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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..84753f5 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #60805 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/60805) diff --git a/old/60805-0.txt b/old/60805-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index a86463f..0000000 --- a/old/60805-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,12020 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Seven Sisters of Sleep, by Mordecai Cubitt Cooke - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Seven Sisters of Sleep - -Author: Mordecai Cubitt Cooke - -Release Date: November 29, 2019 [EBook #60805] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SEVEN SISTERS OF SLEEP *** - - - - -Produced by deaurider, Les Galloway and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - -Transcriber’s Notes - -Obvious typographical errors have been silently corrected. Variations -in hyphenation and accents have been standardised but all other -spelling and punctuation remains unchanged. - -Footnotes are located at the end of the book. - -Italics are represented thus _italic_, bold thus =bold=, spaced thus -+spaced+ and superscript thus a^x. - - - - -[Illustration: Japanese smokers.] - - - THE - - SEVEN SISTERS - - OF - - SLEEP. - - - POPULAR HISTORY OF THE SEVEN PREVAILING - NARCOTICS OF THE WORLD. - - - BY - - M. C. COOKE, - - DIRECTOR OF THE METROPOLITAN SCHOLASTIC MUSEUM. - - - “‘How many are you, then?’ said I. - ‘O Master, we are seven.’” - WORDSWORTH. - - “To re-create for man, whate’er - Was lost in Paradise.” - SOUTHEY’S THALABA. - - - LONDON: - JAMES BLACKWOOD, PATERNOSTER ROW. - - [_The right of Translation is reserved._] - - - - - Dedication. - - - TO ALL LOVERS OF TOBACCO, IN ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD, - JUVENILE AND SENILE, MASCULINE AND FEMININE; - AND TO ALL ABSTAINERS, - +VOLUNTARY AND INVOLUNTARY+—— - - +TO ALL OPIOPHAGI, AT HOME AND ABROAD+, - WHETHER EXPERIENCING THE PLEASURES, OR PAINS - OF THE SEDUCTIVE DRUG—— - - +TO ALL HASCHISCHANS, EAST AND WEST, - IN WHATEVER FORM THEY CHOOSE+ - TO WOO THE SPIRIT OF DREAMS—— - - +TO ALL BUYEROS, MALAYAN OR CHINESE+, - WHETHER THEIR SIRI-BOXES ARE FULL, OR EMPTY—— - - +TO ALL COQUEROS, WHITE OR SWARTHY, - FROM THE BASE TO THE SUMMIT+ - OF THE MIGHTY CORDILLERAS—— - - TO ALL VOTARIES OF STRAMONIUM AND HENBANE, - HIGHLANDER, OR LOWLANDER— - AND - - +TO ALL SWALLOWERS OF AMANITA+, - EITHER IN SIBERIA OR ELSEWHERE—— - - +THESE PAGES COME GREETING+ - WITH THE BEST WISHES - OF THEIR OBEDIENT SERVANT, - - _The Author_. - - - - -PREFATORY PREMONITION. - - -“A certain miller was much annoyed by a goblin, who used to come and set -his mill at work at night when there was no grain to be ground, greatly -to the danger of the machinery, so he desired a person to watch. This -person, however, always fell asleep, but once woke up from a nap time -enough to see the mill in full operation, a blazing fire, and the -goblin himself, a huge hairy being, sitting by the side thereof. ‘Fat’s -yer name?’ said the Highlander. ‘Ourisk,’ said the unwelcome guest; -‘and what is yours?’ ‘Myself,’ was the reply; ‘her nain-sell.’ The -goblin now went quietly to sleep, and the Highlander, taking a shovel -of hot coals, flung them into the hairy lap of the goblin, who was -instantly in a blaze. Out ran the monster to his companions, making -as much noise as he could. ‘Well,’ said they, ‘who set you on fire?’ -‘Myself,’ said the unlucky monster. ‘Well, then, you must put it out -yourself,’ was the consoling rejoinder.” - -Some of my readers may arrive at the conclusion, that I, like the -Ourisk, have trespassed upon other people’s property, and ground my -corn at their mill. Let it not be assumed, on my account, inasmuch -as I do not myself make that assumption, that I have journeyed from -Cornhill to Cathay, in search of those who habituate themselves to -the indulgences herein set forth. Others have laboured, and I have -eaten of the fruits of their labours. Travellers numberless have -contributed to furnish my table, in some instances, without even -thanks for their pains. This is the way of the world, and I am not -a whit better than my neighbours. Let it, therefore, be understood, -that I make no pretensions to aught beyond the form in which these -numerous contributions are now presented to the reader. The tedium of -wading through volume after volume in search of information on these -subjects has been performed for him, and compacted together into a -pocket companion, saving, thereby, to him, a large amount of trouble, -and a small amount of vexation. Private correspondence has furnished -a portion of the information. Those who may recognise my own poaching -pranks upon their domains may throw coals of fire upon my lap, and -leave “Myself” to extinguish the flame. - -Herein the reader will find only a popular history of the most -important Narcotics indulged in, and the customs connected with that -indulgence. Mere statistical details have as much as possible been -avoided, and those calculated to interest the more matter-of-fact -reader added in a tabulated form, as an appendix. The majority of these -tables have been compiled from official documents, trade circulars, or -commercial returns, and care has been taken to render them correct up -to the period of their dates. In this department I am largely indebted -to the valuable assistance of P. L. Simmonds, Esq., F.S.S., to whom I -thus tender my thanks. - -Those who are desirous of seeing specimens of the narcotics named in -the following pages, can visit either the Museum of the Royal Botanic -Gardens at Kew, the East India House Museum, the Food Department in the -gallery of the South Kensington Museum, or the Industrial Museum in -the gallery of the central transept of the Crystal Palace, in each of -which they will meet with some of the articles named, though in none of -them will they discover all. In the former two are illustrations of the -opium manufacture, and at Kensington an interesting series of tobaccos, -and other articles connected with the indulgence therein, and also with -opium-smoking in China, together with some of the tobacco substitutes -and sophistications. None of these collections are so complete as they -might be. Public museums of this kind have every facility for doing -more to instruct the public on the common things of every-day life: why -they do not accomplish this, is as much a fault, perhaps, of the public -as of themselves. There are hopes, however, to be entertained that -one, at least, of these institutions will exhibit, in a complete and -collected form, the principal narcotics and their substitutes. - -Why I should have chosen such a title for my volume, and wherefore -invested it with a legend, is matter of little importance. It was a -fancy of my own, and if any think fit to quarrel with it, they may do -so, without disturbing my peace of mind. The reply of the Ourisk to his -companions, as to who set him on fire, was, “Myself.” - -Parents seldom baptize their children with a name pleasing to all their -friends and relatives, yet the child manages to get through the world -with it, and—dies at last. - - M. C. C. - - _Lambeth._ - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - CHAPTER I.—SOMEWHAT FABULOUS. PAGE - - The Seven Sleepers of Ephesus; Legend of the Seven Sisters of Sleep; - Laureates of Sleep; Necessity of Sleep; Pleasures of Sleep; Sanctity - of Sleep; The “Last Sleep of Argyle;” Death of Sleeping Duncan; - Desdemona and Othello; Drowsiness, fatal alike to Devotion and - Instruction 1 - - - CHAPTER II.—THE SISTERS OF OLD. - - Hemp amongst the Scythians; Intoxicating vapours of the Massagetæ; the - _Nepenthes_ of Homer; the Secret of Egyptian Thebes; The Poppy of the - Ancients; Secret Poisoning of Aratus of Sicyon; The Acts of Locusta; - Death of Britannicus; The Delphic Oracle; Arabian Nights; Another - Nepenthes; Antony’s Retreat; Retreat of the Ten Thousand; Something - unknown 10 - - - CHAPTER III.—THE “WOND’ROUS WEED.” - - Legendary origin of Tobacco; Use in Hispaniola; Names for Tobacco; - First Discovery by Europeans; Introduction into France, Tuscany, Spain - and Portugal, England; Complaints against it; Smoking taught to the - Dutch; Studenten Kneipe; Tobacco in the East; Progress in England; - Opposition by James I. and other monarchs in Russia, Italy, Persia, - Turkey, Tuscany, &c.; Raleigh and Queen Elizabeth; Lovers of Tobacco; - The Distribution of the Tobacco Plant; Consumption of Tobacco; Curious - use of the Flowers; Tobacco Poison; Antidote to Arsenic; Finance - questions; Religious prohibitions; King James’s “Counterblaste.” 19 - - - CHAPTER IV.—THE CABINET OF CLOUDLAND. - - A Premier; Lord Mayor Staines; Smoking the Plague; A First Cigar; - Infant Smokers at Vizagapatam; Burmah; Female Smokers in China; - Smokers in Persia, Siam, Japan, Nicaragua, on the Amazon, in New - Guinea, Havana, Manilla; The Binua of Johore; Signor Calistro’s Story; - Cigars on the Orinoco; In Chili; The Court of Montezuma; Panama - Smokeblowers; Rocky Mountain Indians; Salvation Yeo; Yemen Smokers; - Smoking in Austria; Turkish Cloudland; Defeat of Napoleon; Curious - Legend; Old Epigram; Cost of Puffing; Yankee Calculations; Smoking in - New York; Cigar-making in the States 38 - - - CHAPTER V.—PIPEOLOGY. - - Philosophy in a pipe; St. Omer pipes; English pipes; Curious Indian - pipe; Turkish bowls; Meerschaum; Massa bowls; Amber mouth-pieces; - Origin of amber; Modern Egyptian pipes; The Shibuk; The Nargeeleh; The - Gozeh; Egoodu of the Zulus; Hubble-bubble of the Delagoans; Kaffir - bowls; Sailors’ pipes; Bamboo pipes; Winna of British Guiana; Shell - pipes; Chinese pipes; Metallic pipes; Ode to a Tobacco-pipe; Red - pipe-stone quarry; Stone pipes of Rocky Mountains; The “Calumet;” - The Sultan’s pipe-bearer; Wooden pipes; Modern pipeology; Pipes in - Australia 58 - - - CHAPTER VI.—SNIFFING AND SNEESHIN. - - The Franciscan of Sterne; Etymology of Snuff; Pouncet-boxes; The - “Niopo” of the Ottomacs; The “Curupa” of the Omaguas; Snuffing in - Iceland; Zulu Calabashes; Early Snuff-taking Apparatus; Origin of the - “Mull;” Magnificent Mull; Mongrabin Cases; Strong Snuff of the Sahara; - Plugging and Quidding; Snuff-taking Estimates; Snuff dipping; Death - in the Box; Adulterated Snuff; Snuff Scents; Substitutes for Snuff; - Lead Poison; Advice Gratis; Gold Snuff-boxes; Amber Snuff-boxes; - Boxes of Hard-shelled Seeds; Chinese Flasks; Chinese Snuffing; A - Snuff-stick; Birch-bark Boxes; Scotch Snuff-boxes; Introduction of - Snuffing; Varieties of Snuff; Hardham’s 37; Gossip on Sneezing; - Pseudo-philosophy of a Sneeze 73 - - - CHAPTER VII.—QUID PRO QUO. - - Eccentricities of Taste; Miles of Pig-tail; Tobacco and Tea - Calculations; Chewing Ladies of Paraguay; Tchuktchi Chewers; Tobacco - and Natron Quids; Taking the “Bucca;” Chewing Snuff; Quidding in - Washington; Dignified Proceedings in the Senate House; The Kou of the - Hottentots; Angelica Root; Chewing Dulse; A Quidding Monkey 94 - - - CHAPTER VIII.—A RACE OF PRETENDERS. - - Adulterated Tobacco; Substitutes; Coltsfoot; Milfoil; Rhubarb; - Bogbean; Sage; Mountain Tobacco; Cossena; Sumach; Bearberry; Maize - Husks; Pimento; Cascarilla Bark; Polygonum; Dagga; Wild Dagga; Culen; - Purphiok; Rope-smoking Chaplain; Farewell to Tobacco 104 - - - CHAPTER IX.——“MASH ALLAH”—THE GIFT. - - What is Opium? Indian Cultivation; The Nushtur; Cutting the Capsules; - Collecting the Juice; Use of the Refuse; Post; Boosa; Poppy Trash; - Pussewah and Lewah; Different Forms of Preparation; Chandu; Its - Preparation in Singapore; Singular Workman; Adulterations; Tye and - Samshing; Egyptian Conserves; Cordials; Modes of taking Opium; Immense - Doses; Opium in the “Fen Country;” The Crow and the Pigeon; Estimate - of Opium Consumption 114 - - - CHAPTER X.—THE GATES OF PARADISE. - - Paradise of the Moslems; Siamese Opium-pipes; Chinese Opium-pipe; - Smoking the Drug; Its Effects; An Old Malay; Opium Experiences; Dr. - Madden’s Trial; The Habit in China; Dr. Medhurst’s Report; Victims - at Shanghae; Percentage of Smokers; Amongst the Shikhs; Influence on - those engaged in its preparation; Chinese petition; Results in China; - Opium-eating poultry 132 - - - CHAPTER XI.—REVELS AND REVERIES. - - Mahomet’s Ascent into Heaven; Mental Effects of Opium; An - Opium-eater’s Reverie; At the Opera; Peeping into the Stores at - Hong-Kong; Opium-shops; Papan Mera; Stores in Singapore; Opium in - China; Remarks of M. Abbé Huc 149 - - - CHAPTER XII.—PANDEMONIUM. - - Running _amok_ in Java—in Singapore—in Batavia; Pains of opium; - Piranesi’s dream; Confessions of crocodile visions; Horrible dreams; - Fever phantasmagoria of “Alton Locke;” A fable; Chinese opium-smoker; - Mustapha Shatoor; The Theriakis; Heu Naetse’s opinion; Experiences of - a surgeon at Penang; Testimonies of Abbé Huc; Ho King Shan; Oppenheim; - Dr. Madden; Dr. Oxley; Dr. Little; Opium and Insurance; Another side - of the question 163 - - - CHAPTER XIII.—OPIUM MORALS. - - Examination of Criminals at Singapore; Income and expenditure; - Opium-Smoking and crime; Examination of transports; Drunkenness - compared with opium-smoking; De Quincey’s comparison; Abuse of - opium the source of poverty; The diseased poor of Singapore; Their - consumption of opium; Cooly smokers; Difficulty of discarding the - habit of opium-smoking; Opinion of Dr. Eatwell 181 - - - CHAPTER XIV.—FALSE PROPHETS. - - Preparations of opium; History of lettuce; Lactucarium; Narcotic - effects of Lettuce; Lacticiferous plants; Dutchman’s laudanum; - Syrian rue; Sterculia seeds; Beah leaves; Adulterations; Imitation - opium-balls 199 - - - CHAPTER XV.—NEPENTHES. - - Influence of climate on plants; Native home of hemp; Properties of - hemp-seed; Distribution of hemp; Scythian hemp; Antiquity of hemp; - Churrus, or hemp resin; Momeca; Gunjah; Bang, or Guaza; Majoon; - Haschisch; Dawamese; Hashasheens and Assassins; Berch; Dacha; Hemp in - India—in Egypt; Use of Stimulants 212 - - - CHAPTER XVI.—GUNJA AT HOME. - - “At home;” Influence of hemp extract; Intoxication; Annihilation of - time; Happiness; M. de Saulcey’s trial; Extraordinary delusions; - History of Genii; The Sheykh’s jinnee; Mr. Lane’s cook and the efreet; - The captain’s sheep; Mansour’s jinnee; Experiments; The impromptu - mjah; The fosterer of superstition amongst the Arabs 230 - - - CHAPTER XVII.—HUBBLE-BUBBLE. - - Dakka smoking at Ambriz; Bushmen smokers; Curious method of the - Bechuanas; Egoodu of the Zulus; Snuffling hemp; Hubble-Bubble of the - Delagoans; Haschishans of Constantine; Gunjah in India; Predilection - of “Young America” for Bang 250 - - - CHAPTER XVIII.—SIRI AND PINANG. - - The Malayan race; Areca palm; Qualities of nuts; Produce of trees; - Annual production; Preparation; How used; Local names; Chinese - consumption; Cinghalese instruments; Confirmed habits; Estimates of - consumption; The palm in Sumatra; Substitutes in the Philippines—in - Ceylon; Poetical votaries 257 - - - CHAPTER XIX.—UNDER THE PALMS. - - The betel peppers; Their cultivation; _Chenai_ of Penang; Polynesian - ava; Chewing cava at Tongataboo; Pipula moola; Gambir preparation; - “Kutt,” or cutch; Story of an Indian “kutt” maker; Areca cutch; - Statistics of the catechu and gambir trade 267 - - - CHAPTER XX.—CHEWING THE COON. - - In Burmah; The Manilla doctor; Yankee adventure; Teeth colouring - properties; Custom in Sumatra; Betel-stand of the Sultan of Moco-moco; - Of the Sultan of Sooloo; Betel a corrective of over-doses of opium; - Tagali maidens; A Tagal wedding; Making the buyos; Mahomedan - abstinence; Offer to Lady Raffles 277 - - - CHAPTER XXI.—OUR LADY OF YONGAS. - - Coca under the Incas; Origin of the name; Early history; The coca - shrub; The harvest; Estimated production; Estimated consumption and - consumers; Spanish protection; Method of using the coca; How to - enjoy it; Stimulating effects; Coca tea-parties; Confirmed coqueros; - The virtues of coca; The vices of coca; Power of allaying hunger; - Questionable nutritive properties; Devotion of Peruvians to it; - Narcotic rhododendrons 285 - - - CHAPTER XXII.—WHITEWASH AND CLAY. - - Lime-eating at Paria; Among the Guajiros; White mud of the River - Mackenzie; Edible clay of the Guanos and Ottomacs; Of Banco; Caouac - of Western Africa; Tanaampo and ampo of Java; Edible stone of New - Caledonia; Lime at Popayan; Leche de llanka of Quito; Russian stone - butter; Steinbutter and bergbutter of Germany; Bergmehl of Sweden; - Fossil infusoria; MM. Cloquet and Breschet’s experiments; Bucaro clay - of Portugal and Spain; Pahsa of La Paz; Chaco of Chiquisaca; Red earth - of Sikkim 304 - - - CHAPTER XXIII.—PRECIOUS METALS. - - Wherein metals are precious; Cumulative action of mineral poisons; Use - of corrosive sublimate; Arsenic eaters of Styria; in Canada; Benefits - claimed for it; Arseniated tobacco of China; Effects of Arsenic; Uses - of Arsenic at home 314 - - - CHAPTER XXIV.—DATURA AND CO. - - Solanaceous plants and their properties; The thorn-apple of India; The - Florispondio of Peru; Its superstitious uses; Indulgence therein in - New Granada; Effects of thorn-apple on the Jamaica soldiers; Origin of - Belladonna; Its effects as a poison; Influence on the brain; A family - beneath the spell; Henbane and its effects; Jealousy caused and cured; - Foxglove leaves 323 - - - CHAPTER XXV.—THE EXILE OF SIBERIA. - - Kamtschatdale prospects; Poisonous fungi; The amanita-eater in - Russia; Fatal effects of amanita; Description; Preparation of the - fungus; Method of indulging therein; Effects produced; Its singular - properties; “Sucking the monkey;” Narcotic symptoms of poisonous - fungi; Narcotism of puff-ball 336 - - - CHAPTER XXVI.—ODDS AND ENDS. - - Gathering the crumbs; Smoke vision of life; The Canadian herb; Legend - of St. Betsy; Two Ottoman swains; Story of Abou Gallioun; Chinese - designations; Smoke doth follow the fairest; The broken pipe of - Saladin; Clerical authority; The Angel of Sleep and the Angel of Death - 346 - - - APPENDIX. - - Tables of chronology of tobacco; Of consumption of tobacco; Duties on - importation of tobacco; Profits of the French Regie; Consumption of - tobacco in Britain; Consumption of tobacco in the Austrian Empire; - Exports from the United States in 1855; Disposition of the growth of - the United States in 1840 and 1850; Exports from America in decennial - periods; Analysis of tobacco; Return of opium exports; Income of East - India Company from opium monopoly; Opium statistics of Great Britain; - Analysis of opium; Prisoners sentenced to the House of Correction, and - their opium habits; Opium consumed in the Singapore Hospital; Reports - of opium smoking in China; Professor Johnston’s estimates; Synopsis of - narcotics with their substitutes 357 - - - - -THE SEVEN SISTERS OF SLEEP. - - -CHAPTER I. - -+SOMEWHAT FABULOUS+. - - “Oh sleep! it is a gentle thing, - Beloved from pole to pole.”——COLERIDGE. - - -During the Decian persecution, seven inhabitants of Ephesus retired to -a cave, six were persons of some consequence, the seventh was their -servant; from hence they despatched the attendant occasionally to -purchase food for them. Decius, who like most tyrants possessed long -ears, hearing of this, ordered the mouth of the cave to be stopped up -while the fugitives were sleeping. After a lapse of some hundred years, -a part of the masonry at the mouth of the cave falling, the light -flowing in awakened them. Thinking, as Rip Van Winkle also thought, -that they had enjoyed a good night’s rest, they despatched their -servant to buy provisions. All appeared to him strange in Ephesus; and -a whimsical dialogue took place, the citizens accusing him of having -found hidden treasure, he persisting that he offered the current coin -of the realm. At length, the attention of the emperor was excited, and -he went, in company with the bishop, to visit them. They related their -story, and shortly after expired. - -Thus much chroniclers narrate of the seven sleepers of Ephesus. All are -not agreed as to the place where this extraordinary event occurred. -It has been assigned also to the “mountain of the seven sleepers,” -near Tersous. It may have been claimed by the citizens of twenty other -ancient cities, for aught we can tell: Faith removes mountains. But -the number remains intact. Mahomet wrote of seven heavens—no Mahometan -takes the trouble to believe in less. The “wise men were but seven;” -there were seven poets of the age of Theocritus; seven of the daughters -of Pleione elevated to the back of Taurus; and - - “There were seven pillars of gothic mould, - In Chillon’s dungeon, dark and old;” - -and wherefore not _seven_ sleepers at Ephesus or Tersous; or seven -sisters of - - “Nature’s sweet restorer, balmy sleep?” - -Although not to be found in Livy, or Hesiod, or Ovid, or any of the -fathers of history or fable, there is a legend of the latter _seven_, -which may be considered in the light of an abstract of title of certain -seven sisters, to be included in the list of immortal sevens who have -honoured the earth by making it their abode. - -It is many thousands of years since Sleep received from her parent, as -a dowry of love, an empire, unequalled in extent by any other which -the earth ever acknowledged. Her domain embraced “the round world, -and they that dwell therein.” From pole to pole, and from ocean to -ocean, she swayed her sceptre. And it was assigned her that man should -devote one-third of his existence in paying homage at the foot of her -throne. All monarchs from Ninus to Napoleon have done her honour. All -ladies from Rhodope to Cleopatra, and from Helen to Clothilde, have -admitted her claim to ascendency. And all serfs, and all captives, -from Epictetus to Abd-el-Kader, have forgotten their bonds and their -captivity, and bowed, on an equality with kings, beneath her nod. - -Sleep had seven sisters. Envious of her throne, and jealous of her -power, they complained bitterly that no heritage, and no government, -and no homage was theirs. Then they strove to deceive men, and -counterfeit the blessings which Sleep conferred, and thus to steal the -affections of her subjects from the universal monarch, and transfer -them to themselves. Herein they toiled and invented many strange -devices; and though they beguiled many, these all fell back again to -the allegiance they had sworn of old. - -“O my sisters!” said Sleep, “wherefore do you strive to instil -discontent into the hearts of my subjects and breed discord in my -dominions? Know ye not, that all mortals must fain obey me, or -die? Your enchantments cannot diminish my votaries, and only serve -to increase my power. And men, who for a while are cheated of the -blessings I confer, woo me at last with increased ardour, and with -songs of gratitude fall at my feet.” - -Morphina first replied— - -“We know full well, proud sister, how wide is your empire, and how -great your power, but we too must reign, and our kingdoms will soon -compare with yours. Let us but share with you in ruling the world, or -we will rule it for ourselves.” - -“Sisters! let us be at peace with each other. Is there not two-thirds -of the life of man free from my control? Why should you not steal from -iron-handed care enough of power to make you queens as potent, or -little less than me? My minister of dreams shall aid you by his skill, -and visions more gorgeous, and illusions more splendid, than ever -visited a mortal beneath my sway, shall attend the ecstacies of your -subjects.” - -The sisters were reconciled henceforth. And anon thousands and millions -of Tartar tribes and Mongolian hordes welcomed Morphina, and blessed -her for her soothing charms and benignant rule—blessed her for her -theft from the hours of sorrow and care—blessed her for the marvels of -dreams the most extravagant, and visions the most gorgeous that ever -arose in the brain of dweller in the glowing East. - -More extended became the sway of the golden-haired Virginia, until -four-fifths of the race of mortals burned incense upon her altars, -or silently proffered thank-offerings from their hearts. Curling -ever upwards from the hearth of the Briton and the forest of the -Brazilian—from the palaces of Ispahan and the wigwams of the -Missouri—from the slopes of the eternal hills and the bosom of the -mighty deep, arose the fragrant odours of her votaries, mingled with -the hum of pæans in her praise. - -Beneath the shadow of palms, in the sultry regions of the sun, the dark -impetuous Gunja held her court. There did the sons of the Ganges and -the Nile, the Indus and the Niger, own her sovereignty; and there did -the swarthy Hindoo and the ebon African hold festivals in her honour. -And, though the hardy Norseman scorned her proffered offices, she -established her throne in millions of ardent and affectionate hearts. - -Not far away, the red-lipped Siraboa raised her graceful standard from -the summit of a feathery palm; and the islanders of the Archipelago, in -proa and canoe, hastened to do her homage. The murderous Malay stayed -his uplifted weapon, to bless her name; and savage races, that ne’er -bowed before, fell prostrate at her feet. - -Honoured by the Incas, and flattered by priests—persecuted by Spanish -conquerors, but victorious, Erythroxylina established herself in the -Bolivian Andes and the Cordilleras of Peru. With subjects the most -devoted and faithful, she has for ages received the homage of a kingdom -of enthusiastic devotees. - -Two, less favoured, less beautiful, and less successful of the sisters, -pouting and repining at the good fortune that had attended the others, -secluded themselves from the rest of the world, and rushed into -voluntary exile. Datura, ruddy as Bellona, fled to the Northern Andes; -and in those mountainous solitudes collected a devoted few of frantic -followers, and established a miniature court. The pale and dwarfish -Amanita, turning her back on sunny lands and glowing skies, sought and -found a home and a refuge, a kingdom and a court, in the frozen wastes -of Siberia. - -And now in peace the sisters reign, and the world is divided between -them. When care, or woe, or wan disease, steals for a time the mortal -from his allegiance to the calm and blue-eyed Sleep, then do the -sisters ply their magic arts to win him back again, and, by their -soothing influence, lull him to rest once more, and again unlock the -portals of the palace of dreams; then issues from the trembling lips -the half-heard murmur of a whispered blessing on the - - -SEVEN SISTERS OF SLEEP.[1] - -In all times Sleep has been a fertile theme with poets—one on which -the best and worst has been written. All forms in heaven and in earth -have submitted themselves to become similes; and columns of adjectives -have done duty in the service since Edmund Spenser raised his House of -Sleep, where - - “careless Quiet lyes, - Wrapt in eternal silence, farre from enimyes.” - -No monarch has numbered so many odes in his praise, or had so many -poet laureates “all for love.” These, though not so long, are quite as -worthy as the one we heard when George III. was no longer king. Perhaps -that same little tyrant, LOVE, has come in for even a larger share -of what some would call “twaddle.” In the sunny morn of youth, these -hung upon our lips, and dwelt in our hearts, with less of doubt than -disturbs their present repose. Old age makes us sleepy, and we sing— - - “O magic sleep! O comfortable bird, - That broodest o’er the troubled sea of the mind - Till it is hushed and smooth! O unconfined - Restraint, imprisoned liberty, great key - To golden palaces, strange minstrelsy, - Fountains grotesque, new trees, bespangled caves, - Echoing grottoes, full of tumbling waves - And moonlight; aye, to all the mazy world - Of silvery enchantments!”——_Endymion._ - -“God gave sleep to the bad,” said Sadi, “in order that the good -might be undisturbed.” Yet to good and bad sleep is alike necessary. -During the hours of wakefulness the active brain exerts its powers -without cessation or rest, and during sleep the expenditure of power -is balanced again by repose. The physical energies are exhausted by -labour, as by wakefulness are those of the mind; and if sleep comes not -to reinvigorate the mental powers, the overtaxed brain gives way, and -lapses into melancholy and madness. Men deprived of rest, as a sentence -of death, have gone from the world raving maniacs; and violent emotions -of the mind, without repose, have so acted upon the body, that, as in -the case of Marie Antoinette, Ludovico Sforza, and others, their hair -has grown white in a single night— - - “As men’s have grown from sudden fears.”[2] - -Mind and body alike suffer from the want of sleep, the spirit is -broken, and the fire of the ardent imagination quenched. Who can wonder -that when disease or pain has racked and tortured the frame, and -prevented a subsidence into a state so natural and necessary to man, he -should have resorted to the aid of drugs and potions, whereby to lull -his pains, and dispel the care which has banished repose, and woo back -again— - - “the certain knot of peace, - The baiting place of wit, the balm of woe; - The poor man’s wealth, the prisoner’s release, - Th’ indifferent judge between the high and low.” - -Leigh Hunt has well said, “It is a delicious moment that of being well -nestled in bed, and feeling that you shall drop gently to sleep. The -good is to come, not past; the limbs have just been tired enough to -render this remaining in one posture delightful; the labour of the -day is gone—a gentle failure of the perceptions creeps over you—the -spirit of consciousness disengages itself once more, and with slow -and hushing degrees, like a mother detaching her hand from that of a -sleeping child, the mind seems to have a balmy lid closing over it, -like the eye—it is closed—the mysterious spirit has gone to take its -airy rounds.” - -It is this universal sense of the blessing of sleep which takes hold -of the mind with such a religious feeling, that the appearance of -a sleeping form, whether of childhood or age, checks our step, and -causes us to breathe softly lest we disturb their repose. We can scarce -forbear whispering, while standing before the well-known picture of the -“Last Sleep of Argyle,” lest by louder or more distinct articulation, -we should rob the poor old man of a moment of that absence of sorrow -which sleep has brought to him for the last time. - -Shakespeare has made the murder of Duncan to seem the more revolting in -that it was committed while he slept. Macbeth himself must have felt -this while exclaiming— - - “Methought I heard a voice cry, ‘Sleep no more! - Macbeth does murther sleep, the innocent sleep; - Sleep, that knits up the ravelled sleave of care, - The death of each day’s life, sore labour’s bath, - Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course, - Chief nourisher in life’s feast.’” - -Had Desdemona been sent to her last account at once, when her lord -entered the room and kissed her as she slept, we feel that all our -pity for the jealous Moor would have been turned to hate, and -our detestation of him been so great that no room had been left -for execration of the villanous Iago, who _now_ seems to be the -Mephistopheles, the evil genius, of the work. - -“A blessing,” says Sancho Panza, “on him who first invented sleep; -it wraps a man all round like a cloak.” But neither Sancho nor any -one else will give us a blessing if we suffer ourselves to go to -sleep in thinking over it, at the very threshold of our enterprise, -and before indulging in communion with the seven sisters of whom we -have spoken. It was a trite remark of a divine that “where drowsiness -begins, devotion ends,” and needs application as much to book writers -as to sermon preachers. Although we may not have the power to check an -occasional yawn, in which there may be as much temporal relief as in a -good sneeze, let us avoid the premonitory sinking of the upper eyelids, -by calling in the aid of Francesco Berni to release us from the spell -of sleep, and introduce us to “the sisters” of the olden time. - - “Quella diceva ch’era la piu bella - Arte, il piu bel mestier che si facesse; - Il letto er’ una veste, una gonella - Ad ognun buona che se la mettesse.” - - ORLAND. INNAMOR, lib. iii. cant. vii. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -+THE SISTERS OF OLD+. - - “What are these, - So withered, and so wild in their attire; - That look not like the inhabitants o’ the earth, - And yet are on’t?”——MACBETH. - - -There is no reason to doubt that the ancients were, in a manner, -acquainted with some of the narcotics known to us, although they did -not indulge in them as stimulants or luxuries. The antiquarian, it is -true, has failed to unearth the tobacco-box of Claudius, or the pipe of -Nero—however much the latter may have been given to smoke. And no one -has as yet discovered a snuff-box bearing the initials of Marc Antony, -whence the taper fingers of Egypt’s queen drew a pinch of Princess’ -Mixture or Taddy’s Violet, gazing with loving eyes on Antony the while. -In those remote times the hemp and the poppy were not unknown; and -there is reason for believing that in Egypt the former was used as a -potion for soothing and dispelling care. - -Herodotus informs us that the Scythians cultivated hemp, and converted -it into linen cloth, resembling that made from flax; and he adds also, -that “when, therefore, the Scythians have taken some seed of this -hemp, they creep under the cloths, and then put the seed on the red hot -stones; but this being put on smokes, and produces such a steam, that -no Grecian vapour-bath would surpass it. The Scythians, transported -with the vapour, shout aloud.”[3] The same author also states that the -Massagetæ, dwelling on an island of the Araxes, have discovered “trees -that produce fruit of a peculiar kind, which the inhabitants, when they -meet together in companies, and have lit a fire, throw on the fire -as they sit round in a circle; and that by inhaling the fumes of the -burning fruit that has been thrown on, they become intoxicated by the -odour, just as the Greeks do by wine, and that the more fruit is thrown -on, the more intoxicated they become, until they rise up to dance, and -betake themselves to singing.”[4] - -Homer also makes Helen administer to Telemachus, in the house of -Menelaus, a potion prepared from _nepenthes_, which made him forget his -sorrows. - - “Meanwhile with genial joy to warm the soul, - Bright Helen mix’d a mirth-inspiring bowl; - Temper’d with drugs of sovereign use to assuage - The boiling bosom of tumultuous rage; - To clear the cloudy front of wrinkled care, - And dry the tearful sluices of despair; - Charm’d with that virtuous draught, the exalted mind - All sense of woe delivers to the wind: - Though on the blazing pile his parent lay, - Or a loved brother groan’d his life away, - Or darling son, oppress’d by ruffian force, - Fell breathless at its feet a mangled corse; - From morn to eve, impassive and serene - The man entranced would view the deathful scene. - These drugs, so friendly to the joys of life, - Bright Helen learn’d from Thone’s imperial wife, - Who sway’d the sceptre where prolific Nile - With various simples clothes the fatten’d soil. - With wholesome herbage mixed, the direful bane - Of vegetable venom taints the plain; - From Pæon sprung, their patron-god imparts - To all the Pharian race his healing arts.” - - POPE’S _Homer’s Odyssey_, b. iv. - -Diodorus Siculus states that the Egyptians laid much stress on the -circumstance that the plant used by Helen had been given her by a woman -of Egyptian Thebes, whence they argued that Homer must have lived -amongst them, since the women of Thebes were celebrated for possessing -a secret whereby they could dissipate anger or melancholy. This secret -is supposed to have been a knowledge of the narcotic properties of -hemp. The plant was known to the Romans, and largely used by them in -the time of Pliny for the manufacture of cordage, and there is scarce a -doubt that they were acquainted with its other properties. Galen refers -to the intoxicating power of hemp, for he relates that in his time it -was customary to give hemp-seed to the guests at banquets as a promoter -of hilarity and enjoyment. Slow poisons and secret poisoning was an -art with which the Romans were not at all unfamiliar. What the medium -was through which they committed these criminal acts, can only be -conjectured from the scanty information remaining. Hemp, or opium, or -both, may have had some share in the work, since the poppy was sacred -to Somnus, and known to possess narcotic properties. - -The latter plant is one of the earliest described. Homer speaks of -the poppy growing in gardens, and it was employed by Hippocrates, the -father of physic, who even particularizes two kinds, the black and the -white, and used the extract of opium so extensively, as to be condemned -by his contemporary Diagoras. Dioscorides and Pliny also make mention -of it; and from their time, it has been so commonly used, as to be -incorporated in all the materia medicas of subsequent medical writers. - -Plutarch tells us that a poison was administered to Aratus of Sicyon, -not speedy and violent, but of that kind which at first occasions a -slow heat in the body, with a slight cough, and then gradually brings -on consumption and a weakness of intellect. One time when Aratus spat -up blood, he said, “This is the effect of royal friendship.” And -Quintilian, in his Declamations, speaks of this poison in such a manner -as proves that it must then have been well known. - -The infamous acts of Locusta are noticed by Tacitus, Suetonius, and -Juvenal. This poisoner seems to have been a type of such a character as -the traditions of a later age embodied in the person and under the name -of Lucretia Borgia. - -Agrippina, being desirous of getting rid of Claudius, but not daring -to despatch him suddenly, and yet wishing not to leave him time -sufficient to make new regulations concerning the succession to the -throne, made choice of a poison which should deprive him of his reason -and gradually consume him. This she caused to be prepared by an -expert poisoner, named Locusta, who had been condemned to death for -her infamous actions, but saved that she might be employed as a state -engine. The poison was given to the emperor in a dish of mushrooms, -but as, on account of his irregular manner of living, it did not -produce the desired effect, it was assisted by some of a stronger -nature. We are also further told that this Locusta prepared the drug -wherewith Nero despatched Britannicus, the son of Messalina, whom his -father, Claudius, wished to succeed him on the throne. As this poison -occasioned only a dysentery, and was too slow in its operation, the -emperor compelled Locusta, by blows, and by threatening her with death, -to prepare in his presence one more powerful. It was first tried on -a kid, but as the animal did not die till the end of five hours, she -boiled it a little longer, until it instantaneously killed a pig to -which it had been given, and this poison despatched Britannicus as soon -as he had tasted it. For this service the emperor pardoned Locusta, -rewarded her liberally, and gave her pupils, whom she was to instruct -in her art, in order that it might not be lost. - -The pupils of Locusta have not left us, however, the secret which their -mistress confided to them. The demand made of the apothecary in “Romeo -and Juliet” would have suited Nero’s case, in the latter instance. - - “Let me have - A dram of poison; such soon speeding geer - As will disperse itself through all the veins, - That the life-weary taker may fall dead; - And that the trunk may be discharged of breath - As violently, as hasty powder fired - Doth hurry from the fatal cannon’s mouth.” - -What connection the narcotic hemp had with the famous oracle of -Delphi is not altogether certain, but it has been supposed, and such -supposition contains nothing of heresy in these days, that the ravings -of the Pythia were the consequences of a good dose of haschish, or -bang. The non-classical readers will allow us to inform them, and the -classical permit us to remind them, that the oracle at Delphi was -the most celebrated in all Greece. That it was related of old, that -a certain shepherd, tending his flocks on Mount Parnassus, observed, -that the steam issuing from a hole in the rock seemed to inspire his -goats, and cause them to frisk about in a marvellous manner. That this -same shepherd was tempted to peep into the hole himself, and the fumes -rising therefrom filled him with such ecstacy, that he gave vent to -wild and extravagant expressions, which were regarded as prophetical. -This circumstance becoming known, the place was revered, and thereon -a temple was afterwards erected to Apollo, and a priestess appointed -to deliver the oracles. This priestess of Apollo, Pythia, was seated -over the miraculous cavity upon a tripod, or three-legged stool, and -the fumes arising were supposed to fill her with inspiration, and -she delivered, in bad verses, the oracles of the deity. During the -inspiration, her eyes sparkled, her hair stood erect, and a shivering -ran over the whole body. Under the convulsions thus produced, with loud -howlings and cries, she delivered the messages, which were carefully -noted down by an attendant priest. Plutarch states, that one of the -priestesses was thrown into such an excessive fury, that not only those -who came to consult the oracle, but the priests in attendance, were -so terrified, that they forsook her and fled; and that the fit was so -violent, that she continued several days in agony, and finally died. -It has been believed that these fumes, instead of proceeding from the -earth, were produced by the burning of some narcotic herb, probably -hemp. Who shall decide? - -In later times “bang” is referred to in the “Arabian Nights.” In one -of the tales, two ladies are in conversation, and one enquires of the -other, “If the queen was not much in the wrong not to love so amiable -a prince?” To which the other replied, “Certainly, I know not why she -goes out every night and leaves him alone. Is it possible that he does -not perceive it?” “Alas!” says the first, “how would you have him to -perceive it? She mixes every evening with his drink the juice of a -certain herb, which makes him sleep so sound all night, that she has -time to go where she pleases, and as day begins to appear, she comes to -him again, and awakes him by the smell of something she puts under his -nose.” - -The Caliph Haroun al Raschid indulged too in “bang,” and although -somewhere we have seen this word rendered “henbane,” we still adhere -to the “bang” of the text, and think the evidence is in favour of the -Indian hemp. Further accounts of the early history of this plant we -will not however forestal, as it will occur more appropriately when we -come to speak of it in particular. Henbane has been long enough known; -but it has always had the misfortune either of a positive bad name, or -no one would speak much in its favour, and therefore it has never risen -in the world. - -The lettuce, which has not been known to us three hundred years, was -also known to the ancients, and its narcotic properties recognized. -Dioscorides writes of it, and so also Theophrastus. It is referred -to by Galen, and, if we mistake not, spoken of by Pliny. It was -certainly wild, in some of its species, on the hills of Greece, and was -cultivated for the tables of the salad-loving Greeks and Romans. It had -been better that some of them had spent more of their time in eating -lettuce salads, and by that means had less time to spare for other -occupations of a far more reprehensible kind. - -The “nepenthes” of Homer has already been shown to have found -a representative in hemp. There have also been claims made for -considering it as the crocus, or the stigmas of that flower known to us -as saffron. Pliny states that it has the power of allaying the fumes of -wine, and preventing drunkenness; and it was taken in drink by great -winebibbers, to enable them to drink largely without intoxication. -Its properties are of a peculiar character, causing, in large doses, -fits of immoderate laughter. The evidence in favour of this being the -true “nepenthes” is, however, we consider very incomplete, and not so -satisfactory, by any means, as that given on behalf of the Indian hemp. - -When the Roman soldiers retreated from the Parthians, under the command -of Antony, Plutarch narrates of them that they suffered great distress -for want of provisions, and were urged to eat unknown plants. Among -others, they met with a herb that was mortal; he that had eaten of it -lost his memory and his senses, and employed himself wholly in turning -about all the stones he could find, and, after vomiting up bile, -fell down dead. Attempts to unravel the mysteries of this plant have -ended, in some cases at least, in referring it to the belladonna, a -plant common enough in these our days, and known to possess poisonous -properties of a narcotico-acrid character. - -An analogous circumstance occurred in the retreat of the Ten Thousand, -as related by Xenophon. Near Trebizond were a number of beehives, and -as many of the soldiers as ate of the honeycombs became senseless, and -were seized with vomiting and diarrhœa, and not one of them could stand -erect. Those who had swallowed but little looked very like drunken men, -those who ate much were like madmen, and some lay as if dying; and -thus they lay in such numbers, as on a field of battle after a defeat. -And the consternation was great; yet no one was found to have died; -all recovered their senses about the same hour on the following day; -and on the third or fourth day thereafter, they rose up as if they had -suffered from the drinking of poison. - -This poisonous property of the honey is said to be derived by the bees -from the flowers of a species of rhododendron (_Azalea pontica_), all -of which possess narcotic properties. - -Supposing that blind old Homer—if ever there was an old Homer, and if -blind, no matter—knew the secret of Egyptian Thebes, and the power -of the narcotic hemp, and yet never smoked a hubble-bubble, it is -of little consequence, except to the Society of Antiquaries, and -certainly makes no difference to Homer now. Although Diagoras condemned -Hippocrates for giving too much opium to his patients, we are not -informed whether it was administered in the shape of “Tinctura opii,” -or “Confectio opii,” or “Extractum opii,” or “Godfrey’s cordial,” or -“Paregoric elixir.” The discovery would not lengthen our own lives, -and therefore we do not repine. We think that we have some consolation -left, in that we are wiser than Homer or Hippocrates in respect of that -particular vanity, called “shag tobacco,” which, we venture to suggest, -neither of those venerable sages ever indulged in during the period of -their natural lives. And although Herodotus found the Scythians using, -in a strange manner, the tops of the hemp plant, he never got so far -as Kamtschatka, and therefore never saw a man getting drunk upon a -toadstool. If he had ever seen it, he had never slept till he had told -it to that posterity which he has left us to enlighten. