was only necessary for me to add water once to the tea, to ensure this temperature.  Bitterness was the certain result of greater heat or of longer standing, and flatness was the result of colder water.  If the tea did not stand for so long a time as eight minutes, it was not ripe; it was not full bodied enough.  The palate becomes far less fastidious about the quality of the second cup.  Other people may like tea of a different character from that which I do myself; but, be that as it may, all people can, I maintain, ensure uniformity of good tea, such as they best like, by attending to the principle of making it—­that is to say, to time, and quantities, and temperature.  There is no other mystery in the teapot.

Tea made in the kettle.—­Where there are no cups or teapot put the leaves in the pot or kettle, and drink through a reed with a wisp of grass in it, as they do in Paraguay.  If there are cups and no teapot, the leaves may be put into the pot, previously enclosed in a loose gauze or muslin bag to prevent their floating about.  A contrivance is sold in the shops for this purpose; it is made of metal gauze, and shaped like an egg.  A purse made of metal rings would be better, for it would pack flat; but the advantage of muslin over metal apparatus is that you may throw away bag and all, and avoid the trouble of cleaning.

Tea made in tin mugs.—­A correspondent assures me that he considers the Australian plan of making tea to be preferable to any other, for travellers and explorers; as it secures that the tea shall be made both well and quickly, and without the necessity of carrying kettles on horseback.  Each person has a common tin quart pot and a pint pot, slung to his saddle; the tea and sugar are carried in small bags.  The quart pot requires very little fire to make it boil.  When it begins to boil, it is taken from the fire, the tea is dropped in, and the pint pot is placed on its top as a cover.  When the tea is ready, the sugar is dropped into the pint, and the tea is poured from one pot to the other till it is mixed.  The pint is always kept clean for drinking out of, but not the quart, for the blacker it is, the sooner will the water boil.

Tea made over night.—­To prepare tea for a very early breakfast, make it over night, and pour it away from the tea-leaves, into another vessel.  It will keep perfectly well, for it is by long standing with the tea-leaves that it becomes bitter.  In the morning simply warm it up.  Tea is drunk at a temperature of 140 degrees Fahr., or 90 degrees above an average night temperature of 50 degrees.  It is more than twice as easy to raise the temperature up to 140 than to 212 degrees, letting alone the trouble of tea-making.

Extract of Tea and Coffee.—­Dr. Rae speaks very highly of the convenience of extract of tea.  Any scientific chemist could make it, but he should be begged to use first-rate tea.  The extract from first-rate tea makes a very drinkable infusion, but that from second-rate tea is not good, the drink made from the extract always a grade inferior to that made directly from the leaves.  By pouring a small quantity of the extract into warm water, the tea is made; and, though inferior in taste to properly made tea, it has an equally good effect on the digestion.