Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-13

kind. which comes in o hard state in balls in
closed In the petals OF the poppy flowers. IL
Is the sort utilized for medicinal purposes and
Is imported in chests From Hong Kong di-
rectiy the best prepared smoking opium Is OBJ
tained and extraordinarily ingenious methods
are adopted by the Chinese to conceal the stuff
ON shipboard coming to this country.
HISTORY OF THE DRUG.
Opium had its origin somewhere in southwest
Asia The medicinal properties it possesses
were recognized from very ancient period.
Two thousand years ago and for some time later
1t was customary to extract the drug from the
entire plant From the first to the twelfth CEN
tury the only opium known to commerce was
that produced in Asia Minor. The poppy was
carried to India by the spread of Mohammedan-
ism, and in the provinces Of BENGAL and Malwa
the growing Of Il became subsequently pro-
Prietsry right of the Great Mogul, who regu-
larly farmed out the privilege. The plant was
India, however. the monopoly Of its cultiva-
ton passed in 1857 into the hands of the East
India Company through Lord Gives victory at
Plassey. From that time to this opium has
been an enormous source Of revenue to Eng
land from India. The Emperor Of China tried
his best to exclude its expectation TO his king
dom, even issuing ediets against the
smoking of opium, disobedience of which
was punishable by transportation or
death: Nevertheless, so rapidly did the vice
nearly the close of the eighteenth century the
importation of opium from India into China
amounted to only 200 chests, by 1920 it had
amounted to 1000 chests. In 1889 the Chinese
emperor made proclamation threatening
hostilities in case English opium ships serving
as depots for the drug were not sent away. At
the same time 10000 chests full were seized
and destroyed. Each chest contained about
$50 pounds and the entire value Of the mer-
chandise thus wiped ont was about SIC, 900 900.
he BRIT triaI To 0Oln
and war resulted. the outcome of which was
that Great Britain compelled China by IL treaty
signed in 1912 TO admit the drug to Celestial
ports. From mat time until today, despite the
protests of the Chinese government, exports Of
opium from India to China have steadily in
creased
THE GROWING OF THE OPIUM POPPY
in China also. however. has been developed so
extensively that more than twice the number
China alone as are devoted to the plant in
India. Methods of collecting the opium vary
somewhat but the usual plan is to slice the
seed pods delicately with knives and scrape off
the gum which eXudes. This gum is opium.
The better sort, which comes in balls, is pre-
pared by wOrkmen. each of whom sits upon a
stool with a brass cup in front OF him. He first
lines the cup with poppy petals to the thick
hess of half an inch, the petals being stuck to-
gether with glutinOus substance composed of
opium refuse and other things. Then he puts
iii the middle Il little lump of opium of a GER
tain weight. covering it afterward with
more poppy petals, that a round ball is
formed. The ball-one mar can make about
seventy in days dried for three days in the
sun, and after the opium is considered to be
entirely cured it is packed in chests.
OPIUM EATING AND SMOKING.
The eating of opium has been practiced from
very ancient times. though chiefly in Asia
Minor, India and Persia. Smoking the drug is
particularly Chinese vice--so much SO. in
fact that in 1873 il estimated that three out of
every ten of the population of China had the
habit of hitting the pipe" Wherever the Chi
nese have gone they have introduced this inter-
estinS amusement. In preparing crude
Opium for smoking it is first removed
from the petals, moistened and boiled
in pans for some hours until it has
arrived ut the condition of a thin paste
Then considerable quantity of water is added.
and the rich brown fluid thus obtained is drawn
off into another receptacle by siphon process
with a lamp wick made of a sort of pith. Next.
the huid Is evaporated by boiling and, after be-
ing removed from the fire. is stirred until cold
by coolies, who assist the process with large
fans At the end Of this performance the opium
looks something like molasses and is ready to
be sealed mp in half-pOund cans. 1t is COM
monty adulterated with flour, hquorice, clay,
pieces of lead and various gums.