A History of Assam c24.4

c24.4

Nothing further seems to have happened until 1832. In that year Captain Jenkins was deputed to report on the resources of Assam, and the existence of the tea plant was pressed upon his notice by Mr. C. A. Bruce. Its identity with the tea of commerce was still doubted by the Calcutta botanists, but its existence was believed to prove that the latter would thrive in India, and Government decided to take steps to introduce it. A Tea Committee consisting of seven civilians, three Calcutta merchants, two native gentlemen, and Dr. Wallich of the Botanical Gardens, was appointed to further this object, and its Secretary, a Mr. Gordon, was sent to China to procure plants, seeds and persons skilled in tea manufacture. Meanwhile fresh enquiries were instituted in Assam under the auspices of Captain Jenkins, and the reports submitted by him and Lieutenant Charlton at last convinced the botanists, the Tea Committee and the Government of the identity of the Assam plant with that of China.