The Tea trade in China has taken alarm at our attempts on the Australian market. This is what the _North China Herald_ (an organ of the China Tea trade) said lately:-- There are no squeezing mandarins in India; there is European supervision in the packing and firing of the leaf, and the plantations are connected with civilisation by the railway and the telegraph. Everything is done to give India an unfair advantage over China. Consequently, India tea of the same quality is far cheaper in London than the ill-regulated produce of Hankow and Foochow, and it is only the conservatism of the consumer, _who is not yet entirely habituated to the Indian flavour_, that prevents our losses being much heavier than they are. Every year this preference for the leaf that has been longer known is wearing away, and our buyers will soon have to reckon with its disappearance. As yet, Indian Tea is hardly taken on the continent of Europe at all; but here, too, it will penetrate sooner or later, as it is doing into America and Australia, and then there will be no corner of the earth where the sway of China Tea will be undisputed. Until foreigners can supervise the packing of the leaf in China as they do in India, the produce of the latter country will continue to have an unfair advantage. The time no doubt will come when we shall be able to go up and buy the raw leaf on its native hills, pack it by our own methods, and bring it down by railway to Shanghai for shipment; but _for years yet we labour under the disadvantage of having to buy it just as the Chinamen choose to prepare it, without any real knowledge of the total crop at any time, or any immediate power to manipulate the Teas to suit the tastes of consumers_. Mark you, this is an enemy’s opinion. May his prognostications be accomplished to the letter! The following is from the _Tea Gazette_ lately received:-- THE CALCUTTA TEA SYNDICATE. We are glad to learn that this most useful body intends to continue its operations in opening up, wherever possible, new markets, although there will be no more soliciting supplies of Tea for Australia--the feeling being that the trade in this direction may now be left to take care of itself. The Tea Syndicate has done a great good, and those able to ship to Australia should at once arrange to take the fullest advantage of the opening made for them. We would have wished that the Syndicate had continued actively its operations there, but perhaps they are right in leaving, now, the further development of the trade they have so successfully founded to private enterprise. It will be the fault of owners themselves if they do not take advantage of the large market opened to them. I conclude my notice of Australia as a market by the following, also from the _Tea Gazette_. Matters there certainly look promising for the Indian planter:-- THE NEW AUSTRALIAN TEA ASSOCIATION.