at we call the 'beautiful
bloom' upon it, which is so much admired in Europe and America.
There is now no doubt that all these 'blooming' green teas, which
are manufactured at Canton, are dyed with Prussian blue and gypsum,
to suit the taste of the foreign 'barbarians;' indeed the process
may be seen any day, during the season, by those who give themselves
the trouble to seek after it. It is very likely that the same
ingredients are also used in dyeing the northern green teas for the
foreign market; of this, however, I am not quite certain. There is a
vegetable dye obtained from _Isatis indigotica_ much used in the
northern districts, and called _Teinsing_; and it is not unlikely
that it may be the substance which is employed. The Chinese never
use these dyed teas themselves, and I certainly think their taste in
this respect is more correct than ours. It is not to be supposed
that the dye used can produce any very bad effects on the consumer,
for, had this been the case, it would have been discovered before
now; but if entirely harmless or inert, its being so must be
ascribed to the very small quantity which is employed in the
manufacture."

In short, the black and green teas which are generally exported to
England and the United States from the northern provinces of China,
are made from the same species; and the difference of color, flavor,
&c., is solely the result of the different modes of preparation.

I shall make an extract, also, from Williams's "Middle Kingdom:"--

"The native names given to the various sorts of tea are derived for
the most part from their appearance or place of growth; the names of
many of the best kinds are not commonly known abroad. _Bohea_ is the
name of the Wu-i hills, (or Bu-i, as the people on the spot call
them,) where the tea is grown, and not a term for a particular sort
among the Chinese, though it is applied to a very poor kind of black
tea at Canton. _Sunglo_ is likewise a general term for the green
teas produced on the hills in Kiangsu. The names of the principal
varieties of black tea are as follows: _Pecco_, 'white hairs,' so
called from the whitish down on the leaves, is one of the choicest
kinds, and has a peculiar taste; _Orange Pecco_, called _shang
hiang_, or 'most fragrant,' differs from it slightly; _Hungmuey_,
'red plum blossoms,' has a slightly re