The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1864-08-24
EADDoNFIELD. NEW JERSEY
August 18th. 1861.

August 18th. 1861
D. P HOLLOWAY and B. W. DAVIS
Respected firisads Having recently
been favored with the perusal of The
Richmond Palladium" for July 30th,
1864. by my cousin NATHAN STARR, in
which appeared a letter from his brother
William, my attention was arrested by
an article on the first page headed
domestic Tea and Coffee. on which l
wonld make a few remarks.
The Imagination of the writer of that
article must he as lively a his style, if
i has permitted him T. see the Chinese
Tea plant growing in Clinton county,
Pennsylvania district OF country
known to the prying eyes Of our Bota-
nlsts, and by whom not single Tea
Plant has been found, nor Go l believe
ever will be. The Thea rt.rjdis. will not
endure the climate Of northern Pennsvl-
vania, and the whole story of its exist
ence in our latitude, Indigenous, is 4
bold fraud upon the intelligence of the
community. fraud which has been re-
peatedly exposed by ELIAS DURANp, one
OF the ablest botatnists in America. and
and by DR.. GIBBS. Professor of Chemis-
try in the Lawrence Scientific School
at Cambridge Mass The first has un-
hesitatingly denied the existence of anv
plant resembling the Chinese Tea Plant
in any part of the district named. and
over which he and his fellow botanists
have repeatedly ranged. The second.
Dr. GIBBS, an able analytical Chemist
rs plainly intimates that the article pre-
pared from the so called American Tea.
made by the wouli-be benefactors of
American tea drinkers, does not contain
particle of 7Hein, the principle upon
which Tea depends, and hence is no bet
ter than so much clover hay The
truth is simply as follows: there is a
plant growing in great abundance in
many sections of our land, possibly in
northern Pennsylvania, which bears a
remote resemblance to the Chinese Tea
Plant; but having no analogy in proper
ties, and possessing no value whatever
as an article for human consumption.
This is the New Jersey Tea used rs n
substitute for the genuine, by our good
grandmothers of Revolutionary memo
ry, and which, rs says the worthy Dr.
Darlington, must have sorely tried their
patriotism, and which certainly did
them no harm. for it possesses one very
valuable advantage over the Chinese
Tea, in that it eNcrts no injurious effects
upon the human economy. CeoRothus
.imericanuS, is the scientific name of the
New Jersey Tea. and no botanist who
has ever seen the Tia ,qrtdls, or even if
he has not seen the growing plant, would
compound it with the latter, as it is
widely distinct from the genuine Tea
Plant in classification and properties
The above offers another among thou
sands, of the sad results of the presu-
ming ignorance of charlatans, and the
consequences that may flow from want
of an acquaintance with the simple
plants around US the name and promi /
nent properties of which should be .
known to every educated citizen
Ny object in writing YOU, is not to .
denounce a humbug. but to ask You to /
favor me with the authority for the in
formation embodied in the article in .
your valuable journal respecting the
progress of Tea and Coffee culture in
California. l have recently directed my
enquiries in this quarter, and would like
to be able to substantiate the truth of
the reported success of the attempts
made to acclimate these plants in Cali
fornia. If the article on your first page
be an extract. could You inform me
whence it was taken; if an original com
could you place me in con
nection with the writer? | trust the as
sertion made respecting the probable
success in California. are more reliable,
than the preface to the article, on Penn
sylvania Tea culture, which you may
rest assured have no foundation in
fact Very respectfully.
JAMES S. LIPPINCorT.
lGs- We clipped the article alluded to
by our friend LyPPIScorr, from the
&. Chicago Journal Of Commerce." It did not
appear as original in that paper, and
hence we gave no credit Eds Pal