REVIEW OF A JOURNAL of EIGHT DAYS JOURNEY, from PORTSMOUTH to KINGSTON UPON THAMES, ' through SOUTHAMPTON, WILTSHIRE, &c. 'WITH • Miscellaneous THOUGHTS, moral and religious; IN SIXTY-FOUR LETTERS: Addreffed to Two LADIES of the Partie. To which is added, 'An ESSAY ON TEA, confidered as pernicious to Health, ob'ftru&ting Industry, and impoverishing the Nation: with an Account of its Growth, and great Confumption in thefe 'Kingdoms; with several Political Reflections; and Thoughts 'on Publick Love: in Thirty-two Letters to Two Ladies. By Mr. H**** *.' [From the Literary Magazine, Vol. II. N° xiii, 1757. ] UR readers may perhaps remember, that we gave them a fhort account of this book, with a letter extracted from it, in November 1756. The author then fent us an injunction to forbear his work till a fecond edition fhould appear: this prohibition was rather too magifterial; for an author is no longer the fole mafter of a book which he has given S 2 given to the publick; yet he has been punctually obeyed; we had no defire to offend him, and if his character may be estimated by his book, he is a man whofe failings may well be pardoned for his virtues. The fecond edition is now fent into the world, corrected and enlarged, and yielded up by the author to the attacks of criticifm. But he fhall find in us no malignity of cenfure. We wish indeed, that among other corrections he had fubmitted his pages to the infpection of a grammarian, that the elegancies of one line might not have been difgraced by the improprieties of another; but with us to mean well is a degree of merit which overbalances much greater errors than impurity of style. We have already given in our collections one of the letters, in which Mr. Hanway endeavours to fhow, that the confumption of Tea is injurious to the intereft of our country. We fhall now endeavour to follow him regularly through all his obfervations on this modern luxury; but it can fcarcely be candid, not to make a previous declaration, that he is to expect little juftice from the author of this extract, a hardened and fhameless Tea-drinker, who has for twenty years diluted his meals with only the infufion of this fafcinating plant, whofe kettle has fcarcely time to cool, who with Tea amufes the evening, with Tea folaces the midnight, and with Tea welcomes the morning. He begins by refuting a popular notion, that Bohea and Green Tea are leaves of the fame fhrub, gathered at different times of the year. He is of opinion, that they are produced by different fhrubs. The The leaves of Tea are gathered in dry weather; then dried and curled over the fire in copper pans. The Chinese ufe little Green Tea, imagining that it hinders digeftion and excites fevers. How it should have either effect is not easily discovered; and if we confider the innumerable prejudices which prevail concerning our own plants, we fhall very little regard thefe opinions of the Chinese vulgar, which experience does not confirm. When the Chinese drink Tea, they infufe it flightly, and extract only the more volatile parts; but though this feems to require great quantities at a time, yet the author believes, perhaps only because he has an inclination to believe it, that the English and Dutch ufe more than all the inhabitants of that extensive empire. The Chinese drink it fometimes with acids, feldom with fugar; and this practice our author, who has no intention to find any thing right at home, recommends to his countrymen. The hiftory of the rife and progrefs of Teadrinking is truly curious. Tea was first imported from Holland by the earls of Arlington and Offory, in 1666; from their ladies the women of quality learned its ufe. Its price was then three pounds a pound, and continued the fame to 1707. In-1715, we began to use Green Tea, and the practice of drinking it defcended to the lower clafs of the people. In 1720, the French began to fend it hither by a clandeftine commerce. From 1717 to 1726, we imported annually seven hundred thoufand pounds. From 1732 to 1742, a million and two hundred thousand pounds were every year brought to London; in fome years afterwards three millions; and in 1755, near four millions of pounds, or two thousand tuns, in which we are not to reckon that which is furreptitiously introduced, which perhaps is nearly as much. Such quantities are indeed fufficient to alarm us; it is at least worth enquiry, to know what are the qualities of fuch a plant, and what the confequences of fuch a trade. He then proceeds to enumerate the mifchiefs of Tea, and seems willing to charge upon it every mischief that he can find. He begins however, by queftioning the virtues afcribed to it, and denies that the crews of the Chinese fhips are preferved in their voyage homewards from the fcurvy by Tea. About this report I have made fome enquiry, and though I cannot find that thefe crews are wholly exempt from fcorbutick maladies, they feem to fuffer them less than other mariners in any course of equal length. This I afcribe to the Tea, not as poffeffing any medicinal qualities, but as tempting them to drink more water, to dilute their falt food more copiously, and perhaps to forbear punch, or other ftrong liquors. He then proceeds in the pathetick ftrain, to tell the ladies how, by drinking Tea, they injure their health, and, what is yet more dear, their beauty. "To what can we afcribe the numerous com"plaints which prevail? How many fweet crea"tures of your fex languifh with a weak digeftion, "low fpirits, laffitudes, melancholy, and twenty dif"orders, which in fpite of the faculty have yet no "names, except the general one of nervous complaints? Let them change their diet, and among "other articles, leave off drinking Tea, it is more than "than probable the greatest part of them will be "reftored to health. "Hot water is alfo very hurtful to the teeth. "The Chinese do not drink their Tea fo hot as we "do, and yet they have bad teeth. This cannot be "afcribed entirely to fugar, for they ufe very little, "as already observed: but we all know that bot or "cold things which pain the teeth, deftroy them alfo. "If we drank lefs Tea, and ufed gentle acids for "the gums and teeth, particularly four oranges, though we had a lefs number of French dentists, I fancy this effential part of beauty would be much "better preferved. "The women in the United Provinces, who fip "Tea from morning till night, are also as remark"able for bad teeth. They also look pallid, and "many are troubled with certain feminine diforders "arifing from a relaxed habit. The Portuguese "ladies, on the other hand, entertain with Sweet"meats, and yet they have very good teeth: but "their food in general is more of the farinaceous " and vegetable kind than ours. They alfo drink "cold water inftead of fipping hot, and never taste fermented liquors; for these reasons the use "of fugar does not feem to be at all pernicious to "them. any " Men seem to have loft their ftature and come"linefs, and women their beauty. I am not young, "but methinks there is not quite fo much beauty Your very chamber" in this land as there was. "maids have loft their bloom, I fuppofe by fipping "Tea. Even the agitations of the paffions at cards " are not fo great enemies to female charms. What S4 "Shake |