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -THE “WOND’ROUS WEED. - - “Canst thou not minister to a mind diseased; - Pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow; - Raze out the written troubles of the brain; - And, with some sweet oblivious antidote, - Cleanse the stuff’d bosom of that perilous stuff, - Which weighs upon the heart?”——MACBETH. - - -Amongst Mahometans, the following legend is said to be accepted as an -account of the miraculous introduction of the “wond’rous weed” to the -world. - -“Mahomet, passing the desert in winter, found a poor viper frozen on -the ground; touched with compassion, he placed it in his sleeve, where -the warmth and glow of the blessed body restored it to life. No sooner -did the ungrateful reptile find its health restored, than it poked -forth its head, and said— - -“‘Oh, Prophet, I am going to bite you.’ - -“‘Give me a sound reason, O snake, and I will be content.’ - -“‘Your people kill my people constantly, there is war between your race -and mine.’ - -“‘Your people bite my people, the balance between our kindred is even, -between you and me; nay, it is in my favour, for I have done you good.’ - -“‘And that you may not do me harm, I will bite you.’ - -“‘Do not be so ungrateful.’ - -“‘I will! I have sworn by the Most High that I will.’ - -“At the Name the Prophet no longer opposed the viper, but bade him bite -on, in the name of God. The snake pierced his fangs in the blessed -wrist, which the Prophet not liking, shook him off, but did him no -further harm, nor would he suffer those near him to destroy it, but -putting his lips to the wound, and sucking out the poison, spat it upon -the earth. From these drops sprang that wond’rous weed, which has the -bitterness of the serpent’s tooth, quelled by the sweet saliva of the -Prophet.”[5] - -Happy Moslem! you have solved the mystery, and your heart feels no -doubt; but Christian dogs despairingly sigh for some revelation from -the past, whether through history or tradition, of the first use of -this plant. In vain we enquire who it was that first conceived and put -in practice the idea of burning the large leaves of a weed, and drawing -in the smoke to spit it out again? Who it was that discovered pleasure -or amusement in tickling the nose with that “titillating dust” to enjoy -the luxury of a sneeze, or find employment in blowing it out again? -Ye shades of heroes departed, that hover around the pine-woods of the -Saskatchewan, sail over the rolling prairies of Illinois, or roam along -the strands of Virginia, tell us to what illustrious progenitor of Cree -or Mohawk we are to accord the honour of a discovery more popular than -any since the days when “Adam delved and Eve span?” - -In default of the shades giving us the required information, we must -resort to the faint footsteps which “the habit” has left imprinted -on the sands of Time. Even the name by which it is called, has been -disputed and even denied, as of right, belonging to tobacco. This word, -Humboldt informs us, like the words _savannah_, _maize_, _maguey_, and -_manati_, belong to the ancient language of Hayti or St. Domingo, and -did not properly denote the herb, but the pipe through which it was -smoked. Tobacco, according to Oveido, was indigenous in Hispaniola, and -much used by the native Indians, who smoked it from a tube in the shape -of the letter =Y=, the two branches being inserted in the nostrils, -and the stem placed in the burning leaves. The plant was called the -_cohiba_, and the rude instrument by which it was inhaled _tabaco_. - -Other fabulous accounts of the origin of this mystic name, which opens -the heart and hand of the savage more readily than that of gold, trace -it to Tabacco, a province of Yucatan in New Spain, whence it is stated -to have been first brought to Europe. Or affinity is claimed for it -with the Island of Tobago, one of the Caribbees, where it grew wild in -abundance. Or its derivation is traced to Tobasco, in the island of -Florida. In Mexico it was called _yetl_, and in Peru _sagri_, meaning -in those languages “the herb,” or the herb _par excellence_, worthy of -superiority over all other herbs which the earth ever produced from her -bosom. - -It seems surprising that a vegetable production so universally spread -should have different names among neighbouring people. In North -America the Algonkin name is _sema_, and the Huron _oyngoua_, and the -same dissimilarity exists in the languages of South-American tribes; -the Omagua, _petema_; the Maypure, _jema_; the Chiquito, _pâis_; the -Vilela, _tusup_; and the Tamanac, _cavai_. One would have expected to -have found names with less variation among such neighbours. It might -be urged, perhaps, that these are all independent ancient names given -by each tribe to the plant before they became acquainted with the -existence of their neighbours, and an evidence that its use was not -derived from each other, nor from travellers passing among them. To -these speculations the theorist is welcome. - -There is little reason to doubt that tobacco is a plant indigenous to -the New World. With the era, therefore, of Columbus, our knowledge -of it will necessarily commence. When the Spaniards landed with that -navigator in Cuba in 1492, they found the Cubans doing the same kind -of thing as the voyager would now find them occupied in, making and -smoking cigars. In the latter act, these Spaniards soon followed the -Cuban example, as did those also who landed in 1518, with Fernando -Cortez, in the island of Tobago, to a still greater extent. The honour -of introducing this, the fairest of “the Seven Sisters of Sleep,” -to European society and soil, is due, perhaps, to Hernandez, the -naturalist, who brought the first seeds from Mexico (Humboldt states, -from the Mexican province of Yucatan), in 1559, and conveyed them -to Spain. About the same time some unknown Flamingo introduced the -illustrious visitor to Portugal. - -Of the introduction of tobacco into France, the more commonly-received -opinion is, that the first seeds were sent to Catherine de Medici -from Portugal in 1560, by Jean Nicot, the French ambassador to that -country, and ever since it has borne as its generic name a memento of -its patron. Other accounts attribute to Father André Thevet, or some -friend of his, the honour of introducing the raw material to the most -accomplished snuff-takers in Europe, and, perhaps, the first who ever -indulged in it to any extent. - -In Tuscany, tobacco was first cultivated under Cosmo de Medici, who -died in 1574. It was originally raised by Bishop Alfonso Tournabuoni, -from seeds received from his nephew, Nicolo Tournabuoni, then -ambassador at Paris. After him it bore the name of Erba Tournabuoni, -as in France it was called Herbe de la Reine. Very early, before 1589, -the Cardinal Santa Croce, returning from his nunciature in Spain -and Portugal to Italy, carried with him thither tobacco; but he can -scarce claim the honour of its introduction, although the exploit was -commemorated by Castor Duranti in Latin verse. Thus it would appear -that this plant was brought from Mexico to Spain, whence it passed into -France, and thence into Italy, during the early part of the latter half -of the sixteenth century. - -The first introduction of tobacco into England has been claimed for a -trinity of valiant knights—Sir Francis Drake, Sir John Hawkins, and -Sir Walter Raleigh. In Bancroft’s “History of the United States,” it -is said—“The exiles of a year had grown familiar with the favourite -amusement of the lethargic Indians, and they introduced into England -the general use of tobacco.” These exiles were brought home by -Drake before Raleigh visited the New World, and the period for the -introduction of tobacco into this country by Sir Francis, claims the -date of 1560. For Sir John Hawkins’ introduction, the time has been -fixed at 1565; whilst the earliest date assigned for its introduction -by Sir Walter Raleigh is 1584, the same year in which a proclamation -was issued in England against it. Humboldt states that the celebrated -Raleigh contributed most to introduce the custom of smoking among the -nations of the North. When Raleigh brought tobacco from Virginia to -England, whole fields of it were already cultivated in Portugal. It -was also previously known in France, where it was brought into fashion -by Catherine de Medici. As early as the end of the sixteenth century, -bitter complaints were made in England of this imitation of the manners -of a savage people. It was feared, that by the practice of smoking -tobacco, Englishmen would degenerate into a barbarous state.[6] The -cultivation of this narcotic plant preceded that of the potato in -Europe 120 or 140 years. - -Camden, who informs us of these fears for the civilization of England, -also states that Richard Fletcher, Bishop of London, a courtly prelate -(who died in 1596), by the use of tobacco “smothered the cares he took -by means of his unlucky marriage.” According to Aubrey, the pipe was -handed from man to man round the table; and this bears, certainly, a -great resemblance to the custom of the North-American Indians—the chief -smoking two or three whiffs, then passing it to his neighbour, until -from one to another it passes round the circle, and comes back to the -first smoker again. - -M. Jorevin, a Frenchman, who visited England in Charles the Second’s -time, says that the women smoked tobacco as well as the men. - -From England the practice of smoking was carried to the Continent. -Dutch students were first taught the art of smoking at the University -of Leyden by students from England; hence the greatest smokers in -Europe derived their knowledge of the use of the pipe from the English. - -Lilly, in his autobiography, informs us that when committed to the -guard-room in Whitehall, he thought himself in regions far below, where -Orpheus sang, and Pluto reigned, for “some were sleeping, others -swearing, others smoking tobacco; and in the chimney of the room were -two bushels of broken tobacco-pipes.” Good friend Lilly, what wouldst -thou have thought of a visit to a Studenten Kneipe, where a crowd of -students, amid fumes dense as a London fog in November, scream and -growl the well-known song— - - “And smokes the Fox tobacco? - And smokes the Fox tobacco? - And smokes the leathery Fox tobacco? - Sa! Sa! - Fox tobacco. - And smokes the Fox tobacco. - - “Then let him fill a pipe! - Then let him fill a pipe! - Then let him fill a leathery pipe; - Sa! Sa! - Leathery pipe. - Then let him fill a pipe!” - -And then perhaps—but let the reader enquire for himself of some -descendant from the ancestors of the renowned Wouter Van Twiller, the -worthy head of the long-pipe faction. In 1601, tobacco was carried to -Java, whence it spread over the East. It was also conveyed to Turkey -and Arabia in the beginning of this century. El-Is-hákee states that -the custom of smoking tobacco began to be common in Egypt between the -years of the flight, 1010 and 1012 (A.D. 1601-1603). And from Persian -writers on _Materia medica_, it appears to have been introduced into -India in A.H. 1014 (A.D. 1605), towards the end of the reign of -Jelaladeen Akbar Padshaw. From India, tobacco probably found its way -to the Malayan Peninsula and China; although Pallas, Loureiro, and -Rumphius think that tobacco was known in China before the discovery of -the New World, and that the Chinese tobacco plant is indigenous to -that country. - -From “Notes and Queries” we learn that “tobacco was first cultivated -in this country at Winchcombe in Gloucestershire, and that the natives -did suck thereout no small advantage; and before the time of James -II. the best Virginia was but two shillings the pound, and two gross -of the best glazed pipes, and a box with them, three shillings and -fourpence.” Tobacco became almost a necessary among the upper classes; -nor could the parliamentary representatives of the city of Worcester -be despatched up to town until the “collective wisdom” had smoked and -drunk sack at the “Globe,” or some other hostelry. As early as 1621, -it was moved in the House of Commons by Sir William Stroud, that “he -would have tobacco banished wholly out of the kingdom, and that it may -not be brought from any part, nor used amongst us.” And by Sir Grey -Palmes, “that if tobacco be not banished, it will overthrow 100,000 men -in England, for it is now so common, that he hath seen ploughmen take -it as they are at the plough.” At a later period of the same century, -so inveterate had the practice become, that an order appears on the -journals of the House, “That no member in the House do presume to -smoke tobacco in the gallery, or at the table of the House sitting at -Committees.” - -But tobacco did not come into general use in Europe without great and -strenuous opposition. All kinds of weapons were called in requisition -to stay its progress. Persuasion and force were alike essayed without -effect. A German writer has collected the titles of a hundred different -works condemning its use, which were published within half a century of -its introduction into Europe. The pen was wielded by royal as well as -plebeian fingers, and the famous diatribe of the British Solomon, King -James I., of blessed memory, defender of the faith, and antagonist of -tobacco, keeps his memory still _green_ in the hearts of Englishmen. -In Russia, the snuff-taker was ingeniously cured of the habit, by -having his nose cut off, while smokers had a pipe bored through the -same useful projection. Michael Feodorovitch Tourieff kindly offered a -bastinado to the Muscovites for the first offence, cutting off the nose -for the second, and the head for the third. In 1590, Pope Innocent XII. -took the trouble to excommunicate all who used tobacco in any form in -the church of St. Peter’s in Rome. And in 1624, Pope Urban VII., the -old woman, fulminated a bull against all persons found taking snuff -during divine service; and old women, in the spirit of opposition, -have been fond of snuff ever since. The sultans and priests of Persia -and Turkey declared smoking a sin against their religion. Amurath IV. -of Persia published an edict, making the smoking of tobacco a capital -offence. Shah Abbas II. punished such delinquents equally severely. -When leading an army against the Cham of Tartary, he proclaimed that -every soldier in whose possession tobacco was found, would have his -nose and lips cut off, and afterwards be burnt alive. El-Gabartee -relates, that about a century ago, in the time of Mohammed Básha -El-Yedekshee, who governed Egypt in the years of the flight, 1156-8, it -frequently happened that, when a man was found with a pipe in his hand -in Cairo, he was made to eat the bowl with its burning contents. This -may seem incredible, but a pipe bowl _may_ be broken by strong teeth, -particularly if it be of meerschaum. In Tuscany, the growth of tobacco -was prohibited, except in a few localities, where it was allowed, under -certain restrictions, from 1645 to 1789, when the Grand Duke Peter -Leopold declared its cultivation free all over the country. Ferdinand -III. afterwards restricted it to its former localities. The number -of these were reduced in 1826, and in 1830 its growth was entirely -prohibited. In Transylvania the penalty for growing tobacco was a total -confiscation of property; and for the use of the weed, a fine of from -three to two hundred florins. In 1661, the Canton of Berne introduced -an eleventh commandment to the decalogue, and this was inserted -after the seventh, “Thou shalt not smoke!” In 1719, the wise senate -of Strasburg prohibited the cultivation of tobacco, fearing lest it -should interfere with the growth of corn. Prussia and Denmark contented -themselves with prohibiting its use. This brings us back again to -England, and the days of “good Queen Bess.” That lady, who is said to -have prohibited the use of tobacco in churches, according to certain -chroniclers, was wont to banter Sir Walter Raleigh on his affection -for his _protégé_. It is said, that on one occasion, when Raleigh was -conversing with his royal mistress upon the singular properties of this -new and extraordinary herb, he assured her Majesty that he had so well -experienced the nature of it, that he could tell her of what weight -even the smoke would be in any quantity proposed to be consumed. Her -Majesty, deeming it impossible to hold the smoke in a balance, must -needs lay a wager to solve the doubt. Raleigh procured the quantity -agreed upon, he thoroughly smoked it, and weighed the ashes, pleading -at the same time that the weight now wanting was the weight of the -smoke dissipated in the process. The Queen did not deny the doctrine -of her favourite, saying “that she had often heard of those who had -turned their gold into smoke, but Raleigh was the first who had turned -his smoke into gold.” - -The Star Chamber levied a heavy duty, and Charles II. prohibited its -cultivation in England. Tobacco was first put under the excise in -1789. It was not at first allowed to be smoked in ale-houses. “There -is a curious collection of proclamations, &c.,” says Brand, “in the -archives of the Society of Antiquaries of London. In vol. viii. is an -ale-house licence, granted by six Kentish justices of the peace, at the -bottom of which is the following item, among other directions to the -inn-holder:——‘_Item._—You shall not utter, nor willingly suffer to be -uttered, drunke, or taken, any tobacco within your house, cellar, or -other place thereunto belonging.’” - -Notwithstanding oppositions, imposts, anathemas, counterblasts, and -persecutions, tobacco gradually and rapidly arose in popular esteem. -The first house in which it was publicly smoked in Britain was the -Pied Bull, at Islington; but this was “alone in its glory” for a very -brief period of time. “Is it not a great vanity,” saith Royal James, -“that a man cannot heartily welcome his friend now, but straight they -must be in hand with tobacco? And he that will refuse to take a pipe of -tobacco amongst his fellows is accounted peevish, and no good company; -yea, the mistress cannot in a more mannerly kind entertain her servant -than by giving him out of her fair hand a pipe of tobacco.” Raleigh -smoked in his dungeon in the Tower, while the headsman was grinding his -axe. Cromwell loved his pipe, and dictated his despatches to Milton -over some burning Trinidado, or sweet-smelling nicotine. Ben Johnson -affirmed that tobacco was the most precious weed that the earth ever -tendered to the use of man. Dr. Radcliffe recommended snuff to his -brethren. Dr. Johnson kept his snuff in his waistcoat pocket; and so -did Frederick the Great. Robert Hall smoked in his vestry, and, it -would seem, in other places as well, for Gilfillan informs us, that -when on a visit to a brother clergyman, he went into the kitchen where -a pious servant girl, whom he loved, was working. He lighted his pipe, -sat down, and asked her—“Betty, do you love the Lord Jesus Christ?” “I -hope I do, sir,” was the reply. He immediately added, “Betty, do you -love me?” They were married. And Napoleon took rappee by the handful. -And poets wrote, and minstrels sang, in the praise of the “Divine -Virginia.” - - “Thou glorious weed of a glorious land, - I would not be freed from thy magical wand— - Though a slave to thy fetters, and bound in thy chain, - Despairing of freedom, I cannot complain. - - “Tobacco, I love thee—I bow at thy shrine! - The longer I prove thee, the less I repine. - The affection I cherish, no time can assuage— - Thy joys do not perish, like others, with age.” - -The mailed Spaniard and red-plumed Indian have fought around it; and -gold-seekers have drenched it with the gore of negroes. One whole -continent has been enriched by it; and to cultivate it, another -continent has been depopulated. Negroes have prayed to their Fetishes -beside it—many a Cacique now dead smoked it at the war-council, and -many a grave, grey-bearded Spaniard, who had fought at Lepanto, or -bled in the Low Countries. Old soldiers of Cromwell have smoked it; -and while Indians have bartered their gold for English beads, the -swarthy Buccaneers looked on, handling their loaded muskets. Tobacco -was for some time used as currency in Virginia, as, according to Mr. -Galton, is the case now among the Damarás, Ovampo, and other tribes of -South-Western Africa. - -Forty varieties of tobacco have been described; but the differences are -mainly the result of climate, and the mode of culture. It grows well -in almost every part of the world. The northern limit in Scandinavia -is 62°-63° N. L. The different parts of America in which it is grown -include Canada, New Brunswick, United States, Mexico, the Western -Coast, as far as 40° S. L. In Africa it is cultivated by the Red Sea -and Mediterranean, in Egypt, Algeria, the Canaries, the Western Coast, -the Cape, and numerous places in the interior. In Europe, it has been -raised successfully in almost every country; in Hungary, Germany, -Flanders, and France, it forms an important agricultural product. -In Asia, it has spread over Turkey, Persia, India, Thibet, China, -Japan, the Philippines, Java, and Ceylon. In parts of Australia and -New Zealand. From the Equator to 50° N. L., it may be raised without -difficulty. The finest qualities are raised between 15° and 35° N. L. - -The most noted tobacco is that of Cuba; and the most extensive growers -are the Americans of the United States. Two-thirds of our supply is -doubtless derived from the latter source. - -In 1665, Virginia exported to England 60,000 pounds. Twenty-five years -afterwards, our total imports were double that amount; while in 1858, -they amounted to 62,217,705 pounds, including snuff and cigars; hence, -we may fairly calculate that, in Great Britain, eight millions of -pounds sterling are annually spent in tobacco. - -It has been computed that eight hundred millions of the human race are -consumers of tobacco, and that the average annual consumption is 70 -ounces per head. The total consumption would, therefore, approximate -to two millions of tons. The average annual consumption of every -male over eighteen years of age, in each of the following countries -of Europe, as collected from returns, is, in Austria, 108 ounces; -Zollverein, 156 ounces; Steurverein, including Hanover and Oldenburg, -200 ounces; France, 88 ounces; Russia, 40 ounces; Portugal, 56 ounces; -Spain, 76 ounces; Sardinia, 44 ounces; Tuscany, 40 ounces; the Papal -States, 32 ounces; England, 66 ounces; Holland, 132 ounces; Belgium, -144 ounces; Denmark, 128 ounces; Sweden, 70 ounces; and Norway, 99 -ounces. In the United States of America, the consumption is 122 ounces; -and in New South Wales, where there are no restrictive duties, it is -declared to exceed 400 ounces. - - “_Jamie_, thou shouldst been living at this hour, - Europe hath need of thee.” - -To what a height of royal indignation the “Misocapnos” would have -risen, had its author postponed its publication 250 years, and -reappeared, a “new avater,” to see it through the press in these latter -days. He had then required no Spanish matches to set him on fire; and -the “horrible Stygian smoake” would have required the addition of all -Catesby’s gunpowder to have made the simile worthy of its royal master, -unless, peradventure, the weight of five millions of golden sovereigns -from the Inland Revenue Office had pressed heavily upon his conscience, -and he had purchased himself a new pair of silk stockings, and rested -in peace; then he could have returned the old pair he borrowed in his -Scotch capital, in which to meet his English Court at London. - -Since the days when the green leaf of tobacco was used as a sovereign -application for wounds and bruises and the bites of poisonous -serpents, there has been no more singular use discovered for any part -of this plant than that of certain African tribes, who, Denham says, -“colour their teeth and lips with the flowers of the goorjee tree and -the tobacco plant. The former, he saw only once or twice; the latter, -was carried every day to market at Bornou, beautifully arranged in -large baskets. The flowers of both these plants rubbed on the lips and -teeth give them a blood-red appearance, which is there thought a great -beauty.” That the poison of tobacco should have been turned to account -is not surprising; and we are more prepared to hear of the bushmen of -South Africa poisoning the heads of their arrows, not with nicotine, -but with a poison taken from the head of the yellow serpent. These -serpents they kill with the oil of tobacco, one drop or two producing -spasms and death. Count Bocarmé effectually settled the question of the -poisonous property of nicotine, some years since at Mons. It remained -for future experimentalists to discover that as well as a _bane_, -tobacco was an _antidote_. - -A young lady in New Hampshire fell into the mistake of eating a -portion of arsenic, which had been prepared for the destruction of -rats. Painful symptoms soon led to the discovery. An elderly lady, -then present, advised that she should be made to vomit as speedily -as possible, and as the unfortunate victim had always exhibited a -loathing for tobacco in any shape, that was suggested as a ready means -of obtaining the desired end. A pipe was used, but this produced no -nausea. A large portion of strong tobacco was then chewed, and the -juice swallowed, but even this produced no sensation of disgust. A -strong decoction was then made with hot water, of this she drank half a -pint without producing nausea or giddiness, or any emetic or cathartic -action. The pains gradually subsided, and she began to feel well. On -the arrival of physicians, an emetic was administered. The patient -recovered, and no ill consequences were experienced. Another case -occurred a few years subsequent at the same place, when tobacco was -administered and no other remedy. In this instance there was complete -and perfect recovery. From this it may be reasonably concluded, that -tobacco is an antidote of very safe and ready application in cases of -poisoning by arsenic. - -Financiers and Chancellors of Exchequers or Ministers of Finance, look -with particularly favourable eyes upon the “Indian Weed.” Our own -official in that department, can now calculate on nearly six millions -of safe income in his estimates for a year, from this fertile source. -Our near neighbours of France consider four millions too good an -addition to the revenue, to denounce its use. Austria and Spain each -manages to supply the state coffers with a million and a half of money -from the tobacco monopoly. Russia, the Zollverein, Portugal, Sardinia, -and the Papal States, individually realizes from three to four hundred -thousands of pounds every year, from the use or abuse of this most -popular plant in the world. - -Although this habit, in its increase, may cause throbs of ecstatic -joy in the breasts of certain officials, there are other sections of -society holding antagonistic opinions. The Maine Conference of the -Methodist Episcopal Church at a late session, passed the following -preamble and resolutions:—— - -“Whereas—The use of tobacco prevails to a prodigious extent in our -country, as indicated in the reports of our national treasury, and -other authentic documents, from which it appears that over 100,000,000 -pounds of this article are consumed in the United States annually, at a -cost to the consumers of over 20,000,000 dollars, and whereas, we have -reason to believe that its use is rapidly increasing, and that even -ministers of the Gospel are becoming, to a great extent, guilty of this -debasing indulgence; therefore— - -“I.—Resolved. That we view these facts as a matter of profound alarm, -and such an evil as to demand the serious attention of the Church. - -“II.—Resolved. That we regard the use of tobacco as an expensive and -needless indulgence, unfavourable to cleanliness and good manners, -unbecoming in Christians, and especially in Christian Ministers, -and, like the use of alcohol, a violation of the laws of physical, -intellectual, and moral life. - -III.—Resolved. “That we will discountenance the use of that injurious -narcotic, except as a medicine prescribed by a physician, by precept -and example, and by all proper means.” - -De Lagny states that the “Old Believers”, a sect of dissenters from the -Greek Church in Russia, look with horror on the use of tobacco. The -Wahhabees, a Pharasaical sect of strict Moslems, are rigid in their -condemnation of tobacco, and in their adherence to the precepts of the -Koran, and the traditions of the Prophet. - -There are to be met with nearer home, those who are inveterate against -its use, and who willingly join with Cowper in denouncing the - - “Pernicious weed which banishes for hours, - That sex whose presence civilizes ours.” - -An occasional pamphlet or letter, makes its way into the hands of -speculative publishers or into class papers, giving gratuitous advice, -and much denunciatory language, against a habit which is by far too -general, and has been tested by too many experiments not to be well -known, and equally well understood. These “counterblasts” differ but -little from the model one which each would seem to aim at imitating—the -quaint expressions, the only redeeming quality in the original, alone -being wanting. - -“Surely,” saith the high and mightie Prince James, “smoke becomes -a kitchen farre better than a dining chamber; and yet it makes a -kitchen oftentimes in the inward parts of men, soyling and infecting -them with an unctuous and oyly kind of soote, as hath been found in -some great tobacco takers, that after their death were opened. Now, -my good countrymen, let us (I pray you), consider what honour or -policie can move us to imitate the barbarous and beastlie manners of -the wild, godlesse, and slavish Indians, especially in so vile and -filthy a custome. Shall we, that disdain to imitate the manner of our -neighbour, France (having the style of the greate Christian kingdome), -and that cannot endure the spirit of the Spaniards, (their king being -now comparable in largenesse of dominions to the greatest Emperor of -Turkey), shall we, I say, that have been so long civill and wealthy in -peace, famous and invincible in war, fortunate in both—we that have -been ever able to aid any of our neighbours (but never deafened any of -their ears with any of our supplications for assistance), shall we, -I say, without blushing, abase ourselves so far as to imitate these -beastlie Indians, slaves to the Spaniards, the refuse of the worlde, -and, as yet, aliens from the holy covenant of God? Why do we not as -well imitate them in walking naked as they do, in preferring glasses, -feathers, and toys, to gold and precious stones, as they do? Yea, why -do we not deny God, and adore the devils, as they do? Have you not, -then, reasons to forbear this filthie noveltie, so basely grounded, so -foolishly received, and so grosslie mistaken in the right use thereof? -In your abuse thereof, sinning against God, harming yourselves both -in person and goods, and raking also, thereby, the marks and notes -of vanitie upon you, by the custom thereof, making yourselves to be -wondered at by all forreine civill nations, and by all strangers that -come among you, to be scorned and contemned; a custom loathsome to the -eye, hateful to the nose, harmfull to the braine, dangerous to the -lungs, and, in the blacke stinking fume thereof, nearest resembling the -horrible Stygian smoake of the pit that is bottomless.” - -Wise and worthy king, adieu. Gold stick, lead the way. We hasten -from your royal presence to join the Cabinet of Cloudland. _Vive la -Virginie!_ - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -THE CABINET OF CLOUDLAND. - - “A magnificent array of clouds; - And as the breeze plays on them, they assume - The forms of mountains, castled cliffs, and hills, - And shadowy glens, and groves, and beetling rocks; - And some, that seem far off, are voyaging - Their sunbright path in folds of silver.” - - -“Right,” said I to myself, as I lay down the volume of Hyperion, in -which I had been glancing for repose. “I, too, have a friend, not -yet a sexagenary bachelor, but a bachelor notwithstanding. He has -one of those well oiled dispositions which turn upon the hinges of -the world without creaking, except during east winds, and when there -is no butter in the house. The hey-day of life is over with him; but -his old age (begging his pardon) is sunny and chirping, and a merry -heart still nestles in his tottering frame, like a swallow that builds -in a tumble-down chimney. He is a professed Squire of Dames. The -rustle of a silk gown is music to his ears, and his imagination is -continually lantern-led by some will-with-the-wisp in the shape of a -lady’s stomacher. In his devotion to the fair sex—the muslin, as he -calls it—he is the gentle flower of chivalry. It is amusing to see -how quickly he strikes into the scent of a lady’s handkerchief. When -once fairly in pursuit, there is no such thing as throwing him out. -His heart looks out at his eye; and his inward delight tingles down -to the tail of his coat. He loves to bask in the sunshine of a smile; -when he can breathe the sweet atmosphere of kid gloves and cambric -handkerchiefs, his soul is in its element; and his supreme delight is -to pass the morning, to use his own quaint language, ‘in making dodging -calls, and wriggling round among the ladies.’” Yet there are a few -little points in the picture which want retouching, and beyond all, one -great omission to be remedied. It is the PIPE. What would the worthy -Abbot be without his pipe? Just as uncomfortable as we should presume -a dog to be without his tail. As incomplete as a sketch of Napoleon -without his boots and cocked-hat. See him in a cloud, and he seems -the very Premier of Cloudland. It was said of Staines, Lord Mayor of -London, that he could not forego his pipe long enough to be sworn into -office, without a whiff; and a print was published representing his -lordship smoking in his state carriage; the sword bearer smoking—the -mace bearer smoking—the coachmen smoking—the footmen smoking—the -postilions smoking—and, to crown the whole—all the six horses smoking -also. The ninth of November on which this event occurred, must needs -have been a cloudy day. - -Another cloudy day arose upon London when the great plague broke out, -and on this occasion, the smoke of tobacco mingled with the gloom. In -Reliquiæ Hearnianæ, it is stated that “none who kept tobacconist’s -shops had the plague. It is certain that smoking was looked upon as -a most excellent preservative, insomuch, that even children were -obliged to smoke. And I remember”, continues the writer, “that I heard -formerly Tom Rogers, who was yeoman beadle, say, that when he was that -year when the plague raged, a schoolboy at Eton, all the boys of that -school were obliged to smoke in the school every morning, and that -he was never whipped so much in his life as he was one morning for -not smoking.” We may imagine the experiences of some of these urchins -at their first or second attempt, and in remembrance, it may be, of -some similar experience of our own, see no cause for wonder at Tom -Rogers not liking to elevate his yard of clay, and view the curls of -smoke arise from the ashes of the smouldering weed. Another amateur -who flourished after the great fire had burnt out all traces of the -great plague, has left us the record of his “day of smoke,” and the -cudgelling he received for doing that which Tom Rogers was whipped for -not doing— - -“I shall never forget the day when I first smoked. It was a day of -exultation and humiliation. It was a Sunday. My uncle was a great -smoker. He dined with us that day; and after the meal, he pulled out -his cigar case, took a cheroot, and smoked it. I always liked the fumes -of tobacco, so I went near him and observed how he put the cheroot into -his mouth, the way he inhaled the smoke, how he puffed it out again, -and the other coquetries of a regular smoker. I envied my uncle, and -was determined that I would smoke myself. Uncle fell asleep. Now, -thought I, here’s an opportunity not to be lost. I quietly abstracted -three cigars from the case which was lying on the table, and sneaked -off. Being a lad of a generous disposition, I wished that my brothers -and cousins should also partake of the benefits of a smoke, so I -imparted the secret to them, at which they were highly pleased. When -and where to smoke was the next consideration. It was arranged that -when the old people had gone to church in the evening, we should smoke -in the coach-house. We were six in number. I divided the three cigars -into halves, and gave each a piece. Oh, how our hearts did palpitate -with joy! Fire was stealthily brought from the cook-house, and we -commenced to light our cigars. Such puffing I never did see. After each -puff we would open our mouths quite wide, to let the smoke out. At the -performance of the first puff we laughed heartily—the smoke coming out -of our mouths was so funny. At the second puff we didn’t laugh so much, -but began to spit; we thought the cigars were very bitter. After the -third puff we looked steadfastly at each other—each thought the other -looked pale. I could not give the word of command for another pull. I -felt choked, and my teeth began to chatter. There was a dead silence -for a second. We were ashamed, or could not divulge the state of our -feelings. Charlie was the first who gave symptoms of rebellion in his -stomach. Then there was a general revolt. What occurred afterwards I -did not know, till I got up from my bed next morning, to experience the -delights of a sound flagellation. After that I abhorred the smell of -tobacco—would never look at a cigar or think of it.” All this happened, -as the narrator informed us, at the age of seven—an early age, some may -imagine, who do not know that in Vizagapatam and other places on the -same coasts, where the women smoke a great deal, it is a common thing -for the mothers to appease their squalling brats by transferring the -cigar from their own mouths to that of their infants. These youngsters -being accustomed to the art of pulling, suck away gloriously for a -second, and then fall asleep. - -Howard Malcom states, “that in Burmah the consumption of tobacco for -smoking is very great, not in pipes, but in cigars or cheroots, with -wrappers made of the leaves of the Then-net tree. In making them, -a little of the dried root, chopped fine, is added, and sometimes -a small portion of sugar. These are sold at a rupee per thousand. -Smoking is more prevalent than ‘chewing coon’ among both sexes, and is -commenced by children almost as soon as they are weaned. I have seen,” -he continues, “little creatures of two or three years, stark naked, -tottering about with a lighted cigar in their mouth. It is not uncommon -for them to become smokers even before they are weaned—the mother often -taking the cheroot from her mouth and putting it into that of the -infant.” - -In China, the practice is so universal, that every female, from the age -of eight or nine years, as an appendage to her dress, wears a small -silken pocket to hold tobacco and a pipe. - -The use of tobacco has become universal through the Chinese empire; -men, women, children, everybody smokes almost without ceasing. They go -about their daily business, cultivate the fields, ride on horseback, -and write constantly with the pipe in their mouths. During their meals, -if they stop for a moment, it is to smoke a pipe; and if they wake in -the night, they are sure to amuse themselves in the same way. It may -easily be supposed, therefore, that in a country containing, according -to M. Huc, 300,000,000 of smokers, without counting the tribes of -Tartary and Thibet, who lay in their stocks in the Chinese markets, -the culture of tobacco has become very important. The cultivation -is entirely free, every one being at liberty to plant it in his -garden, or in the open fields, in whatever quantity he chooses, and -afterwards to sell it, wholesale or retail, just as he likes, without -the Government interfering with him in the slightest degree. The most -celebrated tobacco is that obtained in Leao-tong in Mantchuria, and -in the province of Sse-tchouen. The leaves, before becoming articles -of commerce, undergo various preparatory processes, according to the -practice of the locality. In the South, they cut them into extremely -fine filaments; the people of the North content themselves with drying -them and rubbing them up coarsely, and then stuff them at once into -their pipes. - -According to etiquette and the custom of the court, Persian princes -must have seven hours for sleep. When they get up, they begin to smoke -the narghilè or shishe, and they continue smoking all day long. When -there is company, the narghilè is first presented to the chief of the -assembly, who, after two or three whiffs, hands it to the next, and so -on it goes descending; but in general, the great smoke only with the -great, or with strangers of distinction. The Schah smokes by himself, -or only with one of his brothers, the tombak, the smoke of which is -of a very superior kind, the odour being exquisite. It is the finest -tombak of Shiraz. - -Mr. Neale says—“Talk about the Turks being great smokers; why, the -Siamese beat them to nothing. I have often seen a child only just able -to toddle about, and certainly not more than two years of age, quit -its mother’s breast to go and get a whiff from papa’s cigaret, or, as -they are here termed, _borees_—cigarets made of the dried leaf of the -plantain tree, inside of which the tobacco is rolled up.” - -In Japan, after tea drinking, the apparatus for smoking is brought in, -consisting of a board of wood or brass, though not always of the same -structure, upon which are placed a small fire-pan with coals, a pot -to spit in, a small box filled with tobacco cut small, and some long -pipes with small brass heads, as also another japanned board or dish, -with socano—that is, something to eat, such as figs, nuts, cakes, and -sweetmeats. “There are no other spitting pots,” says Kœmpfer, “brought -into the room but those which come along with the tobacco. If there -be occasion for more, they make use of small pieces of bamboo, a hand -broad and high being sawed from between the joints and hollowed.” - -In Nicaragua, the dress of the urchins, from twelve or fourteen -downwards, consists generally of a straw hat and a cigar—the latter -sometimes unlighted and stuck behind the ear, but oftener lighted and -stuck in the mouth—a costume sufficiently airy and picturesque, and -excessively cheap. The women have their hair braided in two long locks, -which hang down behind, and give them a school-girly look, quite out -of keeping with the cool deliberate manner in which they puff their -cigars, occasionally forcing the smoke in jets from their nostrils.