PAPAVER S0MN1FERUM. 77 



It is found in the European market in flattish cakes, sprinkled 

 with pieces of dried leaves, and with the seed-capsules of some 

 species of Rumex. It should be of a rich brown colour when 



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recently cut, and of a tough consistency, and a tolerably smooth 

 and uniform texture. After exposure to air it becomes blackish 

 and harder. Its peculiar narcotic smell should be strong and 

 fresh, and unaccompanied by any burnt odour. Its taste is 

 bitter, and slightly warm and acrid. Those pieces which are 

 very soft, full of herbaceous impurities, containing patches of a 

 very dark brown or black extract, of an empyreumatic odour, 

 or not smelling duly narcotic, are in general adulterated, and it 

 is not uncommon to find stones, sand, bullets, and other impuri- 

 ties, in masses even of the best Opium. When this Opium is 

 carefully dried it becomes brittle, and affords a yellow-brown 

 powder. It burns with flames, and exhales an odour in which 

 may be traced some resemblance to that of animal matter ; its 

 specific gravity is about 1*3. 



A large quantity of Opium is made in India ; that which is 

 found in our market, under the name of East India Opium, 

 is generally darker coloured and less pure than the Turkey 

 Opium; it has less of the narcotic odour, and smells and 

 tastes and looks as if it had been injured by fire. But of the 

 genuine Indian Opium, little or none is brought to this country ; 

 about one-third is sent to the Eastern islands, and two-thirds to 

 Canton. It is rigidly prohibited in China, so that the whole of 

 it is smuggled into that country. In the year 1829-30, between 

 16,000 and 17,000 chests of Indian Opium are said to have been 

 imported into China, each chest containing about 133 pounds. 

 The Chinese use it chiefly for smoking, and prefer it to Turkey 



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the latter. The principal varieties of the Indian Opium are 

 Maleva and Bengal Opium. The former is in small cakes, of a 

 dark brown colour and resinous fracture ; the latter in balls of 

 about three and a half pounds weight, of a softish consistence, 

 and having a strong and pure taste and odour of Opium. 



