CO129-027 - Public Offices - 1848

467

Appendix.

Report on the Tea Trade.

[ 52 ]

England, and there has been paid into the British Exchequer about £. 167,643,702 sterling on the above-mentioned quantity of tea!

The following Table will explain the rise and progress of the British tea trade, in reference to the quantity of tea annually exported from 1669 to 1845, the quantity sold or retained for consumption, the rate of duty levied thereon, the amount of revenue paid yearly into the British Exchequer, the price per lb., &c.

The exports from China for the seasons commencing 1st July and ending 30th June 1844, 1845, and 1846, were

1844.

1845.

1846.

[ 53 ]

The distribution of tea to different parts of the United Kingdom is thus shown for 1844:

London, 60 vessels, containing

Liverpool, 25 ditto

Dublin, 4 ditto

Clyde, 4 ditto

Bristol, 2 ditto

Leith, 2 ditto

Hull, 1 ditto

Belfast, 1 ditto

Lbs. 33,436,887

110,108,552

1,143,471

1,716,142

1,060,978

478,089

423,143

252,000

Appendix.

Report on the Tea Trade.

Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. Congou* 38,508,849 Caper 1,355,025 Souchong 1,372,508 Black-leaf Pekoe 137,061 Pouchong 47,525 Flowery Pekoe 498,066 1,562,603 Orange Pekoe 273,827 54,920 Sorts 453,277 1,105,978 Total Black Tea 42,547,520 534,751 1,796,542 40,476,919 Twankay 4,079,147 575,801 1,274,123 Hyson Skin 1,274,123 Hyson 2,951,474 292,052 2,103,185 Young Hyson 1,465,177 Imperial 2,103,185 1,233,328 Gunpowder 1,465,177 2,963,697 597,678 2,315,691 Total Green 9,296,547 11,859,427 TOTAL Total for 1844 51,844,067 lbs., in 101 ships. 1845 52,336,946 lbs., in 103 ships. 1846

were scarce.

During 1844-45 ninety-five ships loaded at Canton, seven at Shanghai, and one at Hong Kong, to which latter place some tea had been brought from the northward, where freights The cargo of the barque "Nautilus," the first vessel that loaded at the northern ports under the new Treaty, consisted of, Congou, 144,545 lbs.; Pekoe, 575 lbs.; Twankay, 87,770 lbs.; Hyson Skin, 3,413 lbs.; Hyson, 414 lbs.; Young Hyson, 7,630 lbs.; Gunpower, 1,351 lbs.; Imperial, 721 lbs. Total, 246,545 lbs.

*11,193 lbs. of Bohea are included in this.

IMPORT DELIVERIES and STOCK OF TEA in the United Kingdom, ending 31 December 1845, 1844, and 1843.

Ireland is largely supplied from Liverpool, but Dublin now imports direct from China nearly one-third of the quantity of the tea used in Ireland.

While the East India Company had the monopoly of the trade, their shipments were made at one period of the year, viz., in November, December, January, and February; and latterly the select committee at Canton purchased during the spring, at low prices, the teas which were left unsold at the usual period, and which were termed winter teas; this, however, was only done to a limited extent, lest an inferior article should be imported. Now the trade is more equally diffused over the whole year, although the best seasons for sailing from China to England are from November to February; during which period also the bulk of the teas arrive in Canton, and command the largest exports. The diffusion of exports throughout the year will be seen by the following returns for 1844.

TEAS Exported from China to Great Britain between 1 July 1843 and 30 June 1844, in 96 Ships. (Saghalien and City of Derry loading.)