[7] - -On the Amazon, all persons—men and women—use tobacco in smoking; when -pipes are wanting, they make cigarillos of the fine tobacco, wrapped -in a paper-like bark, called Towarè; and one of these is passed round, -each person, even to the little boys, taking two or three puffs in his -turn.[8] - -The Papuans pierce their ears and insert in the orifice, ornaments -or cigars of tobacco, rolled in pandan leaf, of which they are great -consumers. - -A Spaniard knows no crime so black that it should be visited by the -deprivation of tobacco. In the Havana, the convict who is deprived of -the ordinary comforts, or even of the necessaries of life, may enjoy -his cigar, if he can beg or borrow it; if he stole it, the offence -would be considered venial. At the doorway of most of the shops hang -little sheet-iron boxes filled with lighted coals, at which the -passer-by may light cigars; and on the balustrade of the staircase -of every house stands a small chafing dish for the same purpose. -Fire for his cigar, is the only thing for which a Spaniard does -not think it necessary to ask and thank with ceremonious courtesy. -If he has permitted his cigar to go out, he steps up to the first -man he meets—nobleman or galley slave, as the case may be—and the -latter silently hands his smoking weed; for it is impossible that two -Spaniards should meet and not have one lighted cigar between them. -The light obtained, the lightee returns the cigar to the lighter in -silence. A short and suddenly checked motion of the hand, as the cigar -is extended, is the only acknowledgment of the courtesy. This is never, -however, omitted. Women smoke as well as men; and in a full railroad -car, every person, man, woman, and child, may be seen smoking. To -placard “no smoking allowed,” and enforce it, would ruin the road. - -A regular smoker in Cuba will consume perhaps twenty or thirty cigars -a day, but they are all fresh. What we call a fine old cigar, a Cuban -would not smoke. - -At Manilla, the women smoke as well as the men. One manufactory employs -about 9,000 women in making the Manilla cheroots; another establishment -employs 3,000 men in making paper cigars or cigarettes. The paper -cigars are chiefly smoked by men; the women prefer the “puros,” the -largest they can get. - -The Binua of Johore, of both sexes, indulge freely in tobacco. It -is their favourite luxury. The women are often seen seated together -weaving mats, and each with a cigar in her mouth. When speaking, it -is transferred to the perforation in the ear. When met paddling their -canoes, the cigar is seldom wanting. The Mintira women are also much -addicted to tobacco, but they do not smoke it. - -In South America, many of the tribes are free indulgers in tobacco; and -this extends also to the female and juvenile sections of the community. -A story, which Signor Calistro narrated to Mr. Wallace whilst -travelling in the interior of Brazil, shows that it was nothing but a -common occurrence for little girls to smoke. This story is in itself -interesting considered apart from all circumstances of veracity. -“There was a negro who had a pretty wife, to whom another negro was -rather attentive when he had an opportunity. One day the husband went -out to hunt, and the other party thought it a good opportunity to pay a -visit to the lady. The husband, however, returned rather unexpectedly, -and the visitor climbed up on the rafters to be out of sight, among the -old boards and baskets that were stowed away there. The husband put -his gun by in a corner, and called to his wife to get his supper, and -then sat down in his hammock. Casting his eyes up to the rafters, he -saw a leg protruding from among the baskets, and thinking it something -supernatural, crossed himself, and said, ‘Lord deliver us from the legs -appearing overhead!’ The other, hearing this, attempted to draw up his -legs out of sight; but, losing his balance, came down suddenly on the -floor in front of the astonished husband, who, half-frightened, asked, -‘Where do you come from?’ ‘I have just come from heaven,’ said the -other, ‘and have brought you news of your little daughter Maria.’ ‘Oh, -wife, wife! come and see a man who has brought us news of our little -daughter Maria!’ then, turning to the visitor, continued, ’and what -was my little daughter doing when you left?’ ‘Oh, she was sitting at -the feet of the Virgin with a golden crown on her head, and smoking a -golden pipe a yard long.’ ‘And did she send any message to us?’ ‘Oh, -yes; she sent many remembrances, and begged you to send her two pounds -of your tobacco from the little rhoosa; they have not got any half so -good up there.’ ‘Oh, wife, wife, bring two pounds of our tobacco from -the little rhoosa, for our daughter Maria is in heaven, and she says -they have not any half so good up there.’ So the tobacco was brought, -and the visitor was departing, when he was asked, ‘Are there many -white men up there?’ ‘Very few,’ he replied; ‘they are all down below -with the _diabo_.’ ‘I thought so,’ the other replied, apparently quite -satisfied; ‘good night.’” - -On the Orinoco, tobacco has been cultivated by the native tribes from -time immemorial. The Tamanacs and the Maypures of Guiana wrap maize -leaves around their cigars as did the Mexicans at the time of the -arrival of Cortes; and, as in Chili, is done at the present day. The -Spaniards have substituted paper for the maize husks, in imitation -of them. The little cigarettos of Chili are called _hojitas_. They -are about two inches and a half long, filled with coarsely powdered -tobacco. As their use is apt to stain the fingers of the smoker, the -fashionable young gentlemen carry a pair of delicate gold tweezers for -holding them. The cigar is so small that it requires not more than -three or four minutes to smoke one. They serve to fill up the intervals -in a conversation. At tertulias, the gentlemen sometimes retire to a -balcony to smoke one or two cigars after a dance. - -The poor Indians of the forests of the Orinoco know, as well as did the -great nobles of the Court of Montezuma, that the smoke of tobacco is an -excellent narcotic; and they use it, not only to procure an afternoon -nap, but, also to induce a state of quiescence which they call dreaming -with the eyes open. At the Court of Montezuma the pipe was held in one -hand, while the nostrils were stopped with the other, in order that -the smoke might be more easily swallowed. Bernal Diaz also informs -us, that after Montezuma had dined, they presented to him three little -canes, highly ornamented, containing liquid amber, mixed with a herb -they call tobacco, and when he had sufficiently viewed and heard the -singers, he took a little of the smoke of one of these canes, and then -laid himself down to sleep. A tribe of Indians originally inhabiting -Panama, improved upon this method, which occupied both hands, and -involved considerable trouble; the method adopted by the chiefs and -great men of this tribe, was to employ servants to blow tobacco smoke -in their faces, which was convenient and encouraged their indolence; -they indulged in the luxury of tobacco in no other way. - -Amongst the Rocky Mountain Indians, it is a universal practice to -indulge in smoking, and when they do so they saturate their bodies -in smoke. They use but little tobacco, mixing with it a plant which -renders the fume less offensive. It is a social luxury, for the -enjoyment of which, they form a circle, and only one pipe is used. -The principal chief begins by drawing three whiffs, the first of -which he sends upward, and then passes the pipe to the person next -in dignity, and in like manner the instrument passes round until it -comes to the first chief again. He then draws four whiffs, the last of -which he blows through his nose, in two columns, in circling ascent, -as through a double flued chimney; and their pipes are not of the -race stigmatized by Knickerbocker as plebeian. None of the smoke of -those villanous short pipes, continually ascending in a cloud about -the nose, penetrating into and befogging the cerebellum, drying up all -the kindly moisture of the brain, and rendering the people who use -them vapourish and testy; or, what is worse, from being goodly, burly, -sleek-conditioned men, to become like the Dutch yeomanry who smoked -short pipes, a lantern-jawed, smoke-dried, leathern-hided race. The red -people, whether of the Rocky mountains or of the Mississippi, belonged -to the aristocracy of the _long pipes_. Let us hope that they have -not degenerated, and become followers of the customs of the barbarian -_ultra-marines_. - -Turn over the leaves of “Westward Ho!” until you reach the end of -the seventh chapter, and then read of Salvation Yeo and his fiery -reputation, and his eulogium—“for when all things were made, none was -made better than this; to be a lone man’s companion, a bachelor’s -friend, a hungry man’s food, a sad man’s cordial, a wakeful man’s -sleep, and a chilly man’s fire, sir; while, for stanching of wounds, -purging of rheum, and settling of the stomach, there’s no herb like -unto it under the canopy of heaven.” The truth of which eulogium Amyas -testeth in after years. But, “mark in the meanwhile,” says one of the -veracious chroniclers from whom I draw these facts, writing seemingly -in the palmy days of good Queen Anne and “not having (as he says) -before his eyes the fear of that misocapnic Solomon James I. or of any -other lying Stuart,” “that not to South Devon, but to North; not to -Sir Walter Raleigh, but to Sir Amyas Leigh; not to the banks of the -Dart, but to the banks of Torridge, does Europe owe the dayspring of -the latter age, that age of smoke which shall endure and thrive when -the age of brass shall have vanished, like those of iron and of gold, -for whereas Mr. Lane is said to have brought home that divine weed (as -Spenser well names it), from Virginia, in the year 1584, it is hereby -indisputable that full four years earlier, by the bridge of Pulford in -the Torridge moors (which all true smokers shall hereafter visit as a -hallowed spot and point of pilgrimage) first twinkled that fiery beacon -and beneficent loadstar of Bidefordian commerce, to spread hereafter -from port to port, and peak to peak, like the watch-fires which -proclaimed the coming of the Armada and the fall of Troy, even to the -shores of the Bosphorus, the peaks of the Caucasus, and the farthest -isles of the Malayan sea; while Bideford, metropolis of tobacco, saw -her Pool choked up with Virginian traders, and the pavement of her -Bridgeland Street groaning beneath the savoury bales of roll Trinidado, -leaf, and pudding; and the grave burghers, bolstered and blocked out -of their own houses by the scarce less savoury stockfish casks which -filled cellar, parlour, and attic, were fain to sit outside the door, -a silver pipe in every strong right hand, and each left hand chinking -cheerfully the doubloons deep lodged in the auriferous caverns of -their trunkhose; while in those fairy rings of fragrant mist, which -circled round their contemplative brows, flitted most pleasant visions -of Wiltshire farmers jogging into Sherborne fair, their heaviest -shillings in their pockets to buy (unless old Aubrey lies) the lotus -leaf of Torridge for its weight in silver, and draw from thence, after -the example of the Caciques of Dariena, supplies of inspiration much -needed then, as now, in those Gothamite regions. And yet did these -improve, as Englishmen, upon the method of those heathen savages; -for the latter (so Salvation Yeo reported as a truth, and Dampier’s -surgeon, Mr. Wafer, after him), when they will deliberate of war or -policy, sit round in the hut of the chief; where being placed, enter -to them a small boy with a cigarro of the bigness of a rolling pin, -and puffs the smoke thereof into the face of each warrior, from the -eldest to the youngest; while they, putting their hand funnel-wise -round their mouths, draw into the sinuosities of the brain, that more -than Delphic vapour of prophecy; which boy presently falls down in a -swoon, and being dragged out by the heels and laid by to sober, enter -another to puff at the sacred cigarro, till he is dragged out likewise, -and so on till the tobacco is finished, and the seed of wisdom has -sprouted in every soul into the tree of meditation, bearing the flowers -of eloquence, and, in due time, the fruit of valiant action.” And -with this quaint fact, narrated in the bombastic style of chronicles, -closeth the seventh chapter of the voyages and adventures of Sir Amyas -Leigh, under the style and title already mentioned, and after which -digression the course of our narrative proceedeth as before. - -The inhabitants of Yemen smoke their well-loved dschihschi pipes, with -long stems passed through water, that the smoke may come cold to the -mouth; and which, when a few inveterate smokers meet together, keep up -a boiling and bubbling noise, not unlike a distant corps of drummers in -full performance. - -In the Austrian dominions, the lovers of the pipe may be found amongst -all classes of the community. Köhl writes, that after taking two or -three pipes of tobacco with the pasha at New Orsova, he went into -the market-place, where he found several merchants who invited him -to sit down, and again he was presented with a pipe. From this place -he went to a mosque, calling in at a school on his way:——“The little -Turkish students were making a most heathenish noise, which contrasted -amusingly with the quiet and sedate demeanour of their teacher, who lay -stretched upon a bench, where he smoked his pipe, and said nothing.” -He afterwards went to look at the fortifications, and here and there -saw a sentinel, with his musket in one hand and pipe in the other. -“Twenty-five soldiers were seen smoking under a shed, and on the ground -lay a number of shells or hollow balls, which they assured us were -filled with powder and other combustibles, yet the soldiers smoked -among them unconcernedly, and allowed us to do the same.” A gentleman -from Constantinople told him that he had seen worse instances of -carelessness, in Asia Minor. He had there been one day in the tents -of a pasha, where some wet powder was drying and being made into -cartridges, and the men engaged in the work were smoking all the while. - -In the “Stettin Gazette,” lately appeared a notification that the -Prussian clergy had privately been requested by the higher authorities -to abstain from smoking in public. We are not accustomed to it, and -should certainly think it odd to see clergymen perambulating the -streets with short pipes in their mouths. - -In all parts of the Sultan’s dominions, the pipe or narghilè has a stem -generally flexible, about six feet in length; and at this the owner -will suck for hours. You may see a man travelling, mounted aloft on a -tall camel, with his body oscillating to and fro like a sailor’s when -he rows, but still that man has his two yards of pipe before him. You -may see two men caulking a ship’s side as she lies careened near the -shore. Up to their waists in water, they act up to the principle of -division of labour; for one will smoke as the other plies the hammer, -and then the worker takes his turn at the narghilè. Arabs sitting at -work, fix their pipes in the sand. In the potteries both hands must be -employed—how, then, can the potter smoke? Necessity is the mother of -invention. One end of the pipe is suspended by a cord from the ceiling, -the other is in the potter’s mouth. - -In smoking, Lane informs us, the people of Egypt and other countries -of the East draw in their breath freely, so that much of the smoke -descends into the lungs; and the terms which they use to express -“smoking tobacco,” signify “_drinking_ smoke,” or “_drinking tobacco_;” -for the same word signifies both smoke and tobacco. Few of them spit -while smoking; he had seldom seen them do so. - -It was something like drinking of smoke that Napoleon accomplished -in his unsuccessful smoking campaign. He once took a fancy to try to -smoke. Everything was prepared for him, and his Majesty took the amber -mouth-piece of the narghilè between his lips; he contented himself -with opening and shutting his mouth alternately, without in the least -drawing his breath. “The devil,” he replied—“why, there’s no result!” -It was shewn that he made the attempt badly, and the proper method -practically exhibited to him. At last he drew in a mouthful, when the -smoke—which he had discovered the means of drawing in, but knew not -how to expel—found its way into his throat, and thence by his nose, -almost blinding him. As soon as he recovered breath, he cried out—“Away -with it! What an abomination! Oh! the hog—my stomach turns!” In fact, -the annoyance continued for an hour, and he renounced for ever a habit -which, he said, was fit only to amuse sluggards. - -Although Napoleon managed to fail, thousands less mighty have managed -to succeed. There is a curious kind of legend mentioned in Brand’s -Antiquities, by way of accounting for the frequent use and continuance -of taking tobacco, for the veracity of which he declares that he will -not vouch. “When the Christians first discovered America, the devil -was afraid of losing his hold of the people there by the appearance -of Christianity. He is reported to have told some Indians of his -acquaintance, that he had found a way to be revenged on the Christians -for beating up his quarters, for he would teach them to take tobacco, -to which, when they had once tasted it, they should become perpetual -slaves.” - -Without venturing to authenticate this strange story, in the moral -of which Napoleon would have concurred—with a mental reservation in -favour of snuff—after the above defeat, let us console tobacco lovers, -that whilst the success of the first temptation closed the gates of -Paradise, the success of the second opens them again. - -The following from an old collection of epigrams is, in every respect, -worthy of the theme. - - “All dainty meats I do defie, - Which feed men fat as swine; - He is a frugal man indeed - That on a leaf can dine. - He needs no napkin for his hands - His fingers’ ends to wipe, - That keeps his kitchen in a box, - And roast meat in a pipe.” - -In Hamburg, 40,000 cigars are smoked daily in a population scarcely -amounting to 45,000 adult males. And in London, the consumption must -be considerable to furnish, from the profits of retailing, a living -to 1566 tobacconists. In England, we may presume that the largest -smoker of tobacco must be the Queen, since an immense kiln at the -docks, called the Queen’s pipe, is occasionally lighted and primed with -hundredweights of tobacco, sea damaged or otherwise spoiled, at the -same time blowing a cloud - - “Which Turks might envy, Africans adore.” - -The total number of cigars consumed in France in 1857 is stated to have -been 523,636,000; and the total revenue of the French Government from -the tobacco monopoly is estimated at £7,320,000 annually. In Russia the -revenue is £7,200,000 annually; and in Austria near £3,000,000. These -are large sums to pay for the privilege of puffing. - -The _Buffalo Democracy_ estimates the annual consumption of tobacco -at 4,000,000,000 of pounds. This is all smoked, chewed, or snuffed. -Suppose it all made into cigars 100 to the pound, it would produce -400,000,000,000 of cigars. These cigars, at the usual length, four -inches, if joined together, would form one continuous cigar 25,253,520 -miles long, which would encircle the earth more than 1000 times. Cut up -into equal pieces, 250,000 miles in length, there would be over 1000 -cigars which would extend from the centre of the earth to the centre of -the moon. Put these cigars into boxes 10 inches long, 4 inches wide, -and 3 inches high, 100 to the box, and it would require 4,000,000,000 -boxes to contain them. Pile up these boxes in a solid mass, and they -would occupy a space of 294,444,444 cubic feet; if piled up 20 feet -high, they would cover a farm of 338 acres; and if laid side by side, -the boxes would cover nearly 20,000 acres. Allowing this tobacco, -in its unmanufactured state, to cost sixpence a pound, and we have -100,000,000 pounds sterling expended yearly upon this weed; at least -one-and-a-half times as much more is required to manufacture it into -a marketable form, and dispose of it to the consumer. At the very -lowest estimate, then, the human family expend every year £250,000,000 -in the gratification of an acquired habit, or a crown for every man, -woman, and child upon the earth. This sum, the writer calculates, -would build 2 railroads round the earth at a cost of £5,000 per mile, -or 16 railroads the Atlantic to the Pacific. It would build 100,000 -churches, costing £2,500 each, or 1,000,000 dwellings costing £25 each -(rather small!) It would employ 1,000,000 of preachers and 1,000,000 of -teachers, giving each a salary of £125. It would support 3⅓ millions of -young men at college, allowing to each £75 a year for expenses. - -What a cloud the “human family” would blow if they had each his share -of the 4,000,000,000 pounds dealt out to him in cigars on the morning -of the 25th of December, in the year of our Lord, 1860. One feels -dubious as to the number who would refuse to take their quota, if there -were nothing to pay. - -Dr. Dwight Baldwin states, that in 1851, the city of New York spent -3,650,000 dollars for cigars alone, while it only spent 3,102,500 -dollars for bread. The Grand Erie Canal, 364 miles long, the longest in -the world, with its eighteen aqueducts, and eighty-four locks, was made -in six years, at a cost of 7,000,000 dollars. The cigar bill in the -city of New York would have paid the whole in two years. - -The number of cigar manufactories in America is 1,400, and the number -of hands employed in them 7,000 and upwards. The total estimated -weekly produce of these manufactories is 17½ millions, and the yearly -840 millions. At 7 dollars per 1,000, these would be worth 5 million -dollars, and adding 50 per cent. for jobber and retailer, the total -cost to consumers would be 7½ million dollars—add to this the sum -paid for imported cigars, 6 million dollars, and we have 13½ million -dollars, the value of cigars consumed yearly in the United States, -without adding profit to the imported cigars; so that, including the -amount expended in tobacco for smoking and chewing, and in snuff, the -annual cost of the tobacco consumed yearly, is not less than 30 million -dollars or £6,000,000. This is but little more than is realized -annually in Great Britain by the excise duty alone on the tobacco -consumed at home; but it must be remembered, that in America tobacco is -free of the duty of three shillings and twopence per pound, and free -of charges for an Atlantic passage, so that the tobacco represented by -6 millions there, would be represented here by at least six times that -amount. - -Cloudland costs something to keep up its dignity after all, but beauty -is seductive, and so is tobacco. - -Yes! St. John (Percy, we mean—not “the Divine”), there must be “magic -in the cigar.” Then, to the sailor, on the wide and tossing ocean, -what consolation is there, save in his old pipe? While smoking his -inch and a half of clay, black and polished, his Susan or his Mary -becomes manifest before him, he sees her, holds converse with her -spirit—in the red glare from the ebony bowl, as he walks the deck at -night, or squats on the windlass, are reflected the bright sparkling -eyes of his sweetheart. The Irish fruit-woman, the Jarvie without a -fare, the policeman on a quiet beat, the soldier at his ease, all bow -to the mystic power of tobacco[9]—all acknowledge the infatuations of -CLOUDLAND. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -PIPEOLOGY. - - “It was his constant companion and solace. Was he gay, he smoked—was - he sad, he smoked—his pipe was never out of his mouth—it was a part of - his physiognomy; without it his best friends would not know him. Take - away his pipe—you might as well take away his nose.”——KNICKERBOCKER’S - _New York_. - - -Semele, in a death by fire, became a martyr to love. Thus Virginia -suffers herself to be burnt for the good of the world. From the ashes -of the old Phœnix the young Phœnix was born. From the smoke of the -Havana spring new visions, and eloquent delights. As the altars of the -gods received honour from men, and the censers from whence ascended the -burning incense were sacred to the deities, wherefore should not the -pipe receive honour, as well as the man who uses it, or the odorous -weed consumed within it. An enthusiast writes of it thus—“Philosophers -have drawn their best similes from their pipes. How could they have -done so, had their pipes first been drawn from them? We see the smoke -go upwards—we think of life; we see the smoke-wreath fade away—we -remember the morning cloud. Our pipe breaks—we mourn the fragility of -earthly pleasures. We smoke it to an end, and tapping out the ashes, -remember that ‘Dust we are, and unto dust we shall return.’ If we are -in love, we garnish a whole sonnet with images drawn from smoking, and -first fill our pipe, and then tune it. That spark kindles like her eye, -is ruddy as her lip; this slender clay, as white as her hand, and slim -as her waist; till her raven hair grows grey as these ashes, I will -love her. This perfume is not sweeter than her breath, though sweeter -than all else. The odour ascends me into the brain, fills it full of -all fiery delectable shapes, which delivered over to the tongue, which -is the birth become delectable wit.” - -The instruments by which the “universal weed” is consumed, are almost -as variable in form and material as the nations indulging in their use. -The pipe of Holland is of porcelain, and that of our own island of -unglazed clay. These latter are made in large quantities, both at home -and abroad.[10] One factory at St. Omer employs 450 work-people, and -produces annually 100,000 gross, or nearly fifteen millions of pipes; -and another factory at the same place employs 850 work-people, and -produces 200,000 gross, or nearly thirty millions of pipes, consuming -nearly eight thousand tons of clay in their manufacture. The quantity -of pipes used annually in London is estimated at 364,000 gross, or -52,416,000 pipes; it requires 300 men, each man making 20 gross four -dozen per week, for one year, to make them; the cost of which is -£40,950. The average length of these pipes is twelve and a half inches; -and if laid down in a horizontal position, end to end together, they -would reach to the extent of 10,340 miles, 1,600 yards; if they were -piled one above another perpendicularly, they would reach 135,138 times -as high as St. Pauls; they would weigh 1,137 tons, 10 cwts., and it -would require 104 tons, 9 cwts., 32 lbs. of tobacco to fill them. In -1857 we imported clay pipes to the value of £7,614, which cannot be -short of 121,000 gross, or seventeen and a half millions. But even -with us, pipes were not always of clay. The earliest pipes used in -Britain are stated to have been made from a walnut-shell and a straw. -Dr. Royle describes a very primitive kind of clay pipe used by some of -the natives of India—it is presumed only in cases of necessity. “The -amateur makes two holes, one longer than the other, with a piece of -stick in a clay soil, inclining the stick so that they may meet; into -the shorter hole he places the tobacco, and applies his mouth to the -other, and thus, as he lies upon the ground, luxuriates in the fumes of -the narcotic herb.” - -Turkish pipe-bowls, or Lules, are composed of the red clay of Nish, -mixed with the white earth of the Roustchouck. They are very graceful -in form, and are in some cases ornamented with gilding. The “regular -Turk” prefers a fresh bowl daily; therefore the plain ones are resorted -to on the score of economy. In Turkey and some other parts of the -Orient, it is not unusual to compute distances, or rather the duration -of a journey, by the numbers of pipes which might be smoked in the time -necessary to accomplish it. - -The pipe of the German is, almost universally, the Meerschaum, that -pipe of fame so coveted by the Northern smoker. These articles are -composed of a kind of magnesian earth, known to the Tartars of the -Crimea as _keff-til_. Pallas erroneously supposed that this kind of -earth was so denominated from Caffa, and therefore the name signified -“Caffa earth.” From “Meninski’s Oriental Dictionary” it would appear to -be a derivation of two Turkish words which signify “foam” or “froth” -of the “earth.” The French name, _écume de mer_, or “scum of the sea,” -and the Germans’ “sea foam,” have doubtless an intimate relationship -with this same “keff til” of the Crimean Tartars. - -Meerschaum earth is met with in various localities in Spain, Greece, -Crimea, and Moravia. The greatest quantity is derived from Asia Minor, -it being dug principally in the peninsula of Natolia, near the town of -Coniah. Before the capture of the Crimea, this earth is stated to have -formed a considerable article of commerce with Constantinople, where it -was used in the public baths to cleanse the hair of women. The first -rude shape was formerly given to the pipe-bowls on the spot where the -mineral was dug, by pressure in a mould; and these rude bowls were -more elegantly carved and finished at Pesth and Vienna. At the present -time, the greater part of the meerschaum is exported in the shape of -irregular blocks; these undergo a careful manipulation, after having -been soaked in a preparation of wax and oil. After being finished, and -sold at the German fairs, some of them have acquired such an exquisite -tint through smoking, in the estimation of connoisseurs, that they have -realized from £40 to £50. - -Attempts have not been wanting to imitate this material, hitherto not -very successfully. The large quantity of parings that are left in -trimming up the bowls, has been rendered available for the manufacture -of what are called “massa bowls,” but they do not enjoy the reputation -of the genuine meerschaum bowls. - -There is yet another mineral production, the use of which Turkish -smokers, at any rate, know how to appreciate. This is amber. The Turk -will expend an almost fabulous sum in an amber mouth-piece for his -_narghileh_. Four valuable articles of this description were exhibited -in the Turkish department of the Exhibition of 1851, which were -worth together £1000, two of them being valued at £305 each. There is -a current belief in Turkey that amber is incapable of transmitting -infection; and as it is considered a great mark of politeness to offer -the pipe to a stranger, this presumed property of amber accounts in -some measure for the estimation in which it is held. - -The knowledge of amber extends backwards to a remote antiquity, as the -Phœnicians of old fetched it from Prussia. Since that period it has -been obtained there uninterruptedly, without any diminution in the -quantity annually collected. The greatest amount of amber is found -on the coast of Prussia proper, between Konigsberg and Dantzic. From -the amber-beds on the coast of Dirschkeim, extending under the sea, a -storm threw up, on the 1st of January, 1848, no less than 800 pounds. -The amber fishery of Prussia formerly produced to the king about -25,000 crowns per month. After a storm, the amber coasts are crowded -with gatherers, large masses of amber being occasionally cast up by -the waves. In digging for a well in the coal-mines near Prague, the -workmen lately discovered, between the bed of gritstone which forms the -roof of that mine and the first layer of coals, a bed of yellow amber, -apparently of great extent. Pieces weighing from two to three pounds -have been extracted. There are two kinds—the terrestrial, which is dug -in mines, and the marine, which is cast ashore during autumnal storms. - -Opinions vary as to the origin of amber. Tacitus and others have -considered it a fossil resin exhaled by certain coniferous trees, -traces of which are frequently observed among the amber, whilst other -theorists contend that it is a species of wax or fat, having undergone -a slow process of putrefaction; this latter view being based upon the -fact that chemists are able to convert fatty or cerous substances into -succinic acid by artificial oxidation. One thing is, however, certain, -that amber, at some period of its history, must have existed in a state -of fluidity, since numerous insects, especially of the spider kind, -are found imbedded in it; and a specimen has been shown enclosing the -leg of a toad. Toads are in the habit of living for centuries, we -are informed, cooped up in stone and rock; but we are not aware that -hitherto any of these extraordinary reptiles have been found buried -alive in a mass of amber. Masses of amber have been found weighing from -4 lbs. to 6 lbs.