"Inspector Walters, of the P division, stated that he should be enabled to throw some light upon the subject of what the boy termed 'picking tea leaves.' The inspector then said that for the last month a number of poor persons, of both sexes, were observed in the fields adjacent to Camberwell, picking leaves out of the hedges. To such an extent, in fact, had this picking system lately been carried, in and about that neighbourhood, that many of the hedgerows were completely divested of their foliage. He had questioned some of the people as to the purposes for which the leaves were intended, and he had the same reply from all, namely, that they were employed by a cowkeeper, who gave them a penny a pound for sloe and black thorn leaves, and half that sum for white thorn leaves. One man told him that he picked between 50 and 60 lbs. a day, and always had a sure market for selling them to the cowkeeper. On a recent occasion a gentleman resident in Camberwell complained that the hedge surrounding one of his fields had been entirely stripped of its leaves, but he objected to give any person into custody for the damage committed on his property, but warned them not to be seen there again. The inspector added that the circumstance had created some surprise at Camberwell, and he had instituted an inquiry into the matter, in the course of which he ascertained that the statement made to him by the persons found picking the leaves was perfectly correct as to the party whom they supplied. The next step was to discover how the cowkeeper disposed of the leaves, and this was accomplished by placing persons to watch his premises, when it was found that they underwent no process while in his possession, but were sent in bags to extensive tea dealers in the city, to whose warehouses they were traced from the cowkeeper's yard in Camberwell. "Mr. Chambers inquired what steps had been taken after tracing leaves of that description to the house of a tea dealer. It looked, certainly, very suspicious, for he heard reports of tea being adulterated with sloe leaves. "The inspector said that information of the fact of such leaves as those he had described having been received at a tea warehouse was given to the Excise, and he had no doubt but they intended to act forthwith upon it." CHAPTER XV. 1833. The Queen's visit to the City--Her unpopularity--King's dislike of the Duchess of Kent--Hungerford Market opened--Death and funeral of Wilberforce--Abolition of slavery--Synopsis of Act--A Women's rowing match--List of periodicals and their circulation--Return of Captain Ross--State of Ireland--Passing of "Coercion Bill," etc. The poor Queen was still very unpopular, as we read in the _Times_ of June 15th--