42 
ON THE HABITUAL USE Of OPIUM 
The examination of this table ought to convince the most sceptical 
of the dreadful effeefcs of the habitual use of Opium, morally, and 
physically. Here we have in this house of correction 44 Chinese of 
whom 35 are Opium smokers, not in a moderate degree, but to ex¬ 
cess, not confining themselves to what they can spare from their wa¬ 
ges, but actually in some cases swallowing them all up and much 
more. Of 17 men the aggregate amount of their ivages monthly is 
77, or individually % 4. 53, their monthly consumption of opium 
amounts to^ 99. 90, or individually % 5, 87: So each of these men 
in addition to spending all Ms wages, begs, borrows, or steals 1. 
04, monthly; when I asked one man who spent % 6 monthly and 
whose wages only amounted to % 3 hew was this ? was he not de¬ 
ceiving me ? how was it possible that lie could do such a thing ? 
his answer was graphic and much to the point i “What am I in here 
for ?” I am sorry I cannot give a correct list of the offences these in¬ 
dividuals were confined for, not, but I have tried to do so, but those 
who could furnish me with the data would not do so, or referred me 
to another, whose duty was more particularly to do that, and he to. 
another and so on, but I may say from good authority that these per¬ 
sons would in a calender of crime be ranked under the head of Va¬ 
grants, suspicious characters, persons attempting to steal, and such 
like, their offences being against property, and not persons. 
During the course of these investigations, I found some Opium 
smokers, who declared that their wages, only equaled the value of 
the Opium consumed, and in the majority of cases, but little exceed¬ 
ed their consumption, yea even I found instances, and these not few, 
where the value of the Opium consumed monthly, was more than the 
whole wages received. The idea then suggested itself to me that 
there must be an affinity betwixt Opium smoking and crime, for, 
having seen that once the habit is formed, it cannot be broken off, 
while the desire increases with the consumption, it must happen 
that the wages of the individual will at last he inadequate to supply 
his desire, even supposing that after a lengthened career of indul¬ 
gence he was able to earn the same amount of money, as when, strong, 
vigorous, and unimpaired, he commenced his dissipation. I therefore 