—more than large enough to contain a toad or two of -ordinary dimensions. - -For a knowledge of the pipes of modern Egypt, we must resort for -information to Mr. Lane, from whom we gather the following notes. -The pipe (which is called by many names, as “shibuk,” “ood,” &c.) is -generally between four and five feet long. Some pipes are shorter, and -some of greater length. The most common kind used in Egypt is made of -a kind of wood called “garmashak.” The greater part of the stick is -covered with silk, which is confined at each extremity by gold thread, -often intertwined with coloured silks, or by a tube of gilt silver; -and at the lower extremity of the covering is a tassel of silk. The -covering was originally designed to be moistened with water, in order -to cool the pipe, and consequently the smoke, by evaporation; but this -is only done when the pipe is old, or not handsome. Cherrystick pipes, -which are never covered, are used by some persons, particularly in the -winter. In summer, the smoke is not so cool from the cherrystick pipe -as from the kind before mentioned. The bowl is of baked earth, coloured -red or brown. The mouth-piece is composed of two or more pieces of -opaque, light-coloured amber, interjoined by ornaments of enamelled -gold, agate, jasper, carnelion, or some other precious substance. This -is the most costly part of the pipe. Those in ordinary use by persons -of the middle classes cost from £1 to £3 sterling. A wooden tube passes -through it; this is often changed, as it becomes foul from the oil of -the tobacco. The pipe also requires to be cleaned very often, which -is done with tow, by means of a long wire. Many poor men in Cairo -gain a livelihood by cleaning pipes. Some of the Egyptians use the -Persian pipe, in which the smoke passes through water. The pipe of this -kind most commonly used by persons of the higher classes is called -“nargeeleh,” because the vessel that contains the water is the shell -of a cocoa-nut, of which “nargeeleh” is an Arabic name. Another kind -which has a glass vase, is called “sheesheh,” from the Persian word -signifying “glass.” Each has a very long, flexible tube. - -A kind of pipe commonly called “gozeh,” which is similar to the -nargeeleh, excepting that it has a short cane tube, instead of the -snake, and no stand. This is used by men of the lowest class for -smoking both the “tumbak” or Persian tobacco, and the narcotic hemp. - -The Zoolus of Southern Africa have a kind of pipe or smoking horn -called “Egoodu,” which is constructed on a similar principle to the -Persian pipe. The herb is placed at the end of a reed introduced into -the side of an oxhorn, which is filled with water, and the mouth -applied to the upper or wide part of the horn, the smoke passing down -the reed and through the water. - -The Delagoans of Eastern Africa smoke the “hubble-bubble,” a similar -instrument, having the upper part of the horn closed, excepting a -small orifice in the centre of the covering through which the smoke is -inhaled. - -The Kaffirs form pipe bowls from a black, and also from a green stone; -they are in shape similar to the Dutch pipes, and without ornament. The -negroes of Western Africa have pipes of a reddish earth, some of them -of very uncouth and singular forms, others close imitations of European -pipe bowls. One kind of pipe consists of two bowls placed side by side -upon a single stem. Old Indian pipes have been found in America, also -fashioned out of green stone. - -The natives of the South-West coast of Africa, near Elizabeth’s Bay, -use pipes in the shape of a cigar tube formed of a mottled green or -white mineral of the magnesian family, externally carved or roughly -ornamented. - -Sailors, when on a voyage, are often in difficulties for the want -of pipes. Under such circumstances, numerous contrivances have at -different times been resorted to to remedy the defect; such as pipes -cast out of old lead, or cut out of wood. The sailors belonging to -H.M.S. _Samarang_ having lost their pipes in the Sarawak river, set to, -and in a very little while, manufactured excellent pipes from different -sized internodes of the bamboos that grew around them. In India, simple -pipes are used composed of two pieces of bamboo, one for the bowl cut -close to a knot, and a smaller one for the tube. - -The aborigines of British Guiana use a pipe, or rather a tube, called a -“Winna.” It resembles a cheroot in outward appearance, but is hollow, -so as to contain the tobacco. It is said to be made from the rind of -the fruit of the manicot palm, growing on the river Berbice. Forasmuch -as it pleaseth us to borrow fashions from nations barbarous as well as -civilized, a form of tube much resembling the “Winna,” has been made -and sold in the tobacconist shops of the metropolis of old England. - -Among the Bashee group, and particularly on the island of Ibayat, -the natives form very elegant and commodious pipes from different -species of shells, the columella and septa of the convolutions being -broken down, and a short ebony stem inserted into a hole at the apex -of the spire. These are more generally formed of the shells known as -the Bishop’s mitre (_Mitra episcopalis_) and the Pope’s mitre (_Mitra -papalis_). Species of _Terebra_ and _Turbo_ are also converted into -pipes. - -In China, where M. Rondot calculates that there are not less than 100 -millions, and Abbé Huc 300 millions of smokers, pipes are made in -immense numbers. Of these there are three kinds, the water pipe, the -straight pipe, and the opium pipe. Chinese pipes, and indeed those of -all the Indo-Chinese races, including the Tartars, Chinese, Koreans, -and Japanese, are provided with a small metallic bowl, and usually a -long bamboo stem; for with persons who are in the habit of smoking, -at short intervals, all day long, a large bowl would be inadmissible. -By inhaling but a pinch of tobacco on one occasion, they extend the -influence of a larger pipe over a greater space of time. In such cases -they suffer no inconvenience from the nature of the material of which -the bowl is composed. Nations that smoke larger pipes adopt some other -substance, as metal would become too hot; hence we have pipes of -“Samian ware” in Turkey, “Meerschaum” in Germany, and “Clay” in England -and other places. My “Uncle Toby” would have burnt his fingers with a -Chinese pipe of nickel silver many a time and often; and it would have -required a large amount of logic to have induced Doctor Riccabocca to -have exchanged his companion (his pipe, not his umbrella) for a bowl of -Japanese manufacture. - -Isaac Browne thought, a century ago, that there was something in a -pipe worth writing about, or he had never given us the following - - -“ODE TO A TOBACCO PIPE. - - “Little tube of mighty power, - Charmer of an idle hour, - Object of my warm desire, - Lip of wax, and eye of fire; - And thy snowy taper waist, - With thy finger gently braced; - And thy pretty swelling crest, - With thy little stopper prest; - And the sweetest bliss of blisses - Breathing from thy balmy kisses. - Happy thrice, and thrice again, - Happiest he of happy men; - Who, when again the night returns, - When again the taper burns, - When again the cricket’s gay - (Little cricket full of play), - Can afford his tube to feed - With the fragrant Indian weed; - Pleasure for a nose divine, - Incense of the god of wine. - Happy thrice, and thrice again, - Happiest he of happy men.” - -In Virginia’s native country, the pipe sticks closer to a man than his -boots. An American is no more furnished without his pipe or cigar, than -a house is furnished without a looking glass. To the native Indian, -it supplies an important place; it becomes his treaty of peace—his -challenge of war. It is the instrument of a solemn ratification, and -the subject of more than one semi-sacred legend, which has woven about -the heart of the Red-man. - -“At the Red-pipe Stone Quarry,” say they, “happened the mysterious -birth of the red-pipe, which has blown its fumes of peace or war to the -remotest corners of the Continent, which has visited every warrior, -and passed through its reddened stem, the irrevocable oath of war and -desolation. And here, also, the peace breathing calumet was born, and -fringed with the eagle’s quills, which has shed its thrilling fumes -over the land, and soothed the fury of the relentless savage. The -Great Spirit, at an ancient period, here called together the Indian -warriors, and standing on the precipice of the red-pipe stone rock, -broke from its wall a piece, and made a huge pipe, by turning it in his -hand, which he smoked over them, and to the north, the south, the east, -and the west; and told them that this stone was red—that it was their -flesh—that they must use it for their pipes of peace, that it belonged -to them all, and that the war club, and the scalping knife must not -be raised on its ground. At the last whiff of his pipe, his head went -into a great cloud, and the whole surface of the rock, for several -miles, was melted and glazed. Two great ovens were opened beneath, and -two women, guardian spirits of the place, entered them in a blaze of -fire, and they are heard there yet, answering to the invocations of the -priests or medicine men, who consult them when they are visitors to -this sacred place.”[11] - - “From the red stone of the quarry - With his hand he broke a fragment, - Moulded it into a pipe head, - Shaped and fashioned it with figures. - From the margin of the river - Took a long reed for a pipe stem, - With its dark green leaves upon it; - Filled the pipe with bark of willow; - With the bark of the red willow; - Breathed upon the neighbouring forest, - Made its great boughs chafe together, - Till in flame they burst, and kindled; - And erect upon the mountains, - Gitche Manito, the mighty, - Smoked the calumet, the Peace Pipe, - As a signal to the nations,” &c. - -The tribes of the Missouri make their pipes of a kind of stone called -Catlinite, from the red pipe stone quarries upon the head waters of -that river, the colour of which is brick red. These stones, when first -taken out of the quarry are soft, and easily worked with a knife, but -on exposure to the air become hard and take a good polish. The pipes of -the Rocky Mountain Indians are some of them wrought with much labour -and ingenuity of an argillaceous stone of a very fine texture, found at -the north of Queen Charlotte’s Island. This stone is of a blue black -colour, and in character similar to the red earth of the Missouri -quarry. - -The Calumet or “pipe of peace” of the Sioux Indians is thus described -by Irving. “The bowl was of a species of red stone resembling porphyry, -the stem was six feet in length, decorated with tufts of horse hair -dyed red. The pipe bearer stepped within the circle, lighted the pipe, -held it towards the sun, then towards the different points of the -compass, after which he handed it to the principal chief. The latter -smoked a few whiffs, then, holding the head of the pipe in his hand, -offered the other end to their visitor, and to each one successively in -the circle. When all had smoked, it was considered that an assurance -of good faith and amity had been interchanged.” The use of the Uspogan -or Calumet among the Eythinyuwak, appears not to have been an original -practice of the Tinne, but was introduced with tobacco by Europeans; -while among the Chippeways, the plant has been grown from the most -ancient times. - -Among the most uncultivated and uncivilized of nations, the pipe is -an object upon which is exercised all their ingenuity, and in the -decoration of which is concentrated all their taste. One might almost -classify the races of the world by means of a good collection of -their pipes, and not stray very far from the order resulting from more -scientific processes. - -In the East, there is existing an almost incessant habit of smoking; -and the pipe is the prelude of all official acts, of all conversations, -and of all social relations. The Oriental seizes his pipe in the -morning, and scarcely relinquishes it till he goes to bed. Here there -is generally a special functionary—the pipe-bearer—as an appendage -to all officials. When the Sultan goes abroad, his pipe-bearer is -with him. In families of respectability, the care of the pipes is the -exclusive attribute of one or more servants, who occupy the highest -grade of the domestic establishment; and thus dignity is given to the -pipe, even in a country where less dignity is allowed to the fairer -portion of the community than in more highly cultivated countries. - -In the Museum of the Botanic Gardens at Kew, are pipes and stems carved -out of boxwood, as used in Sweden; also pipe-bowls of pine and other -woods made by the native Indians near Sitka in North-West America, and -brought home from a late expedition. The latter are rude, but quite -equal in elegance to many which adorn the windows of fancy tobacconists -and cigar divans in this metropolis of the civilized world. - -From a schism in tobacco-pipes, Knickerbocker dates the rise of parties -in the Niew Nederlandts. “The rich and self-important burghers, who -had made their fortunes, and could afford to be lazy, adhered to -the ancient fashion, and formed a kind of aristocracy, known as the -_Long-pipes_; while the lower order, adopting the reform of William -Kieft, as more convenient in their handicraft employments, were branded -with the plebeian name of _Short-pipes_.” Who may be considered as -the founder of the English Short-pipe school, is more difficult to -determine; it is nevertheless, of late years, a very popular one, and -considerably outnumbers the aristocracy of Long-pipes. The variety of -these instruments is almost infinite. There are all kinds of short -clays, cutties, St. Omer, Gambier, meerschaum washed, coloured clay, -and fancy clay of all shapes, grotesque, uncouth, stupid, and in some -instances graceful. Pipes also of wood, of black ebony, green ebony, -brier-root—whatever that may be—cherry-root, tulip-wood, rosewood, &c. -Glass pipes, with reservoirs and without, smokers’ friends, and, if we -may judge from their size, tobacconists’ friends; meerschaum bowls, -massa bowls, porcelain bowls, clay bowls, of uncouth and monstrous -heads, with eyes of glass and enamelled teeth, together with short -stems and mounts for broken clays. Add to these, one knows not how -many kinds of tobacco-pots, from a smiling damsel in all the glories -of crinoline, to the dissevered head of Poor Dog Tray. The windows -of retail tobacconists now-a-days more resemble a toy-shop, or a -fancy stall from an arcade or bazaar, than the sober-looking windows -of a retailer half a century ago. Mr. Frank Fowler informs us that -the same tastes have migrated to Australia. “The cutty is of all -shapes, sizes, and shades. Some are negro heads, set with rows of very -white teeth; some are mermaids, showing their more presentable halves -up the front of the bowls, and stowing away their weedy extremities -under the stems. Some are Turkish caps, some are Russian skulls, -some are houris, some are Empresses of the French, some are Margaret -Catchpoles, some are as small as my lady’s thimble, others as large as -an old Chelsea tea-cup. Everybody has one, from the little pinafore -schoolboy, who has renounced his hardbake for his Hardham’s, to the old -veteran who came out with the second batch of convicts, and remembers -George Barrington’s prologue. Clergymen get up their sermons over the -pipe; members of parliament walk the verandah of the Sydney House of -Legislature, with the black bowl gleaming between their teeth. One of -the metropolitan representatives was seriously ill just before I left, -from having smoked forty pipes of Latakia at one sitting. A cutty -bowl, like a Creole’s eye, is most prized when blackest. Some smokers -wrap the bowls reverently in leather during the process of colouring; -others buy them ready stained, and get (I suppose) the reputation of -accomplished whiffers at once. Every young swell glories in his cabinet -of dirty clay pipes. A friend of mine used to call a box of the little -black things his ‘_Stowe_ collection.’ Tobacco, I should add here, is -seldom sold in a cut form; each man carries a cake about with him, like -a card-case; each boy has his stick of Cavendish, like so much candy. -The cigars usually smoked are Manillas, which are as cheap and good -as can be met with in any part of the world. Lola Montez, during her -Australian tour, spoke well of them. What stronger puff could they have -than hers?” - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -SNIFFING AND SNEESHIN. - - “‘Tis most excellent,’ said the monk. ‘Then do me the favour,’ I - replied, ‘to accept of the box and all; and when you take a pinch out - of it, sometimes recollect that it was the peace-offering of a man who - once used you unkindly, but not from the heart.’” - - STERNE’S _Sentimental Journey_. - - -Everybody, of course, knows all about the Franciscan and his snuff-box, -with which this chapter begins. Sterne narrates it in his happiest -vein, and all who read it are somehow sure to remember it. Boxes are -exchanged; the traveller is left to himself. Now he moralises: “I guard -this box as I would the instrumental parts of my religion, to help my -mind on to something better. In truth, I seldom go abroad without it; -and oft and many a time have I called up by it the courteous spirit of -its owner to regulate my own in the justlings of the world. They had -found full employment for his, as I learned from his story, till about -the forty-fifth year of his age, when, upon some military services -ill-requited, and meeting at the same time with a disappointment in the -tenderest of passions, he abandoned the sword and the sex together, and -took sanctuary, not so much in his convent as in himself.” - -The word “snuff” is stated by competent authorities, to be an -inflection of the old northern verb _sniff_, which latter word was in -existence long before the invention or knowledge of the substance -to which it now gives its name.[12] In its earlier signification, -it was expressive of strong inhalation through the nostrils, or -descriptive of any impatience. Hence arose the expressions in use in -the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, to “snuff pepper” or “take in -snuff.” Shakespeare makes a similar use of the phrase in Henry IV., in -connection with a small box of perfume displayed by a courtier to the -annoyance of Hotspur. - - “He was perfumed like a milliner; - And, ’twixt his finger and his thumb, he held - A pouncet box, which ever and anon - He gave his nose, and took’t away again; - Who, therewith angry, when it next came there, - Took it in snuff.” - -In this quotation we also meet with the “pouncet box,” which seems -to have been a small box having a “pounced” or perforated cover, -containing perfumes, the scent of which escaping from the open work -at the top was regarded as a preservative against contagion. From the -pouncet box the perfumes were inhaled. It was probably not till a -century after the introduction of tobacco, that the triturated dust was -commonly in use, and there became any occasion for the _snuff-box_. - -Humboldt gives an account of a curious kind of snuff, as well as an -extraordinary method of inhaling it, which came under his notice -while travelling in South America. “The Ottomacs,” he says, “throw -themselves into a peculiar state of intoxication, we might say of -madness, by the use of the powder of _niopo_. They gather the long pods -of an acacia (made known by him under the name of _Acacia niopo_), -cut them into pieces, moisten them, and cause them to ferment. When -the softened seeds begin to grow black, they are kneaded like paste, -mixed with some flour of cassava and lime procured from the shell of a -_helix_ (snail), and the whole mass is exposed to a very brisk fire, -on a gridiron made of hard wood. The hardened paste takes the form of -small cakes. When it is to be used, it is reduced to a fine powder, -and placed on a dish, five or six inches wide. The Ottomac holds this -dish, which has a handle, in his right hand, while he inhales the niopo -by the nose, through the forked bone of a bird, the two extremities of -which are applied to the nostrils. This bone, without which the Ottomac -believes that he could not take this kind of snuff, is seven inches -long; it appears to be the leg bone of a large species of plover. The -niopo is so stimulating, that the smallest portions of it produce -violent sneezing in those who are not accustomed to its use.” Father -Gumilla says, “this diabolical powder of the Ottomacs, furnished by -an arborescent tobacco plant, intoxicates them through the nostrils, -deprives them of reason for some hours, and renders them furious in -battle.” - -A custom analagous to this, La Condamine observed among the natives -of the Upper Maranon. The Omaguas, a tribe whose name is intimately -connected with the expeditions in search of El Dorado, have, like the -Ottomacs, a dish, and the hollow bone of a bird, and a powder called -_curupa_, which they convey to their nostrils by means of these, in -a manner identical with that of the Ottomacs. This powder is also -obtained from the seed of a kind of acacia, apparently closely allied -to, if not the same as the niopo. - -A similar instrument to the bone of the Ottomacs and Omaguas has -already been referred to as in use in Hispaniola, for inhaling through -the nostrils the smoke of burning tobacco leaves. - -The method of taking snuff in Iceland is described by Mad^e. Pfeiffer -as differing from the methods above detailed, but equally singular. -Most of the peasants, and many of the priests, have no proper -snuff-box, but only a box made of bone, and shaped like a powder flask. -When they take snuff, they throw back the head, insert the point of the -flask in the nose, and shake a dose of snuff in it. They then offer it -to their neighbour, who repeats the performance, passes it to his, and -thus it goes the round, until it reaches its owner again. Had this been -the custom in the days of the “Rape of the Lock,” Belinda had not so -readily subdued the baron, as with one finger and a thumb— - - “Just where the breath of life his nostrils drew, - A charge of snuff the wily virgin threw; - The gnomes direct, to every atom just, - The pungent grains of titillating dust. - Sudden, with starting tears each eye o’erflows, - And the high dome re-echoes to his nose.” - -The Zoolus of Southern Africa use a small gourd to carry their snuff, -and a small ivory spoon with which to ladle out the dust. We remember -many years ago an elderly gentleman who practised on the Zoolu plan, -his snuff was carried loose in his waistcoat pocket, whence it was -conveyed to his nose by means of a small silver spoon, which was always -at hand for the purpose. - -[Illustration: ZOOLU SNUFF GOURD AND SPOON.] - -As early as the beginning of the reign of James I., a “taker of -tobacco” was furnished with an apparatus resembling that of a modern -Scotch mull, when supplied with all the necessary implements. In -1609, Dekker, in his “Gull’s Horn Book,” says—“Before the meat come -smoking to the board, our gallant must draw out his tobacco-box, the -ladle for the cold snuff into the nostril, the tongs and priming iron; -all which artillery may be of gold or silver, if he can reach the -price of it.” In 1646, Howell describes the apparatus and practice of -snuff taking as quite common in other countries; since, he says—“The -Spaniards and Irish take tobacco most in powder or _smutchin_, and it -mightily refreshes the brain; and I believe there’s as much taken this -way in Ireland, as there is in pipes in England. One shall commonly -see the serving maid upon the washing block, and the swain upon the -ploughshare, when they are tired of their labour, take out their boxes -of smutchin, and draw it into their nostrils with a quill, and it will -beget new spirits in them with a fresh vigour to fall to their work -again.” - -The word printed “smutchin” by Howell, is stated to be more accurately -“sneeshin,” a vulgar name for snuff which causes sneezing; and hence -“sneeshin mill” (sometimes corrupted into “mull”) is the Scottish -name for snuff-box. Dr. Jameson’s Etymological Dictionary may be -considered as an authority in these matters; and from it we learn that -the word “mill” is the vulgar name for a snuff-box, especially one of -a cylindrical form, or resembling an inverted cone. No other name was -formerly in use in Scotland; and the reason assigned for it is, that -when tobacco was first introduced into this country, those who wished -to have snuff, were accustomed to toast the tobacco leaves before the -fire, and then bruise them with a piece of wood in the box, which was -thence called a “mill,” because the snuff was ground in it. From all -this, it is easy to perceive how a ram’s horn, from its conical shape, -became one of the primitive forms of the Scottish snuff-box, although -latterly it is often one of the most costly and luxurious. - -In confirmation of the latter remark, it is only necessary to refer -to an example in the Exhibition of 1851. Mr. W. Baird of Glasgow, -exhibited a ram’s head beautifully mounted, as a snuff-box and cigar -case. When alive, he must have been a noble sheep, for the circular -horns measured no less than 3 feet 4 inches from root to tip. The cigar -case was beautifully mounted, having on the top a splendid Scotch -amethyst, surmounted with thistle wreaths in gold and silver, and -set out with many fine cairngorms and small amethysts. The snuff-box -cavity, occupied the centre of the forehead, the lid surmounted by a -splendid cairngorm, and clustered with gold and silver wreaths and -small precious stones. In fact, the head presented a perfect flourish -of the most beautiful and gracefully disposed ornaments, and altogether -the article was most unique. Attached thereto was a fine ivory hammer -and silver spoon, pricker and rake, with a silver mounted hare’s foot. -It ran on ivory castors upon a rosewood platform, surmounted by a -glass shade. There were not less than nine hundred separate pieces of -precious stones and metals used in the construction of this ornate -article. - -Down to the middle of the eighteenth century, the “sneeshin horn,” with -spoon and hare’s foot attached to it by chains, appears to have been -regarded as so completely a national characteristic, that when Baddeley -played Gibby in “The Wonder,” with Garrick, he came on the stage with -such an apparatus. - -The Mongrabins and other African races, according to Werne, are much -addicted to snuff taking. The snuff they usually carry in small -oval-shaped cases made out of the fruit of the Doum palm; these have -a very small opening at one end, stopped up by a wooden peg; and the -snuff is not taken in pinches, but shaken out on the back of the hand. -Mr. Campbell, while travelling in South Africa, gave a Bushman a piece -of tobacco. It was speedily converted into snuff. One of the daughters, -after grinding it between two stones, mixed it with white ashes from -the fire; the mother then took a large pinch of the composition, -putting the remainder into a piece of goat’s skin, among the hair, and -folding it up for future use. - -The snuff in use in Africa is not always made from tobacco. Mr. -Hutchinson states that he saw at Panda, on the western coast, snuff -made of the powdered leaves of the monkey fruit tree (_Adansonia -digitata_). That of the Zoolus is composed of the dried leaves of -the dacca or narcotic hemp mixed with the powder of burnt aloes. -Whether or not this was the kind of snuff which Mr. Richardson was -knocked down with in his journey across the Great Desert, we are not -in a position to determine; whatever it was, it appears to have been -extremely powerful. “A merchant,” he says, “offered me a pinch of -snuff, and to please him I took a large pinch, pushing a portion of -it up my nostrils. Immediately I fell dizzy and sick, and in a short -time vomited violently. The people stared at me with astonishment, and -were terrified out of their wits, and thought I was about to give up -the ghost. They never saw snuff before produce such terrible effects. -After some time I got a little better and returned home. This snuff -was from Souf, and is called _wâr_ (difficult). I had been warned of -it, and therefore paid richly for my folly; indeed, the Souf snuff -is extremely powerful.” Some of the strict Mahometans of Ghadames -consider snuffing, as well as smoking, prohibited by their religion, -and therefore do not indulge in it. The South American traveller which -Mr. Lizars, the tobacco antagonist, once fell in with, was evidently -not a strict Mahometan, for he first filled his nostrils with snuff, -which he prevented falling out by stuffing shag tobacco after it, and -this he termed “plugging;” then put in each cheek a coil of pig-tail -tobacco, which he named “quidding;” lastly, he lit a Havannah cigar, -which he put into his mouth, and thus smoked and chewed—puffing at one -time the smoke of the cigar, and at another time squirting the juice -from his mouth. What a phenomenon! That gentleman should have politely -thanked the South American for permitting him to view an exhibition, -such as he may never have the pleasure of seeing again. And what a -capital illustration ready made to his hands. It is almost equal to -those elaborate calculations which are based upon the amount of time -consumed in taking so many pinches of snuff during the day, and so many -repetitions of the operation of blowing the nose.[13] - -A correspondent of the “Petersburg (Va) Express” says:——“There are, -perhaps, in our state 125,000 women, leaving out of the account those -who have not cut their teeth, and those who have lost them from age. Of -this number, eighty per cent. may be safely set down as snuff-dippers. -Every five of these will use a two-ounce paper of snuff per day—that -is to the 100,000 dippers 2,500 lbs. a day, amounting to the enormous -quantity of 912,000 lbs. In this number of snuff-dippers are included -all ages, colours, and conditions. This practice is generally prevalent -in the pine districts of North Carolina, and in many parts of South -Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and Eastern Tennessee. It may be -thus described:—A female snuff-dipper takes a short stick, and, wetting -it, dips it into her snuff-box, and then rubs the gathered dust all -about her mouth, into the interstices of her teeth, &c., where she -allows it to remain until its strength has been fully absorbed. Others -hold the stick thus loaded with snuff in the cheek, _à la_ quid of -tobacco, and suck it with a decided relish, while engaged in their -ordinary avocations; while others simply fill the mouth with the snuff, -and thus imitate, to all intents and purposes, the chewing propensities -of the men. In the absence of snuff, tobacco, in the plug or leaf, -is invariably resorted to as a substitute. Oriental betel chewing is -elegant, compared tosnuff-dipping.” - -The most uncomfortable reflection to the snuffer is that which -concerns the probability of his consuming himself by a condition of -slow poisoning, not the result of the pure tobacco, but its impure -associates in the box. In boxes lined with very thin lead, but -especially in cases where the leaden lining is thicker, and which are -much used by the Paris retailers, a chemical action takes place, the -result of which is to charge the snuff with sub-acetate of lead. This -result was suspected by Chevalier, and has been confirmed by Boudet -of Paris, and Mayer of Berlin, by careful experiments. Mayer traces -several deaths and cases of saturnine paralysis to the patient’s having -taken snuff from packets, the inner envelope of which was thin sheet -lead, in constant contact with the powdered weed. The cry once heard -of “death in the pot,” requires now to be exchanged for “death in the -box,” and Holbein to give us a new plate of the skeleton form emerging -from a packet or snuff-box containing the scented rappee. - -Late investigations have shown that no small amount of adulteration is -practised with snuff, and this in some instances of a most dangerous -kind. Out of forty-three samples of snuff examined by Dr. Hassell, the -majority were adulterated considerably. Chromate of lead, oxide of -lead, and bichromate of potash, all highly poisonous, were detected. -Mr. Phillips also stated to the committee of adulteration, that he -had found in different samples common peat, such as is obtained from -the bogs of Ireland, starch, ground wood of various kinds, especially -fustic, extract of logwood, chromate of lead, bichromate of potash, -and various ochreous earths. Samples of spurious snuff, it is presumed -for the purpose of mixing, were found to be composed of sumach, umber, -Spanish brown, and salt; another kind was made up of ground peat, -yellow ochre, lime, and sand, all of these being more or less scented. - -The numerous varieties of snuff owe their character principally to the -peculiarity of scent and the method of preparation. The perfumes used -are either the essential oil of bergamot or otto of roses, and in some -cases powdered orris root or Tonquin beans. The powdered leaves of the -sweet-scented woodruff and the fragrant melilot have been alluded to -as used for the same purpose, also the dried leaves of some species of -orchis (_Orchis fusca_, &c.) - -As a substitute for snuff, either in preference, or in cases where -tobacco snuff could not be readily obtained, different vegetable -productions have come into use. In India the powdered rusty leaves of a -species of rhododendron (_R. campanulatum_), and in the United States -the brown dust found adhering to the petioles of several species of -kalmia and rhododendron, all of which possess narcotic properties, are -used for this purpose. The powdered leaves of asarabacca have been -named as the base of some kind of cephalic snuff. “Grimstone’s eye -snuff” has long enjoyed a certain amount of popularity, although it -does not contain a particle of tobacco, but is composed mainly of such -harmless ingredients as powdered orris root, savory, rosemary, and -lavender. - -But to return to the subject of deleterious adulteration, we find in -Dr. Hassell’s “Adulterations detected in Food and Medicine” several -pages occupied with this really important subject. First comes the -narration of a case of slow poisoning, on the authority of Professor -Erichsen, by means of snuff containing as an adulteration 1·2 per cent. -of oxide of lead. Then follows the case of Mr. Fosbroke, of injuries -sustained from snuff containing lead. These are followed by other -instances showing that all the combinations of lead tested, exhibited -dangerous and disastrous symptoms, if indulged in, when mingled with -snuff, as too often, unfortunately, is the case, as an adulteration, -or, as before shown, liable as a result of packing the snuff in lead, -or keeping in boxes lined with lead. - -ADVICE GRATIS.—Give up taking snuff; or, if you should propose slight -objections to this course, then purchase leaf tobacco, and manufacture -your own snuff, and having done so, keep it in a gold snuff-box, or if -you have weighty reasons for preferring silver, there is no objection -to that metal, or even the homely horn of the Franciscan of Calais. - -Our forefathers thought of the box, as well as of the snuff, and -sometimes paid for their thought. In the early part of the eighteenth -century, fashionable snuff-boxes had reached the highest point of -luxury and variety. _The Tatler_ of March 7, 1710, notices several gold -snuff-boxes which “came out last term,” but that “a new edition would -be put out on Saturday next, which would be the only one in fashion -until after Easter. The gentleman,” continues the notice, “that gave -£50 for the box set with diamonds, may show it till Sunday, provided -he goes to church, but not after that time, there being one to be -published on Monday that will cost fourscore guineas.” These costly -articles, so happily satirized by Steele, are represented as the -productions of a fashionable toyman, named Charles Mather, popularly -known under the name of “Bubble Boy.” - -Nor must we forget the amber snuff-box of which Sir Plume, in the “Rape -of the Lock,” was so justly vain; in 1711 he “spoke, and rapped the -box.” In 1733, Dodsley mentions boxes made of shell, mounted in gold -and silver. Latterly we have made the acquaintance of several shell -snuff-boxes; some of these were made of the tiger cowry, mounted in -silver; of a small species of Turbo, cleaned and polished, and of harp -shells, either mounted in silver or in baser metal. In different parts -of the globe, tastes differ as to the materials of which snuff-boxes -should be composed. A gentleman sent a piece of cannel coal from -England to China, to be there carved by the ingenious Chinese into a -snuff-box; this task was accomplished, and the box was shown in the -Exhibition of 1851; also, in the Turkish department, a snuff-box of -bituminous shale. Perhaps in the new Exhibition of 1862, there may be -found a similar article, carved out of Gravesend flint, by natives of -the Orange River Territory; or one of Suffolk coprolite, executed by -rebellious sepoy women imprisoned in the hulks at Portsmouth. - -In India, snuff-boxes are made of polished cocoa-nut shell, or of the -seeds of _Entada gigalobium_, or _pursætha_; or in Nepal, of a small -kind of calabash or gourd, apparently resembling those used for the -same purpose, at the distance of 5,000 miles, in the South of Africa; -excepting, that in some instances, the gourds of Nepal and of Scinde, -are ornamented with mountings of gold or silver, a luxury in which the -African does not indulge. In the same part of Africa, among the Zoolu -Kaffirs, other kinds of snuff-boxes, of smaller size, are in common -use. These are made of the seeds of a species of Zamia, ornamented with -strings of small beads, and are worn suspended as earrings, from the -ears of the natives. - -In China, flasks are used, the form and size of a smelling bottle; -these are of different kinds of material, some being cut out of rock -crystal, and others made of porcelain and similar plastic substances. -Snuff-takers are less numerous in China than smokers of tobacco; in -powder, or as the Chinese say, “smoke for the nose,” is little used, -except by the Mantchoo Tartars and Mongols, and among the Mandarins -and lettered classes. The Tartars are real amateurs, and snuff is with -them an object of the most important consideration. For the Chinese -aristocracy, on the contrary, it is a mere luxury—a habit that they try -to acquire—a whim. The custom of taking snuff was introduced into China -by the old missionaries who resided at the Court. They used to get the -snuff from Europe for themselves, and some of the Mandarins tried it, -and found it good. By degrees the custom spread; people who wished -to appear fashionable, liked to be taking this “smoke for the nose;” -and Pekin is still _par excellence_, the locality of snuff-takers. -The first dealers in it made immense fortunes. The French tobacco was -the most esteemed; and as it happened at this time, that it had for -a stamp the ancient emblem of the three _fleur de lis_, the mark has -never been forgotten, and the three _fleur de lis_ are still in Pekin, -the only sign of a dealer in tobacco. The Chinese have now, for a long -time, manufactured their own snuff, but they do not subject it to any -fermentation, and it is not worth much. They merely pulverize the -leaves, sift the powder till it is as fine as flour, and afterwards -perfume it with flowers and essences. A curious method of snuffing, -requiring neither box nor flask, is noticed in the “Voyages and -Researches of the _Adventure_ and _Beagle_.” At Otaheite, a substance, -not unlike powdered rhubarb in appearance, but of a very pleasant -fragrance, is rubbed on a piece of shark’s skin stretched on wood; and -an old man, who had one of these snuff sticks in his possession, valued -it so highly, that he could not be induced to part with it. - -Boxes of very rude construction are made in France and Germany from -birch bark, and sold in the streets of Paris and other continental -cities, for about one halfpenny each. These have lately been seen in -the shops of London tobacconists, under the name of “German boxes,” -at about three times the above price. They are used abroad either for -tobacco or snuff. Boxes are also made of horn, either black buffalo or -transparent pressed horn—the latter at a much cheaper rate than the -former. St. Helena contributed to the Great Exhibition snuff-boxes made -from the willow under which the remains of Napoleon reposed, until -their removal to France, and also from a willow planted by him at -Longwood. Van Dieman’s Land contributed a box made from the tooth of -the Sperm whale, as well as boxes from several native woods. - -The Scotch snuff-boxes are justly celebrated for the perfection of -their hinge, and close fitting cover. They were originally made at -Lawrencekirk, but the manufacture has now spread to various parts of -Scotland. The wood employed principally in the manufacture of these -boxes is the sycamore (or plane of the Scotch). Mr. W. Chambers states, -“that from a rough block of this wood, worth twenty-five shillings, -snuff-boxes may be made to the value of three thousand pounds.” - -The _modus operandi_ in making these boxes is described as follows:—The -box is made from a solid block of wood; the first operation consists -in making a number of circular excavations in close contiguity to each -other, by means of a centre-bit, or a drill running in a lathe; the -interior is then squared out by means of gouges and chisels, and is -afterwards smoothed with files and glass-paper. The celebrated hinge -is formed partly out of the substance of the box, and partly out of -that of the lid, the greatest attention being paid in its construction -to the accurate fitting of the various parts one into the other. -The box is lined in the inside with stout tin-foil, and is painted -on the outside with several coats of colour, each of which is rubbed -down smooth with glass-paper before the succeeding coat is applied. -It is then ready to receive the various styles of ornament, which, in -some cases, are produced by the hand of the artist, and in others by -mechanical means. The most usual decoration consists of the tartan -patterns, the component lines of which are drawn separately, by pens -fixed in a ruling machine, on to the box itself, if bounded by planes -or slightly curved surfaces; although such lines were also formerly -drawn by means of a rose engine on circular boxes, it is now found -a more convenient practice to rule the lines on paper, and then to -attach the paper to the boxes. Another style of ornamentation, known -as the Scoto-Russian, is of more recent introduction, and imitates, -in a remote degree, the beautiful enamelled silver snuff-boxes for -which Russia has long been famous. In these, the outside of the box is -first covered with stout tin-foil, then completely painted all over -the surface, and afterwards placed in the ruling machine, which traces -upon it an intricate pattern of curved and straight lines, by means -of a sharp flat tool. This instrument penetrates completely through -the paint, but only scrapes the tin-foil, which is left very bright, -and resembles inlaid silver. Several coats of copal varnish, each of -which is successively polished down, are then applied to complete the -snuff-box. - -Box-wood, box-root, king-wood, ebony, and all kinds of hard wood; tin, -brass, pewter, lead, silver, and all sorts of metals, are used for -snuff-boxes, some of these cheap and rudely fashioned, others elaborate -and expensive; some lined with tortoise-shell or horn, others with tin -or lead-foil; and invention has been taxed to produce all kinds of -ornamentation. - -The practice of using snuff is said to have come into England after -the Restoration, and to have been brought from France; but it is well -known that the habit of mere snuff-taking did not originate with the -introduction of tobacco, since there are recipes for making snuff -from herbs in the oldest medicinal works extant. The use of tobacco -snuff has been referred to the age of Catherine de Medicis, and it -was recommended to her son, Charles IX., for his chronic headaches. -Snuff-taking was formerly characteristic of the medical profession; and -the gold-headed cane and gold snuff-box came to be the peculiar emblems -of those who were learned in the healing art. - -There are almost an endless variety of snuffs, as of noses, the purest -kind being the “Scotch,” made either entirely from the stalks removed -from the leaf in the course of its preparation for the cigar, or of -the stalks with a small quantity of leaf. The “Welsh” and “Lundyfoot” -are affirmed to owe their qualities chiefly, if not altogether, to the -circumstance of their being dried almost to scorching; hence they have -received the appellation of “high-dried” snuffs. The “Rappees” and -other dark snuffs are manufactured from the darker and ranker leaves. -Scenting, which the dark snuffs undergo, also furnish names and procure -customers for numerous varieties. There is a story current, that the -celebrated “Lundyfoot” had its origin in an accident, one version -affirming that the man who was attending to the batches got drunk, -neglected his duty, and made his master’s fortune; another, that an -accidental fire did that for the firm which in the other case it is -affirmed that an extra glass of grog accomplished. There is nothing -surprising in this, and either narrative may be true; most inventions -of this kind, like the claying of sugar, had their origin in accidents. -A certain quantity of snuff, in the preparation, gets overdone in -some of the steps of the process, at some time or other, and the firm -resolves, perhaps, as it is not altogether useless, to try and realize -something for it. The peculiarity just tickles certain noses, and for -the future they wish for none but _spoilt_ snuff; that which was at -first spoilt accidentally, is now spoilt for the purpose, to supply -the demands of the market at even a higher rate than ordinary, and the -name of Lundyfoot becomes immortalized amongst old ladies through all -succeeding generations. What other experiments and other accidents of -over-salting or over-liming may have done, has not transpired; and who -may be the next so to turn circumstances to account, that what would -ordinarily be considered a misfortune, shall be turned to good fortune, -time alone will reveal. - -John Hardham was Garrick’s under-treasurer, and kept a snuff-shop -in Fleet Street, at the sign of the Red Lion, where he contrived to -get into high vogue, a particular _poudre de tabac_, still known as -Hardham’s 37. Stevens, while daily visiting Johnson in Bolt Court, on -the subject of their joint editorship of Shakespeare, never failed -to replenish his box at the shop of a man who was for years the butt -of his witticisms. Hardham died a bachelor, September 20, 1772, and -bequeathed £6000—the savings of a busy life—for the benefit of the poor -of his native city, Chester. - -As a pinch of snuff ends in a sneeze, so sniffing ends in sneezing, and -with a hearty sneeze we bring our pinch of snuff to a sudden ending. -What comfort and consolation there is sometimes in a hearty sneeze, no -one knows better than him who has just made two or three attempts, and -ingloriously failed. With half closed eyes, and open mouth, and bated -breath—once—twice—thrice—no! it will not be beguiled—psh-h-h-h-haw! -“God bless you!” - -“The year 750,” says a writer in the _Gentleman’s Magazine_, “is -commonly reckoned the era of the custom of saying God bless you to one -who happens to sneeze.” It is said that, in the time of the pontificate -of St. Gregory the Great, the air was filled with such a deleterious -influence, that they who sneezed immediately expired. On this the -devout pontiff appointed a form of prayer, and a wish to be said to -persons sneezing for averting them from the fatal effects of this -malignancy. A fable contrived against all the rules of probability, it -being certain that this custom has from time immemorial, subsisted in -all parts of the known world. According to mythology, the first sign -of life Prometheus’s artificial man gave, was by sternutation. This -supposed creator is said to have stolen a portion of the solar rays, -and filling a phial with them, sealed it up hermetically. He instantly -flew back to his favourite automaton, and opening the phial, held it -close to the statue, the rays still retaining all their activity, -insinuated themselves through the pores, and set the factitious man -a sneezing. Prometheus transported with success, offered up a prayer -with wishes for the preservation of so singular a being. The automaton -observed him, remembering his ejaculations, was careful, on like -occasions to offer these wishes in behalf of his descendants, who -perpetuated it from father to son in all their colonies. The Rabbis, -also, fix a very ancient date to the custom. Pliny says, that to sneeze -to the right was deemed fortunate; to the left, and near a place of -burial, the reverse. Tiberius, otherwise a sour man, would perform this -right of blessing most punctually to others, and expect the same from -others to himself. Aristotle has a problem, “Why sneezing from noon to -midnight was good, but from night to noon unlucky.” St. Austin tells us -that the ancients were accustomed to go to bed again, if they sneezed -while they put on their shoe. - -When Themistocles sacrificed in his galley before the battle of Xeres, -one of the assistants upon the right hand sneezed, Euphrantides the -soothsayer, presaged the victory of the Greeks, and the overthrow of -the Persians. - -When the Greeks were consulting concerning their retreat in the time of -Cyrus the Younger, it chanced that one of them sneezed, at the noise -whereof, the rest of the soldiers called upon Jupiter Soter. - -Brand tells us, that when the king of Mesopotamia sneezes, acclamations -are made in all parts of his dominions. The Siamese wish long life to -persons sneezing. And the Persians look upon sneezing as a happy omen, -especially when repeated often. - -A writer lately gives us the following “Philosophy of a sneeze” -for which he alone is responsible. “The nose receives three sets -of nerves—the nerves of _smell_, those of _feeling_, and those of -_motion_. The former communicate to the brain, the odorous properties -of substances with which they may come in contact, in a diffused or -concentrated state; the second, communicate the impressions of touch; -the third, move the muscles of the nose; but the power of these muscles -is very limited. When a sneeze occurs, all these faculties are excited -to a high degree. A grain of snuff excites the olfactory nerves, which -despatch to the brain the intelligence that ‘snuff has attacked the -nostril.’ The brain instantly sends a mandate through the motor nerves -to the muscles, saying ‘cast it out!’ and the result is unmistakable. -So offensive is the enemy besieging the nostril held to be, that the -nose is not left to its own defence. It were too feeble to accomplish -this. An allied army of muscles join in the rescue—nearly one-half the -body arouses against the intruder—from the muscles of the lips to those -of the abdomen, all unite in the effort for the expulsion of the grain -of snuff.” - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -QUID PRO QUO. - - “A third party sprang up, headed by the descendants of Robert - Chewit, the companion of the great Hudson. These discarded pipes - altogether, and took to chewing tobacco; hence, they were called - _Quids_.”——KNICKERBOCKER’S, _New York_. - - -Any one who will take the trouble to read through the “Curiosities of -Food,” will soon become convinced, from the examples which Mr. P. L. -Simmonds has collected so assiduously from all parts of the world, that -there is no accounting for tastes. What extraordinary things men will -admit between their teeth to gratify their appetites, is almost enough -to set one’s own teeth on edge. Tobacco is certainly not more nauseous -or revolting, than to us would be many of the delicacies dished up for -dinner by some of the bipedal race. “Some Europeans,” observes the -author, “chew tobacco, the Hindoo takes to betel nut and lime, while -the Patagonian finds contentment in a bit of guano, and the Styrians -grow fat and ruddy on arsenic. English children delight in sweetmeats -and sugar-candy, while those of Africa prefer rock salt. A Frenchman -likes frogs and snails, and we eat eels, oysters, and whelks. To the -Esquimaux, train oil is your only delicacy. The Russian luxuriates upon -his hide and tallow; the Chinese upon rats, puppy dogs, and shark’s -fins; the Kaffir upon elephant’s foot and trunk or lion steaks; while -the Pacific islander places cold missionary above every other edible. -Why then should we be surprised at men’s feeding upon rattle snakes and -monkeys, and pronouncing them capital eating?”[14] - -Nothing is more extraordinary than the habit of dirt-eating and chewing -of lime, either by themselves or in combination with other substances. -But more of this anon. Tobacco, as a masticatory, might equally cause -surprise did it not daily occur at our doors. The quantity used in -this form will not bear comparison with that consumed in smoke, but -even this is considerable. In America, the custom is carried to a very -unpleasant extent, and were it the only form in which the plant could -be indulged, there is good ground for presuming that it would fall very -far short of the popularity which it has attained. - -Somebody, with a strong antipathy to pig-tail and fine cut, has entered -into certain investigations and calculations in the _Philadelphia -Journal_, which has resulted in this wise. If a tobacco chewer chews -for fifty years, and uses each day of that period two inches of solid -plug, he will consume nearly one mile and a quarter in length of -solid tobacco, half an inch thick and two inches broad, costing 2,094 -dollars, or about £500. Plug ugly, sure enough! By the same process of -reasoning, this statist calculates, that if a man ejects one pint of -saliva per day for fifty years (a feat, one would presume, it would -require a Yankee to accomplish), the total would swell into nearly -2,300 gallons, quite a respectable lake, and almost enough to float the -“Great Eastern” in! Truly, Brother Jonathan, there are more things in -heaven and earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy. - -Another calculation shows, that if all the tobacco which the British -people have consumed during the last three years were worked up into -pig-tail half an inch thick, it would form a line 99,470 miles long; or -enough to go nearly four times round the world;[15] or if the tobacco -consumed by the same people in the same period were to be placed in one -scale, and St. Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey in the other, the -ecclesiastical buildings would kick the beam. - -“Oh, the nasty creatures!” some lady exclaims. “Who could suppose that -they would do such a thing, and to such an extent too, as to burn -and chew and smoke in three years enough tobacco to reach round the -world four times!” It is astonishing, my dear Mrs. Partington, we must -confess; but let us compare therewith the tea consumption[16] for the -same period, and we shall find that during the past three years, we -have consumed about 205,500,000 of pounds of tea, which, if done up in -packages containing one quarter of a pound each—such packages being -4½ inches in length and 2½ inches in diameter—these placed end to -end, would reach 59,428 miles; or, upon the same principles as those -adopted for the pig-tail, would girdle the earth twice with a belt of -tea 2½ inches in diameter, or twenty-five times that of the aforesaid -pig-tail. Enough to make rivers of tea strong enough for any old lady -in the kingdom to enjoy, and deep enough for all the old ladies in the -kingdom to bathe in. - -All this, we are free to confess, does not make the habit of quidding -either more justifiable or respectable, although indulged in by some of -the members of the gentler sex. In Paraguay, for instance, an American -traveller informs us that everybody smokes, and nearly every woman -and girl more than thirteen years old chews tobacco. A magnificent -Hebe, arrayed in satin and flashing in diamonds, puts you back with -one delicate hand, while with the fair taper fingers of the other she -takes the tobacco out of her mouth previous to your saluting her. An -over delicate foreigner turns away with a shudder of loathing under -such circumstances, and gets the epithet of “the savage” applied to him -by the offended beauty for his sensitive squeamishness. However, one -soon gets used to these things in Paraguay, where one is, per force of -custom, obliged to kiss every lady one is introduced to, and one half -of those you meet are really tempting enough to render you reckless of -consequences. - -Suppose not that Paraguay is a solitary instance in which ladies have -a predilection for this masticatory. In Siberia, which is far enough -geographically to prevent any collusion, or the influence of example -to exert its power, Captain Cochrane says that the Tchuktchi eat, -chew, smoke, and snuff at the same time. He saw amongst them, boys and -girls of nine or ten years of age who put a large leaf of tobacco into -their mouths without permitting any saliva to escape, nor would they -put aside the tobacco should meat be offered to them, but continued -consuming both of them together. - -The Mintira women and other races of the great Indian Archipelago are -addicted to chewing tobacco. Amongst the Nubians, the custom is more -common than smoking. Of the South American tribes, the Sercucumas of -the Erevato, and the Caura neighbours of the whitish Taparitos, swallow -tobacco chopped small, and impregnated with some other stimulant -juices. - -In Africa, the habit is not at all an uncommon one. The Turks and -Arabs of Egypt are great smokers, but not so with the other tribes. -The Mongrabins, scarcely know the use of a pipe, or the method of -manufacturing a cigar, yet tobacco is well known, and chewing is the -order of the day. With them each piece of tobacco is mixed with a -portion of natron. Master and servant, rich and poor, all carry about -them a pouch of tobacco, with pieces of natron in it. These people do -not carry the quid in their cheek, as do the Europeans who indulge in -the habit, but in front, between the teeth and the upper lip. - -The blacks of Gesira have another method of enjoying this luxury. They -make a cold infusion of tobacco, and dissolve the natron in it. This -mixture is called “bucca.” The natives take a mouthful of it from the -bucca cup, which they keep rinsing and working about in their mouths -for a quarter of an hour before they eject it. So much do they delight -in it, that it is considered the highest treat a man can offer to -his dearest friends, to invite them to sip the bucca with him. Bucca -parties are given, as in some localities tea parties are honoured. All -sit in solemn silence as the cup goes round, each taking a mouthful, -and nothing is heard save the gurgling and working inside the closed -mouths. On such occasions the most important questions receive no -reply, for to open the mouth and answer would be to lose the cherished -“bucca.” - -In Iceland, tobacco is chewed and snuffed as assiduously as it is -smoked in other countries; and in the northern states of Europe, or -some of them, the powdered leaf, which, with most people is deemed -a preparation for the nose, is placed, a pinch at a time, upon the -tongue. Of Joubert’s statement we scarce know what opinion to hold. -He says, “When a stranger arrives in Greenland, he is immediately -surrounded by a crowd of the natives, who ask the favour of sucking -the empyreumatic oil in the reservoir of his pipe. And it is stated -that the Greenlanders smoke only for the pleasure of drinking that -detestable juice which is so disgusting to European smokers.” The -Finlander delights in chewing. He will remove his quid from time to -time, and stick it behind his ear, and then chew it again. This reminds -us of a circumstance narrated by a friend, which occurred when he was -a boy. His master was a chewer. After a “quid” had been masticated -for some time, it was removed from his mouth, and thrown against the -wall, where it remained sticking; the apprentice was then called to -write beside it the date at which it was flung there, so that it might -be taken down in its proper turn, after being thoroughly dried, to be -chewed over again. - - “And then he tried to sing All’s well, - But could not though he tried; - His head was turned, and so he chewed - His pig-tail till he died.” - -Of all tobacco chewers, none can compete with the Yankee—not even -our own Jack Tars. They are the very perfection of masticators, and -of spitters, also, if the narratives of travellers in general, and -of Dickens in particular, are to be relied on. “As Washington may be -called the head-quarters of tobacco-tinctured saliva, the time is come -when I must confess, without any disguise, that the prevalence of these -two odious practices of chewing and expectorating began, about this -time, to be anything but agreeable, and soon became most offensive and -sickening. In all the public places of America, this filthy custom -is recognized. In the courts of law, the judge has his spittoon, the -crier his, the witness his, and the prisoner his, while the jurymen -and spectators are provided for, as so many men who, in the course -of nature, must desire to spit incessantly. In the hospitals, the -students of medicine are requested by notices upon the wall, to eject -their tobacco juice into the boxes provided for that purpose, and not -to discolour the stairs. In public buildings visitors are implored, -through the same agency, to squirt the essence of their ‘quids’ or -‘plugs,’ as I have heard them called by gentlemen learned in this kind -of sweetmeat, into the national spittoons, and not about the bases of -the marble columns. But in some parts this custom is inseparably mixed -up with every meal and morning call, and with all the transactions of -social life. The stranger who follows in the track I took myself, will -find it in its full bloom and glory at Washington; and let him not -persuade himself (as I once did to my shame) that previous tourists -have exaggerated its extent. The thing itself is an exaggeration of -nastiness which cannot be outdone. - -“On board the steamboat there were two young gentlemen, with shirt -collars reversed, as usual, and armed with very big walking sticks, who -planted two seats in the middle of the deck, at a distance of some four -paces apart, took out their tobacco boxes, and sat down opposite each -other to chew. In less than a quarter of an hour’s time, these hopeful -youths had shed about them on the clean boards, a copious shower of -yellow rain, clearing by that means a kind of magic circle, within -whose limits no intruders dared to come, and which they never failed to -refresh and refresh before a spot was dry. This being before breakfast, -rather disposed me, I confess, to nausea; but looking attentively at -one of the expectorators, I plainly saw that he was young at chewing, -and felt inwardly uneasy himself. A glow of delight came over me at -this discovery, and as I marked his face turn paler and paler, and saw -the ball of tobacco in his left cheek quiver with his suppressed agony, -while yet he spat and chewed, and spat again, in emulation of his older -friend, I could have fallen on his neck and implored him to go on for -hours. - -“The senate is a dignified and decorous body, and its proceedings are -conducted with much gravity and order. Both houses are handsomely -carpetted; but the state to which these carpets are reduced by the -universal disregard of the spittoon, with which every honorable member -is accommodated, and the extraordinary improvements on the pattern -which are squirted and dabbled upon it in every direction, do not -admit of being described. I will merely observe, that I strongly -recommend all strangers not to look at the floor; and if they happen -to drop anything, though it be their purse, not to pick it up with an -ungloved hand on any account. It is somewhat remarkable, too, to see -so many honorable members with swelled faces; and it is scarcely less -remarkable to discover, that this appearance is caused by the quantity -of tobacco they contrive to stow within the hollow of the cheek. It -is strange enough, too, to see an honorable gentleman leaning back -in his tilted chair, with his legs on the desk before him, shaping -a convenient ‘plug’ with his penknife, and when it is quite ready -for use, shooting the old one from his mouth as from a pop-gun, -and clapping the new one in its place. I was surprised to observe, -that even steady old chewers of great experience are not always -good marksmen, which has rather inclined me to doubt that general -proficiency with the rifle of which we have heard so much in England. -Several gentlemen called upon me, who, in the course of conversation, -frequently missed the spittoon at five paces; and one (but he was -certainly short-sighted) mistook the closed sash for the open window -at three. On another occasion when I dined out, and was sitting with -two ladies and some gentlemen round a fire before dinner, one of the -company fell short of the fireplace six distinct times. I am disposed -to think, however, that this was occasioned by his not aiming at that -object, as there was a white marble hearth before the fender, which was -more convenient, and may have suited his purpose better.” - -At the Cape of Good Hope grows a plant, allied to the iceplant of our -greenhouses, and which is a native of the Karroo,[17] which appears to -possess narcotic properties. The Hottentots know it under the name of -Kou, or _Kauw-goed_. They gather and beat together the whole plant, -roots, stem, and leaves, then twist it up like pig-tail tobacco; after -which they let the mass ferment, and keep it by them for chewing, -especially when they are thirsty. If it be chewed immediately after -fermentation, it is narcotic and intoxicating. It is called canna-root -by the colonists. - -In Lapland, Angelica-root (_Archangelica officinalis_, Linn.) is -dried and masticated in the same way, and answers the same purpose as -tobacco. It is warm and stimulating, and not narcotic, nor does it -leave those unpleasant and unsightly evidences of its use which may be -observed about the mouth of the true votary of the quid. - -The areca nut and the betle-pepper, which, in the Malayan Peninsula -and other parts of the East, are used as a masticatory, will receive -special notice hereafter. - -Lightfoot says that the Scotch are very fond of “dulse,” but they -prefer it dried and rolled up, when they chew it like tobacco, for the -pleasure arising from the habit. This is the only reference to the -custom that we have met with, and requires further confirmation. - -The Duke of Marlborough has the credit of being the first distinguished -man who made the chewing of tobacco famous; who was the last is not so -readily declared, since distinguished men generally do not distinguish -themselves much in this department of the “fine arts.” It is related -of a monkey, that while on the voyage home from some tropical clime -in which he had been made a prisoner, he noticed a sailor who was in -the habit of going to his trunk and taking out a quid, roll it up, and -place it in his mouth. Finding, one day, that the course was clear, and -the box unfastened, Jocko helped himself to a very respectable twist, -which he put into his mouth, and scampered therewith upon deck. He soon -commenced chewing and spitting, and, unsuccessful in the experiment, -the quid, which was not found to be so pleasant as was anticipated, -was thrown away. The poor animal soon became dreadfully sick, held its -stomach, and moaned piteously, but ultimately recovered. He learnt a -lesson, however, the impression of which never passed away; for ever -after he shunned the box, and the sight or smell of tobacco sent him -scampering into the shrouds. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -A RACE OF PRETENDERS. - - “I grant your worship that he is a knave, sir; but yet, Heaven forbid, - sir, but a knave should have some countenance at his friends’ request. - An honest man, sir, is able to speak for himself, when a knave is - not.”——_King Henry IV., part 2._ - - -It is the misfortune of kingdoms to be subject to rebellions, and of -monarchs to behold the advent of pretenders, as it is the fate of gold -to be imitated in baser metals, and bank notes to be forged. A rule is -supposed to be strengthened by an exception, and tried gold to shine in -greater splendour beside its counterfeit— - - “Than that which hath no foil to set it off.” - -So, tobacco, in the midst of all its success and prosperity, has been -envied and imitated by duller pretenders to the virtue it boasts, from -among the meaner denizens of the vegetable world. Of course these -pretenders have been unsuccessful; for had they been successful, they -had no longer been branded with the baser name, but had risen to the -rank of benefactors and patriots. Such is the custom of the world. - -The following are the substances which are stated to be used for the -adulteration of tobacco, principally in the form of “cut” and “roll.” -Dr. Hassell divides them— - -First, into vegetable substances, as the leaves of the dock, rhubarb, -coltsfoot, cabbage, potato, chicory, endive, elm, and oak; malt -cummings, that is the roots of germinating malt; peat, which consists -chiefly of decayed moss; seaweed, roasted chicory root, wheat, oatmeal, -bran, catechu or terra japonica, oakum, and logwood dye. - -Secondly, into saccharine substances, as cane-sugar, treacle, honey, -liquorice, and beetroot dregs. - -Thirdly, into salts and earths, as nitre, common salt, sal ammoniac, or -hydrochlorate of ammonia, nitrate of ammonia, carbonate of ammonia, the -alkalies, as potash, soda, and lime; sulphate of magnesia, sulphate of -soda or glauber salts, yellow ochre, umber, fuller’s earth, Venetian -red, sand, and sulphate of iron. - -And the experience of the excise, as may be gathered from the evidence -of Mr. Phillips before the committee of adulteration, harmonizes with -the above list. “With regard to tobacco,” he says, “we have found in -_cut_ tobacco, sugar, liquorice, gum catechu, saltpetre, and various -nitrates; yellow ochre, Epsom salts, glauber salts, green copperas, red -sandstone, wheat, oatmeal, malt cummings, chicory, and the following -leaves—coltsfoot, rhubarb, chicory, endive, oak, elm; and in _fancy_ -tobacco, I once found lavender, and a wort called mugwort. It is a -fragrant herb, suggestive rather of the nutmeg. In _roll_ tobacco we -have found rhubarb leaves, endive and dock leaves, sugar, liquorice, -and a dye made of logwood and sulphate of iron.” - -Let consumers of tobacco console themselves, however, in the face of -this formidable list, by the assurance of the eminent experimenter -on articles of food, &c., before named, that “not one of the forty -samples of manufactured cut tobacco which he examined was adulterated -with any foreign leaf, or with any insoluble or organic extraneous -substance of any description other than with sugar, or some other -saccharine matter, which was present in several instances.” - -Leaving adulterations to take care of themselves, we find that an -article, of very ancient use, is still occasionally smoked instead of -the Virginian weed. The plant referred to is _coltsfoot_ (_Tussilago -farfar_, Linn.), a very common weed on chalky and gravelly soils. -Pliny refers to it, and directs that the foliage should be burned, -and the smoke arising from it drawn into the mouth through a reed and -swallowed. These leaves have long been smoked for chest complaints, and -are said to form the chief ingredient in British herb tobacco. - -The leaves of milfoil or yarrow (_Achillœa millefolium_), another plant -equally common with the last, have been recommended to smokers in lieu -of tobacco, and occasionally used for that purpose. Added to beer, they -render it heady or more intoxicating. - -Leaves of rhubarb are occasionally smoked by those who are too poor -to furnish themselves with a regular supply of tobacco, and those who -have used them state, that, although devoid of strength, they are not -a bad substitute when tobacco is not to be obtained. For the same -purpose they are collected and used in Thibet, and on the slopes of the -Himalayas. - -The leaves of a plant common in marshes and boggy soils in Europe and -North America, called Bogbean (_Menyanthes trifoliata_, Linn.) are used -in the north of Europe when hops are scarce, to give a bitter flavour -to beer, and have been recommended and adopted as a tobacco substitute. - -An agricultural labourer near Blois, pretends that the leaves of the -beet make an excellent tobacco. - -Undescribed plants called Akil and Trouna, are used by the Arabs of -Algeria to render their tobacco milder. - -In some parts of Europe, the leaves of the common garden sage has -served the same purpose; whilst in some parts of Switzerland, the -leaves of mountain tobacco (_Arnica montana_, Linn.) are collected for -use as tobacco, or dried and powdered to be used as snuff. This is no -doubt a virulent plant, and has the reputation of being a powerful -acrid narcotic. - -The tobacco substitutes in North America are more numerous than we -should have expected to have found in the native land of the true -tobacco. A decoction of the holly-leaves (_Ilex vomitoria_, Linn.) are -drunk by the native Creek Indians, under the name of “black drink,” at -the opening of their councils, on account of its peculiar properties. -This shrub is also called Cossena by the Indians, and the leaves are -used for smoking as a substitute for tobacco. “Often,” says one of the -early settlers, “I have smoked a pipe of cossena with their majesties -Toma Chaci and Senoaki his queen, at their mud-palace, about three -miles from Savanacke.” - -The Virginian or Stag’s Horn Sumach,[18] which is met with almost over -the whole of the United States, supplies leaves which are dried and -used by some of the native tribes as tobacco. - -The Indians of the Mississippi and Missouri use the leaves of another -Sumach (_Rhus copallina_) and Indian tobacco (_Lobelia inflata_, Linn.) -is supposed to be indebted for its name to the fact that it was one of -the plants smoked by the Indians instead of the genuine “weed.” Under -the name of “tombeki,” the leaf of a species of _Lobelia_ is smoked in -parts of Asia. It is smoked in a narghilè, and is exceedingly narcotic, -so much so, that it is usually steeped in water to weaken it before -being used; and it is always smoked whilst damp. - -Not many years since, a patent was taken out at Washington for -fabricating tobacco from maize-husks, steeped in a solution of cayenne. -It was stated to be equal in flavour to true tobacco, and without any -of the deleterious properties which have been attributed to that plant. - -The Miliceti Indians, New Brunswick, scrape the bark from the young -twigs of the birch, and when dry, mix it with their tobacco for -smoking. They are very partial to the admixture, the odour of which, it -is affirmed, is much more agreeable than that of pure tobacco. - -Mr. Mölhausen smoked willow-leaves among the Rocky Mountains; and the -use of these leaves for the same purpose is mentioned in “Hiawatha.” - -The Bearberry (_Arctostaphylus uva ursi_) common in many parts of North -America, is found in the valley of the Oregon, where the leaves are -collected by the Chenook Indians, who mix them with their tobacco. -The Crees also use them for the same purpose, and with them it is -called Tchakashè-pukh. The Chepewyans, who name it Kleh, and the -Eskimos north of Churchill (by whom it is termed Attung-ā-wi-at) turn -it to a like account. From the custom of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s -officers carrying it in bags for the same use, the voyagers gave it the -appellation of Sac-a-commis. - -Latterly a writer in a West Indian paper, called attention to a novel -application of the berries of the Pimento (_Eugenia pimento_), known -commercially by that name or as Allspice. “I have been,” he says, -“a smoker for the past twenty years, and have consumed many pounds -of honey-dew within that period; but it was only a short time ago -that I discovered that Pimento forms by far a more agreeable article -for smoking; and any person who knows nothing of the fragrance of a -Pimento walk when in full bloom, may form some idea of it by a pipe -charged and lighted with the dried berry, simply crushed in coarse -bits. Every lady has a dislike to the smell of tobacco. While she may -be driven by its fumes and smell from the drawing-room, the Pimento -would, on the contrary, invite her presence. By way of experiment on -the taste of other smokers, I may mention that I had the other day two -men (great lovers of tobacco) employed in my garden. ‘Joseph,’ I said, -‘where is your pipe to-day?’ ‘Out of tobacco, massa,’ was his reply. -‘Well, here is some very costly; give me your opinion of it when you -have tried it.’ To prevent deception, I charged his pipe myself, and -directed him to light it. He did so, and up ascended a graceful curl of -smoke. Joseph was not a little pleased, and thanking me for this costly -tobacco, said it was ‘first-rate,’ and desired I should inform him what -per pound it could have cost. I told him it grew pretty near his hut, -and on opening my pouch, and disclosing to him that this ‘first-rate -tobacco’ was nothing more than dried pimento, you may imagine his -surprise. ‘A man is neber too old to larn,’ he exclaimed, and soon -imparted the good news to his fellow-labourer.” With all due deference -to the opinion of both Joseph and his master, we have experimented on -this wonderful pretender, and hold the opinion that it is unworthy -of their joint encomiums. A friend who has also tested it, thinks -it, however, very pleasant, and a fair substitute. It would appear, -therefore, that there is something to be said on both sides. - -Cascarilla bark, the produce of the _Croton eleuteria_ in the Bahamas, -was first used to mix with tobacco, on account of the pleasing odour -which it diffuses in burning. It is supposed also to possess narcotic -properties, when used in this way. In South America, Humboldt states -that the leaves of _Polygonum hispida_ are used as a tobacco substitute. - -The African contributions to our list are also rather extensive, -especially from the neighbourhood of the Cape. The leaves of a certain -plant (_Tarchonanthus camphoratus_, Linn.) possessing a camphorated -odour, are chewed by the Mahometans, and smoked by the Hottentots -and Bushmen instead of tobacco, and, like the “_Dagga_,” exhibit -slight narcotic symptoms. This may be owing to the camphor which they -contain. The common camphor, in quantities a little beyond a medium -dose, will produce indistinctness of ideas, incoherence of language, -an indescribable uneasiness, shedding of tears, a sensation of fear -and dread; then the body feels lighter than usual—an idea exists that -flying will not only be easy, but a source of pleasure. - -The Wild Dagga (_Leonotis leonurus_, _R. Br._) grows wild on the sandy -Cape flats. It has a peculiar scent, and a nauseous taste, and seems -to produce narcotic effects if incautiously used. The Hottentots are -particularly fond of it, and smoke it as tobacco. In the eastern -districts of the Cape, an allied species (_Leonotis ovata_) has a -similar reputation, and is used for a like purpose. - -In the Mauritius the leaves of the _Culen_ (_Psoralea glandulosa_) are -dried and smoked, while on the western coast of South America they are -used in decoction as a beverage, instead of tea. - -In Asia, tobacco substitutes have but one or two representatives. -One of these has been already alluded to, another consists of the -long leaves of a species of _Tupistra_, called “Purphiok,” which are -gathered in Sikkim, chopped up, and mixed with tobacco for the hookah. -The leaves of the water-lily are dried, and used in China to mix with -tobacco for smoking, to render it milder. - -Cigars of stramonium, henbane, and belladonna, may be purchased at -the same rate as those made of genuine tobacco, in chemists’ and -herbalists’ shops—never having tried them, we have no experience of -their flavour. - -The majority of the substitutes for tobacco are, after all, very poor -pretenders—capable, perhaps, of raising a smoke, but possessed of -neither aromatic nor stimulating properties; and those which contain -any active properties at all, are of a character so dangerous, as to -make their extensive use extremely hazardous. In the former class, we -may rank coltsfoot, sage, milfoil, rhubarb, and bogbean; and in the -latter, stramonium, henbane, bella-donna, arnica, and lobelia. Those -who have been long accustomed to the use of tobacco, seldom, except in -times of scarcity or deprivation of that plant, resort to the use of -any other. This is the case at home. In the Cape Colony, the united -testimony of travellers proves that the Kaffirs are ready to make _any_ -sacrifices for tobacco, and prefer it to any of their own indigenous -substitutes. - -When the tobacco has been found to be too strong, incipient smokers -have been known to counteract its effects, and lessen its power, by -mixing therewith the flowers of chamomile, which once enjoyed great -reputation as a useful medicine. Others, in the absence of tobacco, -have resorted to brown paper or tow, which, being smoked through an -old or foul pipe, is said to carry with its smoke some of the tobacco -flavour, and to be infinitely better than no smoke at all. Juveniles -will sometimes, with a piece of cane, or a strip of clematis, imitate -their elders, and, in imagination, enjoy the luxury of an Havannah -cigar. - -A curious anecdote of a Buckinghamshire parson occurs in “Lilly’s -History of his Life and Times,” to which we have before referred. “In -this year, also, William Breedon, parson or vicar of Thornton in Bucks, -was living, a profound divine, but absolutely the most polite parson -for nativities in that age, strictly adhering to Ptolemy, which he -well understood; he had a hand in composing Sir Christopher Heydon’s -‘Defence of Judicial Astrology,’ being at that time his chaplain; he -was so given over to tobacco and drink, that when he had no tobacco -(and I suppose too much drink) he would cut the bell-ropes and _smoke_ -them.” - -Having unmasked the “race of pretenders,” and shown the titles upon -which they seek to establish their claims, with Charles Lamb we now bid -farewell to Tobacco. - - “For I must, (nor let it grieve thee, - Friendliest of plants, that I must) leave thee; - For thy sake, Tobacco, I - Would do anything but die; - And but seek to extend my days - Long enough to sing thy praise. - But as she, who once hath been - A king’s consort, is a queen - Ever after, nor will bate - Any tittle of her state, - Though a widow, or divorced, - So I, from thy converse forced, - The old name and style retain, - A right Katherine of Spain; - And a seat, too, ’mongst the joys - Of the blest Tobacco boys; - Where, though I, by sour physician, - Am debarred the full fruition - Of thy favours, I may catch - Some collateral sweets, and snatch - Sidelong odours, that give life, - Like glances from a neighbour’s wife; - And still live in the by-places, - And the suburbs of thy graces; - And in thy borders take delight, - An unconquered Canaanite.” - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -+“MASH ALLAH!”