A CUP OF TEA.

Otago Witness, Issue 1765, 19 September 1885, Page 27

A CUP OF TEA.

I haVe often thought that if honour were always given where, honour is due, there should be a national monument erected to the memory of the man who first introduced tea into England. At least every woman should subscribe thereto, for every woman, from our good Queen down to the poorest seamstress that makes her -home in a London garret, owes a debt of gratitude to the soothing herb. And " the sun never sets on its might " — from 'Frisco to New York, from London to Suez, from Bombay to Galle, from Galle to Melbourne, somewhere or other, at some hour of the day, someone is making tea.

It is a summer afternoon, and the girls are ' trooping into the Rectory verandah, flushed and panting from a game of tennis, and then how delicious, how refreshing is the cup of tea handed to each one by the trim, demure wait-iug-maid.

It is four o'clock in the afternoon, and Mrs Talkabout has come to call on Mrs Stayathome

Presently the tea-lray is introduced, with its quaint china and shining silver, and plato of thin bread-and-butter ; ' and as the dear old ladies sip the innoxious draught, what gossip they do retail ! — How difficult it is to get servants ! how the girls want the very highest wages, and are utterly useless ! how they insist on having every evening to themselves, and yet want to go out on Sundays.

" But is it true, my dear Mrs Talkabout, that young Mrs Goodchild actually took her baby out when it was only a fortnight well from the measles ?"

" Quite true, Mrs Stayathome ;' and, more than that, she took it with her when she went to see Mrs Quiverfull, and now there are half-a-dozen young Quiverfulls ill."

" You don't say so ! How very wrong ! How thoughtless ! If any of them were to die I should think she never could forgive herself." " No, indeed. But, my dear Mrs Stayathome, have you heard that extraordinary story about the way pretty Mrs Featherly and young Carele&s went on at the assembly the other night ? " " No, indeed. What was it ? " " Oh, my dear, it was shocking— scandalous ! I really cannot tell you. Oh really " " Let me give you a little more tea, my dear ; your cup is quite empty." And before that second cup is finished the full particulars of the episode have been detailed and fully discussed between the two amiable old dames.

There is a pause in the dance, and young Golightly persuades Miss Brighteyes to leave the hot and stifling ball-room, and seek refreshment in a cup of tea in the supper-room. But they find it absolutely necessary to retire to that dark corner of the conservatory, because tea cools so much better in the dark. And the sugar is so poor that they each require a hand to stir it. And it is obviously impossible that ehe can hold the cup unassisted. And there is something so strange in the composition that both heads are bent over the cup closely, long and earnestly. But listen ! there is the band playing a waltz— their waltz. They hasten away upstairs ; a servant comes to look for the cup, and finds it untasted, after all ! Mrs Murphy has just finished a long day's work, ironing, baking, scrubbing— who knows what. The children fled before her all day long, for woe betide the unhappy urchin that dared her wrath; but now, at sunset, she stirs the lire till the kettle sings, then soon the fragrant leaves are put into the brown earthenware pot and scalded well— then, with her cup of tea before her, she folds her-hands contentedly, and " Afthor I do be sweating away all day lone; nothing does me good like a dhrop o' tay " The digger returning 'worn out from his claim,

the traveller by rail or coach, the miserable swagsman footing for many a mile, the shepherd in his lonely hut, the sailor chilled and dripping from his winter night watch, the soldier lying in the hospital torn with wounds and moaning — each one and all find their best comforter, their strongest support, their most reliable stimulant in a cup of tea. But, if moved hy gratitude, all classes combined to erect a monument to the great benefactor who first made known this universal luxury, the question would arise — " Who was he ? "

Strange and sad to say, the name of this true benefactor of 'mankind is not known, or rather it is a matter of doubt. The names of kings who have sacrificed thousands of human lives to further their own ambitious aims are remembered, and perpetuated in bron'/.e and marble ; the names of statesmen whose laws have added burden after burden to a people groaning under unjust taxation are treasured in their country's annals ; the names of daring explorers, of warm-hearted philanthropists — nay, the names and deeds of highwaymen and cut-throats are remembered ; but forgotten is he who added another blessing to mankind.

It is thought that tea was introduced into England by Lords Ossory and Arlington in 1666, but that veracious chronicler of small-beer, Mr Samuel Pepys, having sent for a cup of tea — a China drink of which lie had never drunk before — as early as the 25th October, 1660 ; and earlier still — on the 30th of September, 1658 — the Mercurius Policticus had the following advertisement :—: —

That excellent and hy all physicians" approved China drink, Called by the Chineans Telia, by other nations Tay, alias Tee", is sold afc the Sultaness He^d Coffee-house, in Sweeting's limits, by the Royal Exchange, London. This advertisement gives us a hint as to what was at the time considered as the correct pronunciation of the name of the shrub tay, and the poetry of the day fully bears out that in point of fact most words ending in ea were then pronounced a.

At first there was great outcry and much opposition to the introduction of this most excellent beverage. The doctors said that many new diseases were caused by the new drink ; other people said that it was the cause of much idle talk and scandal (as indeed who shall say but that they are not far wrong?). His Reverence Dean Swift attacked it with his virulent wit, and wrote thus : Let me now sun ey Oiu- madam o'er her morning tea, Surrounded with the noisy claiih Of prudes, coiiuultes, and harridan =. Now voices over voices risf, While each to be the loudest vies : They contradict, affirm, dispute, No single tongue one moment mute ; All mad to speak, and none to hearken, They set the very lap-dog barking. ThPir chattering makes a louder din Than fishwives o'er a cup of gin ; Far less the rabble roar and rail When drunk with sour election ale.

One Hannaway became famous by his abuse of tea, and expresses his disgust to find that actually six ships and about five hundred men were employed in the trade between England and China.

The following quaint old advertisement gives an idea of the price of the herb while it yet was new and uncommon — how different from nowadays, when he is poor indeed who cannot afford a cup of tea at least twice a day :—: — Tea in England has been sold in the leaf for £10 the pound weight, and in respect of its former scarceness and dearness it hath only been used as> a regalia in high treatments and entertainments, and presents made thereof to princes and grandees in the year 1057. The said Garwav did purchase a quantity thereof, and first publicly sold the said tea in leaf or drink, made according to the directions of the most knowing merchants into these Eastern countries. On the knowledge of the said Garway's continued care and industry in obtaining the best ten, and making drink thereof, very many noblemen, physicians, merchants, &c, have daily resort to his house to drink the drink thereof. He sells tea from 16s to 50a a pound.

It is said that the earliest importers of tea — the Dutch — obtained their first cargoes without paying any money. They took parcels of sage to China, and the Chinese were so delighted with the herb that they eagerly exchanged us much as four pounds- of tea for one pound of sage. The canny Dutchmen carried on this profitable game till every garden in Holland was stripped bare, and you could not get as much sage as would flavour the stuffing for a Christmas goose. The novelty made its way but slowly, for in 1687 we read of a nobleman noting in his diary as a strange occurrence that he and a friend of his had drunk a cup of tea. In Queen Anne's veign it was a common beverage of the middle classes.