I should like to say a few words concerning the sources of tea supply to the United Kingdom. Of course until fairly recent times practically all the tea came from China. Early in the last century it was found that the tea plant was indigenous to India. In 1825 the Society of Arts offered their gold medal “to the person who shall grow and prepare the greatest quantity of China tea, of good quality, not being less than 20 pounds weight”[9] in the East Indies and British Colonies. In 1832 Dr. Wallick made a report on the cultivation of tea in India and said “that under a well-directed management the tea plant may at no distant period be made an object of extensive cultivation in the Honourable East India Company’s Dominions.” Several years afterwards in 1839 the Society of Arts Medal was awarded to Mr. C. A. Bruce “for discovering the indigenous tea tracts and successfully cultivating and preparing tea in the British possessions in India.” In 1840 the first Indian Tea Company was formed, in 1853 tea was growing in Cachar, in 1856 in Sylhet, and in 1864 in Darjeeling and other places. Much more recently Ceylon has become prominent in supplying this country with tea. It came about in this way; the coffee plantations were destroyed by disease in 1868 and the planters succeeded in growing cinchona and tea as alternative crops. This experimental growth of tea in Ceylon has now become a flourishing industry. The following table shows in five year periods since 1866, the proportion of each 100 pounds of tea imported into the United Kingdom from India, Ceylon, China and other countries respectively: TABLE D. Five Year Other Periods. India. Ceylon. China. Countries. 1866-70 6·62 0·00 91·44 1·94 1871-75 10·50 0·08 85·62 3·80 1876-80 18·26 0·06 80·18 1·50 1881-85 26·73 0·86 70·71 1·71 1886-90 39·66 10·96 47·07 2·32 1891-95 47·10 29·30 21·04 2·56 1896-1900 50·25 36·30 10·52 2·93 1901-03 58·45 33·28 4·74 3·53 It appears that China which formerly supplied 90 per cent. in 1866, now contributes less than 5 per cent. of our tea. During the same period the Indian supply has gone up from 6 to 58 per cent., and Ceylon which only commenced to send tea in 1875 now sends the substantial proportion of 33 per cent. of the total importation.