1832.] 
LINTIN BAY. 
339 
hours of the day, go alongside the vessels which contain the 
opium, prepared to pay for it in specie or otherwise. So inge- 
niously and discreetly are these transactions conducted, that 
neither the vessel or the smuggler run much or any risk ; as 
chops, or custom-house permits, are always ready to be produced 
should the contraband articles be found on board. Opium, how- 
ever, is always hable to seizure, as its entrance into the empire, 
under any shape, is prohibited. But the smuggling boats are 
generally manned by desperate men, so that captures are seldom 
made ; and are never effected, under any circumstances, without 
a severe fight with pikes and stones, whole boxes of which are 
ranged along the boats in readiness for defence. 
Chinese junks are constantly anchored otf the northeast side 
of the island, for the purpose of preventing this prohibited article 
from finding its way into the empire. But these ofiicers, who are 
paid for enforcing the laws, wink upon their constant violation 
with the greatest indifference and complacency. They some- 
times make a show of chasing the smugglers, and there the matter 
ends. The latter, however, are seldom seriously molested except 
when a mandarin boat of one of the provinces visits another ; on 
which occasion, in order to show his zeal and fidehty in the ex- 
ecution of the revenue laws, the visiter insists upon examining 
every boat that comes within his reach. The consequence is, 
that a battle sometimes occurs, i-n which the smugglers generally 
succeed,, in either beating off the boat of the mandarin, effecting 
their escape, or concealing by some means the opium in their 
possession. 
Whatever be the result, the mandarin, as soon as the affair is 
over, sends a despatch to government,' announcing a glorious vic- 
tory over, and the total destruction of the foreign barbarians, wha 
had attempted to poison the subjects of his celestial majesty by 
introducing this filthy drug into the empire. With all its pro- 
hibitions, however, opium appears to be one of the chief articles 
of import into the country ; and the emperor himself so far en- 
courages the trade as the confirmed habit of using it will go ; and 
which ought to convince his imperial highness of the insufficiency 
of his prohibitory system. Only a short time previous to the ar- 
rival of the Potomac, one of the princes of the royal family died 
by excessive indulgence in the use of opium. No wonder thert 
. Y 2, 
