The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1907-11-29
TEA.
It's Introduction Into England and Ann'
erIca and the First Teapots.

It's Introduction Into England and an
erica and the First Teapots.
Just who it is who introduced tea
.nto America is not recorded. Nor
can we name the year when the mrs.
importation arrived. On two points
only can we be absolutely certain
that no teapot and not single cheSt
no, not even an ounce of tea came
over in the Mayhower when she salleo
! for these unknown shores.
Tea was introduced from China IN
to Japan as early as the ninth cen
/ fury, and the East India Company
first brought it to England, but IN
such small quantities than an ounce
was considered a suitable gift Tor
royalty. The first merchant who had
1t on sale in England was named car
way He had a shop in Exchange AL
ley where you could buy tobacco,
snuff and tea made up into small
packages to be used for medical Pur-
poses or for gifts.
Oy 1OUU lCd Wdo plCLlJ NOAA 49,
in England among the wealthy ana
fashionable BY 1864 it was on sale
at the coffee houses. Even in 1864
the cost was excessive, sixty shllllngs
pound being the price. While the
first use of this leaf was as medl-
cine, German named Olearius recog-
nized it's value as a beverage as early
as 1888. But many there were VINO
villified it, calling it IAN impertinent
novelty and the sellers of it immoral
and mercenary persons.
In Boston tea was on sale by 1890,
and in 1891 there were two tea houses
besides those kept by Daniel Vernon
and Benjamin Harris. BY 1872 it was
advertised in the Boston News Let
ter, and you could buy it from Zabdlel
Bolton at his apothecary shop. The
favorite variety was green, but the
advertisement reads green and Or
binary" Bohea was the favorite, and
by 1925 it could be purchased III
apothecary,. tobacco and dry goods
shops as well as those devoted to
small wares"
With the increased use of tea the
necessity arose for a vessel to pre-
pare it in, hence the teapot. This YES
sci is, / am sure, the invention OF
Western mind The Chinese used to
and still prepare their tea in bowls
and drink it without the admiXture OF
any other material They had to Doll
their water, but this was probably
done in a vessel of copper or bronze,
in the working of which metals they
were abundantly skilled. There are
ancient vessels with spOuts made cen
turtles ago by these people when are
to be seen in museums in this coun-
try and Europe. They are far differ
ent, however, from the small objects
in which we brew the cup that cheers.
The first teapots made OF pottery OF
which we have authentic record were
potted by Elers Brothers at STAFFORD
shire, England. They are small and
Of red clay, in imitation of japanese
ware. The Elers ported between 1851
and 1710 and while they were strug-
Cling with their pottery, in SaXony a
man named Bottcher after arduous
labor succeeded in producing tea
pot OF porcelain in 17OS. From this
time on millions have been turned out
in every country where pottery and
porcelain have been made.
The shapes followed the decline in
the price of tea, and rose from the
small globe shaped, pear shaped, cone
like and oval teapots to the objects
of large size which were often seen a
decade ago forever simmering on the
back of the stoye.-N. Hudson Moore
in the Circle.