REPORT ON IMPORTED ADULTERATED DRUGS. 207 
reign chemical preparations, medicinal extracts, &c., have 
come to us more or less adulterated ; but the base fraud 
is no longer confined to that class of medicines. Opium 
is now adulterated to a most fearful extent, and so 
adroitly, as almost to defy detection by the unsuspect- 
ing and confiding purchaser. I have lately passed three 
invoices of opium from London, which, on opening the 
cases, seemed to all external appearances to be as it should, 
but a closer examination proved it a base compound of that 
drug with various vegetable extracts — the mass not afford- 
ing more than about one-third part of pure opium. When 
I questioned the consignee, (and to the credit of our regular 
importers, most of these adulterated and deteriorated drugs 
and medicines are consignments from speculators abroad,) 
they admitted their private advices gave them to under- 
stand that the article * was not quite pure;' yet, as the law 
now is, 1 must pass all such dangerous and rascally imita- 
tions, if they are foiuid to he charged at their full value, 
and in commercial language', to he the article specified in 
the invoice. In fact, I have no authority to examine into 
the purity, &c», of any article further than to enable me to 
judge as to the correctness of the value expressed in the in- 
voice.'' We subjoin also a quotation from the lioston 
Traveller of last week, entitled frauds in opium." "About 
twenty cases of opium were sold at auction yesterday by 
John Tyler It was imported from Smyrna and Liverpool 
in various vessels, and to all appearances was of equally 
good quality. Notwithstanding this, however, its price 
varied from ^3 45, ^1 35, six cents, to three cents per 
pound. An exposition of the fraud was made at the sale. 
It is said to Consist in the extraction of the morphine, or 
vital principle of the drug, before exportation. This fraudu- 
lent opium was invoiced at a lower price than that of the 
first quality, but still greatly above its real value." 
Genuine scammony, another important drug, is now but 
seldom imported. Not a single pound of pure Aleppo 
