498 
Opium  Smoking  by  the  Cliinese. 
(Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
I        Oct.,  1891. 
practice  of  this  form  of  dissipation.  Many  of  them  are  learned  in 
the  art  of  smoking,  the  selection  of  pipes  and  all  the  details  which 
are  so  carefully  dwelt  upon  by  the  Chinese,  and  practically  all  of 
them  are  able  to  smoke  the  drug  without  assistance,  as  the  enforce- 
ment of  the  law  against  the  semi-public  resorts  have  driven  opium 
smokers  to  smoke  in  their  own  apartments. 
The  opium  used  for  smoking  is  especially  prepared  for  the  pur- 
pose, the  crude  opium  being  macerated  with  water,  which  is  evap- 
orated, and  the  operation  repeated  until  at  the  completion  of  the 
process  a  treacle-like  mass  is  obtained.  This  is  put  up  in  white 
porcelain  pots  holding  five  Veung,  6|-|-  ounces  avoirdupois,  for  use  in 
China,  and  in  brass  cans  containing  the  same  amount  for  export. 
Most  of  the  opium  used  for  smoking  in  Philadelphia,  and,  indeed, 
throughout  the  United  States,  is  imported  from  China  in  these  cans.. 
Such  opium  is  distinguished  from  opium  not  manufactured  or  pre- 
pared in  China,  by  the  name  of  knng  in,  "superior  opium,"  and  is 
all  said  to  be  made  by  two  firms  in  Hong  Kong.  These  companies, 
syndicates  of  Chinese  and  English,  have  a  monopoly  of  the  manu- 
facture, for  which  they  pay  an  enormous  sum  annually  to  the 
British  Government.  Their  product  is  sold  to  Chinese  in  this 
country  through  American  agents  in  San  Francisco.  Two  brands, 
known  by  the  respective  names  of  the  companies,  Lai  Un  and  Fuk 
Lung,  are  sold  here  at,  one  at  about  $9  and  the  other  at  about  $8.85 
per  can.  The  duty  under  the  new  law  is  $12,  instead  of  $10,  per 
pound,  and  the  price  has  been  advanced  $1  per  box  by  the  change.. 
Opium  is  also  prepared  at  Victoria,  B.  C.  It  is  regarded  as 
weaker  and  inferior  to  the  opium  manufactured  in  China,  a  differ- 
ence which  the  Chinese  explain  as  due  to  the  water  used  in  its 
preparation.  More  or  less  of  it  is  imported  here,  where  it  is  known 
to  the  Chinese  as  Wik-to-li  in  or  "Victoria  opium."  It  is  sold  here 
at  about  $6.80  per  can,  holding  five  leung.  The  lowest  price  of 
smoking  opium  in  Victoria  is  $85  per  100  taels,  equivalent  to  20 
cans,  and  as  the  duty  is  $5  per  can,  its  lowest  possible  cost,  duty 
paid,  is  $9.25  per  can.  It  is  fair  to  assume  that  the  "  Victoria " 
opium,  a9  quoted  in  Philadelphia  shops,  is  either  a  mixture  made  in 
California  or  has  been  smuggled.  It  is  said  that  the  highest  price 
that  can  be  obtained  at  wholesale  for  smuggled  Victoria  opium  is- 
S6  per  can. 
Smoking  opium  is  not  prepared  from  the  crude  drug  to  any 
