Amount of duty received on tea:—
| £ | Prices of Sound Common Congou per lb. | ||||||
| 1841 | 3,973,668 | 1s. | 7d. | to | 2s. | 0d. | |
| 1842 | 4,088,957 | 1 | 7 | to | 1 | 10 | |
| 1843 | 4,407,642 | 1 | 0 | to | 1 | 2 | |
| 1844 | 4,524,093 | 0 | 10 | to | 1 | 0 | |
| 1845 | 4,833,351 | 1 | 0 | to | 1 | 9½ | |
| 1846 | 5,112,005 | 0 | 9 | to | 0 | 9½ | |
| 1847 | 5,066,860 | 0 | 8½ | to | 0 | 9½ | |
| 1848 | 5,330,515 | 0 | 8 | to | 0 | 8½ | |
| 1849 | 5,471,641 | 0 | 8½ | to | 0 | 9½ | |
| 1850 | 5,597,708 | 0 | 10½ | to | 1 | 1 | |
| 1851 | 5,902,433 | 0 | 8 | to | 0 | 8½ | |
| 1852 | 5,986,482 | 0 | 7½ | to | 2 | 2 | |
Mr. Montgomery Martin, in his work on China, published in 1847, gave the average annual consumption of tea, the produce of China, as follows:—
| lbs. | |
| Great Britain and Ireland | 45,000,000 |
| British North America and West Indies | 2,500,000 |
| Australasia, Cape of Good Hope, &c. | 2,500,000 |
| British India and Eastern Islands | 2,000,000 |
| Total used throughout the British Empire | 52,000,000 |
| United States of North America * | 7,000,000 |
| Russia | 10,000,000 |
| France and Colonies | 500,000 |
| Hanse Towns, &c. | 150,000 |
| Holland and its Colonies | 1,000,000 |
| Belgium | 200,000 |
| Denmark, Sweden, and Norway | 250,000 |
| The German States | 500,000 |
| Spain and Portugal | 100,000 |
| Italian States | 50,000 |
| South American States | 500,000 |
| Total consumption in foreign countries | 20,250,000 |
| [* This is only one-third the actual consumption.] | |
According to this statement, it would seem that the English consume twice the quantity of tea that is used by all the other countries excepting China and Japan.
The consumption of tea in Europe and America I estimated a year or two ago as follows:—
| lbs. | |
| Russia | 15,000,000 |
| United States of America | 18,000,000 |
| France | 2,000,000 |
| Holland | 2,800,000 |
| Other countries | 2,000,000 |
| Great Britain | 50,000,000 |
| Total | 89,800,000 |
The estimated consumption, at the rate of consumption found where taxation is favorable (as for instance 1½ pounds—the average of this country) would give the following:—
| cwts. | |
| England | 400,000 |
| France | 510,000 |
| Germany | 400,000 |
| Austria | 500,000 |
| Prussia | ... |
| Belgium | 63,000 |
| Russia | 900,000 |
| Rest of Europe | 750,000 |
The total exportation of tea by sea from China, was estimated by Mr. Martin in 1847 at 76 millions of pounds, viz.:—