rte all writers on the native growth of opium in China have admitted the lity of obtaining reliable stati tics. The Chinese themselves are quite untrustworthy, Their personal observa.
very limited and extends merely to their own district or at to their own province. he Com of Customs have all admitted this didiculty, and the figures they give, they tell us, are merely approximative and not at all' anthoritative. Ihe Inspector General admits the same difficulty. He says reliable statiatice cannot be obtained" and to shew the wide divergence of estimate he quotes sumption is supplied aclely and exclusively by the Chinese-grown product. At any rate will he on the safe side by declaring that in the six provinces designated the import of Indian drug does not reach 100 chests." There is said to bea good deal of " reckless system of cre and financing in regard to strawbraid, si propriety perhaps be ase purely imaginary speculation native growth. There is not a single fact adduced. From the beginning to the end the whole affair ig pure inference, and the above quotations will demonstrate ite airy and flunsy character. The Tientsin, Chefoo, Chinkiang, Kiukiang and Hankow dealers in opium could perhaps tell " different tale. It is not the business of the Customs nor the interest of opium dealers to appear in print, publicly flaunting their sales and revenue from opium. But the writer under review has not yet reached the end of his reliable statistics. He has not yet taken into account Chihli, Manchuria, Mongolia or Shantung, where the rope sre vary largo. The Boeey growth fukien and the Two igs is now also considerable. But as he can only obtain an estimate from three provinces, which certainly produce more opium than any of the rest, it is not unreasonable to suppose in the other provinces named, in four of which the growth is great, that at least 185,000 ploule were produced. Ho id raise a fair contention from facts in his possession that the yield was equal to that of Szechuen, YOouan and Kweichow, but he adopts a low estimate that may have a right to assert that the yield for 1880 was at least 400,000 piculs, Would it be too much to ask for the duction of the facts upon which these estimates are based? We know of no estimate which fires the yield at anything assumed; and in fact given by a Consular authority, S.W. inces the
which are our best and Intest, are not anything like what is hero advanced, even allowing for a certain yearly increase, "In 1881 there was a general and sensible increase, but the amount of excess is of course unknown." Any one may try this style of arriving at estimates of the native growth; it is not difficult, Grant certain premises and the conclusions follow. The
ving, 80 we have the which growth hae been gradually impro~ follows quite logically that "the nati grown opium of 1881 was also of botter quality than had been the case before." "Tu 1882 the growth," writing on the 2nd. March," es enormous, i very much lrgor than heretofore, and other provinces are beginning the cultivation," And further on we, haves that loin from of the 8. are very surprising. Pia Hankow giving reporte of the poppy crops
the product of opium will be fiume la these provinces. 'I'here are valid reasons for supposing that the yield in 1882 will be much more than tenfold greater than that of 1880. The estimate has been purposely pitched low." From the iucroaso in the native growth, it is easy to prodicate as he does the increased consumption of the drug. And in the midst of those exhaustive surmises about the native growth we have an equally cautious ment about the mortality returns of the capital—whether foreign or Chinono, is however not As no foreigners have died, we may infer ho refers to Chinese.
deaths, always numerous in the cold season, have this year been more than the average number." Fortunately the increased consumption of opium is not attributed as the cause, 'This writer strikingly resembles another—signing himaolf Panurge' and a atill later one, <Pontagruel,? in the same pay views held a.e precisely ident previous communication, for we the writer to be one and the same he correctly describes him: no certain basis and as having, Laodiceans like, no settled opinions on things in general worth mentioning." He is quite mistaken in his supposition about Russia allowing the Khanates to grow opium for sale in China, there being in his view no reason why they should not, and that Russia la free to do likewise whenever she He would be a bold man who should call in question the views of such an authority on Russian relations, for according to our surmise, he has lived in Russia for several years. But Pantagruel? will find his views need connection here, Russia is not at all likely to import opium into China, The new treaty cou-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.