464 
Persian  Opium, 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Sept.,  1880. 
and  where  it  is  mixed  with  the  local  drug  and  forwarded  to  the  conti- 
nental markets. 
Opium  is  made  up  into  calces^  varying  in  weight  from  f  lb.  to  ij  lb., 
and  in  number  from  96  to  192  or  more^  and  these  are  packed  in  fig 
or  vine  leaves,  and  sometimes  in  poppy  seeds  or  stalks,  into  cases  con- 
taining each  from  loj  to  11  "shah  mans'* — a  "shah  man'*  being 
equal  to  13J  lbs.  English. 
The  object  in  so  packing  in  cases  as  regards  the  weight  is  that  the 
contents,  after  the  deficiency  caused  by  drying  up  in  course  of  transit, 
which  is  calculated  at  from  5  to  10  per  cent.,  may  realize  at  destina- 
tion (China)  one  "picul,"  which  is  about  135  lbs.  Another  reason  is 
that  the  weight  is  arranged  for  convenience  of  carriage  by  pack  animals 
(generally  mules)  employed  in  these  regions. 
About  five-sixths  of  the  produce  of  opium  in  Persia  is  intended  for 
China.  The  drug  suitable  for  that  market  being  required  to  be  fine, 
and  prepared  with  oil,  and  not  rich  in  morphia,  permits  its  being 
swelled  up  with  foreign  substance,  and  thus  being,  as  far  as  practi- 
cable, adulterated  to  the  extent  to  preclude  discovery  by  the  mode  of 
testing  or  "touching"  used  in  China. 
It  is  said  that  pure  and  superior  opium,  though  not  so  finely  manip- 
ulated, has  been  rejected  in  China,  while  the  fine  opium,  containing 
admixtures,  has  found  favor  and  fair  market. 
The  preparations  made  for  the  China  marts — being,  say  of  a  quality 
of  80  "touch"  (containing  80  per  cent,  pure  juice  and  20  per  cent, 
foreign  substance) — yield  from  9  per  cent,  to  ib  per  cent,  morphia. 
The  preparations  for  England,  which  have  recently  been  specially 
made  pure,  and  which  have  come  into  favor  in  Europe  and  America, 
have,  it  is  said,  yielded  morphia  averaging  about  12  per  cent. 
The  average  price  for  fair  quality  of  opium  suited  for  the  China 
market  has  been  for  the  last  two  years  about  950  rupees  per  chest,  and 
for  the  special  preparations  for  England  about  100  rupees  more. 
To  these  are  added  the  charges  of  transit  and  other  contingent 
expenses  from  the  place  of  product  to  the  port  of  shipment,  amounting 
to  about  30  rupees,  and,  further,  a  custom  and  octroi  or  other  duty  of 
about  20  rupees,  payable  by  a  Persian,  or  5  per  cent,  ad  valorem  by  a 
British  or  other  foreign  merchant. — Pharm.  'Journ,  and.  Trans. June 
12,  1880. 
