Public-domain ebook
Language: en1,096 downloads on Project Gutenberg
Subjects
In: History - Modern (1750+)·Science - Biology·Nutrition
Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #65628.
The work is a scholarly treatise on the tea‑tree, first issued in 1772 and re‑issued in 1799 by the physician John Coakley Lettsom. It begins with a practical note on the layout of a large table of botanical data, advising readers to view it in a monospaced font and explaining the placement of footnotes and plates. The opening pages then trace the history of the edition, citing earlier dissertations, recent Chinese embassy reports, and Lettsom’s own observations on the plant’s introduction to Europe, its cultivation at Kew and other gardens, and the scarcity of living specimens. The author promises a concise survey of the botanical description, the preparation of tea, and the medical opinions that have accumulated, while also acknowledging the contradictions and gaps in contemporary knowledge.
Written in the formal, didactic prose of the late‑eighteenth century, the text combines meticulous botanical description with a conversational appraisal of tea’s effects. Its style reflects the period’s reverence for authority, frequent references to Linnaeus, Kæmpfer, and other scholars, yet Lettsom intersperses personal anecdotes and experimental notes. Readers who enjoy historic scientific literature, the early study of plants, or the cultural history of tea will find the volume both informative and evocative of its age.
The opening · free to read
Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (italics).
The long-form ſ character has been replaced by the modern s.
Footnote anchors are denoted by [number], and the footnotes have been placed at the end of the book.
There is one large very wide table on page 24 of the original book. This has been split into six parts, with the first column replicated for readability. It is best viewed with a monospace font. The two footnotes specific to this table have been placed under the table, as in the original book, and are marked by † and ‡.
The list of Plates in the original book, and in this etext, is at the end of the book.
There are frequent abbreviated references to Kæmpfer’s Amœnitatum Exoticarum (Amœn. Exot. and similar).
Changes to the text are noted at the very end of the book.
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