Weekly national intelligencer., 1854-11-04
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER.
THE OPIUM TRADE IN CHINA,
And Anticipated Efforts IN England and the
United States for It's suppression.

We have examined with no ordinary interest a
series of letters, filling up supplement to late
number of the British Banner" on the above sub
iect. The forced contraband traffic in opium was
carried on in armed vessels sailing under British
colors, which vessels lie off the shore, run out to
American and English merchantmen, receive from
them the drug beyond the reach of Chinese au-
thority, and then run it into port in defiance OF
Chinese law and Chinese cannon. This abusive
violation of treaty obligations towards weak and
almost abject foe has awakened the indignant re-
monstrance of men of different nations and pursuits
in China. Among these are Of course to be found
the philanthropc class interested in the introduc-
tion of christianity among the people. The Brl-
tish Banner" is leading organ of this class OF the
population of England. In our own country an
appeal to Congress- similar to that proposed to be
sent to the British Parliament, was last winter
spoken Of The men who have taken the lead in
christian missions certainly have had high aims for
the welfare of humanity, and they are able to mar
shal mighty host to urge any moral appeal.
Without attempting at all to PREJUDICE the merits
of the plan proposed for the accomplishment of their
object. We hays tbauGhf agRHt iKfsrest our readers
Their author is, according to the Banner, ga gen.
tleman of education, position, knowledge, and ex-
perience."
This series of letters consists of seuea Of these
the first is Introductory, and suggests the plan the
writer proposes. In brief it is as follows:
" The only plan see that presents any reasonable
ground of hope of destroying this evil and
resting this wholesale punderng and numbering of the
NhInpln he nam has haap in a4n
tua in delivering bleeding Africa from the inquities Of
the slave trade viz for the British Parliament declare
the opium trade piracy engaging in to be felony and
forbdding the cultivation Of the poppy with the view
supply the Chinese market with opium in India by the
East India Government
" Let but the Parliament of the United Kingdom de-
clare the opium trade to be piracy and that every vessel
which carries the British flag engages in the trade
shall be seized by H. B NJ naval vessels and be confs-
Gated and the deahknell Of this accursed trade cursed
of God and men) will have been sounded Soon other
countries would follow her example, and the evil would
thus be entirely suppressed"
The second letter presents sad group of pic
lures of the evils arising from the use of opium,
drawn from the statements of natives and of resi-
dents in China. We make room for some Of the
sickening details:
The following statements made by literary man
named kingshan, of Marking September 1886: Opium
Is poisonous drug brought from foreign countries At
first opium smokers merely strive follow the fashion
Of the day. but in the sequel the poison takes effect the
habit becomes fxed the sleeping smokers like corpses
lean and haggard demons Such the injuries it
does to ife 1t throws whole families into ruin, dssi-
paes every kind of propertys and destroys himself
There cannot be greater evil than this In comparison
with arsenic, pronounce it tenod the greater poison
Tor those who smoke the drug in many ways
ls 1t exhausts the animal spirits Hence the youth who
smoke will shorten their days. and those in middle age
who smoke will hasten the termination of their years
ID Ii mpedes the regular performance of business 3d.
liz M Flesh ia alIy
away and consumed from the robust who smoke and
their skin hangs down like bags The faces Of the weak
who smoke black and cadaverous and their bones
naked as bets OF wood. 4th 1t disspates every kind
of property. 9TH 1t renders the person ill favored; mu-
Gus flows from their nostrs and from their eyes
their very bodies Putrd and rotten 6h 1t promotes
obscenity Ih 1t discovers secrets 9Th. It violates
law. 9th. 1t attacks the vtals 10TH 1t DESTROYS life
When he has pawned every thing in his possession he
will pawn his wife, and sell his daughters Such are the
inevitable consequences
:. ..Hwang Tseotsze in memorial to the Emperor
states that in this way by the opium trade) between
1929 and 1881 the country was drained to the annual
amount Of S24 0O0 600, between 1881 and 1884 it was
drained the annual amount of 28 000 00O and from
1884 to 1887 the annual drain has been more than
$4l0Q0,000.'
AT first merely used by the people of Canton
and Fuhken Provinces and those parts which border on
the sea now however, it has gone east and west it has
crossedth frontiers into Tartary Nor is there Province
in the Empire where it has not found its way At first
none but few depraved wreches of the male sex used
IL anu now we nnd tnat even Budhst and Taouis
married women, and young girls addicted the life
destroying drug.
..The distinguished Chinese statesman the late Com
missioner Lin in the extraordinary letter which he ad-
dressed to the Queen of England expresses the follow.
ing sentiments:
That in the ways of Heaven no paray exists and no
sanction is allowed the njurng Of others the advantage
of ones self that in mans natural desires there is not any
great diversity where is he who does abhor death and
seek life These universally acknowledged principles
Though not making of opium ones venture
theles on the manufacture and sale of it, and with to Sc
duce the simple folk of this land is seek ones own ve
hood by the of others DEATH sock ones
advantage by other mems injury and such bitterly
abhorrent to the nature of utterly opposed to the
ways of Heaven
The same Commissioner, in his address to foreigners
on the wckedness Of smuggling opium, Indignantly
asks:
'Why do you bring land the opium which in your
own lands Is not made of by it deaudDg men of their
properly aud causing injury to their lives? find that by this
thing you have educed and deuded people Of China these
tens years past and countless the unjust boards that
you nave thus acquired Such conduct indignation
In every human breast and is utterly nexcusae in the
eye OF Celestial reason II is then which Heaven
looks with dgust and who be that may oppose ts will
IL then your laws forbid 1t to be by yourselves
ana YET permit DC sold that be by Others
TINS nor IN conformity with the principle of doing unto
others what you would they should do unto you
such remonstrances and statements Of the evils re-
sultng to China from this traffic might be indefinitely
multiplied. But will conclude them bv the nobla dslc
ration of the late Emperor of China made in 1914 when
urged to egaze the tradea declaration which il worthy
Of being written the first page Of the Of
every kingdom on the face Of the earth:
Is prevent the introduction Of the so
ing poison gain and will for nros and