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CHAP, xxvir.
ports of China by some Europeans, which consistschiefly in supplying the prohibited drug, opium,it is represented that a large portion of a peculiarkind of silver is delivered in payment—it is di-stinguished by the name of Syce silver, and hasbeen supposed to be exclusively the productof the native mines. A better knowledge has,however, taught us that it is indifferently eitherChinese or American, or any other silver whichhas undergone the process of refining, and madeso pure as to contain only two parts of alloy toninety-eight parts of silver. It has been saidthat large portions of this silver are smuggled out;but the term large, when applied by an individualillicit trader, may have a very different meaningfrom what it bears in the language of one who istreating of the whole export of an empire of suchextent, and containing so many millions of in-habitants as are to be found in China . We areinduced to make this remark from observing thatin the year 1828, when the export of silver fromChina to Calcutta was two million two hundredand forty-four thousand three hundred andtwenty dollars, the Syce silver was only nineteenthousand two hundred and ten, and all the restwas either in Spanish dollars, or in ingots ofSouth American silver 1 . It is known that gold
1 See the examination of W. S. Davidson, esq., March 3,1830, and of Robert Rickards, esq., March 22, before theCommittee of the House of Commons .