Shortly after my arrival in England, I felt distressed respecting the means of procuring pure Tea, not drinking coloured Tea in my own country. I experienced that some of the largest hotels and leading restaurants seldom produced a beverage such as I could with pleasure drink. Upon trying the Tea supplied by Messrs. Horniman’s Agents, I found it excellent in every respect, and like to that I have been accustomed to use when at home. One object of my official visit to Europe being to collect special information bearing on the Industrial Arts, as evidences of Western civilisation, I must confess that both H. E. Li and myself derived mutual pleasure and profit in going over Messrs. Horniman’s Establishment. LO FONG LOH. _London, May, 1878._ [Illustration] TEA ITS MYSTERY AND HISTORY. CHAPTER I. LEGENDARY ORIGIN OF THE PLANT. According to the most authentic Chinese historians, the Tea plant was introduced from the Corea in the eighth century, during the dynasty of Lyang. Being both approved of and much relished by the Emperor it was extensively cultivated, so that it rapidly became popular with all sections of the community. As this story was too prosaic for general acceptation, the masses, and even certain sceptical _literati_, readily received a more poetical account, which, like many of our own nursery tales, veils some political allegory. The story runs, that in the year 510, an Indian prince--one Darma, third son of King Kosjusva--famed throughout the East for his religious zeal, landed in China on a Missionary enterprise. He devoted all his time and thought to the diffusion of a knowledge of God. In order to set an example of piety to others, he imposed on himself various privations and mortifications, forswore sleep, and, living mostly in the open air, devoted himself to prayer, preaching, and contemplation. However, after several years passed in this excessively austere manner, he involuntarily fell asleep. Upon awaking, so distressed was he at having violated his oath that, to prevent a repetition of such backsliding and never again permit “tired eyelids” to “rest on tired eyes,” he cut off those offending portions of his body, and flung them on the ground. Returning next day to the same spot, he discovered that his eyelids had undergone a strange metamorphosis, having been changed into a shrub the like of which had never before been seen upon the earth. Having eaten some of the leaves, he found his spirits singularly exhilarated thereby; while his former vigour was restored. Hence he recommended the newly-discovered boon to his disciples and followers, so that after a time the use of Tea rapidly spread. A portrait of Darma is given by Kæmpfu, the first authoritative writer on China. At the foot of the portrait is the representation of a reed, supposed to be indicative of the religious enthusiast having crossed rivers and seas in the pursuit of his mission. It is by no means difficult, out