74 
SELECTED ARTICLES. 
grammes of pure morphia, whilst a comparative analysis of the 
same quantity of Smyrna opium only afforded 4.25 grammes 
of the alkaloid. Five hundred grammes or one pound would 
therefore afford 51 grammes or about 12 drachms of morphia, 
whilst the same quantity of Smyrna opium would only give 
40 to 45 grammes or about 9 drachms. The French opium is 
therefore richer in morphia than the Turkey, but contains no 
narcotine. 
As however, the presence of narcotine in opium is rather 
an inconvenience than an advantage, this absence of it renders 
the French opium more valuable. Although I ascertained the 
presence of codeine in our native opium, I was unable to de- 
termine the proportion in which it occurred. 
As the Papaver somniferum and P. orientale grow 
perfectly well in France, even in poor soil, their seeds being 
used in large quantities in the manufacture of poppy oil, this 
notice may induce cultivators to turn their attention to the 
subject of opium, and thus open a new field of industry. 
VIII. 
Facts respecting Narceine. 
We have already given, what we consider as the best pro- 
cess for obtaining narceine, but to have it perfectly pure, it 
must be dissolved in a very weak solution of caustic potash, 
at nearly a boiling heat, the solution filtered, and a slight ex- 
cess of acetic acid added; the narceine crystallises on cooling, 
and the morphia, if any be present, remains in solution in the 
acid liquid. 
In my first memoir I considered narceine to be an organic 
alkali. But the above experiments and many others of a simi- 
lar character have proved to me that although acids favour its 
solution, they are never saturated by it. When crystallisation 
takes place in an acid solution of narceine, the crystals are 
found to be pure narceine. 
I have said that the mineral acids of a certain strength, (but 
not so powerful as to destroy it,) strike a blue colour with nar- 
ceine; I have since ascertained that this blue colour is mainly 
dependant on the quantity of water combined with the nar- 
