The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1853-03-15
Sketch ef TIE Opium Grade.

l.,
vf Persia, but is now found growing as III o:nt-
mental plant in gardens throughout the civilized
world 1t is most extensively cuvatcdn India,
where it is estimated that more than l0O,Go0
acres Of the rich .lt,,s OF that country arc cccu
pied for this purpose, giving employment TO
many thousands OF mcn wo!nca and CHILDREN.
It's cultivation throughout is Very simple. The
seed Is suwn iii November, and the u!cc is col
lected during period of about six weeks IN Feb
r,,ary AID Marth The falling Of the flowers
from the plant is the signal for making incisols,
which is done in the C o Of the evening. with
: hooked knives, in a circular manner around the
Capsules. From these incisiors Il white milky
iuice exudcs, which is concrcted into Il dark
brown mass by the heat of the next days sun;
and this being scrapcd of every evening us the
plant continues to exude, it constitutes opium in
its crude state Iudia it is said, produces sixty
thousand chests of opium annually, each chest
varying in weight from l25 to 40 pounds.
Two of the principal localities for the cultiva-
ton of this drug in Bengal are subject to the
East India Company, and the manufacture and
traffic i'll it is strict monopoly of the govern
ment. In the Others, there is most oppressive
system of espionage established over the natives,
to an extent which throws the control of the
traffic iuto the hands of the same company. On
that which was raised i'll Malwa, a province lying
in the western part Of India, beyond the East
India Companys control, and which, in order to
reach Bombay, the principal market, has to pass
through certain territories of the Company, a
Transit duty of 400 rupees is levied. The in
come from this tax in 1916 was fl 100000,
which, with the revenue received the same year
at Calcutta, from the article. makes the sum to-
tai of income to the Company from it s3 ,O00,-
900.
The idea of sending opium from Bengal to
China originated in 1867. From this time to
1894 the trade in it met with but poor success.
In the latter year the English succeeded in sta
tioning one Of their ships laden with opium ct
Whampoa, where for more than year she lay
uumolested, selling out her cargo. In 1921,
owing to the difficulties attending the sale at
these places, the opium merchants withdrew all
their vessels from Whampoa and Macao, and
stationed them under shelter of Linten Island, in
the bay, at the entrance of Canton river, which
henceforth became the seat Of extensive trade
From these vessels it was taken in Chinese junks
and smugglers' boats, and retailed at various
ports along the shore. In lS47, it is said about
Fifty vessels were engaged exclusively in this
trade besides greater or less number which
were only partially freighted With the drug.
1t is stated that two and half millions dol
lars worth Of opium is annually imported into
Foochow, from whence it finds its way into the
interior. In that city alone there were, in 1913,
one hundred houses devoted to the smoking Of
the drug, while as many retailed the poison in
snail quantities.
As respects the progress and present extent Of
the trade, it is said that from 1794 to $50, the
amount exported to China varied from 5000 to
1000 chests per year. In 1887 it amounted to
between $4,000 and 10000 chests, valued at
So, 100000. From 1888 to 1913 the trade
was almost entirely interrupted by the war which
grew out of the attempts on the part Of the Chi
MI; tf;i1c was resumed with re-
newed vigor For the year ls4S, the amount
imported into China from Bombay, was 1911
chests, and from Calcutta, $4,000 chests, which,
at an average Of $3.50 per chest would amount
to S32,000,000 expended for this single article
of trade. Then the Chinese pay an advance on
this sum of several millions more which goes in
to the hands of the merchant the fruit of their
investment and labor in the trade
The principal use made of opium 10y the Chi
nese is in the form of smoking, Il practice to
which they become most pasSionatcly addicted.
The weather. orders do their smoking in their
own dwellings, but for the poorer classes there
are thousands Of shops fitted, in many Of the Chi
nese cities, with accommodations expressly for
smoking. Many of these shops are represented
to be the most miserable and wrctched places
imaginable. Rev. Mr. Squire, of the Church
Missionary Society, says of them-"Ncver, per-
haps, was there nearer approach to hell upon
earth than within the precincts of these vile how
els, where gambling is likewise carried on to
great extent" 1t is stated that there are one
thousand of these opium shops in the city of
Annoy. All classes in the community are ad-
dcted to the practice.
The effects of this drug upon the consumer
are thus described by distinguished Chinese
scholar: 1T exhausts the animal spirits, impedes
the regular performance Of business, wastes the
flesh and blood, dissipates every kind of property,
renders the person ill,favored, promotes obsccni-
ty, discloses secrets, violates the laws, attacks
the vitals and destroys life" This statement is
confirmed by other natives, and also by foreign
residents; and it is asserted that us 4 general
rule q person does not live more than ten wears
after becoming addicted to the Use Of this drug.
The Chinese government have made strong
efforts to cut off or restrict the traffic in this drug.
Public attention was directed to its injurious ct
fects in 1899, and in 1909 an edict was issued
requiring all ships dscharging their cargoes at
Whampoa, to give bonds that they. had no OPT
um Oh board. Still more stringent laws were
adodtcd in 1920. In 1884 an edict was issued
declaring that the injury done by the influx Of
opium, and by the increase of those who inhaled
it, was nearly equal TO a confayraton, and dc