The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-01-17 00:00:00

SUPPRESSION OF THE OPIUM TRAFFIC

WITH CHINA.

On Thursday, a meeting of the Society for the Sup-
pression of the Opium Smuggling in China, was held at
the Freemason's Tavern, Great Queen's Street, Lincoln's-
inn-fields, London. T. Chambers, Esq., ALP., presided.
The attendance was not very large. Before the Chairman
opened the proceedings, General Alexander informed the
meeting that the Earl of Shaftesbury, who was to have
taken the chair, had sent him a letter, in which the noble
Earl said that circumstances had occurred which ren-
dered it necessary that the chair should be taken by
another, at the same time expressing hii deep and
unabated interest in the suppression of the traffic. The
Chairman said the object of the meeting was to consider s
great cause—in fact, one of national importance. it was
also one of great importance to the Christian community
at large. It was a great question of trade—illicit trade
and mischievous trade. Opium, as they were aware,
grew in India, from whence it was sent to China, and the
mighty evils of the drug would be apparent from some
statements which he should have to make. In 1767 the
whole quantity of opium sent from India to China was 200
chests. and at that time it was grown, sold, and imported
solely as a medical drug, and a duty of about fifteen
shillings was imposed on each chest. The trade continued
in this legitimate state until, in 1800, the importation had
increased to 2,000 chests, when the rapid spread of demo-
ralization caused the Chinese government to pass very
stringent laws to prevent the continuance of the traffic in
it for illegitimate purposes. After stating several facts
in illustration of this baneful traffic, he said, it was the
duty of Englishmen to raise their voices against this
monstrous evil. If sugar and cotton were grown in
instead of opium, it would be a great blessing, as far as
the effect it would have upon the slave trade, and they
would not have to make so great a demand upon
America for cotton. The chairman then went into
a series of details showing the enormous traffic
in opium, and concluded by expressing a hope
that not only the people of England, but of all civilised
nations, would use their best efforts to stop its spread.
The Rev. Canon Miller moved the first resolution :
" That the contraband trade in opium in China is contrary
to the laws of God, and an impediment to the progress of
tae Gospel in that country, and injurious to the social
condition of the people." The rev. gentleman said it was
a disgraceful and cowardly act on the part of the East
India Company in forcing upon the people of China that
which they would be afraid to do in America. The Hon.
A. Kinnard moved the next resolution, and said it was tho
duty of the people to see that their representatives in
Parliament should demand that justice should be done in
the matter. Mr. Fowler seconded the motion, which was
carried unanimously. The Hon. and Rev. Baptist Noe/
then proposed the adoption of a petition to the House of
Commons, embodying the sentiments of the meeting, and
praying that measures might be taken to put down the
illegal trade now carried on in opium. The Rev. J. Red-
way seconded the motion, and General Alexander having
supported it, it was adopted, and the prooceedings termi-
nated.

IRISH REPRESENTATIVE PEERS.—The Right Hon.
Thomas Viscount De Vesci has been chosen by a majority
of votes to be the peer to sit in the House of Lords of the
United Kingdom, in the room of the late Cornwallis, Vis-
count Hawarden, deceased. The Right Hon. Somerset
Richard Earl of Belmore has been chosen by a majority of
votes to be the peer to sit in the House of Lords of the
Uunited Kingdom, in the room of the late James, Earl of
Bandon, deceased.
A BLIND NATURALIST.—Mr. Shirley Hibberd tells att
interesting anecdote in his account of his aquarium. The
fish, crabs, reptiles in his tank are mostly furnished him
by a wandering amphibious naturalist, who daily wades in
the Lea or New River, and, although stone blind, is an
expert huntsman, groping about with his hands, and thus
catching the prey; which done, he quits the water with his
sole companion, a dog, and without stopping to dry his
clothes, wanders off in search of purchasers.—The Leader.
'MORTALITY AMONG WIDOWS.—The Paris correspondent
of the Globe writes :—The very changeable weather which
we have experienced during the past week has proved fatal
to many old people, and especially to widows. In the
usual lists of deaths of the Bth and 9th instant, given in
the papers, I have counted, out of a total of 45, no less
than 15 widows, and the age attained by some of those
venerable relicts is calculated to substantiate the popular
bzlief in the longevity of that interesting class. Two died
at the age of 88, two at 86, and five at 74 to 30 ; the
remainder attained the respectable age of about 70. The
only comparatively juvenile widow, whose death took place
on the days in question, had reached her 65th year."

medical
kv have
Ehe aDn
beenCw t
,ot,hnfE.
latertht r
iArs csp.
several—er
distressingplon n ani3 one
ne
cases
ai
oaf strict of Roxburgsh ire there
al
dua
ymn,c
lree,ewsepahhi
techrhee have,ostfas
hour
been treating some of the cases, by the application of plas-
ters alleged to consist of vegetable or herbal preparation.
It is singular that imaginary cases of the disease hive arisen,
it is supposed out of the prevalent fear of it, and our medical
men have been called in to examine ailments which have
not been cancerous. To such cases the plaster of the party
mentioned have been applied, and the result has been as
the faculty aver, a large amount of suffering and illness,
ending in death in some instances. The faculty also con-
tend that real cases of cancer have been aggravated by the
means thus used, and they have started the question whether
it is their duty to attend to calls made upon them at the last
stage, after the patient has been undergoing a quack treat-
ment threatening to end in death.—Scotch, Paper.
WINE DUTIES REDUCTION.—Mr. Oliveria, M.P.. in a
communication dated Oporto, sth January, says :—At
Lisbon the prices of wines have very much risen, in conse-
quence of the last vintage having been a very short one,
a ndsitnocokpsohrteo the
held by
stocks
arechantrdcd to
seaureemucatit
much reduced; whilst
here pipes,
and only 15.000 have been entered as the produce of last
vintage, and the exports last year were 42,000 pines.
Many influential persons, both in Lisbon and Oporto,
favour the principle of a reduced duty in England, and it
is not improbable that local committees will be formed in
both cities to correspond with the committee in London,
and to assist in bringing about a mutual reduction of tariffs.
The new chamber has amongst its members a considerable
number who are inclined towards free trade principles, and
they intend to advocate their views. The export uf cattle
from Oporto increases very much, having lw.r, year
amounted to 4.268 head, as under : —To London, 3,427 ;
to Liverpool, 127 ; to Southampton, 712.