6i6  Morphia  and  Opium  Trade  in  the  U.  S. 
but  have  not  been  able  to  do  so.  In  1831,  however,  Mr.  Troth 
bought  some  of  the  acetate  at  $8.50  an  ounce,  and  the  next  year  he 
purchased  18  ounces,  at  an  average  price  of  $7.80  an  ounce  In  184-I 
he  obtained  some  at  $2.52  an  ounce,  and  quinia  at  $2.50.  Through 
Mr.  Weightman  I  am  enabled  to  furnish  the  price  of  sulphate  of  mor- 
phia for  each  year  from  1848  to  1872,  inclusive.  The  price  per  ounce 
averaged  : 
In  1848, 
^3.08 
In  1857, 
In  1865, 
P.75 
1849, 
3.00 
1858, 
4-37 
1866, 
7.84 
1850, 
3-50 
1859, 
4.85 
1867, 
6.87 
1851, 
3.08 
i860, 
5.00 
1868, 
8.26 
1852, 
3-37 
1861, 
4.50 
1869, 
10.98 
1853, 
3  06 
1862, 
4-75 
1870, 
8.87 
1854, 
3.62 
1863, 
7.00 
1871, 
6.18 
1855, 
4.12 
1864, 
9.20 
1872, 
5-37 
1856, 
4-34 
During  the  year  1868  the  price  of  opium  in  bond  (gold  value)  grad- 
ually rose  from  $4.75,  in  July,  to  $1 1  a  pound,  in  December,  the  duty 
on  the  same  being  $2.50  a  pound,  and  in  January,  1869,  it  brought 
$12.50  in  bond. 
It  hns  been  impossible  for  me  to  find  out  how  much  morphia  is  now 
made  and  used  in  the  United  States,  but  I  have  reason  to  fear  that  the 
amount  is  ve'y  large.  One  manufacturer  estimates  the  average  annu- 
allv  bought  by  the  retail  druggists  at  about  2J  ounces  each.  This 
coincides  with  my  own  experience  after  a  long  connection  with  the 
retail  business,  and,  as  there  are  now  about  25,000  druggists  in  the 
United  States,  the  amount  annually  consumed  would  be  62,500 
ounces. 
Another  large  manufacturer  estimates  that  about  25  per  cent,  of 
Turkish  opium  that  comes  to  this  country  is  used  in  the  production 
of  morphia  salts.  During  the  year  ending  June  4th,  1880,  there  were 
2,480  cases  of  opium  (Smyrna)  imported.  The  average  weight  of 
each  case  is  about  150  pounds,  making  a  total  of  372,000  pounds. 
Twenty-five  per  cent,  of  this  would  be  93,000  pounds. 
If  we  place  the  yield  of  morphia  in  dry  opium  at  10  per  cent.,  we 
shall  arrive  at  the  following  result :  Opium  loses  by  drying  about  20 
per  cent.,  therefore  93,000  pounds  would  be  reduced  to  74,400  pounds 
by  loss  of  water,  and  would  yield  7,440  pounds  of  morphia,  or  119,040 
ounces,  a  fearfully  large  amount,  one  that  I  sincerely  hope  and  believe 
