now become univerfally familiar with people of every rank. It is computed, that, almoft exclufive of the immenfe quantity of tea annually smuggled into thefe kingdoms, three millions of pounds at least are allowed every year for home comfumption in England.

Kæmpfer, to whom we are indebted for the most authentic account of this plant, informs us, that in Japan it is not cultivated in gardens or fields, fet apart for the purpofe, but only round their borders, and without any regard to the foil. In China, however, it is generally cultivated in large fields. When the plant is in its third year's growth, the leaves are firft plucked, which, at that time, are plentiful, and efteemed to be in their prime. In the fpace of about seven years the fhrub attains to the height of a man, but bearing, at this time few leaves, it is generally cut down to the ftem, with the view of producing fresh fhoots. It is alledged, that the best tea grows in a temperate climate; for that the country about Nankin in China, furnishes it in greater perfection than either Canton or Pekin, in the fouth and north of that empire.

The tea leaves are ufually gathered at three feafons; the firft about the latter end of February, or beginning of March, the fecond in the beginning of April, and the third about two months later. Some, however, make two, and others but one general gathering.

The method of preparing the tea is by drying the leaves over a furnace, after which they are rolled with the hands in one direction, while fome affiftants are fanning them, that they may cool the more quickly, and retain longer the curl they have received. This procefs is, it feems, repeated two or three times, or oftener, before the tea is laid up in the ftores.

Kæmpfer is of opinion, that the difference of teas depends upon the foil and culture of the plant, the age of the leaves when gathered, and the particular method of curing them; and that the quality of tea must be greatly affected by these circumftances is the more probable, as it is affirmed that there is only one fpecies of the tea-tree.

We fhall prefent our readers with a few of the author's obfervations on the effects of tea-drinking.

The generality of healthy perfons, find themselves not apparently affected by the ufe of tea: it feems to them a grateful refreshment, both fitting them for labor and refreshing them after it. There are inftances of perfons who have drank it from their infancy, to old age; have led at the fame time, active, if not laborious lives; and who never perceived from

R 4

the

the conftant ufe of it any ill effect, nor had any complaint which they could afcribe to the effects of this liquor.

1

Where this has been the cafe, the fubjects were for the mcft part healthy, ftrong, active, and temperate, both of one sex and the other. Amongst the less hardy and robust, we find complaints, which are afcribed to tea, by the parties themselves. Some complain that after a tea breakfast, they find themselves rather fluttered; their hands less steady in writing, or any other employ that requires an exact command. This probably foon goes off, and they feel no, other effect from it. Others again bear it well in the morning, but from drink-ing it in the afternoon, find themselves very easily agitated, and affected with a kind of involuntary trembling

There are many who cannot bear to drink a single dish of tea, without being immediately fick and difordered at the ftomach. To fome it gives great pain about that part, very excruciating, and attended with general tremors. But in general the moft tender and delicate conftitutions are most affected by the free ufe of tea; being frequently attacked with pains in the ftomach and bowels; fpafmodic affections; attended with pale limpid urine in large quantities; great agitation of fpirits, and a proneness to be difconcerted with the leaft noife, hurry or difturbance.

There is one circumftance however that renders it more difficult to investigate the certain effects of tea; which is, the great unwillingness that most people fhew, to giving us a genuine account of their uneafy fenfations after the free ufe of it; from a consciousness that it would be extremely imprudent to continue its ufe, after they are convinced from experience that it is injurious.

That it produces watchfulness in fome conflitutions, is most certain, when drank at evening in confiderable quantities.

Whether warm water would not fometimes do the fame, or any other aqueous liquor, is not fo certain.

That it enlivens, refreshes, exhilirates, is likewife well known. From all which circumftances it would feem, that tea contains an active penetrating principle, fpeedily exciting the action of the nerves; in very irritable conftitutions, to fuch a degree as to give very uneafy fenfations, and bring on fpafmodic affections; in lefs irritable conftitutions, it rather gives pleafure, and immediate latisfaction, though not without occafionally producing fome tendency to tremors and agitation bordering upon pain.

The finer the tea, the more obvious are thefe effects. It is perhaps for this, amongst other reasons, that the lower claffes of people, who can only procure the most common,

are

are in general the leaft fufferers. I fay, in general, because even amongst them, there are many who actually fuffer much by it: they drink it as long as it yields any tafte, and for the moft part hot, to add to its flavor; and what the finer kinds of tea effect in their fuperiors, the quantity, and the degree of heat in which it is drank, produce in them.

• It ought not however to pass unobserved, that in a multitude of cafes, the infufions of our own herbs; fage, for inftance, mint, baum, even rosemary, and valerian itself, will now and then produce fimilar effects, and leave that emptinefs, agitation of fpirits, flatulence, fpafmodic pains, and other symptoms that are met with in people, the most of all others devoted to tea.

That there is fomething in the finer green teas, 'that produces effects peculiar to itself, and not to be equalled by any other substance we know, is I believe admitted by all who have obferved, either what paffes in themselves, or the accounts that others give of their feelings, after a plentiful ufe of this liquor. Nor are the finer kinds of bohea teas exempt from the like influence. They affect the nerves, produce tremblings, and fuch a state of body for the time, as fubjects it to be agitated by the moft trifling caufes, fhutting a door too haftily, the fudden entrance even of a fervant, and other the like causes.

