Lima, 24th June, 1882.
Dear Stt,—Replying to your private letter I have to say that, as far as my practical experience goes with our Celestial customers, I do not believe they are the worse, either physically or mentally, for their habit of smoking opium, except in very rare enses where, through excess, the habit has developed into real vice.
have on many occasions discussed this question with the leading Chinese merchants of Peru and I always have been assured by them that the habit is not deleterious, Employers of Chinese Inbourers all along the Peruvian coast allow their men a moderate use of the drug and facilitate even its sale to them, which they certainly would not do if it impaired their energies. the Chinese can be fairly compared with In my own opinion the use of opium
the use of tobacco by Europeans.
Yours faithfully,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.