—THE GIFT+. - - “Farewell ye odours of earth that die, - Passing away like a lover’s sigh; - My feast is now of the Tooba tree,[19] - Whose scent is the breath of eternity.” - - MOORE’S _Lalla Rookh_. - - -That opium is the milky juice of the capsules of a species of poppy, -evaporated by exposure to light and air, is a fact so well known, as -scarce to require repetition. This species of poppy contains two well -marked varieties, the _black_ and the _white_, a circumstance noticed -by Hippocrates long enough ago. The black variety derives its name from -the colour of its seeds. The original home of the poppy is Asia and -Egypt. But it is extensively cultivated for the sake of its juice in -British India, Persia, Egypt, and Asia Minor, and might be cultivated, -were it more remunerative, in England, France, and Germany, where good -samples of opium have been obtained experimentally. Dr. Royle states -that the black variety is cultivated in the Himalayas, but generally -the white is preferred. The poppy is grown in Europe for the sake of -the capsules and seed: from the latter a mild oil is extracted. - -The cultivation of the poppy in British India is confined chiefly to -the large Gangetic tract, about six hundred miles in length, and two -hundred miles in depth, extending from Goruckpore in the north to -Hazareebaugh in the South; and from Dingepore in the East, to Agra in -the West. This extent of country contains the two agencies of Behar and -Benares, the former sending to the market about treble the quantity of -the latter. In the Benares agency, there are about 21,500 cultivators, -and the total number of under cultivators of the opium poppy 106,147. - -After all the preliminaries of preparing the land, sowing, and -cultivating the plant, all of which are much more interesting to the -parties concerned than ourselves, if all goes well, the whole field of -poppies presents a sheet of white bloom, which generally occurs about -the month of February. When nearly ready to fall, the white petals are -gathered, and made into circular cakes; these are preserved to form -the outer coverings of the balls of opium. In a few days after the -“leaves” of the flower are collected, the capsules or poppy heads are -ready for operation. At from three to four o’clock in the afternoon, -individuals go into the fields and scratch or cut the poppy heads with -iron instruments called “nushturs.” This instrument consists of three -or four thin narrow strips of iron, about six inches in length, and -about the thickness and width of a penknife at one end, but extending -in width to nearly an inch at the opposite extremity, where it is -deeply notched. These plates are bound together by means of thread, -each plate being kept a little distance from its neighbour by means of -thread passed between them. Thus completed, it has the appearance of a -scarificator with four parallel blades. This instrument, which has the -angles sharpened, has one of its sets of points drawn down the poppy -capsule from top to bottom, or rather upwards from the base to the -summit, making three or four parallel incisions, corresponding to the -number of blades in the poppy head. These only pass through the outer -coating or pericarp. Each capsule is scarified from two to six times, -according to its size, two or three days intervening between each -operation. In Asia Minor, a different course is pursued. One horizontal -incision is made nearly round the capsule, with a single blade. After -the scarification of the capsules, the juice exudes and thickens on -them during the night, which is collected early the next morning, by -means of little iron instruments called “seetooahs,” and which resemble -small concave trowels. When sufficient is collected into the trowel, it -is emptied into an earthen pot which the collector carries at his side. - -When all the opium is collected which the plants will yield, the -capsules are gathered and broken, and the seed preserved for the -extraction of their oil. Of these seeds comfits are also made -resembling carraway comfits, and, without doubt, great comforts they -are to naked little squalling Hindoos whenever they can be obtained. -After the extraction of the oil, the dry cake, called Khari, is either -made into unleavened cakes for the very indigent, or cattle are fed -upon them, or when necessity requires, it is converted into poultices -after the manner of linseed meal. - -In poor districts, where the people cannot afford the luxury of opium, -the broken capsules are made into a decoction and drank instead, says -Mr. Impey. This liquid is termed “post,” from the Persian name of the -capsule. There is also another use for the capsules. They are ground -into fine powder, and sold under the name of “boosa,” and sprinkled -over the _buttees_ of opium to prevent their adhesion. In the Benares -agency, the stems and leaves, when perfectly dry, are collected and -crushed into a coarse powder called “poppy trash” which is employed in -packing the opium cakes. - -One acre of well-cultivated ground will yield from 70 to 100 lbs. -of “chick” or inspissated juice, the price of which varies from six -shillings to twelve shillings per pound; so that an acre will yield -from twenty to sixty pounds worth of opium at one crop. Three pounds of -chick will produce one pound of opium, from a third to a fifth of the -weight being lost in evaporation. - -When freshly collected, the mass of juice is of a pinkish colour. This -is placed in shallow vessels to drain. A coffee-coloured liquid, called -“_pussewah_,” is drained off, which is used to cement the poppy-leaves -round the cakes of opium, under the name of _lewah_. After exposure -to the air in the Benares agency, the opium is made up into balls. In -Turkey it is the custom to beat up the juice with saliva. In Malwa it -is immersed as collected in linseed oil. In Benares it is brought to -the required consistence by exposure in the shade only. - -Opium is prepared in different forms, in the various localities for -market. Bengal opium is made into balls of about 3½ lbs. weight, and -packed in chests, each containing forty balls. They are about the size -of a child’s head, coated externally with poppy petals, agglutinated -with _lewah_ to the thickness of about half an inch. Garden Patna -opium is in square cakes, about three inches in diameter, and one -inch thick, wrapped in thin plates of mica. Malwa opium is in round -flattened cakes, of about ten ounces in weight, packed in “boosa,” -or in coarsely-powdered poppy-petals, or in some instances without -any coating at all. Cutch opium is in small cakes, rather more than -an inch in diameter, enclosed in fragments of leaves. Kandeish opium -is imported in round flattened cakes, of about half a pound weight. -Egyptian opium occurs in round flattened cakes, about three inches -in diameter, covered with the vestiges of some leaf. This kind is -very dry, but it is considered inferior in quality to the Turkish -kinds. Persian opium is in the form of sticks, about six inches in -length, and half an inch in diameter, enveloped in smooth shining -paper, and tied with cotton. Smyrna opium occurs in regular rounded -or flattened masses, of various sizes, rarely exceeding two pounds -in weight, sometimes covered with the capsules of a species of dock. -Constantinople opium is either in large irregular cakes, or small, -regular, lenticular-formed cakes, covered with poppy-leaf, and from two -to two and a half inches in diameter. - -Formerly the balls of Bengal opium were covered with tobacco-leaves; -but Mr. Flemming introduced the practice of covering them with -poppy-petals, which service the Court of Directors of the East India -Company acknowledged by presenting him with 50,000 rupees. Sometimes -these balls are so soft as to burst their skins, when much of the -liquid opium is lost. The quantity of opium produced annually in Bengal -exceeds five millions of pounds, and the income derived by the Hon. -East India Company from this source is not less than £5,003,162. - -The kinds of opium most approved in the English market is the Smyrna, -and in China and the East generally, the preference is given to -the produce of India. Before used by the opium-smoker, the extract -undergoes a course of preparation, the following being the method -pursued in Singapore, as described by Mr. Little. - -Between three and four o’clock in the morning the fires are lighted. -A chest is then opened by one of the officers of the establishment of -the opium farmer, and the number of balls delivered to the workmen -proportioned to the demand. The balls are then divided into equal -halves by one man, who scoops out with his fingers the inside or -soft part, and throws it into an earthen dish, frequently during the -operation moistening and washing his hands in another vessel, the -water of which is carefully preserved. When all the soft part is -carefully abstracted from the hardened skins or husks, these are broken -up, split, divided, and torn, and thrown into the earthen vessel, -containing the water already spoken of, saving the extreme outsides, -which are not mixed with the others, but thrown away, or sometimes sold -to adulterate chandu in Johore and the back of the island. - -The second operation is to boil the husks with a sufficient quantity -of water in a large, shallow, iron pot, for such a length of time as -may be requisite to break down thoroughly the husks, and dissolve -the opium. This is then strained through folds of China-paper, laid -on a frame of basket-work, and over the paper is placed a cloth. The -strained fluid is then mixed with the opium scooped out in the first -operation, and placed in a large iron pot, when it is boiled down to -the consistence of thickish treacle. In this second operation, the -refuse from the straining of the boiled husk is again boiled in water, -filtered through paper, and the filtered fluid added to the mass, to -be made into chandu. The refuse is thrown outside, and little attended -to. It is dried and sold to the Chinese going to China for from ten to -seventeen shillings the hundredweight, who pound it, and adulterate -good opium with it. The paper that has been used in straining contains -a small quantity of opium, it is carefully dried and used medicinally -by the Chinese. - -In the third operation, the dissolved opium being reduced to the -consistence of treacle, is seethed over a fire of charcoal, of a strong -and steady, but not fierce temperature, during which time it is most -carefully worked, then spread out, then worked up again and again by -the superintending workman, so as to expel the water, and, at the same -time, avoid burning it. When it is brought to the proper consistence, -it is divided into half-a-dozen lots, each of which is spread like -a plaister on a nearly flat iron pot, to the depth of from half to -three-quarters of an inch, and then scored in all manner of directions -to allow the heat to be applied equally to every part. One pot after -another is then placed over the fire, turned rapidly round, then -reversed, so as to expose the opium itself to the full heat of the red -fire. This is repeated three times, the length of time requisite, and -the proper heat are judged of by the workman, from the effluvium and -the colour, and here the greatest dexterity is requisite, for a little -more fire, or a little less would destroy the morning’s work, or eighty -or a hundred pounds’ worth of opium. The head workmen are men who have -learned their trade in China, and from their great experience, receive -high wages. - -The fourth operation consists in again dissolving this fired opium in -a large quantity of water, and boiling it in copper vessels till it is -reduced to the consistence of the chandu used in the shops. The degree -of tenacity being the index of its complete preparation, which is -judged of by drawing it out with slips of bamboo. - -By this long process, many of the impurities in the opium are got rid -of, and are left in the refuse thrown out, such as vegetable matter, -part of the resin and oil, with the extractive matter. By the seething -process, the oil and resin are almost entirely dissipated, so that the -chandu, as compared with the crude opium, is less irritating and more -soporific. The quantity of chandu obtained from the soft opium is about -seventy-five per cent., but from the opium, including the husk, not -more than 50 to 54 per cent. - -The heat to be endured by the men during this operation is very great, -and can only be tolerated when custom has inured them to it. One of -these men, Mr. Little graphically describes. He was quite a character -in his way. “From three in the morning till ten in the forenoon he -stands before the boiling cauldron, with a fan in one hand, and a -feather in the other; with the latter he scoops off the scum that -forms, while, with the fan, he prevents the fluid from boiling over. He -never speaks, but is always smiling; nor does he move, except to quench -his thirst, from a bucket of water placed beside him. His trowsers are -his only article of dress, the floor his bed, a little rice his food. -When his labour is finished, his enjoyment is to drink arrack till he -is insensible, from which he is wakened in the morning to his work. He -has but one idea, and that is, the prospect of getting drunk on his -favourite beverage; for his work is mechanically done, and costs him -not a thought, no more than it does the dog that turns the spit. But -he smiles, as he thinks of the revel for the night; and with his whole -soul wrapped up in that fancied bliss, he heeds not the days that go -by. He is a singular being, and in another country, would be the inmate -of a mad-house.” - -The method of preparation in China and Hong-Kong, is identical with -that pursued at Singapore. When the chandu or prepared extract of opium -is consumed, it leaves a refuse consisting of charcoal, empyreumatic -oil, some of the salts of the opium, and part of the chandu not -consumed. One ounce of the chandu gives nearly half an ounce of the -refuse called _Tye_ or _Tinco_. This is smoked or swallowed by the -poorer classes, who cannot afford the pure extract, and for this they -only pay half the price of chandu. When smoked, it yields a further -refuse called _Samshing_, which contains a very small quantity of the -narcotic principle. This last is never smoked, as it cannot furnish -any smoke, but is swallowed, and that not unfrequently mixed with -arrack. Samshing is used by the very poorest and most indigent class—by -beggars and outcasts, and those who, from long habit, are unable to -exist without some stimulus from the drug, but are unable to supply -themselves with any but the cheapest form in which any of the effects -of the narcotic can be obtained. - -Opium is called in Arabic “Afiyoon,” and the opium-eater “Afiyoonee.” -In the crude state, opium is generally taken by those who have not long -been addicted to its use, in the dose of three or four grains, and the -dose is increased by degrees. - -The Egyptians make several conserves composed of hellebore, hemp, and -opium, and several aromatic drugs which are in much more common use -than the simple opium. One of these conserves is called “magoon,” and -the person who makes or sells it, is called “magoongee.” The most -common kind is called “barsh” or “berch.” There is one kind which, -it is said, makes the person who takes it manifest his pleasure by -singing, another which will make him chatter, a third which excites to -dance, a fourth which particularly effects the vision in a pleasurable -manner, and a fifth which is simply of a sedative nature. These are -sold at certain kind of shops called “mahsheshehs,” solely appropriated -to the sale of intoxicating preparations. - -Thus, in different countries, we find opium used in different ways. -In Great Britain, for instance, it is either used in the solid state, -made into pills, in which form it is somewhat extensively employed in -certain of our manufacturing districts, where druggists are affirmed -to keep a supply of these pills ready made to meet the demand, or it -is used in the form of tincture in the common state of laudanum, in -which form it is not only used medicinally, but to our knowledge, -somewhat largely as a means of indulgence, or, we should rather say, -with somewhat of qualification, largely for a country in which many are -fain to suppose that it is not used for those purposes at all. It is -also used in the form of Paregoric elixir, and is given insidiously to -children under a variety of quack forms, such as Godfrey’s cordial, &c. -On the authority of a reverend gentleman, it is stated that in the town -of Preston, in 1843, there were upwards of sixteen hundred families in -which Godfrey’s cordial was habitually employed, or some other equally -injurious compound. Professor Johnston has noticed a communication -which appeared in the “Morning Chronicle,” describing the effects -of opium upon the health of children, says—“The child sinks into a -low torpid state, wastes away into a skeleton, except the stomach, -producing what is known as pot-belly. One woman said, ‘The sleeping -stuff made them that they were always dozing, and never cared for food. -They pined away; their heads got big, and they died.’” - -In India, the pure opium is either dissolved in water, and so used, -or rolled into pills. It is there a common practice to give it to -children when very young, by mothers who require to work, and cannot at -the same time nurse their offspring. The natives of the western coast -of Africa have a curious mechanical contrivance, by means of which they -get rid of the necessity for opium in these cases. The girls wear a -“kankey,” or artificial hump on their backs as soon as they can walk, -in order to learn betimes to carry their juniors, who ride astride on -the said projections. The usefulness of them consists in enabling the -mothers to work with their infants in this way _on their backs_, while -in England they excuse themselves from work on the plea of an infant -_in arms_, or else the helpless little creatures are drugged with -sleeping stuff, and their heads grow big, and they die. - -In China, opium is either swallowed or smoked in the shape of _Tye_. In -Bally it is first adulterated with China paper, and then rolled up with -the fibres of a particular kind of plantain. It is then inserted into a -hole made at the end of a small bamboo and smoked. In Java and Sumatra -it is often mixed with sugar and the ripe fruit of the plantain. -In Turkey it is usually taken in pills, and those who do so, avoid -drinking any water after having swallowed them, as this is said to -produce violent colic; but to make it more palatable, it is sometimes -mixed with syrups or thickened juice; in this form, however, it is less -intoxicating, and resembles mead. It is then taken with a spoon, or is -dried in small cakes, with the words “Mash Allah,” the “Work of God,” -or the “Gift of God” imprinted on them. When the dose of two or three -drams a day no longer produces the beatific intoxication so eagerly -sought, they mix corrosive sublimate with the opium till the quantity -reaches ten grains a day. - -In Singapore there are representatives of almost every Eastern nation, -indulging in the luxury according to the fashion of the country of -which he is a native. The Hindoo, fresh from the continent, prefers -the mode there in use, and swallows the soul-soothing pill; while the -Chinese, with a gusto which no worshipper of the meerschaum can compete -with, inhales the smoke, not only into his mouth, but into his lungs, -where it becomes breath of his breath, and where retained, it acts on -the nervous fibres that are spread over the extensive membrane which -lines every cell of the lungs until exhaled through nose and mouth—yea, -even in some cases, through ear and eye, it is replaced by another puff. - -As the body becomes accustomed by habit to bear larger doses of opium -than before the habit has been formed, the enormous quantity which -some persons have taken are startling and surprising. Dr. Christison, -in his work on Poisons, refers to some of these cases. “A female who -died of consumption at the age of forty-two, had taken about a dram of -solid opium daily for ten years. A well-known literary character, about -fifty years of age, has taken laudanum for twenty-five years, with -occasional short intermissions, and sometimes an enormous quantity, but -enjoys tolerable bodily health. A lady about fifty-five, who enjoys -good health, has taken opium many years, and at present uses three -ounces of laudanum daily. Lord Mar, after using laudanum for thirty -years, at times to the amount of two or three ounces daily, died at -the age of fifty-seven, of jaundice and dropsy. A woman who had been -in the practice of taking about two ounces of laudanum daily for very -many years, died at the age of sixty or upwards. An eminent literary -character who died lately, about the age of sixty-three, was in the -practice of drinking laudanum to excess from the age of fifteen, and -his daily allowance was sometimes a quart of a mixture consisting of -three parts laudanum and one of alcohol. A lady now alive, at the age -of seventy-four, has taken laudanum in the quantity of half an ounce -daily between thirty and forty years. An old woman died not long ago -at Leith at the age of eighty, who had taken about half an ounce of -laudanum daily for nearly forty years, and enjoyed tolerable health -all the time. Visrajee, a celebrated Cutchee chief mentioned by Dr. -Burnes, had taken opium largely all his life, and was alive at the age -of eighty, with his mind unimpaired.” To these examples we may add -the confession of De Quincey: “I, who have taken happiness both in a -solid and a liquid shape, both boiled and unboiled, both East Indian -and Turkish—who have conducted my experiments upon this interesting -subject with a sort of galvanic battery, and have, for the general -benefit of the world, inoculated myself, as it were, with the poison -of eight thousand drops of laudanum a day—I, it will be admitted, must -surely now know what happiness is, if anybody does. Fifty and two -years’ experience of opium, as a magical resource under all modes of -bodily suffering, I may now claim to have had. According to the modern -slang phrase, I had, in the meridian stage of my opium career, used -‘fabulous’ quantities. Stating the quantities—not in solid opium, but -in the tincture (known to everybody as laudanum)—my daily ration was -eight thousand drops. If you write down that amount in the ordinary -way as 8000, you see at a glance that you may read it into eight -quantities of a thousand, or into eight hundred quantities of ten; or, -lastly, into eighty quantities of one hundred. Now, a single quantity -of one hundred will about fill a very old-fashioned obsolete teaspoon, -of that order which you find still lingering amongst the respectable -poor. Eighty such quantities, therefore, would have filled eighty -of such antediluvian spoons, that is, it would have been the common -hospital dose for three hundred and twenty adult patients.” And he adds -solemnly, that “without opium, thirty-five years ago, beyond all doubt, -I should have been in my grave.” - -It is not a very easy task to ascertain the full extent of opium -indulgence at home; but there is more of truth than fiction in that -passage in “Alton Locke,” where the hero, on his way to Cambridge, -meets with a ride in the vehicle of a certain yeoman of the Fen -country, and enters into conversation with him, in the course of which -the following dialogue takes place. - -“Love ye, then! they as dinnot tak’ spirits down thor, tak’ their -pennord o’ elevation, then—women folk especial.” - -“What’s elevation?” - -“Oh! ho! ho! Yow goo into druggist’s shop o’ market day, into -Cambridge, and you’ll see the little boxes, doozens and doozens, a’ -ready on the counter; and never a ven-man’s wife goo by, but what calls -in for her pennord o’ elevation, to last her out the week. Oh! ho! ho! -Well, it keeps women folk quiet, it do; and it’s mortal good agin ago -pains.” - -“But what is it?” - -“Opium, bor’ alive, opium!” - -“But doesn’t it ruin their health? I should think it the very worst -sort of drunkenness.” - -“Ow, well, yow moi say that—mak’th ‘em cruel thin, then, it do; but -what can bodies do i’ th’ ago? But it’s a bad thing, it is.” - -The fact is well known, that in the Fen country, opium is extensively -used under the presumption or excuse that it is good for the ague. In -Wisbeach, as we ascertained from certain official medical documents, -more opium is sold and consumed, in proportion to the population, than -in any other part of the kingdom. In other parts of Cambridgeshire and -Lincolnshire, large quantities of opium are regularly and habitually -sold in small doses amongst the labouring population. In Manchester -some years ago, a similar run upon opium was experienced, but _not_ as -a cure for ague. Several cotton manufacturers stated to our authority, -that their work-people were rapidly getting into the practice of -opium-eating; so much so, that on a Saturday afternoon the counters of -the druggists were strewed with pills of one, two, or three grains, in -preparation for the known demand of the evening. The immediate occasion -of this practice was stated to be the lowness of wages, which, at that -time, would not allow them to indulge in ale or spirits; hence they -adopted opium as a substitute. - -There was a sin of which we were guilty in the age of Butler, and from -which we are not yet freed; probably, it is somewhat of a universal -one. Whether or no, there are certainly not a few who— - - “Compound for sins they are inclined to, - By damning those they have no mind to.” - -Opium indulgence is, after all, very un-English, and never has been, -nor ever will be, remarkably popular; and if we smoke our pipes -of tobacco ourselves, while in the midst of the clouds, we cannot -forbear expressing our astonishment at the Chinese and others who -indulge in opium. Pity them we may, perhaps, looking upon them as -miserable wretches the while, but they do not obtain our sympathies. -Philanthropists at crowded assemblies denounce, in no measured -terms, “the iniquities of the opium trade,” and then go home to -their pipe or cigar, thinking them perfectly legitimate, whether -the produce of slave labour or free. It is the same sort of feeling -that the Hashasheens of the East inspire, and indeed all, who have a -predilection for other narcotics than those which Johnny Englishman -delights in, come in for a share of his contempt. - -A carrion crow was once indulging in a feast upon the carcase of a -nice fat rat which had just been caught in a neighbouring barn and -thrown out into the road. A wood pigeon, who had finished his meal -in a field of peas hard by, came past at the time and saw his friend -the crow in full enjoyment of his rat. “I cannot imagine,” said the -pigeon, “how you can eat such a disgusting creature as that on which -you are making your breakfast—the sight of it turns my stomach.” “It is -quite a matter of taste,” said the crow, “and I think that I have the -advantage, my food is juicy and sweet, this rat has lived upon the best -of the farmer’s corn, and the farmer would enjoy the treat himself, -I am confident, if he only knew what a delicious breakfast it would -make. You should be welcome to an acre of peas every day, if you would -bring me such a dish as this. Besides, if I did not eat it, it would -soon putrefy, and fill the air with disgusting smells, so that I am, -in myself, a perfect board of health, working for the good of society, -you, no better than a vagabond, stealing from society your daily -bread.” “I have heard it said,” added the pigeon, “that it was you and -your companions that destroyed a whole field of turnips in grubbing -after the worms—I suppose that was a benefit to society.” “Go and eat -your peas,” said the crow, “and leave me to enjoy my rat in peace.” - -Calculations as to the number of persons indulging in the use of opium -are necessarily liable to objections; one person asserting that in -China, for instance, not less than twenty millions of people indulge -in opium, whilst others consider that two millions and a half are all -that can be calculated upon. The number which Johnston estimates as -the proportion of the human race using opium is four hundred millions, -or about half the number of those who indulge in tobacco. This is, -perhaps, as near an approximation as can be made, but one which must be -based on the quantity produced, deducing therefrom the number required -to consume it, rather than on any details of consumption, which cannot -be arrived at. - -There is one important and well-authenticated fact with regard to the -Chinese consumption of opium, that in the year 1854, the value of opium -imported into China exceeded the value of all the tea and silk exported -from China to Great Britain and her colonies. - -As we take farewell of the “gift of God” to pass through the portals -of Paradise, let us do so in the words of that most celebrated of -English opium eaters, Thomas de Quincey:——“O just, subtle, and -all-conquering opium! that, to the hearts of rich and poor alike, for -the wounds that will never heal, and for the pangs of grief that ‘tempt -the spirit to rebel,’ bringest an assuaging balm; eloquent opium! that -with thy potent rhetoric stealest away the purposes of wrath, pleadest -effectually for relenting pity, and through one night’s heavenly -sleep, callest back to the guilty man the visions of his infancy, -and hands washed pure from blood. O just and righteous opium! that -to the chancery of dreams, summonest for the triumphs of despairing -innocence, false witnesses, and confoundest perjury, and dost reverse -the sentences of unrighteous judges; thou buildest upon the bosom -of darkness, out of the fantastic imagery of the brain, cities and -temples, beyond the art of Phidias and Praxiteles—beyond the splendours -of Babylon and Hekatompylos; and from the ‘anarchy of dreaming sleep,’ -callest into sunny light the faces of long-buried beauties, and the -blessed household countenances, cleansed from the ‘dishonours of the -grave.’ Thou only givest these gifts to man, and thou hast the keys of -Paradise, O just, subtle, and mighty opium!” - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -THE GATES OF PARADISE. - - “Thou only givest these gifts to man; and thou hast the keys of - Paradise, O just, subtle, and mighty opium.”——_Confessions of an - Opium-Eater._ - - -According to the common opinion of the Arabs, there are seven heavens, -one above another. The upper surface of each is believed to be nearly -plane, and generally supposed to be circular, five hundred years’ -journey in width. The first is described to be formed of emerald; the -second of white silver; the third of large white pearls; the fourth -of ruby; the fifth of red gold; the sixth of yellow jacinth; and the -seventh of shining light. Some assert Paradise to be in the seventh -heaven; others state that above the seventh heaven are seven seas of -light, then an undefined number of veils, or separations, of different -substances, seven of each kind, and then Paradise, which consists of -seven stages, one above another. The first is the mansion of glory, of -white pearls; the second, the mansion of peace, of ruby; the third, -the garden of rest, of green chrysolite; the fourth, the garden of -eternity, of green coral; the fifth, garden of delight, of white -silver; the sixth, the garden of Paradise, of red gold; the seventh, -the garden of perpetual abode or Eden, of large pearls—this overlooking -all the former, and canopied by the throne of the Compassionate. - -The most direct road and speediest conveyance to Paradise, according to -the testimony of all confirmed opiophagi, is by means of that subtle -drug, opium. The most common form in which it is taken is that of -vapour, inhaled through a peculiarly-constructed pipe. Those used by -the Siamese resemble in form the common narghilè, or hubble-bubble of -the Levant. They consist of an empty cocoa-nut shell, in an orifice -in the top of which a hollow wooden tube is inserted, and the opening -hermetically closed, so as to prevent the escape of either air or -smoke. In another hole in the side of the cocoa-nut shell, a common -little bamboo tube, about eighteen inches long, is tightly fixed; a -little earthen bowl, perforated at the bottom like a sieve, is filled -with opium, and one or two pieces of fire being placed thereon, this -bowl is fitted on the top of the wooden tube. The man who hands round -this pipe holds with one hand the bottom of the cocoa-nut (which is -half full of water), and with the other hand he presents the bamboo -tube to the smoker, who, putting it to his mouth, inhales three or -four whiffs of this most intoxicating narcotic. The effect is almost -instantaneous. He sinks gently against the cushion set at his back, and -becomes insensible to what is passing around. The pipe is passed round -from mouth to mouth, so that half an hour generally intervenes between -the first whiff taken by the first smoker, and the last sigh heaved by -the last man, as he revives from his short, pleasant dream, into which -the whiffing has thrown him. One old and inveterate Siamese smoker -declared to a recent resident among them, that if he knew his life -would be forfeited by the act, he could no more resist the temptation -than he could curb a fiery steed by a thread bridle. It carried him -into the seventh heaven—he heard and saw things no tongue could utter, -and felt as though his soul soared so high above things earthly, during -those precious moments of oblivion, as to have flown beyond the reach -of its heavy, burthensome cage. - -Opium smoking is not generally conducted on a plan so social. The -Siamese may be considered as an exception to the general rule. The -method pursued at Hong-Kong, of which we have received an account from -a competent authority, is more a type of the opium-smoker in general, -and the method he pursues. - -In a reclining position, on boards placed on tressels, ranged around -long, disgustingly dirty rooms, may be seen, at all hours of the day, -haggard beggars, with putrefying sores, whose miserable feelings of -desperation and woe drive them here to obtain a partial alleviation, -by steeping their senses in forgetfulness. The stem of the pipe used -for smoking is made of hard wood, and would be taken for an English -paper-ruler, about eighteen inches long, and an inch in diameter. The -earthenware bowl or head screws on and off, at about three inches from -the end. An assistant of the divan, sitting in a corner of the room, is -constantly engaged in scraping and cleaning these heads, which, from -the small size of the hole through which the opium is inhaled (about -the size of a pin’s head), are apt to get clogged. The quantity of -opium intended to be smoked, varying at a time from twenty to a hundred -grains, is dipped carefully out of small gallipots, laid on a leaf, and -charged for at the rate of a dollar per ounce. The opium is used by -dipping into it the pointed end of a small wire, which is then applied -to the flame of a lamp. In ignition it inflates into a bubble, and is -then, with a dexterity obtained only by constant practice, rolled on -the pipe head until it assumes the shape and size of a small orange-pip -cut in half, and of the hardness of wax. It is then placed over the -orifice in the head of the pipe, like a small chimney, through which -the flame of the lamp is drawn into the bowl, converting the opium, in -its passage, into a blue smoke, which is inspired by long continuous -whiffs, and without removal of the pipe from the mouth, respired -through the nostrils. Two or three pipes may be taken by persons -unaccustomed to the habit without leaving any other unpleasant feeling -than a harshness in the throat. There are in Hong-Kong ten regular -licensed divans for the smoking of opium, and nearly all these are in -the Chinese portion of the town. - -This picture would, however, be incomplete, without a few more -particulars concerning the individuals who give themselves up to -indulgence in the drug. And for this we must again seek the aid of -an experienced medical man, who for years lived and laboured in the -midst of opium smokers. “Nothing on earth,” he states, “can equal -the apparent quiet enjoyment of the opium smoker. As he enters the -miserable scene of his future ecstasy, he collects his small change, -the labour, or begging, or theft of the day, with which he supplies -himself with his quantity of Chandu; then taking the pipe, which is -furnished gratis, he reclines on a board covered with a mat, and with -his head resting on a wooden or bamboo pillow, he commences filling -his pipe. As he entered, his looks were the picture of misery, his -eyes were sunk, his gait slouched, his step trembling, and his voice -quivering, with a sallow cast of countenance, and a dull unimpressive -eye. He who runs might read that he is an opium-smoker, and, diving -still deeper below appearances, would declare him an opium sufferer. -But now with pipe in hand, opium by his side, and a lamp before him, -his eye already glistens, and his features soften in their expression, -while he is preparing the coming luxury. At last it is ready, and -the pipe being applied to the lamp, there is heard a soughing noise, -as with a full and hearty pull, he draws in all that opium and air -can give. Slowly is the inspiration relaxed, but not until all the -opium that is in the pipe is consumed; then, allowing the vapour, -impregnated with the narcotic influence, to remain in his chest until -nature compels him to respire, he gently allows it to escape, seeming -to grudge the loss of each successive exit, until all is gone, when -exhausted and soothed— - - “‘Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch - About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams,’ - -he withdraws the pipe, reclines his head, and gives himself up to -the first calming effect of the drug. His next attempt confirms the -comfort, and now no longer does he complain of racking limbs or -aching bones; no longer does the rheum run from his eyes, and relaxed -is the tightness of the chest, as he dwells with fond affection on -the inspiring pipe. His second pipe being finished, he can now look -round, and has time to gaze on what is going on; but his soul is -still wrapped in the bliss that is anticipated from what remains of -his allowance, for not until a third or fourth whiff do the feelings -of positive pleasure arise. Then is felt a lightness of the head, a -tingling in every limb—the eyes seem to be enlarged, and the ears -sharpened to hearing, an elasticity, an inclination to mount on high is -experienced—all pains are gone, and pleasure now remains—all weariness -has left, and freshness takes its place. The loathing of food that was -lately experienced is changed to a relish for what is piquant, and a -great desire is frequently felt for some particular food. The tongue -is now loosened, and tells its tale. For whatever is secret becomes -open, and what was intended for one becomes known to all. Still there -is no excitement, but a calmness, soft, soothing, and sedative. He -dreams no dreams, nor thinks of the morrow but with a smile in his -eye; he fills his pipe with the last of his allowance; slowly inhaling -it, he seems to brighten up. The smile that was sparkling in his eye, -extends to other features, and his appearance is one of complete, yet -placid enjoyment. Presently the pipe is slowly displaced, or drops -by his side; his head, if raised, is now laid on the pillow—feature -after feature gives up its smile—the eye becomes glazed—now droops -the upper eyelid, and falls the chin with the lower lip, deeper and -deeper inspirations follow—all perception is gone; objects may strike -the eye, but no sights are seen; sounds may fall on the ear, but no -sensations are excited. So he passes into sleep, disturbed and broken, -from which the wretched being awakes to a full conception of his -misery. ‘To sleep, perchance to dream!’—and what dreams!—what ecstatic -delights!—what ravishments!—what illusions! - - “‘Things - Seen for the first time, and things, long ago - Seen, which he ne’er again shall see, do blend - Strangely and brokenly with ghastly things - Such as we hear in childhood, scorn in youth, - And doubt in manhood, save when seen.’” - -In the narrative of the voyage of H.M.S. _Samarang_, Mr. A. Adams -informs us, that in a large caravansary belonging to the Malay village -near Singapore, he had an opportunity of observing the effects of -opium on the physical aspect of the Malay. One of these was a feeble, -worn out old man, with an unearthly brilliancy in his eye. His body -was bent forwards and greatly emaciated—his face was shrunken, wan, -and haggard—his long skinny arm, wasted fingers, and sharp pointed -nails resembled more the claw of some rapacious bird, than the hand -of a lord of the creation—his head was nodding and tremulous—his skin -wrinkled and yellow, and his teeth were a few decayed, pointed, and -black stained fangs. As he was approached, he raised his body from -the mat on which he was reposing. There was something interesting -and at the same time melancholy in the physique of the old man, who -now in rags, appeared from the silver ornaments he wore, and by his -embroidered jacket, to have been formerly a person of some distinction; -but the fascinating influence of the deadly drug had fastened on him, -and a pallet in a caravansary was the reward of self-indulgence. “In my -experience of opium,” says Mr.————, “which has not, however, been very -extensive, I cannot say I have found as much pleasure as the English -opium-eater in his Confessions would lead us to believe fell to his -lot. After three or four Chinese opium pipes, I found my brain very -much unsettled, and teeming with thoughts ill-arranged, and pursuing -each other in wanton dreamy play, without order or connection, the -circulating system being at the time much excited, the frame tremulous, -the eyeballs fixed, and a peculiar and agreeable thrilling sensation -extending along the nerves. The same succession of image crowding upon -image, and thoughts revelling in strange disorder, continues for some -time, during which a person appears to be in the condition of the -madman alluded to by Dryden in his play of the ‘Spanish Fryar.’ - - “‘He raves, his words are loose, - As heaps of sand, and scattering wide from sense - So high he’s mounted on his airy throne, - That now the wind has got into his head, - And turned his brains to frenzy.’ - -Unutterable melancholy feelings succeed to this somewhat pleasurable -period of excitement, but a soft languor steals shortly across the -senses, and the half-poisoned individual falls asleep. The next day -there is great nausea and sickness of stomach, headache, and tormenting -thirst, which makes you curse opium, and exclaim, with Shakespeare’s -‘King John,’ - - “‘And none of you will bid the winter come - To thrust his icy fingers in my maw; - Nor let my kingdom’s rivers take their course - Thro’ my burnt bosom, nor entreat the North - To make his bleak winds kiss my parched lips, - And comfort me with cold.’” - -Dr. Madden tried, experimentally, the effects of opium—he commenced -with a grain, which produced no perceptible effect, to this he -afterwards added another grain. After two hours from commencing the -operation, his spirits became excited. “My faculties,” he writes, -“appeared enlarged, everything I looked at seemed increased in volume. -I had no longer the same pleasure when I closed my eyes which I had -when they were open; it appeared to me as if it was only external -objects which were acted on by the imagination, and magnified into -images of pleasure; in short, it was the faint exquisite music of a -dream in a waking moment. I made my way home as fast as possible, -dreading, at every step, that I should commit some extravagance. In -walking, I was hardly sensible of my feet touching the ground—it seemed -as if I slid along the street, impelled by some invisible agent, and -that my blood was composed of some ethereal fluid, which rendered my -body lighter than air. I got to bed the moment I reached home. The -most extraordinary visions of delight filled my brain all night. In -the morning I rose pale and dispirited, my head ached, my body was so -debilitated, that I was obliged to remain on the sofa all day, dearly -paying for my first essay at opium-eating.” Thus far, the opium-eater -and the opium-smoker seem to agree in the principal results from the -use of the drug. - -From the communications of Dr. Medhurst may be learnt many important -facts relative to this habit in China. Day by day, and year by year, -the practice of opium-smoking prevails more and more among this -people, and by and by it will doubtless have a powerful effect upon -the destinies of the country. It is said, that the late Emperor used -the drug; it is certain that most of the government officers do, and -their innumerable attendants are in the same category. Opium is used -as a luxury by all classes, and to a great extent, indeed so great, -that it cannot fail to exhibit its effects speedily upon the mass of -the inhabitants. In rich families, even if the head of the house does -not use the drug, the sons soon learn to use it, and almost all are -exposed to the temptation of employing it, as many of their friends -and acquaintances are in the habit of smoking; and it is considered -a mark of politeness to offer the pipe to a friend or visitor. Many -persons fly to the use of the pipe when they get into trouble, and when -they are afflicted with chronic or painful diseases, sleeplessness, -&c. Several persons who have been attended for malignant tumours -were made victims of the drug, by the use of it to appease the pain -and distress they had to endure. The beggars are, to a great extent, -under its influence; but they use the dregs and scrapings only of the -half-consumed drug, which is removed from the pipe-head when it is -cleaned. The most common cause of the Chinese resorting to the use of -the opium-pipe is their not knowing how to employ their leisure hours -when the business of the day is over—there is no periodical literature -to engage their attention. Their families do not present sufficient -attractions to keep them at home, and sauntering about of an evening, -with nothing to employ the mind, they are easily tempted into the opium -shops, where one acquaintance or another is sure to be found, who -invites to the use of the drug. - -Many of the middling classes dissipate their money in this indulgence, -and, among the lower classes, those who indulge in the use of opium -are reduced to abject poverty. Having no property, furniture, or -clothes to dispose of, their wives and children are sold to supply -their ever-increasing appetite for the drug; and when these are gone, -with greatly diminished strength for labour, they can no longer earn -sufficient for their own wants, and are obliged to beg for their daily -bread. As to the supply of opium, they must depend on the scrapings -of other men’s pipes, and as soon as they are unable, by begging, to -obtain the necessaries of life, together with the half-burnt opium, on -which their very life depends, they droop and die by the roadside, and -are buried at the expense of the charitable. - -Two respectable young men, the sons of an officer of high rank, -well informed, having received a good education, accustomed to good -society, and who excited great interest in the minds of those with -whom they came in contact, lately died. So inveterate was their habit -of opium-smoking, and so large the quantity necessary to keep up the -stimulus, that their funds were exhausted. Friends assisted them, and -relieved their necessities again and again; but it was impossible to -give them bread and opium too, and they subsequently died, one after -the other, in the most abject and destitute condition. - -At Shanghae, just inside the north gate, in front of a temple, one of -such destitute persons, unable to procure either food or opium, was -lying at the last gasp, while two or three others with drooping heads -were sitting near, who looked as if they would soon be prostrated too. -The next day, the first of the group lay dead and stiff, with a coarse -mat wound round his body for a shroud. The rest were lying down unable -to rise. The third day another was dead, and the remainder nearly so. -Help was vain, and pity was the only feeling that could be indulged. - -It may be judged of the extent of opium-smoking in China from the -reports of the native Teapoas, inclosures in Sir J. Bowring’s Report. -The inhabitants in the Chung-wan (Centre bazaar) are about 5,800. The -number that smoke opium, merely because they like it, are upwards of -2,600. In the Hah-wan (Canton bazaar) there are upwards of 1,200. The -number that smoke opium, merely because they like it, are upwards of -600. At Sheong-wan the number of male residents are 13,000; there are -3,000 opium-smokers. At Tai-ping-shan the number of inhabitants are -5,300 men; of these upwards of 1,200 smoke opium because they like it. -The number of inhabitants in Ting-loong-chow are 2,500; the number of -opium-smokers are reported at 400. Thus, out of 27,800 inhabitants, -7,800 of whom, or 26 per cent., are smokers of opium. - -Dr. McPherson, in writing of the Shikhs, informs us that most of the -Shirdars are under the influence of spirits or of opium for eighteen -hours out of the twenty-four. Their early use, both of the spirit and -the drug, renders them indispensable through life. If deprived of their -usual dose, the Shikh is one of the most wretched beings imaginable. -Before engaging in any feast, the Shikh takes his opium, by which -he is for a time excited, and this is soon followed by languor and -inactivity. Talking of Runjeet Sing, who was at that time labouring -under paralysis, from which eventually he died, he says he still used -opium, so that little could be expected from remedial means. - -The Shikhs are forbidden the use of tobacco by the tenets of their -religion, but find a ready substitute for it in opium, which is -consumed in great quantities throughout the whole of the Punjaub, as -well as among the protected Shikh states. While under the effects of -this drug, the Shikh is a very different person to the same individual -before he has taken it. In the former instance, he is active and -talkative; in the latter, lazy and stupid. - -It has been imagined that the preparation of opium has an injurious -effect upon those engaged therein; but Dr. Eatwell, of the Benares -Agency, states that, “amongst the thousands of individuals, -cultivators, and _employés_, with whom the factory is filled during -the receiving and manufacturing seasons, no complaints are ever heard -of any injurious effects resulting from the influence of the drug, -whilst they all remain quite as free from general sickness as persons -unconnected with the general establishment—in fact, if anything, more -so. It occasionally happens that a casual visitor to the factory -complains of giddiness or headache; but the European officers employed -in the department, who pass the greater part of the day with the -thermometer between 95° and 105° Fah. amongst tons of the drug, never -experience any bad effects from it. The native purkhea sits usually -from six A.M. to three P.M. daily, with his hand and arm immersed -nearly the whole time in the drug, which he is constantly smelling, -and yet he feels no inconvenience from it. He has informed me, that -at the commencement of the season, he experiences usually a sensation -of numbness in the fingers; but I believe this to be more the result -of fatigue, consequent upon the incessant use of the arm and fingers, -than of any effect of the opium. In the large caking-vats, men are -employed to wade knee-deep through the drug for several hours during -the morning, and they remain standing in it during the greater part of -the rest of the day, serving out the opium by armsful, their bodies -being naked, with the exception of a cloth about the loins. These men -complain of a sensation of drowsiness towards the end of their daily -labours, and declare that they are overpowered early in the evening -by sleep, but they do not complain of the effect as being either -unpleasant or injurious. - -“Infants, of a few months old, may be frequently seen lying on the -opium-besmeared floor, under the vats, in which dangerous position they -are left by their thoughtless mothers; but, strange to say, without -any accident ever occurring. Here are abundant facts to show that the -health of those employed in the opium-factory, and in the manipulation -of the drug, is not exposed to any risk whatever; whilst the impunity -with which the drug is handled by hundreds of individuals, for hours -together, proves that it has no endemic action; for I am inclined -to consider the soporific effect experienced by the vat-treaders as -produced through the lungs, and not through the skin.” This may be -considered, therefore, as setting the question entirely at rest, and -demonstrating the fact that the factory labourers are not sufferers. - -According to a Chinese petition presented on one occasion to the -Emperor, it is believed that the English, by introducing opium into -that country, did so as a means of its subjugation, presuming, we may -suppose, that the Celestials were invincible, except by some such -cabalistic means. “In the History of Formosa,” says this document, “we -find the following passage: ‘Opium was first produced in Kaoutsinne, -which by some is said to be the same as Kalapa or Batavia. The natives -of this place were at the first sprightly and active, and, being good -soldiers, were always successful in battle. But the people called -Hung-maou (red-haired) came thither, and having manufactured opium, -seduced some of the natives into the habit of smoking it. From these, -the mania for it spread rapidly through the whole nation; so that in -process of time the natives became feeble and enervated, submitted -to foreign rule, and ultimately were completely subjugated. Now -the English,’ it continues, ‘are of the race of foreigners called -Hung-maou. In introducing opium into this country, their purpose has -been to weaken and enfeeble the Central Empire. If not early aroused to -a sense of our danger, we shall find ourselves, ere long, on the last -step towards ruin.’” - -The degradation or subjugation of the Chinese is much more likely to -be affected by a habit concerning which we hear less, but which is -infinitely more disastrous than the indulgence in opium. This is the -brandy-drinking customs of the north. This horrible drink, distilled -from millet, is the Chinaman’s delight, and he swallows it like -water. Many ruin themselves with brandy, as others do with gaming. -In company, or even alone, they will pass whole days and nights in -drinking successive little cups of it, until their intoxication -makes them incapable of carrying the cup to their lips. “Gambling and -drunkenness,” says Abbé Huc, “are the two permanent causes of pauperism -in China.” - -It is unfortunately the custom for the distillers to supply brandy -on credit for a whole year, so that a tippler may go on for a long -time drawing from this inexhaustible spring. His troubles will only -begin in the last moon—the legal period of payment. Then, indeed, he -must pay, and with usury; and as money does not usually become more -plentiful with a man from the habit of getting drunk every day, he -has to sell his house and his land, if he has any, or to carry his -furniture and his clothes to the pawnbroker’s. In the south, there is -less brandy-drinking, and more gambling; but between the two there is -little to choose, as either impoverishes those who devote themselves to -its service, and to which even opium-smoking is preferable. - -Mr. Meadows, the Chinese Government Interpreter at Hong-Kong, says, -“As to the morality of the opium question, I am fortunately able to -give the home reader, by analogy, and in a few words, as exact an idea -of it as I have got myself. Smoking a little opium daily, is like -taking a pint or two of ale, or a few glasses of wine daily; smoking -more opium is like taking brandy as well as beer and wine, or a large -allowance of these latter; smoking very much opium is like excessive -brandy and gin-drinking, leading to delirium tremens and premature -death. After frequent consideration of the subject during thirteen -years, the last two spent at home, I can only say that, although the -substances are different, I can, as to the morality of producing, -selling, and consuming them, see no difference at all; while the only -difference I can observe in the consequences of consumption is, that -the opium-smoker is not so violent, so maudlin, or so disgusting as the -drunkard. The clothes and breath of the confirmed and constant smoker -are more or less marked by the peculiar penetrating odour of opium, -and he gets careless in time of washing from his hands the stains -from his pipe. But all this is not more disagreeable than the beery, -vinous, or ginny odour, and the want of cleanliness that characterize -the confirmed drunkard. In all other respects, the contrast is to the -disadvantage of the drunkard.” - -Without pursuing this question further, there is evidently a -fascination in the pipe to the opium-smoker, to a degree of which -the most ardent lover of a pipe of tobacco has but a faint idea. In -proportion as the indulgence in the drug produces a state of happiness -far transcending all that the votary of the weed experiences, so -does its influence over him increase; and if it is difficult for the -habitual smoker of tobacco to forego the pleasure of his accustomed -pipe, it is therefore ten times more difficult for the smoker or eater -of opium to renounce for ever, a custom which brings with it, even -in imagination though it may be, tenfold more pleasures, and a more -ecstatic enjoyment. This is the universal evidence of all who have been -inquired of, and of all who have had intercourse with opiophagi in all -parts of the world. - -What fascinating influence this Paradise in prospect has upon those -who indulge in journeys thither, may be imagined from the notorious -fact, that in Bristol, Coleridge went so far as to hire men—porters, -hackney-coachmen, and others—to oppose by force his entrance into any -druggist’s shop. But as the authority for stopping him was derived -only from himself, so these poor men found themselves in a fix; for -when the time and the inclination arrived, he proceeded to the shop, -and on their offering resistance, he, the same who had instructed them -to prevent his entrance, now insisted on their allowing him to pass, -annulled all former instructions, and on the authority of one who paid -for their services, demanded its exercise as he thought fit, and the -gates of Paradise were opened. - -According to Darwin, even poultry have mounted the ladder to within -a few steps of Elysium; for that worthy informs us, that they were -fed for the London market by mixing gin and opium with their food, -and keeping them in the dark, but that “they must be killed as soon -as they are fattened, or they become weak and emaciated, like human -drunkards.” We have no recording pullet to inform us of the visions -of the barn-door family under the influence of the beatific drug, nor -“Confessions of a Chanticleer,” to tell of the pains that succeeded a -too-free indulgence in the little pills; all we learn from the account -is, that the vision of Paradise very closely preceded its reality, for -the feathered bipeds were dosed and killed. The human biped for half -a century continues his dream—and all through that period it is but -a dream—yet that he is happy while under its influence there can be -no doubt; and when he has reclined on his couch, obtained his pipe, -and sunk into the beatific oblivion so coveted by the Asiatic, we may -imagine his exclaiming with the Peri, after obtaining the trickling -tear, - - “Joy, joy for ever! my task is done; - The gates are passed, and heaven is won. - Oh! am I not happy? I am—I am. - To thee, sweet Eden! how dark and sad - Are the diamond turrets of Shadukram, - And the fragrant bowers of Amberabad. - - Joy, joy for ever! my task is done; - The gates are passed, and heaven is won!” - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -REVELS AND REVERIES. - - “That juice of earth, the bane - And blessing of man’s heart, and brain— - That draught of sorcery, which brings - Phantoms of fair forbidden things - Whose drops, like those of rainbows, smile - Upon the mists that circle man - Brightening not only earth, the while - But grasping heaven, too, in their span.” - - _Lalla Rookh._ - - -The Mahometan legend of their prophet’s ascent into heaven, where he -received instructions for the faith and conduct of his followers, is -thus current amongst them. - -As Mahomet was reclining on the sacred stone in the temple of Mecca, -Gabriel came to him, and opened his breast from the breastbone to the -groin, and took out his heart, and washed it in a golden basin, full -of the water of Faith, and then restored it to its place. Afterwards a -white beast was brought to him, less than a mule, and larger than an -ass, called Al-Borak. It had a human face, but the cheeks of a horse, -its eyes were jacinths, and radiant as stars. It had eagle’s wings, -all glittering with rays of light, and its whole form was resplendent -with gems and precious stones. Upon this Mahomet was borne. Gabriel -proceeded with him to the first heaven of silver, and knocked at the -door, after some conversation he was welcomed, and the door opened. -Here Mahomet saluted Adam. They then proceeded to the second heaven, -all of polished steel and dazzling splendour, and saluted Noah. They -then entered the third heaven, studded with precious stones, and too -brilliant for mortal eyes. Here was seen Azrael, the Angel of Death, -writing continually in a book the names of those who are to be born, -and blotting out those who are to die. They mounted to the fourth -heaven, of the finest silver, where they saw the Angel of Tears, who -was appointed to weep over the sins of men, and predict the evils -that awaited them. The fifth heaven was of purest gold. Here Mahomet -was received and saluted by Aaron. This heaven was inhabited by the -Avenging Angel. He sat on a throne surrounded by flames, and before -him was a heap of red hot chains. The sixth heaven was composed of -a transparent stone, where dwelt the guardian angel of heaven and -earth. Here Moses wept at the sight of the prophet who was to have -more followers than himself. Mahomet then entered the seventh heaven -of divine light, where he saw many marvellous things, which he related -for the instruction of the faithful. He entered Al Mamour, the house -of Adoration, and as he entered, three vases were offered him, one -containing wine, another milk, and a third honey. He drank of the milk, -“Well hast thou done!” exclaimed Gabriel. “Hadst thou drunk of the -wine, thy people had all gone astray.” The Prophet then returned to -earth, as he had ascended to heaven. - -The Al-Borak of modern Moslems is opium, by means of this most -miraculous of vehicles they mount to the heaven of heavens. - -What are the true effects of opium are best described by an eminent -physician, who has studied well the results produced by all such -influences upon the brain. The imagination appears to be acted -upon, independent of the peculiar torpor, accompanied by sensations -of gratification, and the absence of all communication with the -external world. The senses convey no false impressions to the brain; -all that is seen, heard, or felt, is faithfully delineated, but -the imagination clothes each object in its own fanciful garb. It -exaggerates, it multiplies, it colours, it gives fantastic shapes; -there is a new condition arising out of ordinary perception, and the -reason, abandoning itself to the imagination, does not resist the -delight of indulging in visions. If the eyes are closed, and nothing -presented to excite the external senses, a whole train of vivid dreams -are presented. A theatre is lighted up in the brain—graceful dancers -perform the most captivating evolutions—music of an unearthly character -floats along—poesy, whose harmonious numbers, and whose exciting -themes, are far beyond the power of the human mind, is unceasingly -poured forth. Memory is, however, generally asleep—all the passions, -affections, and motions have lost their sway. It is all an exquisite -indolence, during which dreams spontaneously arise, brilliant, -beautiful, and exhilarating. There is order, harmony, tranquillity. -If a single object has been vividly impressed upon the eye, it is -multiplied a thousand times by the imagination—vast processions pass -him in his reveries in mournful pomp. - -That this is the doctrine of the true church on the subject of opium, -we may learn from De Quincey, of which church he acknowledges himself -to be the Pope, and self-appointed _legate à latere_ to all degrees of -latitude and longitude. - -“I often fell into such reveries after taking opium, and many a time -it has happened to me on a summer night, when I have been seated at -an open window, from which I could overlook the sea at a mile below -me, and could, at the same time, command a view of some great town -standing on a different radius of my circular prospect, but at nearly -the same distance—that from sunset to sunrise, all through the hours of -night, I have continued motionless, as if frozen, without consciousness -of myself as of an object anywise distinct from the multiform scene -which I contemplated from above. Such a scene in all its elements was -not unfrequently realised for me on the gentle eminence of Everton. -Obliquely to the left, lay the many languaged town of Liverpool; -obliquely to the right, the multitudinous sea. The scene itself was -somewhat typical of what took place in such a reverie. The town of -Liverpool represented the earth, with its sorrows and its graves left -behind, yet not out of sight nor wholly forgotten. The ocean, in -everlasting but gentle agitation, yet brooded over by dove-like calm, -might not unfitly typify the mind, and the mood which then swayed -it. For it seemed to me as if then first I stood at a distance aloof -from the uproar of life, as if the tumult, the fever, and the strife -were suspended; a respite were granted from the secret burdens of the -heart, some sabbath of repose, some resting from human labours. Here -were the hopes which blossom in the paths of life, reconciled with the -peace which is in the grave; motions of the intellect as unwearied as -the heavens, yet for all anxieties a halcyon calm; tranquillity that -seemed no product of inertia, but as if resulting from mighty and equal -antagonisms, infinite activities, infinite repose.” - -And now let us follow him to the Opera. “The late Duke of Norfolk used -to say, ‘Next Monday, wind and weather permitting, I propose to be -drunk;’ and, in like manner, I used to fix beforehand how often, within -a given time, when, and with what accessory circumstances of festal -joy, I would commit a debauch of opium. This was seldom more than once -in three weeks, for at that time I could not have ventured to call -every day (as afterwards I did) for ‘a glass of laudanum negus, warm, -and without sugar.’ - -“No: once in three weeks sufficed; and the time selected was either -a Tuesday or a Saturday night, my reason for which was this—Tuesday -and Saturday were for many years the regular nights of performance -at the opera house, and there in those times Grassini sang, and her -voice was delightful to me beyond all that I had ever heard. Thrilling -was the pleasure with which almost always I heard her. Shivering with -expectation I sat, when the time drew near for her golden epiphany, -shivering I rose from my seat, incapable of rest, when that heavenly -and harp-like voice sang its own victorious welcome in its prelusive -_threttanelo—threttanelo_. The choruses were divine to hear; and, when -Grassini appeared in some interlude, as she often did, and poured -forth her passionate soul as Andromache at the tomb of Hector, &c., -I question whether any Turk, of all that ever entered the paradise -of opium-eaters, can have had half the pleasure I had. But, indeed, -I honour the barbarians too much, by supposing them capable of any -pleasures approaching to the intellectual ones of an Englishman. A -chorus of elaborate harmony displayed before me, as in a piece of arras -work, the whole of my past life—not as if recalled by an act of memory, -but as if present, and incarnated in the music; no longer painful to -dwell upon, but the detail of its incidents removed, or blended in -some hazy abstraction, and its passions exalted, spiritualized, and -sublimed. And over and above the music of the stage and the orchestra -I had all around me, in the intervals of the performances, the music -of the Italian language talked by Italian women—for the gallery was -usually crowded with Italians—and I listened with a pleasure, such as -that with which Weld, the traveller, lay and listened in Canada, to the -sweet laughter of Indian women; for the less you understand a language, -the more sensible you are to the melody or harshness of its sounds.” - -Let the reader who seeks to know of his other Saturday evenings’ -experiences, wandering about in the market-places, and threading the -intricate mazes of bye-lanes and alleys, seek it in his “Confessions.” - -An Englishman awaking one morning finds himself at Hong-Kong, in the -midst of opium and opium-smokers. He is astonished that the Chinaman -loves opium as he loves nothing else; he cannot think why his vitiated -taste had not settled upon something nobler, why he does not take a -fancy to British Brandy? But no! he loves opium. And a Parsee takes him -to see the lions, and is so civil as to convey the stranger into his -warehouse and open two chests of opium, that he may see the drug as it -passes into commerce. Of these, the first consisted of balls, which he -describes as of the size of a large apple dumpling, and when cut open -the mass is found to be solid. The other was full of objects which a -commander in the navy ordered his men to return to the owners of a -captured junk, “Ar’nt you ashamed, my lads, to loot a lot of miserable -Dutch cheeses?” The “Dutch cheeses” were Patna opium, worth about £5 -each. Globes of thick dark jelly enclosed in a crust not unlike the -rind of a cheese. The Parsee tapped one with a fragment of an iron -fastening of a chest, and drew forth about a spoonful of the drug. It -was not the opium which engaged the traveller’s attention, it was the -effect it produced upon the surrounding coolies. He had never before -seen excitement in a Chinaman’s face. He had seen them tried for their -lives, and condemned to death. He had seen them test the long-suffering -patience of Mr. Tudor Davies in the Hong-Kong police court, where that -gentleman was daily engaged in laborious endeavours to extract truth -out of conflicting lies. He had seen them laugh heartily at a gesture -at a sing-song; and he once saw a witness grin with great delight, as -he unexpectedly saw his most intimate friend, a tradesman of reputed -wealth, among a crowd of prisoners in the dock. But these coolies, when -they saw that opium opened their horizontal, slit-shaped eyes, till -they grew round and starting, their limbs, so lax and limpid, when not -in actual strain of labour, were stiff from excitement, every head -was pressed forward, every hand seemed ready to clutch. There was a -possibility that it would be put down upon the window-sill, near which -the stranger and his Parsee friend were standing—and there could be -seen the shadow of fingers ready to slide in. It was almost certain -that it would be thrown aside—and there was the grand hope of an opium -debauch gratis, and this was the state of mind that hope created. And -oh what raptures, what delights, what dreams! Already, in imagination, -they revelled in scenes such as the wakeful eye of mortal man ne’er -saw, and such as never did the mind of man conceive. - - “A paradise of vaulted bowers - Lit by downward gazing flowers, - And watery paths that wind between - Wildernesses calm and green, - Peopled by shapes too bright to see - And rest, having beheld; somewhat like thee - Which walk upon the sea, and chaunt melodiously.” - -We cannot understand this fascination in which opium holds its devotee -to its full extent; and yet, in some sort, the lover of tobacco, -deprived of his pipe or quid, can in some sort understand it better -than any other Englishman, the opiophagi excepted. Let the admirer -of his weed be placed in circumstances wherein he cannot indulge in -that luxury, and the inward longings for his cherished companion are -akin to those of the smoker of opium without his drug. Some inveterate -smokers of tobacco have been known to declare that they would rather -forego their accustomed meal than their whiff; this they will sometimes -profess, but this the opium devotee often accomplishes. Instances are -far from rare of opium-smokers dying of starvation, having denied -their bodies the sustenance they required, to procure their much loved -chandu. Martyrs to their love of opium. - -As opium is generally indulged in by the lower classes, in -establishments called Opium Shops, otherwise Papan Mera, a word or -two belongs to them. In Singapore, these shops are limited by the -regulations to forty-five in town and six in the country. Each has a -red board, which the vendor ought to hang up outside his shop, with -the number thereon, as received from the opium farmer. Hence the name -of Papan Mera, or “red board,” and the shops are known by that name -by all classes of natives. They are scattered in all directions over -the island; and wherever a number of Chinese are congregated, there -you have one or more. The farmer is most interested in the sale of -opium, and the extension of shops, and of the trade. A man goes to him -generally, either previously known or recommended, and says he wishes -to open a Papan Mera; of course, the opium farmer wishes that he may do -so, and be successful, and vend plenty of opium, all the opium being -purchased of the opium farmer, no one else being allowed to sell opium -in the island, and for which privilege he contracts annually with the -Government in a handsome sum. The man gets the red board, for which he -pays two shillings. If the limited number of forty-five is completed -he does not require a board, but he is not refused the privilege of -opening a shop. In this case, he hangs a mat in the place of the door, -by which an opium shop is known to all, while the fact is announced by -a Chinese inscription. Nothing is paid for a licence, no securities -are entered into, but the new man purchases of the farmer a certain -quantity of chandu, or prepared opium, and according to his facilities -for selling it so is the price. If the shop is to be opened in town, -where there are more customers, and if near to where Chinese artificers -abound, then he pays about eight shillings a tael (1⅓ oz.), or at -the rate of six shillings an ounce. If at a little distance, about -five shillings and sixpence an ounce. Still further from town, five -shillings, then four shillings and sixpence. Nay, it even descends to a -fraction beyond three shillings an ounce. The last is the sum paid by -the Nacodah of a Chinese junk, who takes a large quantity at a time, as -two-thirds of his crew are generally consumers, and the facility for -illicit consumption is great. The proprietors of the Papan Mera are -expected to retail it to their customers at a little above the price -at which they have purchased it. If in town, where they pay tenpence a -cheen or six shillings an ounce, then they charge elevenpence a cheen -or scarcely seven shillings an ounce, to those who come to buy or use -it on the premises. The opium farmer receives nothing from the owner of -the shop, except the money for his opium; the owner receives nothing -from the farmer but the opium for his money, and sometimes a discount -of eight per cent. Nor do the opium-smokers pay more at the shops for -their opium than if they purchased it direct from the farmer. How, -then, does the owner of the “red board” manage to live? How does he pay -rent, sometimes to the extent of £2 or £3 per month? How can he keep -his wife, and the little “red boards,” and one or two coolies? Ecce! He -does all this on the refuse of the chandu, the _Tye_ or _Tinco_, sold -to the poor. - -On the Tinco and Samshing, the owners of many of the opium shops almost -entirely depend for their living. By their sale the rent is paid, the -family supported, and the servants kept. If a man sells three taels, or -three ounces and three-quarters of chandu a day, there will be about -half that quantity of Tinco, or one ounce and three-quarters, this is -the unconsumed refuse left in the pipe after smoking, and which is -the property of the owner of the Papan Mera, and from the consumption -of this he gets a further refuse of little more than three-quarters -of an ounce, which is called _Samshing_. If he sells his Chandu for -twenty-five shillings, by his Tinco and Samshing he will realize nearly -twelve shillings and sixpence a day, and this is his income. Few, -however, _sell_ so much, and fewer still _receive_ as much. - -The “Papan Mera” is of all kinds, from a hovel to a brick house of two -stories, for which £3 monthly is paid for rent. Generally speaking, -the luxury of the pipe is all that the smoker cares for, and all other -things, such as commodious apartments, elegant furniture, and proper -ventilation are disregarded. In some houses there are apartments beside -those entered from the street. The police regulations ordain that at -nine P.M. all shall give up their pipes. But is the sound of the curfew -always heeded? “Sooner would the panting traveller, under a burning -sun, when hours have elapsed, since his parched lips were moistened, -dash from his mouth the goblet before his thirst was half quenched, -than the opium-smoker be the slave of time.” If nine o’clock comes, and -he has not reached his climax, he then retires to an inner chamber, -where, at ease and undisturbed, he may realize that enjoyment, and -consummate that bliss, of which the owner of “blue coat and bright -buttons” would deprive him. Thus he slips into Paradise whilst the Peri -and the “peeler” remain outside disconsolate. - -Our Papan Mera man is a good man, and his wife is a good woman, so we -get a peep indoors, upstairs, behind the scenes, the apartment where -ladies are at home _de jure_, not being allowed perhaps to smoke at -home _de facto_. Of course, the general visitor has no admittance. In -the centre stands a large bed, sitting up thereon a female, her back -supported with cushions. She is young, she is fair—yea, passing fair, -and dressed in the habiliments of the flowery land. Near her stands a -table, on which are tea and sweetmeats. She, too, is a votary to the -drug; with dreamy eyes half closed, she draws in the inspiring vapour, -then sinks back upon the cushions, unconscious that we are gazing upon -her, her dark dishevelled tresses hanging over, but scarce concealing -the heaving bosom, the only sign of life. - -Although there are supposed to be but forty-five licensed opium shops -in Singapore town, there are upwards of eighty; wherever there are -Chinese, there may also be found the Papan Mera. Certain trades are -congregated together—you have carpenters in one street, blacksmiths in -another, gold and silver smiths in a third, and so on. Amongst some -trades, the habit of opium-smoking is more common than in others, the -principal consumers will be found amongst carpenters, blacksmiths, -barbers, huxsters, coolies, boatmen, gambier planters, and gardeners. -Full eighty-five per cent. of the persons engaged in these callings are -devoted to the drug. Shoemakers, tailors, and bakers, are generally -less addicted to the habit; amongst the two first-named, not more -than twenty per cent. are smokers. Wherever you have carpenters, -blacksmiths, &c., in abundance, there will you have opium shops in -abundance also. In many streets there are six of these shops. In one -street there are twelve. In Canton Street there are eight houses, and -two of them are licensed for opium. At Hong-Kong and at Canton, the -same thing occurs. Certain streets are devoted to certain trades, and -certain trades devoted to opium. - -M. Abbé Huc communicates a few additional facts concerning opium in -China. At present this country purchases annually of the English, -opium to the amount of seven millions sterling; the traffic is -contraband, but it is carried on along the whole coast of the Empire, -and especially in the neighbourhood of the five ports which have been -opened to Europeans. Large fine vessels, armed like ships of war, -serve as depots to the English merchants, and the trade is protected, -not only by the English Government, but also by the mandarins of the -Chinese Empire. The law which forbids the smoking of opium under pain -of death, has, indeed, never been repealed; but everybody smokes away -quite at his ease notwithstanding. Pipes, lamps, and all the apparatus -are sold publicly in every town, and the mandarins themselves are the -first to violate the law, and give this bad example to the people, even -in the courts of justice. During the whole of the Abbé’s long journey -through China, he met with but one tribunal where opium was not smoked -openly and with impunity. - -The Chinese prepare and smoke their opium lying down, sometimes on one -side, sometimes on the other, saying that this is the most favourable -position; and the smokers of distinction do not give themselves all the -trouble of the operation, but have their pipes prepared for them. - -For several years past some of the southern provinces have been -actively engaged in the cultivation of the poppy, and the fabrication -of opium. The English merchants confess that the Chinese product is -of excellent quality, though inferior to that of Bengal; but the -English opium suffers so much adulteration before it reaches the pipe -of the smoker, that it is not in reality so good as what the Chinese -themselves prepare. The latter, however, though delivered perfectly -pure, is sold at a low price, and only consumed by smokers of the -lowest class. That of the English, notwithstanding its adulteration, -thus writes Abbé Huc dear and reserved to smokers of distinction; a -caprice which can only be accounted for from the vanity of the rich -Chinese, who would think it beneath them to smoke opium of native -production, and not of a ruinous price; that which comes from a long -way off must evidently be preferable. It is very probable that the -Chinese will soon cultivate the poppy on a large scale, and make at -home all the opium necessary for their consumption. It is certain -that the English cannot offer an equally good article at the same -price; and, should the fashion alter, British India will suffer a -great reverse in her Chinese opium trade. The Abbé makes reference -to the increased consumption of opium in England, both in the liquid -and solid form, the progress of which he characterises as alarming, -and then concludes the subject with the following extraordinary -paragraph:—“Curious and instructive would it be, indeed, if we should -one day see the English going to buy opium in the ports of China, and -their ships bringing back from the Celestial Empire this deleterious -stuff, to poison England. Well might we exclaim in such a case, ‘Leave -judgment to God.’” - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -PANDEMONIUM. - - “Sights of woe, - Regions of sorrow, doleful shades, where peace - And rest can never dwell, hope never comes, - That comes to all.”——MILTON. - - -The night side of opium-eating and smoking must be seen, as well as -the bright and sunny day, before we lavish upon it encomiums, such -as some of its votaries have indulged in. There may be a paradise to -which the Theriaki can rise, but there is also an abyss into which -he may fall. Lord MacCartney informs us that the Javanese, under an -extraordinary dose of opium, become frantic as well as desperate. They -acquire an artificial courage; and when suffering from misfortune -and disappointment, not only stab the objects of their hate, but -sally forth to attack in like manner every person they meet, till -self-preservation renders it necessary to destroy them. As they run -they shout _Amok, amok_, which means _kill, kill!_ and hence the phrase -_running a muck_. The practice of running amok is hardly known at -Pinang or any of the three Straits settlements. Captain Low did not -recollect more than two instances at that place, including Province -Wellesley, within a period of seventeen years, and the last he had -heard of, which took place on shore at Singapore, was many years ago. A -man ran _amok_—or, as the Malays term it, _meng amok_. He had gambled -deeply, it was said, and had killed one or more individuals of his -family. He next dosed himself with opium and rushed through the streets -with a drawn kris or dagger in his hand, and pursued by the police. -Major Farquhar, the then resident, hearing the uproar, went out of his -house, where the infuriated man, who was just about to pass it, dashed -at him, and wounded him in the shoulder; but a sepoy, who was standing -as sentry at the door, received the desperado on his bayonet at the -same instant, and prevented a second blow. - -Captain Beeckman was told of a Javanese who ran a muck in the -streets of Batavia, and had killed several people, when he was met -by a soldier, who ran him through with his pike. But such was the -desperation of the infuriated man, that he pressed himself forward on -the pike, until he got near enough to stab his adversary with a dagger, -when both expired together. - -But the worst Pandemonium which those who indulge in opium suffer, is -that of the mind. Opium retains at all times its power of exciting -the imagination, provided sufficient doses are taken; but when it has -been continued so long as to bring disease upon the constitution, the -pleasurable feelings wear away, and are succeeded by others of a very -different kind. Instead of disposing the mind to be happy, it acts -upon it like the spell of a demon, and calls up phantoms of horror -and disgust. The fancy, still as powerful, changes its direction. -Formerly it clothed all objects with the light of heaven—now it invests -them with the attributes of hell. Goblins, spectres, and every kind -of distempered vision haunt the mind, peopling it with dreary and -revolting imagery. The sleep is no longer cheered with its former -sights of happiness. Frightful dreams usurp their place, till at last -the person becomes the victim of an almost perpetual misery. - -The truth of all this is acknowledged by De Quincey, when writing of -the pains of opium. Almost every circumstance becomes transformed -into the source of terror. Visions of the past are still present in -dreams, but not surrounded by a halo of pleasure any longer. The -outcast Ann and the wandering Malay come back to torment him with their -continued presence. All this is told in language so graphic, that it -would be almost criminal to attempt its description in any other. The -Dream of Piranesi is cited as a type of those he now suffered:——“Many -years ago, as I was looking over Piranesi’s ‘Antiquities of Rome,’ -Coleridge, then standing by, described to me a set of plates from -that artist, called his ‘Dreams,’ and which record the scenery of his -own visions during the delirium of a fever. Some of these represented -vast Gothic halls, on the floor of which stood mighty engines and -machinery—wheels, cables, catapults, &c.