DATE. Bohea. Congou. Caper. Souchong and Campoi. Black-leaf Pekoe and H. Muey. Flowery Pekoe. Orange Pekoe. Sorts. Total Black. July Lbs. 1,409,868 307,106 1,610 44,402 Lbs. 1,532,530 August Lbs. 34,100 Lbs. 42,550 8,018 375,124 September 755,020 6,200 761,220 October November 3,935,545 18,387 5,968,774 29,531 4,725,895 80,842 December 5,234,968 46,311 4,155,958 127,900 9,540 3,207,845 104,667 1,653 January 2,929,938 19,074 4,059,905 62,715 1,565,996 7,028 February 498,065 March 04,929 5,079 182,291 118,189 453 4,354,873 260,253 64,112 April 80,429 275,841 5,195 172,224 20,082 41,188 May 232,849 124,311 64,985 17,686 84,552 8,208 June 6,084,135 5,273,080 5,581,021 299,252 38,762 TOTAL 11,193 38,316,818 1,562,603 273,827 453,277 1,104,070 5,693 4,208 3,115,136 9,500 13,565 4,561,438 57,750 1,100 1,640,069 56,728 42,276,581 DATE. Hyson. Young Hyson Hyson Skin. Twankay. Imperial. Gunpowder. Total Green. GRAND TOTAL. July Lbs. 39,555 Lbs. 222,655 August 1845. 1844. 1843. September October Lbs. 12,336 410,430 41,365 6,115 November December 61,884 788,225 Lbs. 2,320,755 January 6,115 881,239 761,220 50,051 February March April May June

Bohea, Canton

Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. 72,000 134,000 152,000 Ditto, Fokein Congou 135,328,000 33,739,000 152,000 218,000 9,000 26,000 33,282,000 29,865,000 Caper 29,793 434,000 514,000 3,000 12,000 Souchong 45,882 151,483 236,296 20,232 294,745 48,764 307,771 113,748 19,097 134,823 106,121 Black-leaf Pekoe and H. Muey 757,109 29,823,000 27,777,000 Flowery Pekoe Orange Pekoe 107,408 70,039 16,582 96,948 280,042 68,227 141,407 109,554 275,171 Pouchong 5,111,982 7,216,980 5,826,484 62,436 532,845 553,404 989,162 6,520,183 Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. Congou 764,000 2,493,000 Caper 434,000 352,000 Souchong 1,350,000 1,085,000 1,426,000 1,649,000 407,000 1,073,000 1,096,000 1,758,000 392,790 176,764 102,823 1,004,887 170,677 298,634 Black-leaf Pekoe and H. Muey 282,000 255,000 208,974 155,741 199,147 521,480 45,209 93,690 Orange Pekoe 2,206,575 7,082,002 Twankay 1,224,241 4,746,719 Hyson Skin 1,376,000 970,000 346,754 51,551 Hyson Young Hyson Imperial and Gunpowder Sorts 3,543,000 505,000 For Exportation only Lbs. TOTAL Black 3,431,000 316,000 1,460,000 1,545,000 1,332,000 860,000 1,827,000 1,141,000 203,000 141,000 42,000 2,000 48,393,000 46,853,000 Green 723,000 777,000 996,000 1,146,000 3,740,000 3,241,000 379,000 230,000 1,609,000 2,419,000 1,325,000 1,163,000 1,456,000 3,935,000 118,000 125,000 112,000 73,000 46,077,000 44,297,000

The tea trade of Canton, 1841-42, was not interrupted by the war which we were waging against the Chinese Government in the north of China, although we had destroyed the forts of the Bocca Tigris in the Canton River 7th January, captured the defences of Canton City on 19th March, and compelled the city of Canton to capitulate and pay 6,000,000 dollars on the 25th and 30th of May 1841. Amoy was stormed and taken on the 26th August

O

Lbs. Lbs. 51,145 33,220 23,537 340,631 23,734 31,520 391,323 1,429,254 470,273 23,012 95,905 37,814 96,501 $4,318 63,138 1,338,640 4,153,770 April. 5,118,893 557,455 563,481 2,203,544 May. 560,385 4,022,382 592,537 1,294,887 June. 9,167,252 51,443,833 TOTAL.

1841.

The