of this
trade may be gathered from what was witnessed by
Timkowski on his route from Kiachta to Khalgan,
on the Great Wall AT Urga, he met sevaral cara
Of forty Camels, laden with tea, for Uassutai
travelled. From he 18th Of September to I'd of DC.
tober he met daily small parties of traders, all Of
whom carried ventures of tea on the I'd of October
he met Chinese caravan, with 200 cars Iaoen with
for ol,f ri. al, Il III
caravans with equal quantities, the last of still fne
qualities on 4th of November, he met ''the grea
tea for Kachta; 9th, another scarely les
numerous; from the 18th to the l4th (he day on
which he reached Khalgan,) he met numerous tea ca
ravans Of 100, 200, and $50 camels. AT Khagan he
was informed that there was constantly depot OF
tea large enough TO load at any time 1000 camels
When he recrossed the desert in July from Khalgan
TO Kiachta, the tea caravans which he passed seem
ed quite as frequent Timkowski travelled along
the principal line OF traffic north Of the Great Wall
but there are many minor routes TO the east and west
of it, and an equally frequented line conducts from
the Hoang-ho westw ard to kashgar on the South
and Gulda on the North Tea is 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 from
tier, the Oxss, and the Caspian and all these coun.
tries are supplied from the Eastern groups of tea
countries. The returns from Russia furs of
which greater quantity is required to balance the
tea and other imports than that country itself can
demands of this trade. The Chinese would take
silver, but its expectation is prohibited in Russia
The returns from Tartary and Northern China, con
sst ofcate, some articles OF domestic manufacture
some articles OF European manufacture which fine
their way into Central Asia, and drugs-gin-sens
from the land of the Mantchoos, and rhubarb from
The mountainous region on the upper Hoang- no.
The teas sent to the North are the finest blacks ant
the tile tea-a vilanous compound of the refuse O
the better teas moses, ferns, boiled up with bull
locks blood or some other animal substance an,
made up into cakes like chocolate.
The tea of the Eastern group supplies the domes
tic consumption OF the provinces Immediately ad
joining, and is exported into Siam and Burnah, ant
westward through Thlbet as far as Ladak II is o
the coarses quality, and far can be learne d.
most frequently prepared much in the same way as
the tile tea. But beyond the fact of there being a
steady permanent trade In this commodity alone
the route indicated, scarcely any thing is known
with certainty The tea districts are the centres o.
the productive industry Of China, and of its com
mercial wealth and enterprise with reference boil
to its foreign and domestic trade They are to Chi
ma what Stafordshir-, Lancashire and YORKSHIRE
are to England. The minor traiics cluster rount
and take their direction from the great staple trade
The prncip.l porcelain manufactures are in the
Eastern tea districts The articles Of fore ign manu-
facture imported at Canton, and the Russian fur.
imported at Kachta, find their way OF course to III,
producing districts, and from them distributed
Fo-ken and Che-kiang, to be exchanged for tire
pang, edible blrds-nesis, shark fins, and tortoise
she'll The trade of the Eastern tea districts is the
centre of vitality Of the overland trade to the port oil
Canton; of the coastins trade from Fokien anc
Che-kiang to Manchoo Tartary, and of the riflins
trade to Japan Of the traffic on the Grand Canal
and along the roads which branch off from lis erm
nation to the Amur, Kiachta, Ill., and Kashgar. II
lends greater energy TO the coast and river fisheries
and keeps alive the manufactures in the coal district
Northwest OF Pekin. The Western tea districts are
on smaller scale and after ruder fashion forerch.
uen koeitchoo, Yunnan, the North of Siam and Ru.
A. A 4
the weather. coast ands, and the whole OF the rest OF
the world. To understand and appreciate Alright
the commercial capabilities OF China, il il necessa
nv to master thoroughly the condition and relations
Of these two groups of provinces Unless fresh mis-
understandings intervene, the throwing open of the
four new ports TO British enterprise will in very
short time and materially alter the condition and
direction Of the commerce OF the Eastern tea-dis-
tricts and of all the countries which trade with
them. To Canton the new arrangement will, in all
probability, he heavy blow. 1ts chief articles OF