friends to witness the operation. I told the Chinese what was proposed, and desired them to unpack a sufficient number of implements for the purpose. This was soon done, a little furnace built, and two pans fixed above the fireplaces, exactly as they are seen in the manufactories in China.

Thus far everything went on well, but where were the tea-leaves to be procured? There were none in the Calcutta garden, nor in any place nearer than the Himalayas. "How can we make tea without tealeaves?" said the astonished Chinamen. I now explained to them that Dr. Falconer and his friends wanted to see the mode of manipulation only, that the article so made was to look at, not to drink, and that they must go out into the garden and try to find a substitute for tea-leaves. This explanation being deemed satisfactory, they went out to examine the trees of the garden. In a short space of time they returned bringing several parcels of leaves, one of which proved to belong to Pongamia glabra, and seemed the most likely to suit the purpose. Orders were now given to some of the natives to collect a large quantity of these leaves and bring them into the room which had been fitted up for the occasion.

In the mean time the Chinamen had the fires lighted and everything in readiness to commence operations. The leaves were now thrown into the pans and heated for a few minutes, then taken out and rolled, then shaken out thinly on bamboo trays to dry off the superfluous moisture, and finally thrown again into the pans and tossed about by the hand until perfectly twisted.

and dry. They were afterwards sifted and sorted into the various kinds known as hyson skin, hyson, young hyson, imperial, and gunpowder. Some of the sorts were refired several times, and portions of some of them were coloured. When the operations were completed, the samples were so like the teas of commerce, that nineteen persons out of twenty would never have suspected them to be anything else. Here, then, were very fair-looking green teas made from the leaves of a large tree, as unlike the teashrub as it could well be. And an article as closely resembling black tea could have been just as easily made out of these leaves.

It is not my intention to enter minutely into the subject of the manipulation of black and green teas, but I will point out, in as few words as possible, the method of treating each kind during the process of manufacture. These methods, it will be observed, differ from each other in some material points, which are quite sufficient to account for the difference in colour. It is scarcely necessary to remark that both kinds of tea are gathered from the bushes in the same way, and are made from the same description of leaves, namely, those which are young and lately formed.

Green tea. When the leaves are brought in from the plantations they are spread out thinly on flat bamboo trays, in order to dry off any superfluous moisture. They remain for a very short time exposed in this manner, generally from one to two hours; this however depends much upon the state of the weather.

In the mean time the roasting-pans have been heated with a brisk wood fire. A portion of leaves are now thrown into each pan and rapidly moved about and shaken up with both hands. They are immediately affected by the heat, begin to make a crackling noise, and become quite moist and flaccid, while at the same time they give out a considerable portion of vapour. They remain in this state for four or five minutes, and are then drawn quickly out and placed upon the rolling table.

Several men

The rolling process now commences. take their stations at the rolling table and divide the leaves amongst them. Each takes as many as he can press with his hands, and makes them up in the form of a ball. This is rolled upon the rattan worked table, and greatly compressed, the object being to get rid of a portion of the sap and moisture, and at the same time to twist the leaves. These balls of leaves are frequently shaken out and passed from hand to hand until they reach the head workman, who examines them carefully to see if they have taken the requisite twist. When he is satisfied of this the leaves are removed from the rolling table and shaken out upon flat trays, until the remaining portions have undergone the same process. In no case are they allowed to lie long in this state, and sometimes they are taken at once to the roasting-pan.

Having been thrown again into the pan, a slow and steady charcoal fire is kept up, and the leaves are kept in rapid motion by the hands of the workmen. Sometimes they are thrown upon the rattan table

and rolled a second time. In about an hour or an hour and a half the leaves are well dried and their colour has become fixed, that is, there is no longer any danger of their becoming black. They are of a dullish green colour, but become brighter afterwards.*

The most particular part of the operation has now been finished, and the tea may be put aside until a larger quantity has been made. The second part of the process consists in winnowing and passing the tea through sieves of different sizes, in order to get rid of the dust and other impurities, and to divide the tea into the different kinds known as twankay, hyson skin, hyson, young hyson, gunpowder, &c. During this process it is refired, the coarse kinds once, and the finer sorts three or four times. By this time the colour has come out more fully, and the leaves of the finer kinds are of a dull bluish green.

It will be observed, then, with reference to green tea-1st, that the leaves are roasted almost immediately after they are gathered; and 2nd, that they are dried off quickly after the rolling process.

Black tea. When the leaves are brought in from the plantations they are spread out upon large bamboo mats or trays, and are allowed to lie in this state for a considerable time. If they are brought in at night they lie until next morning.

The leaves are next gathered up by the workmen with both hands, thrown into the air and allowed to separate and fall down again. They are tossed about in this manner, and slightly beat or patted with the

* I am not now alluding to teas which are coloured artificially.

hands, for a considerable space of time. At length, when they become soft and flaccid, they are thrown in heaps and allowed to lie in this state for about an hour or perhaps a little longer. When examined at the end of this time, they appear to have undergone a slight change in colour, are soft and moist, and emit a fragrant smell.

The next part of the process is exactly the same as in the manipulation of green tea. The leaves are thrown into an iron pan, where they are roasted for about five minutes and then rolled upon the rattan table.

After being rolled, the leaves are shaken out, thinly, on sieves, and exposed to the air out of doors. A framework for this purpose, made of bamboo, is generally seen in front of all the cottages amongst the tea-hills. The leaves are allowed to remain in this condition for about three hours: during this time the workmen are employed in going over the sieves in rotation, turning the leaves and separating them from each other. A fine dry day, when the sun is not too bright, seems to be preferred for this part of the operation.

The leaves, having now lost a large portion of their moisture, and having become reduced considerably in size, are removed into the factory. They are put a second time into the roasting-pan for three or four minutes, and taken out and rolled as before.

The charcoal fires are now got ready. A tubular basket, narrow at the middle and wide at both ends, is placed over the fire. A sieve is dropped into this