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 Cosmoes de Koeroes, 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!"