THE OPIUM TRADE. 171 



by such returns that 54,532 chests of opium, containing 

 one pecul, or 133s Ibs. each, were sold in China in 

 1849. Say price in Calcutta 1100 rupees, or 550 dollars, 

 sale price in China say 600 dollars 32,719,200 dollars. 

 The import of opium into China is shown to be 

 more, by the evidence of Government itself, than 

 is stated iu the above returns, taken from the tables 

 of the Parliamentary Committee, and from the " China 

 Overland Mail." Beyond that amount, there is that 

 of the consumption in India, The East India Com- 

 pany's Examiner says, in his evidence : " The value of 

 the opium exported from India in each year (1844 

 and '45) must be from five to six millions sterling." 

 It is now increased, at the lowest calculation, 100 

 per cent, so it may be said it now reaches 10,000,000 

 to .12,000,000 sterling. And there is the secret 

 that neither honesty, humanity, nor the most solemn 

 treaties, has power to restrain the cupidity of a Govern- 

 ment, placed over 200,000,000 inhabitants, and that 

 awes some 500,000,000 of Chinese into submission to 

 the most unjust trade that ever disgraced any nation. 



THE EVILS OF OPIUM. 



IF I were simply to give my own evidence on the sub- 

 ject, it might be held in suspicion ; or, were I only to 

 give the evidence of parties opposed to the trade, it might 

 be said it was only a morbid sensibility of a party desir- 

 ous to put down the interest of another party whom, in 

 their enmity, they call " smugglers." I will state a few 

 instances of the evil of this drug that I have personally 

 witnessed. 



