Sixteen chests of imitation opium that were seized by revenue officers on board the steamers Ghenogle and Seang Choon recently, at Singapore, and for which the Government Monopolies Department asked the second magistrate to make out confiscation order, are still in the hands of the department. According to the statement of Mr. Brooke, the analyst, the composition contained no opium at all, in any form, but could be made indistinguishable from real chandu, except by analysis. The Magistrate has informed the department that he could not make an order to confiscate under the ordinance relating to opium cause there was no svgestion of opium about it. The chests will therefore remain in the stores until the owner proves his title to them. It is hardly likely that he will do so.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.