OPIUM. 47 



the north-western districts of Karahissar Sahib, Balahissar, Kutaya, and 

 Kiwa (or Geiveh), the last on the river Sakariyeh which runs into the 

 Black Sea. These centres of lai-ge production of opium send a superior 

 quality of the drug to Constantinople by way of Izmid ; the best ap- 

 parently from Bogaditch and Balikesri, near the Susurlu river. Angora 

 and Amasia are other places in the north of Asia Minor whence opium 

 is obtained. 



In the centre of the peninsula Afiura Karahissar (literally opium- 

 hlack-castle) and Ushak are important localities for opium, which is also 

 the case with Isbarta, Buldur and Hamid farther south. The product 

 of these districts finds its way to Smyrna, in the immediate neighbour- 

 hood of which but little opium is produced. The export from Smyrna 

 in 1871, in which year the crop was very large, was 5650 cases, valued 

 at £784,500.' 



Turkey Opium, as it is generally called in English trade, occurs in 

 the form of rounded masses which according to their softness become 

 more or less flattened or many-sided, or irregular by mutual pressure in 

 the cases in which they are packed. There appears to be no rule as to 

 their weight"' which varies from an ounce up to more than 6 lb. ; from 

 1^ lb. to 2 lb. is however the most usual. The exterior is covered with 

 the remains of poppy leaves strewn over with the Rvmex chaff before 

 alluded to, which together make the lumps sufficiently dry to be easily 

 handled. The consistence is such that the drug can be readily cut 

 with a knife, or moulded between the fingers. The interior is moist 

 and coarsely granular, varying in tint from a light chestnut to a 

 blackish brown. Fine shreds of the epidermis of the poppy capsule 

 are perceptible even to the naked eye, but are still more evident if the 

 residue of opium washed with water, is moistened with dilute chromic 

 acid (1 to 100). The odour of Turkey opium is peculiar, and though 

 commonly described as narcotic and unpleasant, is to many persons far 

 from disagreeable. The taste is bitter. 



The substances alleged to be used for adulterating Turkey opium 

 are sand, pounded poppy capsules, pulp of apricots or tigs, gum traga- 

 canth or even turpentine. Bits of lead are sometimes found in the 

 lumps, also stones and masses of clay. 



2. Egy2)tian Opiwm — though not abundant little as formerly is still 

 met with in European commerce. It usually occurs in hard, flattish 

 cakes about 4 inches in diameter covered with the remnants of a poppy 

 leaf, but not strewn over with rumex-fruits. We have also seen it 

 (1873) as freshly imported, in a soft and plastic state The fractured 

 surface of this opium (when hard) is finely porous, of a dark liver- 

 colour, shining here and there from imbedded particles of quartz or 

 gum, and reddish-yellow points (of resin ?). Under the microscope 

 an abundance of starch granules is sometimes visible. The morphine 

 ^ in a sample from Merck amounted to 6 per cent. 



According to Von Kremer who wrote in 1863,^ there were then in 



^ Consiil Cumberbatch, Trade Report for ^ Aeffypten, Forschungen ilber Land und 



1871, presented to Parliament. Volkwdhrend eines 10 jdhrigen Avfenthaltes, 



^ The largest lump I have seen weighed Leipzig, 1863. 

 6 lb. 6oz., being part of 65 packages which 

 I examined 2nd July, 1873.— D. H. 



