ON A NEW VARIETY OF OPIUM. 
95 
affect its narcotic powers, or render it in any way unfit for 
the use of the Pharmaceutical Chemist, will be sufficient 
excuse for my presenting to the Society, in an imperfect 
state, a few observations on what is to me a new form of 
this drug, and one which has recently excited some little at- 
tention among purchasers. 
Several chests of opium have been lately imported from 
Turkey, having, both in the size and weight of the lumps, 
and general external appearance, a very close resemblance 
to that variety known as Constantinople opium, so justly 
celebrated for its strength and purity, and which yields the 
largest proportion of morphia. A close observer, however, 
would see in the opium in question sufficient difference to 
attract his attention, it being unusually soft, and of unusu- 
ally light colour; but these differences are by no means evi- 
dences of impurity, and consequently the opium found rea- 
dy purchasers. Having been requested to give an opinion 
respecting its strength, I proceeded to examine it in the usual 
manner, and soon found it to differ materially from any spe- 
cimen I had previously examined. 
It is exceedingly difficult with this opium to obtain a 
bright aqueous solution, for whether cold or hot water be 
employed, the solution filters, even through cloth, with 
great difficulty, and if much concentrated, will not filter at 
all without constant change of the filter, and consequent 
loss of product. My first impression was, that it was alto- 
gether spurious, but having separated from it morphia, co- 
dea, meconic acid, and other of the usual constituents of 
opium, and considering these in connexion with its light 
colour and herbaceous odour, it appeared probable, at least, 
that the observable difference might result from a different 
mode of collection, and therefore that it required a more 
careful examination. 
Sixteen ounces of the opium, divided into small pieces 
and placed in a moderately heated stove until sufficiently 
dry to be reducible to coarse powder, lost three ounces in 
