Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1851-11-06


The last Investigations of the Lancet with
regard to the adulteration of articles of con-
sumption, have been directed to tea. As far
as our own dealers arc concerned, the results
obtained are not unsatisfactory but the ex-
tent of deception Practised in China is beyond
what most people are prepared to learn. The
/ Chinese themselves not only use vast num-
Der of injurious materials, but also other
leaves than those of the tea-plant--a system
which has increased since the trade was
thrown open, and the inspection of the East
India Company ceased. In England, some OF
the spurious manufactures consist of the leaves
OF the beech, elm, horse-chestnut, plane, fan
cy-oak, willow, poplar, hawthorn, and sloe,
the latter being most frequent on account of
their astringent quality. The use ofre-dried
tea-leaves, however, has been the most gen
eral form of imposition here; and in ls43,
whenthe process was interrupted by the vigi-
lance of the Exercise, it is supposed there were
not less than eight manufactures for the pur-
pose in London alone, besides many in the
provinces. The leaves were bought up at
coffee-houses at two and a-half pence pound
mixed with solution of gum, re-dried, and
then coloured with rose-pink and black-lead to
/" face' them-a bloom being sometimes also
carbonate oflime. The practice still pre-
walls to some extent, catechu being added for
Its tannin, but it is greatly limited by the pro-
ceedings of the Excise. Certain mixtures
lately sold as tea-improvers," under the
names of Z" La Veno Beno,'' and the Chi
nese Botanical Powder" in packages at Sd
each, have been ascertained to consist of sew
enty-slx per cent. of catechu, the habitual use
of which is calculated to cause serious evils,
while the rest is sumach leaves or wheat
flour. Out of thirty-fve samples of black-tea
tested upon their arrival from China, twenty
three, consisting of congous and souchongs,
were genuine; while twelve, which consisted
of scented pekoe and scented caper, chulan,
, or black gun powder, were adulterated. This
adulteration consisted in the leaves having
been faced, so as to improve the appearance of
the teas, with black lead, an irrdescent pow
der resembling mica, indigo, and turmeric.-
Ofone coarse sort, which contained fragments
of rice or paddy glazed in the same manner
as the tea-leayes themselves, it is understood
over two hundred boxes were disposed at pub
lie sale on the 18th of June last. In in other
kind, there were found little Jumps like the
dung of silk-worms, which has been stated to
be one Of the articles the Chinese send us for
tea. None Of these samples, however con-
tained any other leaf than that of the tea
plant With the green teas tested on their
importation, the results were much more Sc
rious. Thirty samples were tried, and all were
found to have been adulterated. Five con-
sisted of what is commonly called lie'' tea,
which is simply tea-dust and sand made up
with rce-water; one was composed of paddy
husk and other substances; and one was a
mixture Of "lie" tea and spurious leaves of
other plants. Every one of the thirty sorts
was artfcially glazed or colored, Prussian
blue, indigo, turmeric powder, and China clay.
being the substances employed. A curiouos
additional fact was likewise arrived at In no
instance amongst all these trials was single
leaf discovered possessed of a green color,
other than that which was produced by artif-
clal means and an irresistible inference con-
sequently arises, that there is most probably
no such thing as genuine green tea of the CO.
lour ordinarily supposed to be its character
stic.
Two specimens from Assam were tried, ard
these were found genuine but their colour