INDIGENOUS OPIUM. 241 
by a thousand kilogrammes of opium yearly ; thus, whilst in 1859 it 
was 4,916 kilogr. it has successively risen to 5,661 kilogr. in 1860, and 
to 6,653 in 1861. 
In England, and above all in China, the increasing progress of annual 
consumption has attained an incredible figure, and is almost fabulous. 
Let us see what M. Chevallier says of it : — 
" The importation of opium in the United Kingdom continues every 
year to increase, particularly in the manufacturing counties, where the 
use of it is so immoderate that some temperance societies are accused of 
replacing brandy and Geneva by opium. 
" In 1848 there were imported 96,835 English pounds weight of 
opium, of which 31,204 lbs. were consumed in England, the remainder 
served for commercial export. 
"In 1849 there were imported 196,246 lbs. weight, of which 41,671 
were consumed. This makes in a single year an increase of 100,411 lbs. 
imported, and of 10,467 lbs. consumed. 
" In 1850 the consumption was 42,324 lbs., and in 1851 it was 
50,368 lbs." 
Besides this, M. Dorvault, the learned author of the Officinal in the 
' Pharmaceutical Keview ' of 1857, at the end of a note of Professor O. 
Re veil, gives a table of the quantities and the total value of Indian 
opium, consumed in China during the years 1827 to 1833 : — 
1827—28 
1828—29 
1829—30 
1830—31 
1831—32 
1832—33 
Total number of cases 
of 133^ lbs. each. 
Value in dollars. 
9,535 10,429,079 
13,152 12,533,215 
14,000 12,657,157 
18,760 12,904,263 
14,225 11,501,584 
23,693J 
The dollar is 5 frs. 40 cents, in value, making for six years a total of 
303,701,088 frs., and an average of 50,616,838 frs. per annum ; but the 
figures are still very far from the truth.* 
Meyen affirms that the quantity consumed by the Malays of the 
Indian Archipelago, in Cochin China, Siam, as well as in India and 
Persia is so great that if the true figures could be given it would appear 
perfectly incredible. 
* [The following figures will show the imports and consumption of this drug 
in the United Kingdom : — 
Imports. Consumption. 
1845 ... 259,644 lbs. 38,229 lbs. 
1850 . . . 126,318 „ 42,324 „ 
1855 . . . 50,143 „ 34,473 „ 
1858 . . . 82,085 „ 77,639 „ 
1863 . . . 254,314 „ 144,213 „ 
In 1846-47, 22,468 chests of opium (each containing about 140 lbs.) were ex- 
ported to China by the East India Company, and which yielded an income of 
2,886,201Z. In 1857-58, the exports had increased to 68,004 chests, yielding 
5,918,375Z. revenue.- Ed. Technol] 
