^ate

THE WHITE POPFY.

1279

Quantity and Total Value of Indian Opium consumed in China duringthe Years ending- in 1832-33:—

Pdtna.

Benares.

Malwa.

Total.

Chests.

Chests.

Chests.

Chests (of one pecul, orabout 133J lbs. avoird.)

Amount in Spanish Dollars.

4006

1128

4401

9535

10,425,075

4831

1130

7171

13132

12,533,215

5564

1579

6857

14000

12,057,157

5085

1575

12100

18760

12,904,263

4442

1518

8265

14225

11,501.584

6410

1880

154031

23693*

15,352,429

Co ° r - ^ knows that these enormous quantities of opium were smuggled into China th'^fed '! n T ,Vance of the local authorities) for the purpose of smoking. The vesselslo e C'hj n " ,n tin, about 70 miles from Canton, and delivered the opium to the boats ofe buyers. “ Malwa opium is considered by the Chinese as having a higher> ct P”*- S0 me ^ ow nor so pleasant in flavour as the Patna opium. The smokeableIt »piu m Ch Cac ^ •inanity of opium contains is thus intimated by the Chinese, — (who(finite 4H. a ? r we ( i° wine or spirits):—Patna and Benares opium 45 to 50 touch ;C it. jj ’ . a i"’ a 70 to 75; average 72£ ; Turkey 53 to 57; average touch 55.”4| 1,,e °U s ev| lrtln ’ °P' sv P Ta c *f p. 366). The smokeable extract here referred to is ank n,c b fi ave ract °f opium prepared by the Chinese . A detail of the important eventsjfOple to« , resu i tc d from the active and extraordinary steps taken by this remarkableSay ,l a . s t°p to the trade in opium, would be out of place in this work. Suffice0 Juiig’ w , at ’ 111 1839, no less than 20,283 chests of opium, valued at nearly 3,000,000ball 1,1 in 6,6 ivered up to the Chinese , and by them destroyed by immersing thep °' v ing j|'^ ater "id* lime and salt, and, when the whole hail become a fetid mud,l ° esca P e into the river (see Asiatic Journal, vol. xxx. part ii. p 310). Alsoq ° n Trade with China, No. 359,1840; and Corresp. relating to China , 1840).

^ < 1 Pical° S - ITl0X .—hew substances have been so repeatedly submitted tol 0| irs ^) ve stigation as opium. The mere reference to the different1 c aq ( j’ " al] ch have been bestowed on it, would occupy more space thant| °*'Ces ° V f^ le subject. I must, therefore, content myself with brief* e Sncp°L the most important epochs in its chemical history, and a1 18 fi^° S ° me ^ le alla ly scs which have been made of it.

tk ^ So ^ >erosne {Ann. de Chim. xlv. 257) discovered narcotina. In9 u 6 exist , UniCr ( TrommsdorjTs Journ. 1805, Bd. xiv. 1 , S. 47) announced>5; a ( ; ncc °f meconic acid and morphia. Seguin {Ann. de Chim. xcii.a i Ann. de Chim. et Phys. ix. 282) appears to have discoveredsame time. Ilobiquet (ibid. v. 275) confirmed thesea e f 1814. In 1826 meconine was discovered by Dublancr'l to gain in 1830 hy Couerbe { ' Ibid - L 337 )- In 1832 Pelletierp 259 ^ discovered narceina: and in the same year Ilobiquet {Ibid.

5 ' (r al jj? n °unced the existence of codeia. In 1837 Merck {Pharm.subsj a ~t‘ 1837, S. 342) announced the existence in opium of a

tailCe "hich he called porphyroxin, but his statement requires(7>^^aly§p„ e

s rQr>l nisd opium have been published, in 1800, by Bucholzin°i q 9 Journ. viii. S. 24), in 1804 by Sertiimer, in 1814 by|, ll( hnp r , 817 by Braconnot {Journ. de Phys. lxxxiv. 225), in 1818 by(j Qtl db .-looted by Schwartze, Pharm. Tab.), in 1819 by John (Gmelin,ii. 1244), in 1823 by Pfendler {Chem. Abhandl. ii. d.1 Sgg 1 lf ® 1823), in 1824 by Lindbergson (Gmelin, op. supra cit.),0 >' Merck {Ibid.), in 1826 by Geiger {Ibid.), in 1831 by Biltz