I know people of both fexes, who are conftantly feized with great uneafinefs, anxiety and oppreffion, as often as they take a fingle cup of tea, and who nevertheless, for the fake of company, drink several cups of warm water, mixed with fugar

and milk, without the leaft incovenience."

It may not be improper to give a farther extract from this author upon a fubject of fuch general importance to the public.

In treating of this fubftance, I would not be underftood to be either a partial advocate, or a paffionate accufer. I have often regretted that tea fhould be found to poffefs any pernicious qualities, as the pleasure which arifes from reflecting how many millions of our fellow-creatures are enjoying at one hour the fame amusing repaft; the occafions it furnishes for agreeable conversation; the innocent parties of both fexes it daily draws together, and entertains without the aid of fpirituous liquors; would afford the most grateful fenfations to a focial breaft. But juftice demands fomething more. It stands charged by many able writers, by public opinion, partly derived from experience, with being the cause of many grievous diforders; all that train of distempers included under the name of nervous, are faid to be, if not the offspring, at least

highly

highly aggravated by the ufe of tea. To enumerate all thefe, would be to tranfcribe volumes. It is not impoffible but the charges may be partly true. Let us examine the cafe with all

poffible candor.

The effect of drinking large quantities of any warm aqueous liquor, according to all the experiments we are acquainted with, would be, to enter Tpeedily into the course of circulation, and pafs off as fpeedily by urine or perspiration, or the encrease of fome of the fecretions. Its effects on the folid parts of the conftitution would be relaxing, and thereby enfeebling. If this warm aqueous fluid were taken in con fiderable quantities, its effects would be proportionable, and ftill greater, if it were fubftituted iuftead of nutriment.

That all infufions of herbs, may be confidered in this light, feems not unreasonable, The infufion of tea, neverthelefs, has these two particularities. It is not only possessed of a fedative quality, but also of a confiderable aftringency; by which the relaxing power afcribed to a mere aqueous fluid, is in fome measure corrected. It is on account of the latter, perhaps lefs injurious than many other infufions of herbs, which, befides a very flight aromatic flavor, have very little if any ftypticity, to prevent their relaxing debilitating effects.

So far therefore tea, if not too fine, if not drank too hot, nor in too great quantities, is perhaps preferable to any other vegetable infufion we know. And if we take into confideration likewife, its known enlivening energy, it will appear that our attachment to tea, is not merely from its being coftly or fashionable, but from its fuperiority in tafte and effects to moft other vegetables.

It may be of fome ufe in our enquiries to confider its effects where it has been long ufed, and univerfally. Of Japan we know little at prefent: of China we have more recent accounts; from these it appears, that tea of fome kind, coarfer or finer, is drank by all degrees of people, and copioufly; that the general provifion of the lower ranks efpecially is rice, their beverage tea. The better kind of people drink tea, but they live likewife on animal food, and live 'freely.

Of their difeafes we know but little, nor what effects tea may have in this refpect. They never bleed on any account. The late Dr. Arnot, of Canton, a gentleman who did his profeffion and his country honour, and was in the higheft eftimation with the Chinese, I am informed was the first perfon, who could ever prevail upon any of the Chinefe to be blooded, be their maladies what they might. It would appear from hence, that infiammatory difeafes were not extremely com

mon;

mon; otherwise a nation who seem so fond of life as the Chinese are reputed to be, would by fome means or other have admitted of this almoft only remedy in fuch, cafes. May we infer from hence, that inflammatory diseases are lefs frequent in China, than in fome other countries, and that probably one cause of this may be the constant and liberal use of this infufion? perhaps if we take a view of the ftate of difeafes, as exactly defcribed a century ago, and compare it with what we may obferve at prefent, we may have a collateral support for this fuggeftion. If we confider the frequency of inflammatory difeafes in Sydenham's time, who was both a confummate judge of thefe difeafes, and defcribed them faithfully, I believe we shall find they were then much more frequent than they are at prefent; at least I have been informed fo by fome able and obferving people of the faculty, who moftly agree, that genuine inflammatory diseases are much more rare at prefent, than they were at the time when Sydenham wrote. It is truc, this difpofition, admitting it be fact, may arise from various caufes; amongst the rest, it is not improbable but tea may have its fhare.'

It is certain that tea drinking is not equally injurious to all conftitutions; but from the fymptoms it excites in perfons of an irritable state of body, and alfo from the effects of the infufion of that herb applied to the nerves of living animals, we must neceffarily admit it to poffefs fuch a fedative quality as is found in narcotic fubftances, and which feems to exift chiefly in tea of the highest flavour. In treating of the effects of tea, the author of this treatife fteers in a middle course but if the ladies fhould be diffatisfied with the most moderate restraints refpecting the ufe of this favourite exotic, we must leave them to adopt the opinion of Dr. Bontikoe, a Dutch physician, who maintained that it may be drank with safety to the quantity of one or two hundred cups in a day. It is proper to obferve, however, that Bontikoe's vindication of tea was published at a time when the Dutch entirely engroffed that trade, and were folicitous to extend the confumption of their new commodity over Europe.

XII. Conjectural Obfervations on the Origin and, Progress of Alphabetic Writing. 8vo. 3. Cadell.

THE

HE art of writing is certainly very ancient, as is evident from the books of Mofes, which were written above 1450 years before the Chriftian æra. And, indeed, commerce could not have fubfifted long without it. Some marks must

Mofes died A. M. 2553, before the Flood 897, bef. Chr. 1451.