IN SINGAPORE. 
75 
consideration of tlie subject, compelled to acknowledge that the 
wisest, most politic, and most moral measure, in the present 
state of things, is the farming of the monopoly of opium to the high¬ 
est bidder, in the mode at present practised in Singapore, which is 
simply the letting the monopoly of opium smoking to one man, or a 
company of men, for the highest sum, subject to the known opium 
laws ; by this procedure the largest sum is exacted by the Farmer 
from the public in order to pay the revenue and his own expences, 
and yet, that is not so outrageously immoderate as to tempt smug¬ 
gling at all risks. When Mr. Kong Tuan had the Farm the retail 
price of opium was very high and smuggling was so great, that he 
was a loser by the speculation. By the Farmer who succeeded him, 
the price was lowered, so that he realized a handsome monthly sum of 
profit; and now the smuggling, by an excellent native judge of such 
matters, is estimated to be at present not more than from 3 to 5 chests 
a month. In Java the government rent the monopoly of the Farm to 
one or more, who not only take the Opium from them at the high¬ 
est price, but tlie greatest quantity at that price ; for instance the 
Fanner of this year has agreed to take the Opium at 175 Rupees 
silver, or 220 Rupees copper per catty, and so many catties monthly, 
the quantity I know not positively, but from the table given, I should 
say 3,500. Now it is the Farmer’s interest to smuggle as much as 
lie can, and pass that Opium off as legal Opium ; the fact is, there is 
the inducement for smugglingin the difference betwixt 2100 Rupees 
the value of smuggled Opium per chest, and 17500 Rupees the value 
of legal Opium; this will account for the immense smuggling that is 
carried on in Java, and Madura, amounting, as I am told by one who 
is in the trade to nearly 400 chests per annum, that is about 300 chests 
* 
of Turkey and 100 of Bengal, But while I admit and haply can 
acknowledge that our system is the best, and so good that I cannot 
hint an improvement, I must here stop and pass my veto against 
any encouragement of the Farmer, in his attempts to force the trade 
by multiplying the number of shops, and so increasing the facilities in 
obtaining the drug ; in this case the judicial must neutralise the effects 
of the executive power, and however much the latter may plead for 
L 
