What can we do with this pamphlet?--_British Relations with the Chinese
Empire--Comparative Statement of the English and American Trade with India
and Canton_. What a book for a tea-drinking old lady, or Dr. Johnson, of
tea-loving notoriety, with his thirteen cups to the dozen.
"The writer has passed the last eleven years of his life in visiting every
quarter of the globe, and the colonial possessions of Great Britain, in
order to acquire an intimate knowledge of her commercial affairs, for
political purposes." The reader will, perhaps, say this pamphlet is purely
political, and what have you to do with it? But it is not so: there are
facts in these pages which interest every one and come home to every man's
mouth: the political purpose is to us like chaff; and these facts like
grains of wheat, so we will even pick a few. Meanwhile, the whole pamphlet
must be important to all, as to ourselves parts are interesting: it
represents the literature of the tea trade, and, best of all, the
profitable literature of _L.s.d._ It is written in a patriotic spirit;
witness this extract from the preface: "To a commercial union of wealth,
and a co-operation of talent and patriotism, a small island in the Western
Atlantic is indebted for the acquisition of one of the most splendid
empires that ever was subjected to the dominion of man, and also for the
rise and progress of an extraordinary commerce with a people inhabiting a
distant hemisphere, and heretofore shut out from all intercourse with the
majority of the human race;--a commerce equal in extent to 10,000,000_l_.
annually, and involving property to the amount of ten times that sum."
Our _facts_ must stand isolated, since to weave them into an argument
would be altogether foreign to our purpose.
_East India Company_.--Although the East India Company can alone import
tea, they cannot choose their own time of sale; they are compelled to put
up the tea at an advance of _one penny_ (_they do at one farthing_) per
lb.; they are obliged to have twelve months' stock in hand; and while the
tea in America has _increased in price_ and diminished in consumption, the
_very reverse_ has taken place in England, as _official returns_ prove!
_China_ presents the very remarkable spectacle of _a civilization entirely
political_, whose principal aim has constantly been to draw closer the
bonds which unite the society it formed, and to merge, by its laws, the
interest of the individual in that of the public; an empire possessing an
active, skilful, and contented population of 155,000,000 souls, who are
spread over 1,372,450 square miles of the fairest and, probably, earliest
inhabited region of the globe--that maintains a _standing army_ of
1,182,000 men, and levies a revenue of only 11,649,912_l_. sterling--an
empire that has preserved the records of its dominion and the integrity of
its name from a period of three thousand years antecedent to our era,
while the most powerful monarchies of remote or modern ages have dwindled
into nothingness, or been borne towards the ocean of eternity, by the
swiftly destructive gulf of time,--an empire whose people have materially
contributed to advance the civilization of Europe and America, by the
discovery of the most useful arts and sciences, such as writing,[3]
astronomy, the mariner's compass, gunpowder, sugar, silk, porcelain, the
smelting and combination of metals,--and, in fine, enjoying within its own
territories all the necessaries and conveniencies, and most of the
luxuries of life; standing, as it proudly asserts, in no need of
intercourse with other countries,[4] which it is its studied policy to
prohibit,[5] openly and arrogantly proclaims its total independence of
every nation in the world!
_Origin of the Tea Trade of the East India Company_.--In 1668, the East
India Company ordered "_one hundred pounds weight of goode tey_" to be
sent home on speculation. A taste for the Chinese herb was created and
carefully fostered; the invoice was increased from year to year, until it
now amounts to 30,000,000 pounds weight (notwithstanding the excessive
duty of 100 per cent, and the onerous restrictions of the commutation act,
since 1784), yielding an annual revenue to government, on a _luxury of
life_, of about 3,300,000_l_. sterling, with scarcely any trouble or
expense in the collecting;--employing 35,000 tons of the finest
shipping,--requiring annually nearly 1,000,000_l_. sterling worth of
cotton, woollen, and iron manufactures, and affording employment to a
numerous class of society, for the wholesale and retail dealing in a leaf
collected on the mountains of a distant continent!
To enable them the better to prosecute this valuable commerce, the East
India Company sought and obtained permission to build a factory at Canton,
where their agents were permitted to reside six months in the year--a
favour specifically accorded as a matter of compassion to foreigners, who
are carefully debarred all intercourse with the interior of the country; a
dread being entertained that the introduction of Europeans to settle in
China, would lead (according also to ancient prophecy) to the total
subversion of the empire.
Other brunches of trade were subsequently added to that of tea. In 1773,
the East India Company made a small adventure of opium[6] from Bengal to
Canton; and the consumption of opium increased as rapidly among the
Chinese as tea did among the English, until it now yields (although a
contraband trade) 14,000,000 Spanish dollars annually,[7] and pays a
revenue to the Indian Government of 1,800,000_l_. sterling. Raw cotton
forms another extensive article of export to China; it is in general a
less profitable remittance than bills of exchange, but the exportation is
encouraged for the benefit of the Indian territories.
_Character of the Chinese_.--The Chinese are a haughty and independent
race of people, whose commercial policy it is to prohibit, as much as
possible, every species of manufactures[8] and bullion; and encourage the
importation of food, and raw produce; holding themselves aloof from
Europeans, and particularly jealous of Great Britain, on account of the
proximity of her Indian empire; exacting upwards of 1,000_l_. in fees and
port dues[9] on each foreign vessel that enters Canton, the only harbour
to which they are admitted,[10] imposing severe sea and inland customs and
regulations regarding woollen and other manufactures, entirely
interdicting some branches of trade, and permitting all by sufferance, or
as a matter of favour rather than from necessity, or by right.
