ihe select of opium is well described by ill "Tes firat effect is the making the patient cheerful; it removes melancholy, and dissipates the dread of danger; the Turke always take it when they are going to attic; it afterwards quiets the spirits, enses pain, and disposes to sleep. After the effect is over, the pain generally returns in a more' violent manner; the: spirits become lower than befure, and the pulse languid.
"An immoderate dose of opium brings. on drunkenness, cheerfulness, and load laughter at first, and, after many terrible symptoms, death itself. Those who have accustomed themselves to an immoderate use of opium, are apt to be faint, idle, ud thoughtless; they lose their appetite, and grow old before their time."
Opium, since the time it was first imported into China, hae steadily increased, and is now, if I may use the term, multi plying every year, and 40 far as' can be Swen, 18 not likely to decrease very soup. Many reusous may and can by given for this, Although opium cultivation is prohibited by Goverment, atill it increases. to such an extent that i materially inter fores with the growing of grain, But for all that, the Mandarins shut their eyes, because they can squeeze amore from farmer who grows opium than from one who grows grain, The misery this drug some parts of Chins is indesoribe You need not yo very fur; for ance in this Provines, north of the Yangtze; say from Chinkiang, go ubout-three or four hundred W north along the Grand Canal, and then judge for yourself. There is one city close to the bed of the Yellow River, named Taing-king-poo in its vicinity you can reckon on cout. that amoke opium, No in the city and you will find that not only men but women smoke opium, and most of these people seem to be well formed. If you speak to them about it they say, it is you that brought it here."
Stil, I should think that most of opium consumed is grown there, for iti impossible that the people who have little: or no means can offerd to buy foreign opium, But the most opium, I believe, a present is grown in Saechuon, and an ox: Lovsive trade is carried om with the wame. Foreign opium costs from 2 to 300 cash an ounce; native, from 140 to 200 cash. The native produce of course is used by the poorer class, and the foreign by the higher and there likewise the majority either woke or chew opium, When L was in the Southern Provinces, in 1865-66, every soldier smoked opium} but I saw none grown thoro, J have lately heard from yood authority that the cultivation of opiaun making progeeos there fast, wus in other parts of China, As wforemid, the Mandarine shut their eyes to all this, #0 that Uney can make greater squeezes for which they are not responsible. The whole evil lies xt the root of the Central Gove The stratagem they have ly three hundred yours, from slipping through. their hands again, will sume day be their downfall, Yon well know that no official can hold a position in the place where he was born and brought up, whether he be of high or low rank those from the North are sent South, and those from the West are sent inst, where they know nothing of the people's ens-toriis, nor even, in many oases, spank their The only interest the otticial himself, knowing that limited; und 0 long as he fills is cutters, he cares but little about what is ying on around him—whether. the people grow rice or opi So long as the Central Government do not change this system, there is no likelihood of the decrease of opium culture, but the reverse.
So it is with gambling, which is pro hibited all through the empire; yet there no country in the world where there more gambling than in' Chins, In the in~ terior, the Mandarins go round regularly once every two or three mantis, to the gaming table.or gambling house, have a good feed, which has been all put in readiness, and after the repast have a little
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