London Letters Home (1861-1865) of an American Apprentice Preparing for the Far East Tea Trade, Gus Farley Jr. (1844-1899), presents family letters and other original family materials in their historical and social context on both sides of the Atlantic. We see, through the eyes of a young American, his entry into the business culture of Dickens’ London and learn about the life and leisure of an apprentice tea-taster at the time. GUSTAVUS FARLEY, Jr. (1844-1899) came from a family of tanners, sea captains and public servants in Ipswich MA. He attended Mr. Allen’s progressive school. When he turned 17, the Civil War was gathering momentum, and his family sent him to London to apprentice in the Tea Trade with the goal of joining the prominent firm of Augustine Heard & Co, in China, managed by his cousins for their Uncle Augustine. Gus earned his Tea Tasting certificate in 1864. In China, Gus worked in Shanghai, then went to Yokohama, Japan, which had been opened to western commerce in 1859. By 1868, Gus was the head of the Yokohama branch of Augustine Heard & Co. But in 1875, the company went bankrupt and Gus with a fellow clerk, Jack Fraser of Edinburgh, formed Fraser, Farley Co. In 1880, Gus married Katharine Cheney (1854-1933), daughter of one of the founders of the Cheney Brothers silk mill and brought her out to Japan. In 1883, Capt. Varnum joined the firm, and Gus and Katharine moved to New York City to oversee the American side of business. Over the next 20 years, Fraser, Farley, Varnum & Co was the first to export 1,000,000 # black tea to USA, capitalizing on innovative tea processing, packing and marketing. The firm thrived until Gus’ death in 1899, and the death of Jack Fraser a year later.