_Tea in Ireland_.--In Ireland, the consumption of tea in the year 1828,
was 1,300,000 lbs. _less_ than in 1827; and although the population of
Ireland has rapidly increased, indeed, nearly doubled itself, since the
commencement of the present century, yet the quantity of tea imported into
that country is 400,000 lbs. _less_ in 1828, than it was in 1800!
_Tea in America and England_.--
American consumption of tea.
1819--5,480,884 lbs.
1827--5,372,956
---------
Decrease! 107,828 lbs.
British consumption of tea.
1819--24,093,619 lbs.
1827--27,841,284
----------
Increase 3,747,665 lbs.
_Consumption of Sugar_.--
In France each individual, annually 5 lbs.
Hamburgh do. do. 10
Germany do. throughout 6
United States do. do. 8
Ireland do. do. 3
Great Britain do. do. 14
Fourteen pounds of sugar per annum, will afford but little more than _half
an ounce_ a day to each individual; a quantity, which it is well known the
youngest child will consume, and yet a large portion of the sugar entered
for home consumption, is used in breweries, and distilleries, so that it
is even doubtful, whether the personal direct consumption of tea or sugar
be the greatest; notwithstanding the latter may be had in such great
abundance and in every country within the tropics.
_Price of Tea in China_.--Bohea, which cannot be purchased in China at
less than _eight-pence half-penny_, may be obtained at Antwerp for
7-3/4_d_.; in France for 6-1/2_d_.; and at Hamburg for 5_d_.! Congou, of
which the Canton price is from 11_d_. to 1_s_. per lb., may be bought in
France at 10-1/2_d_., and at Hamburg from 8-1/4_d_. to 10-1/4_d_.! Canton
price for Hyson, 1_s_. 9-3/4_d_.; French price 1_s_. 8-1/2_d_. Young Hyson
costs in Canton about 1_s_. 8-1/2_d_. per lb., and _only one half that sum
at Hamburg!!_ The Chinese cannot afford to sell Twankay at less than 11_d_.
per lb.; but the American speculators enable the good people of Hamburg to
drink it at _seven-pence farthing!_ Souchong, a good quality tea, sells at
Hamburg for _five-pence_ per lb., which is the _same price_ as the vilest
Bohea costs in the Hamburg market, and is only _one-half the price of
Bohea_ in Canton.
_Cost of a pound of Seven Shilling Tea_.--Take a pound of Congou for
instance, according to the evidence of Mr. Mills, a tea broker, before the
House of Lords:
One pound of good Congou,
_put up_ at the East India
Company's sales at --------------- 1 8
Buyers purposely and for
their own advantage raise it ----- 0 9
----
Purchasing price by the Brokers --- 2 5
Duty levied by the Crown ----------------- 2 5
Retailer's profit, brokerage, &c. -------- 2 2
----
Shop price 7 0
Thus it will be seen, the tea that the Company offers for sale to the
consumer at 1_s_. 8_d_., or at the utmost say 2_s_., is enhanced to 7_s_.
before it finds its way to the drinker's breakfast table.
_Coffee-Shops_.--There are 3,000 coffee shops in London, in which are
daily consumed 2,000 lbs. of tea and 15,000 lbs. of coffee. The
consumption of _coffee_ in these establishments has increased as
follows:--In 1829, 1,978,600 lbs. In 1830, 2,251,300 lbs. In 1831,
2,899,870. Of tea the increase has only been, during the same periods,
239,700 lbs.--249,400 lbs.--263,000 lbs.
[3] A celebrated Hungarian, named Cosmös de Körös, has lately
discovered in a Thibetian monastery, where he has been engaged
translating an Encyclopaedia, that _lithography_ and _movable
wooden types_ were known to the Chinese many centuries ago.
[4] A Chinese who leaves his country is considered as a traitor,
and is punished with death if he ever return to it.
[5] The grand maxim of Confucius is, "to despise foreign
commodities."
[6] The Chinese use this stimulant as we do wine and spirits, and
with perhaps, less deleterious consequences to their health,
and less evil results to their morals.
[7] About 7,000,000 of which, or bars or moulds of silver to that
amount, are sent to India, the Chinese being unable to make
sufficient return in merchandise. This remittance is of
material assistance in helping to provide funds on the spot
for the purchase of tea.
[8] A late No. of the _Canton Register_, mentions a fact, which is
one instance out of many, of the desire to be independent of
foreigners; it is as follows:--"Prussian blue, an article
which was formerly brought in _considerable quantities from
England_, is now _totally shut out_ from the list of imports,
in consequence of its mode of manufacture being _acquired by a
Chinaman in London_; and from timely improvement it has been
brought to that perfection which renders the _consumers
independent of foreign supply!"_
[9] The port dues on a vessel of 1,000 or of 100 tons are _alike!_
[10] The Chinese will not admit a foreign nation to trade at two
places; for instance, the Russians are excluded from Canton
because they enjoy an overland trade at Kiachia, which is 4,
311 miles from St. Petersburgh, and 1,014 miles distant from
Pekin.
* * * * *