—expressive of enormous power -put forth, or resistance overcome. Creeping along the sides of the -walls, you perceived a staircase; and upon this, groping his way -upwards, was Piranesi himself. Follow the stairs a little farther, -and you perceive them reaching an abrupt termination, without any -balustrade, and allowing no step onwards to him who should reach the -extremity, except into the depths below. Whatever is to become of poor -Piranesi! At least, you suppose that his labours must now in some way -terminate. But raise your eyes, and behold a second flight of stairs -still higher, on which again Piranesi is perceived, by this time -standing on the very brink of the abyss. Once again elevate your eye, -and a still more aerial flight of stairs is descried; and there again, -is the delirious Piranesi, busy on his aspiring labours; and so on, -until the unfinished stairs and the hopeless Piranesi both are lost -in the upper gloom of the hall. With the same power of endless growth -and self-reproduction did my architecture proceed in dreams. In the -early stage of the malady, the splendours of my dreams were, indeed, -chiefly architectural, and I beheld such pomp of cities and palaces -as never yet was beheld by the waking eye, unless in the clouds. From -a great modern poet, I cite the part of a passage which describes as -an appearance actually beheld in the clouds, what, in many of its -circumstances, I saw frequently in sleep:—— - - “‘The appearance, instantaneously disclosed, - Was of a mighty city—boldly say - A wilderness of building, sinking far - And self-withdrawn into a wondrous depth, - Far sinking into splendour without end! - Fabric it seem’d of diamond and of gold, - With alabaster domes and silver spires, - And blazing terrace upon terrace, high - Uplifted; here, serene pavilions bright, - In avenues disposed; there, towers begirt - With battlements, that on their restless fronts - Bore stars—illumination of all gems! - By earthly nature had the effect been wrought - Upon the dark materials of the storm - Now pacified; on them, and on the coves - And mountain-steeps and summits, whereunto - The vapours had receded—taking there - Their station under a cerulean sky.’” - -Further confessions describe the characteristics of some of these -opiatic visions in connection with tropical lands. “Under the -connecting feeling of tropical heat and vertical sunlights, I brought -together all creatures—birds, beasts, reptiles; all trees and plants, -usages and appearances, that are found in all tropical regions, and -assembled them together in China or Hindostan. From kindred feelings, I -brought Egypt and her gods under the same law. I was stared at, hooted -at, grinned at, chattered at by monkeys, by paroquets, by cockatoos. -I ran into pagodas, and was fixed for centuries at the summit, or in -secret rooms. I was the idol—I was the priest—I was worshipped—I was -sacrificed. I fled from the wrath of Brama through all the forests of -Asia—Vishnu hated me—Seeva lay in wait for me. I came suddenly upon -Isis and Osiris. I had done a deed, they said, which the ibis and the -crocodile trembled at. Thousands of years I lived, and was buried -in stone coffins, with mummies and sphinxes, in narrow chambers, at -the heart of eternal pyramids. I was kissed with cancerous kisses by -crocodiles, and was laid, confounded with all unutterable abortions, -amongst reeds and Nilotic mud.” - -Again he says: “The cursed crocodile became to me the object of more -horror than all the rest. I was compelled to live with him, and (as was -always the case in my dreams,) for centuries. Sometimes I escaped, and -found myself in Chinese houses. All the feet of the tables, sofas, &c., -soon became instinct with life; the abominable head of the crocodile, -and his leering eyes, looked out at me, multiplied into ten thousand -repetitions; and I stood loathing and fascinated. So often did this -hideous reptile haunt my dreams, that many times the very same dream -was broken up in the very same way. I heard gentle voices speaking to -me (I hear everything when I am sleeping), and instantly I awoke; it -was broad noon, and my children were standing, hand in hand, at my -bedside, come to show me their coloured shoes, or new frocks, or let -me see them dressed for going out. No experience was so awful to me, -and at the same time so pathetic, as this abrupt translation from the -darkness of the infinite to the gaudy summer air of highest noon, and -from the unutterable abortions of miscreated gigantic vermin, to the -sight of infancy and innocent _human_ creatures.” - -And yet again: “Somewhere, but I knew not where—somehow, but I knew -not how—by some beings, but I knew not by whom—a battle, a strife, -an agony was travelling through all its stages—was evolving itself -like the catastrophe of some mighty drama, with which my sympathy -was the more insupportable, from deepening confusion as to its local -scene, its cause, its nature, and its undecipherable issue. I had -the power, and yet had not the power to decide it. I had the power, -if I could raise myself to will it; and yet again had not the power, -for the weight of twenty Atlantics was upon me, or the oppression of -inexpiable guilt. ‘Deeper than ever plummet sounded,’ I lay inactive. -Then, like a chorus, the passion deepened. Some greater interest was -at stake—some mightier cause than ever yet the sword had pleaded, or -trumpet had proclaimed. Then came sudden alarms, hurryings to and fro, -trepidations of innumerable fugitives, I knew not whether from the good -cause or the bad; darkness and lights; tempest and human faces; and at -last, with the sense that all was lost, female forms, and the features -that were worth all the world to me; and but a moment allowed, and -clasped hands, with heart-breakings, partings, and then—everlasting -farewells! And with a sigh such as the caves of hell sighed when -the incestuous mother uttered the abhorred name of Death, the sound -was reverberated—everlasting farewells! And again and yet again, -reverberated—everlasting farewells! - -“And I awoke in struggles and cried aloud, ‘I will sleep no more!’” - -These visions, and those of a like character, in which the Malay and -the outcast girl appear and re-appear, are almost repeated again in -a work of more recent years, the production of another mind and of a -widely different character. Whoever has read Kingsley’s “Alton Locke,” -cannot fail to have been struck with the vivid opium-like dreams which -pass through the brain of the hero when struck down by fever. One -could almost imagine that its author had himself suffered some of the -fearful experiences which De Quincey narrates. In these the place once -occupied by the two persons above named, are usurped by the cousin and -Lillian; change the names, and apart from the intimate connection of -the two with each other, one could almost believe himself reading a -continuation of those dreams which an unfortunate accident prevented -the English opium-eater giving to the world. - -“I was wandering along the lower ridge of the Himalaya. On my right -the line of snow peaks showed like a rosy saw against the clear blue -morning sky. Raspberries and cyclamens were peeping through the snow -around me. As I looked down the abysses I could see far below, through -the thin veils of blue mist that wandered in the glens, the silver -spires of giant deodars, and huge rhododendrons, glowing like trees -of flame. The longing of my life to behold that cradle of mankind was -satisfied. My eyes revelled in vastness, as they swept over the broad -flat jungle at the mountain foot, a desolate sheet of dark gigantic -grasses, furrowed with the paths of the buffalo and rhinoceros, with -barren sandy water courses, desolate pools, and here and there a -single tree, stunted with malaria, shattered by mountain floods; and -far beyond the vast plains of Hindostan, enlaced with myriad silver -rivers and canals, tanks and rice fields, cities with their mosques and -minarets, gleaming among the stately palm-groves along the boundless -horizon. Above me was a Hindoo temple, cut out of the yellow sandstone. -I climbed up to the higher tier of pillars among monstrous shapes of -gods and fiends, that mouthed and writhed and mocked at me, struggling -to free themselves from their bed of rock. The bull Nundi rose and -tried to gore me; hundred-handed gods brandished quoits and sabres -around my head; and Kali dropped the skull from her gore-dripping -jaws to clutch me for her prey. Then my mother came, and seizing the -pillars of the portico, bent them like reeds; an earthquake shook the -hills—great sheets of woodland slid roaring and crashing into the -valleys. A tornado swept through the temple halls, which rocked and -tossed like a vessel in a storm: a crash—a cloud of yellow dust which -filled the air—choked me—blinded me—burned me— - - * * * * * - -“And Eleanor came by and took my soul in the palm of her hand, as the -angel did Faust’s, and carried it to a cavern by the sea-side and -dropped it in; and I fell and fell for ages. And all the velvet mosses, -rock flowers, and sparkling spars and ores, fell with me, round me, in -showers of diamonds, whirlwinds of emerald and ruby, and pattered into -the sea that moaned below and were quenched; and the light lessened -above me to one small spark, and vanished; and I was in darkness, and -turned again to my dust. - - * * * * * - -“Sand—sand—nothing but sand! The air was full of sand, drifting over -granite temples, and painted kings and triumphs, and the skulls of a -former world, and I was an ostrich, flying madly before the simoon -wind, and the giant sand pillars, which stalked across the plain -hunting me down. And Lillian was an Amazon queen, beautiful, and cold, -and cruel; and she rode upon a charmed horse, and carried behind her on -her saddle, a spotted ounce, which was my cousin; and, when I came near -her, she made him leap down and course me. And we ran for miles and for -days through the interminable sand, till he sprang on me, and dragged -me down. And as I lay quivering and dying, she reined in her horse -above me, and looked down at me with beautiful pitiless eyes; and a -wild Arab tore the plumes from my wings, and she took them and wreathed -them in her golden hair. The broad and blood-red sun sank down beneath -the sand, and the horse and the Amazon and the ostrich plumes shone -blood-red in his lurid rays. - - * * * * * - -“I was a baby ape in Borneon forests, perched among fragrant trailers -and fantastic orchis flowers; and as I looked down, beneath the green -roof, into the clear waters, paved with unknown water-lilies on -which the sun had never shone, I saw my face reflected in the pool—a -melancholy, thoughtful countenance, with large projecting brows—it -might have been a negro child’s. And I felt stirring in me, germs of a -new and higher consciousness—yearnings of love towards the mother ape, -who fed me, and carried me from tree to tree. But I grew and grew; and -then the weight of my destiny fell upon me. I saw year by year my brow -recede, my neck enlarge, my jaw protrude, my teeth became tusks—skinny -wattles grew from my cheeks—the animal faculties in me were swallowing -up the intellectual. I watched in myself, with stupid self-disgust, -the fearful degradation which goes on from youth to age in all the -monkey race, especially in those which approach nearest to the human -form. Long melancholy mopings, fruitless strugglings to think, were -periodically succeeded by wild frenzies, agonies of lust, and aimless -ferocity. I flew upon my brother apes, and was driven off with wounds. -I rushed howling down into the village gardens, destroying everything -I met. I caught the birds and insects, and tore them to pieces with -savage glee. One day, as I sat among the boughs, I saw Lillian coming -along a flowery path—decked as Eve might have been the day she turned -from Paradise. The skins of gorgeous birds were round her waist; her -hair was wreathed with fragrant tropic flowers. On her bosom lay a -baby—it was my cousin’s. I knew her, and hated her. The madness came -upon me. I longed to leap from the bough and tear her limb from limb; -but brutal terror, the dread of man which is the doom of beasts, kept -me rooted to my place. Then my cousin came, a hunter missionary; and -I heard him talk to her with pride of the new world of civilisation -and Christianity, which he was organising in that tropic wilderness. -I listened with a dim jealous understanding—not of the words, but of -the facts. I saw them instinctively, as in a dream. She pointed up to -me in terror and disgust, as I sat gnashing and gibbering overhead. He -threw up the muzzle of his rifle carelessly and fired—I fell dead, but -conscious still. I knew that my carcase was carried to the settlement; -and I watched while a smirking, chuckling, surgeon dissected me, bone -by bone, and nerve by nerve. And as he was fingering at my heart, and -discoursing sneeringly about Van Helmont’s dreams of the Archæus, and -the animal spirit which dwells within the solar plexus, Eleanor glided -by again like an angel, and drew my soul out of the knot of nerves, -with one velvet finger tip.” - - * * * * * - -Here are dreams which, however natural in their realisation to the -opiophagi, are enough to cause a hearty utterance of those lines by -Keats:—— - - “O dreams of day and night! - O monstrous forms! O effigies of pain! - O spectres busy in a cold, cold gloom! - O lank-eared Phantoms of black weeded pools!” - -The “dream fugue” of the author of the “confessions” is a day dream—a -splendid one—but the type of many another dream, perhaps, that had -coursed through the mind of its writer while under the influence of -the subtle drug. One might almost venture the assertion that none but -the “opium-eater” could have conceived and written that “fugue.” But -“shadows avaunt,” we have stern realities yet from the Pandemonium of -opium. The mind suffers and it re-acts upon the body. Although pictures -of both the mental and bodily afflictions of indulgers in opium are -likely to be gazed upon with somewhat of scepticism, and justly too, -in these times of prejudice and outcry against opium trading, yet the -stubborn fact stares the scepticism out of countenance, in many of the -details of the excesses of the victims of the insinuating poppy juice. -Some of these facts come to us with so high an authority and are so -often repeated, that the eye and ear refuse to close and be blind and -deaf to the pains which succeed the pleasures of opium. - -A young eagle said to a thoughtful and very studious owl, “It is said -there is a bird called Merops, which, when it rises into the air, flies -with the tail first and the head looking down to the earth. Is it a -fact?” - -“By no means” (said the owl), “it is only a silly fiction of mankind. -Man himself is the Merops, for he would willingly soar to heaven, -without losing sight of the world for a single instant.” - -Dr. Medhurst thus describes the opium-smoker of China:——“The outward -appearances are sallowness of the complexion, bloodless cheeks and -lips, sunken eye, with a dark circle round the eyelids, and altogether -a haggard countenance. There is a peculiar appearance of the face -of a smoker not noticed in any other condition; the skin assumes a -pale waxy appearance, as if all the fat were removed from beneath the -skin. The hollows of the countenance, the eyelids, fissure and corners -of the lips, depression at the angle of the jaw, temples, &c., take -on a peculiar dark appearance, not like that resulting from various -chronic diseases, but as if some dark matter were deposited beneath -the skin. There is also a fulness and protrusion of the lips, arising -perhaps from the continued use of the large mouth-piece peculiar to -the opium-pipe. In fine, a confirmed opium-smoker presents a most -melancholy appearance, haggard, dejected, with a lack-lustre eye, and a -slovenly, weakly, and feeble gait.” - -Mustapha Shatoor, an opium-eater of Smyrna, took daily three drachms of -crude opium. The visible effects at the time were the sparkling eyes -and great exhilaration of spirits. He found the desire of increasing -his dose growing upon him. He seemed twenty years older than he really -was—his complexion was very sallow—his legs small—his gums eaten away, -and his teeth laid bare to the sockets. He could not rise without -first swallowing half a drachm of opium. This case is detailed in the -“Philosophical Transactions,” and for its veracity the Philosophers are -responsible. - -Pouqueville says, “Always beside themselves, the Theriakis are -incapable of work, they seem no more to belong to society. Toward the -end of their career, they, however, experience violent pains, and are -devoured by constant hunger, nor can their paregoric in any way relieve -their sufferings; they become hideous to behold, deprived of their -teeth, their eyes sunk in their heads, in a constant tremour, they -cease to live long before they cease to exist. - -Heu Naetse, a native Celestial, in his address to the Sacred Emperor, -the brother of the Sun and Moon, informs his imperial majesty, that -“when any one is long habituated to inhaling opium, it becomes -necessary to resort to it at regular intervals, and the habit of using -it, being inveterate, is destruction of time, injurious to property, -and yet dear to one even as life. Of those who use it to great excess, -the breath becomes feeble, the body wasted, the face sallow, and the -teeth black. The individuals themselves clearly see the evil effects of -it, yet cannot refrain from it. It will be found on examination that -the smokers of opium are idle, lazy vagrants, having no useful purpose -before them.” - -Dr. Ball states, “that throughout the districts of China may be seen -walking skeletons—families wretched and beggared by drugged fathers and -husbands—multitudes who have lost house and home dying in the streets, -in the fields, on the banks of the river, without even a stranger to -care for them while alive, and when dead left exposed to view till they -become offensive masses.” - -A Pinang surgeon says, “that the hospitals and poorhouses are chiefly -filled with opium-smokers. In one that I had charge of, the inmates -averaged sixty daily, five-sixths of whom were smokers of chandu. The -effects of this habit on the human constitution are conspicuously -displayed by stupor, forgetfulness, general deterioration of all the -mental faculties, emaciation, debility, sallow complexion, lividness -of lips and eyelids, langour and lack lustre of eye; appetite either -destroyed or depraved. In the morning these creatures have a most -wretched appearance, evincing no symptoms of being refreshed or -invigorated by sleep, however profound. There is a remarkable dryness -or burning in the throat, which urges them to repeat the opium-smoking. -If the dose be not taken at the usual time, there is great prostration, -vertigo, torpor, and discharge of water from the eyes. If the -privation be complete, a still more formidable train of phenomena -takes place—coldness is felt all over the body, with aching pains in -all parts, the most horrid feelings of wretchedness comes on, and if -the poison be withheld, death terminates the victim’s sufferings. The -opium-smoker may be known by his inflamed eyes and haggard countenance, -by his lank and shrivelled limbs, tottering gait, sallow visage, feeble -voice, and the death boding glance of his eye. He seems the most -forlorn creature that treads the earth.” - -The Abbé Huc writes, “nothing can stop a smoker who has made much -progress in this habit, incapable of attending to any kind of business, -insensible to every want, the most hideous poverty; and the sight of -a family plunged into despair and misery, cannot rouse him to the -smallest exertion, so complete is the disgusting apathy to which he is -sunk.” - -The evidence of Ho King Shan is, that “it impedes the regular -performance of business; those in places of trust who smoke fail to -attend personally even to their most important offices. Merchants who -smoke fail to keep their appointments, and all their concerns fall -behind hand. For the wasting of time and the destruction of business, -the pipe is unrivalled.” - -Oppenheim declares “that when the baneful habit has become confirmed, -it is almost impossible to break it off. His torments, when deprived -of the stimulant, are as dreadful as his bliss is complete when he has -taken it. Night brings the torments of hell, day the bliss of paradise; -and after long indulgence, he becomes subject to nervous pains, to -which opium itself brings no relief. He seldom attains the age of -forty, if he has begun the practice early.” - -Also Dr. Madden:——“The debility, both moral and physical, attendant -on the excitement produced by opium is terrible; the appetite is soon -destroyed, every fibre in the body trembles, the nerves of the neck -become affected, and the muscles get rigid. Several of these I have -seen in this place at various times, who had wry necks and contracted -fingers, but still they cannot abandon the custom; they are miserable -until the hour arrives for taking their daily dose; and when its -delightful influence begins, they are all fire and animation.” - -A native literati of Hong-Kong affirms, “that from the robust who -smoke, flesh is gradually consumed and worn away, and their skin hangs -down like bags; the faces of the weak who smoke are cadaverous and -black, and their bones naked as billets of wood.” - -Also Dr. Oxley of Singapore:——“The inordinate use of the drug most -decidedly does bring on early decrepitude, destructive of certain -powers connected with the increase of the species, and a morbid state -of all the secretions. But I have seen a man who had used the drug for -fifty years in moderation without evil effects, and one I recollect in -Malacca who had so used it was upwards of eighty. Several in the habit -of smoking assured me, that in moderation, it neither impaired the -functions nor shortened life, at the same time they fully admitted the -deleterious effects of too much.” - -Dr. Little visited on one occasion an opium shop, and found there two -women smoking the drug—one had been a smoker for ten years. “In the -morning when she awakes she says, ‘I feel as one dead. I cannot do -anything until the pipe is consumed. My eyelids are glazed so that they -cannot be opened, my nose discharges profusely. I feel a tightness in -the chest, with sense of suffocation. My bones are sore, my head aches -and is giddy, and I loathe the very sight of food.’ Within an hour I -could produce a thousand of those creatures; and if I stood at the door -of an opium shop, and watched those that entered, out of the hundred -would be found at least seventy-five or eighty whose appearance would -not require the confession that their health was destroyed, and their -mind weakened, since the day that they were cursed with the first taste -of an opium-pipe. To finish this subject let me record my opinion, the -result of extensive investigation. That the habitual use of opium not -only renders the life of the man miserable, but is a powerful means of -shortening that life.” - -To the last conclusion there are many objectors; and this subject -has been canvassed as much as any in connection with the habit. Some -years ago a trial took place in consequence of the death of the Earl -of Mar, who was an opiophagi, and the insurance society on this ground -objected to pay the money to his representatives. Dr. Christison, after -detailing the facts, adds, “they would certainly tend on the whole -rather to show that the practice of eating opium is not so injurious, -and an opium-eater’s life not so uninsurable, as is commonly thought.” -The result of the above-named trial was that the money had to be paid. - -Before passing from this Plutonian region, the evidence of a good -authority may be taken to show how apt prejudice is to impute even -worse effects to the “subtle drug” than circumstances will warrant. -An opium den is visited; the members of this convivial society are -good-humoured and communicative. “One was a chair-cooly, a second was a -petty tradesman, a third was a runner in a mandarin’s yanum; they were -all of that class of urban population which is just above the lowest. -They were, however, neither emaciated nor infirm. The chair-cooly was -a sturdy fellow, well capable of taking his share in the porterage -of a sixteen-stone mandarin; the runner seemed well able to run, and -the tradesman, who said he was thirty-eight years old, was remembered -by all of us to be a singularly young-looking man of his age. He had -smoked opium for seven years. As we passed from the opium-dens, we went -into a Chinese tea-garden—a dirty paved court, with some small trees -and flowers in flower-pots—and a very emaciated and yawning proprietor -presented himself. ‘The man has destroyed himself by opium-smoking,’ -said an English clergyman who accompanied us. The man being questioned, -declared that he had never smoked an opium-pipe in his life,—a bad -shot, at which no one was more amused than the reverend gentleman who -had fired it. - -“I only take the experiment for what it is worth. There must be very -many most lamentable specimens of the effects of indulgence in this -vicious practice, although we did not happen to see any of them that -morning. They are not, however, so universal, nor even so common, as -travellers who write in support of some thesis, or who are not above -truckling to popular prejudices in England are pleased to say they are. -But if our visit was a failure in one respect, it was fully instructive -in another. In the first house we visited, no man spent on an average -less than 80 cash a-day on his opium-pipe. One man said he spent 120. -The chair-cooly spends 80, and his average earnings are 100 cash a-day. -English physicians, unconnected with the missionary societies, have -assured me that the cooly opium-smoker dies, not from opium, but from -starvation. If he starves himself for his pipe, we need not ask what -happens to his family.” (_Times._) - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -OPIUM MORALS. - - _Fal._ No abuse, Hal. - - _Poins._ No abuse! - - _Fal._ No abuse, Ned, in the world; honest Ned, none. I dispraised him - before the wicked, that the wicked might not fall in love with him; - in which doing, I have done the part of a careful friend, and a true - subject. No abuse, Hal; none, Ned, none;—no, boys, none.——_King Henry - IV., part II._ - - -Scarce a flower that graces the earth, or a tree waving in the forests, -has had its character assailed so mercilessly as the poppy. Not one of -the simples or compounds of the chemist’s store, even including arsenic -and strychnine, has been so strictly interrogated as to the honourable -and dishonourable of its intentions. It is matter of surprise that -the East India Company has not been obliged, by authority of Act of -Parliament, to imprint the decalogue, at least in the Chinese language, -upon every cake or ball of opium leaving their stores. Take upon credit -all that some men would tell you, and there would not be room for -doubt, were the next informant to state that on the arrival of a cargo -of opium, at such a port, on such a day, the entire population cut -each other’s throats, on account of the pestilential miasma diffused -by the said cargo. What are really the moral effects of opium-smoking, -can best be collected from a statement of facts, the reader drawing his -own inferences: they are, at any rate, bad enough without the aid of -exaggeration. - -At Singapore stands a house of correction, in which, during the month -of July, 1847, might be found forty-four Chinese criminals; and of -these, thirty-five were opium-smokers—not moderate smokers, but -indulgers to excess—not confining themselves to what they could obtain -with such money as they could spare from their wages, but in some -instances, swallowing or smoking them all up, and in certain instances, -even more than their wages.[20] The aggregate amount of the monthly -wages of seventeen of these men was £16 0s. 10d., or individually -18s. 10½d. The monthly consumption of opium of these men amounted in -value to £20 16s. 3d., or individually to £1 4s. 5½d., so that each of -these men, in addition to spending all his wages, begged, borrowed, or -stole 5s. 7d. monthly, to make up his quantity of opium alone, without -reference to any other necessaries. One of these men, who spent £1 5s. -monthly, and whose wages only reached half of that amount, was asked to -explain how it was to be accounted for. Was there not some error in the -calculation, or was he deceiving the person to whom the circumstances -were being detailed? How was it possible that, with an income of only -12s. 6d., he could spend £1 5s.? The answer was a graphic one and much -to the point:——“What am I in here for?” Of course, the tenants of a -jail can account for such discrepancies in arithmetic. The offences -for which these persons were confined were such as would stand in a -calendar under the rank of vagrants, suspicious characters, persons -attempting to steal, and such like—the crimes committed being against -_property_ and not _persons_. This distinction deserves notice, as it -will serve as the basis of some future suggestions. - -In looking down the column of the table in which the above instances -occur, it will be seen that one planter, whose income was twelve -shillings and sixpence, expended in opium six times that amount; and -another, whose income is not stated, but which would not far exceed -the former, expended twelve times that amount in the drug. Occasional -instances occur in which, where the income reached twelve shillings and -sixpence, the expenditure amounted only to a trifle beyond; and where -the income was sixteen shillings and eightpence, the expenditure was -only eight shillings and fourpence or ten shillings. - -The inspector of the above institution states: “During the course -of these investigations, I found some opium-smokers, who declared -that their wages only equalled the value of the opium consumed, and -in the majority of cases but little exceeded their consumption; yea, -I found instances, and these not few, where the value of the opium -consumed monthly, was more than the whole wages received. The idea -then suggested itself to me, that there must be an affinity betwixt -opium-smoking and crime; for when once the habit is formed, it cannot -be broken off, while the desire increases with the consumption. It must -happen that the wages of the individual will at last be inadequate -to supply his desire, even supposing that, after a lengthened career -of indulgence, he was able to earn the same amount of money as when, -strong, vigorous, and unimpaired, he commenced his dissipation. -I, therefore, was not at all surprised when I went to the house -of correction, to find that three-fourths of the prisoners were -opium-smokers.” - -An examination of the prisoners in jail in July of the same year, under -different sentences, showed that out of fifty-one Chinese prisoners, -fifteen only were not opium-smokers. Seventy per cent. were addicted to -the vice, each consuming quantities ranging from twelve to one hundred -and eighty grains per day. The same jail was again visited, and the -prisoners examined a month afterwards, several fresh criminals had -entered, others had been enlarged. At this time, there were sixty-nine -criminals, and of these only thirty-one were opium-smokers, being only -forty-five per cent. against the seventy per cent. of the former visit. - -A quantity of criminals from Pinang under sentence of transportation -showed, on examination, the following results:—Out of twenty-one -criminals, Chinese and Malays, eight did not smoke. The crimes of -these men were murder, stabbing with intent to murder, burglary, and -larceny. Ten of these men were Chinese, all of whom smoked but one. Of -these nine, eight were condemned for offences against property, one -only against the person. Of the nine persons out of the twenty-one who -were convicted for offences against the person, four did not smoke, -three smoked but little. Hence the conclusion is inevitable, that the -criminals of the worst degree, or those committing offences against the -person, are either not smokers at all, or are so only to a moderate -extent. Other statistics show that, for crimes of this character, -highway robbery, and burglary, forty to fifty per cent. only indulge in -opium; whilst for vagrancy, misdemeanour, and petty larceny, seventy to -eighty per cent. indulged in the use of the drug, and often to a very -extraordinary extent. - -Why do we find that those charged with the gravest offences are the -least addicted to opium? May it not be that this class of criminal -requires a certain ingenuity, an amount of method and calculation, and -mental vigour and excitement of the passions, greater than the debased -opium-smoker is possessed of, the want of which, therefore, unfits him -for carrying out any such enterprise requiring such adjuncts, leaving -him only capable of being a criminal on a small scale. It is well known -that the Chinese are inveterate gamblers; but it is not in connexion -with the pipe, but with the arrack-cup, that this vice is indulged in. -The influences of opium are sedative and soothing, those of arrack -stimulating and exciting; the latter, therefore, as may be supposed, is -the companion of the gambler, rather than the former. There are other -phases in which the two vices of opium-smoking and intoxication may -be compared. The abuse of ardent spirits leads to crimes against the -person; the abuse of opium leads to crimes against property. The victim -of ardent spirits commits his crimes while under their influence; the -devotee to opium, while under its influence, is at peace with all -mankind, and dreams only of his own happiness. The drunkard, when not -under the influence of liquor, may be a moral member of society, and -often a contrite one; the opium-smoker at that time is often scheming -the violation of moral and social laws, which, when effected, makes him -a criminal, but enables him to gratify his appetite.[21] - -De Quincey compares the two habits, not so much for the purpose of -showing the tendency of either of them to crime, but for the proving -that opium does not produce intoxication any more than would a rump -steak. “The pleasure given by wine is always rapidly mounting, and -tending to a crisis, after which as rapidly it declines; that from -opium, when once generated, is stationary for eight or ten hours. The -first—to borrow a technical distinction from medicine—is a case of -acute, the second of chronic pleasure; the one is a flickering flame, -the other a steady and equable glow. But the main distinction lies in -this, that whereas wine disorders the mental faculties, opium, on the -contrary (if taken in a proper manner) introduces amongst them the -most exquisite order, legislation, and harmony. Wine robs a man of -self-possession; opium sustains and reinforces it. Wine unsettles the -judgment, and gives a preternatural brightness and a vivid exaltation -to the contempts and the admirations, to the loves and the hatreds -of the drinker; opium, on the contrary, communicates serenity and -equipoise to all the faculties, active or passive, and with respect -to the temper and moral feelings in general, it gives simply that -sort of vital warmth which is approved by the judgment, and which -would probably always accompany a bodily constitution of primeval -or antediluvian health. Wine constantly leads a man to the brink of -absurdity and extravagance, and beyond a certain point, it is sure to -volatize and disperse the intellectual energies; whereas opium always -seems to compose what had been agitated, and to concentrate what had -been distracted. In short, to sum up all in one word, a man who is -inebriated, or tending to inebriation is, and feels that he is in a -condition which calls up into supremacy the merely human, too often -the brutal part of his nature; but the opium-eater, simply as such, -assuming that he is in a normal state of health, feels that the divine -part of his nature is paramount, that is, the moral affections are in a -state of cloudless serenity, and high over all, the great light of the -majestic intellect.” - -It is not to be wondered at that the abuse of opium should be a fertile -source of poverty, when so much of the wages of many of its votaries -are devoted to it. This diseased habit is progressive, and the quantity -taken must be daily increased to produce the necessary effects; but the -capability of furnishing the means does not keep pace with the desire -of consumption. The cooly, who, when strong and vigorous, could earn -twenty-five shillings per month, has only to commence opium-smoking, -and in two years he will not receive more than two-thirds of that -amount, whilst he still smokes his quantity of opium; and as years roll -on, he finds that, mainly on account of the vice he has adopted, he -can no longer endure the toil that formerly was to him only as child’s -play, the amount of excitement having still to be kept up under a -decreased income, he has to lessen his expenditure for clothes, and -then for food, and lastly, the quantity of opium itself; until worn -out, exhausted, and diseased, he finds himself the inmate of a jail or -a poorhouse. A sad reflection, truly, but a history repeated over and -over again, with but little variation, in the lives of thousands of -Chinamen and Malays. - -Were poverty to be succoured in places where this description of -persons most do congregate, as it is at home, thousands would become -public burdens; but there the hand of charity has been closed, and -the springs of compassion for the poor dried up. In Singapore, it was -not until the horrid spectacle of miserable Chinese daily crawling -in front of their doors, exposing their loathsome sores and leprous -bodies, and polluting the air they breathed; it was not until these -wretched beings, without food or friends, and deprived of the power -of supporting themselves, laid them down to die in the streets, of -disease and starvation, that by the active philanthropy of two or three -individuals a shed was erected to keep these paupers out of sight. When -the novelty passed away, the philanthropy declined, and the monthly -contribution dwindled down to about three pounds, which was the sum -total of the public charity of the European residents in behalf of the -diseased poor of Singapore. In this shed were to be found two classes -of persons, united in the same individuals, the _diseased poor_. These -are the only kind of poor that excite _any_ sympathy in such places, -and an examination of the inmates of the _shed_ will give some insight -into the propensities of this class. Out of 125 under relief at the -time, 70 were opium-smokers and 55 were not (or would not acknowledge -it). Of these 70, some before their admission, were reduced to the -alternative of _Tye_ or _Samshing_, or no opium at all. The total -consumption of these paupers before their admission amounted to upwards -of four pounds (2022 grains) daily, giving an average daily consumption -to each smoker of upwards of 28 grains, being nearly the average -consumption of the opium-smoker in general, under more favourable -circumstances. The greatest consumption of any one of these individuals -had amounted to 120 grains, but at that rate his finances soon failed -him, and he had to be content with one fourth of that amount shortly -before he became an invalid. Sixty-two of these men consumed opium to -the monthly value of £38 7s. 6d., while their aggregate income amounted -in the same period to but £50 11s. 3d.; or, individually, the value of -each man’s monthly consumption of opium was 12s. 4½d., and his income -was but 16s. 6d., leaving only about 4s. monthly, or 1s. per week to -feed, clothe, and house himself, and in fact, for every other purpose -for which money is required. Some of these did not confine themselves -to this. Fifteen of them (as will be seen from Table XVI.) consuming -all, or more than their income in opium. Surely such men were worthy -not only of a pauper hospital, but also of a jail. - -These paupers at one time all received even more than the average -amount of wages, sufficient to have clothed and fed them and their -families, and kept them comfortable, whilst at that time they were -dependent on a charity which allowed them to exist on the rice which -was supplied to them, and five doits a day or about a shilling per -month. Thousands more, not incapacitated so much by disease as to be -unable to work and not therefore inmates of the hospital, were no -better off, for what they had they spent in chandu. - -The Dutch Commissioners report that, “the use of opium is so much -more dangerous, because a person who is once addicted to it can never -leave it off. To satisfy that inclination he will sacrifice everything, -his own welfare—the subsistence of his wife and children, and neglect -his work. Poverty is the natural consequence, and then it becomes -indifferent to him by what means he may content his insatiable desire -after opium; so that at last he no longer respects either the property -or life of his fellow creature.” - -A Chinaman, who himself is a smoker and consumes opium to the monthly -value of £2, says, that in one hundred Chinese about Hong-Kong and -Singapore, seventy of them smoke, and that all the coolies do so -more or less. If a cooly earns £1 monthly, 4s. goes for food, l0d. -for house rent, a small outlay for a jacket and trowsers once in six -months, and all the rest goes in opium. From his own experience, and -what he has seen of others, he would say if a man had been accustomed -to smoke opium for seven or eight years, and gives it up for a day -he is attacked with diarrhœa, while during the time he is smoking -the opposite is the case. And he who uses six grains a day will soon -require twelve. - -To give up opium-smoking, after it has once been commenced, all declare -to be a very difficult achievement. A Malay who was apprehended on some -criminal charge some years ago, when locked up, previous to examination -was, as a matter of course, deprived of opium for some days, he pined -away so rapidly that, although only four or five days in the lock-up -house, he could not leave it when released, but was carried out, having -entered the place as strong and muscular a man as can be met with. - -Dr. Oxley states, “that the lower class of Chinese when deprived of -their allowance, are very liable to become dropsical. The effect of -deprivation at first appears to produce desperation, a heart-rending -despondency, something like the low state of delirium tremens, but -differing in many respects from that malady. Death certainly does occur -from deprivation, and generally by dropsy.” - -A great many women smoke, generally the wives of opium-smokers. A -woman was discovered by a surgeon in Singapore in an opium shop up -stairs smoking away, as she had done for three years, at the rate of -thirty-six grains a day. She stated that she had two children, but -that they were very sickly and always crying. And how did she stifle -their cries? She conveyed from her lips to those of the child the fresh -drawn opium vapour, which the babe inspired. This was repeated twice, -when it fell back a senseless mass into its mother’s arms, and allowed -her quietly to finish her unholy repast. This practice she had often -recourse to, as her child was very troublesome, adding that it was no -uncommon thing for mothers to do so. - -Another inveterate opium-smoker makes his “confession,” that after his -quantity is consumed, he feels no desire for sleep until twelve or -two in the morning, when he falls into disturbed slumbers, which last -till eight or nine. When he awakes, his head is giddy, confused, and -painful—his mouth is dry, he has great thirst, he has no appetite, can -neither read nor write, suffers pains in all his bones and muscles, -gasps for breath; he wishes to bathe, but cannot stand the shock. This -state continues till he gets his morning pipe, when he can eat and -drink a little, and after that attend to his business. The force of -example taught him this habit, and he knows no class of people exempt -from it except Europeans. “Look,” says he, appealing to himself, “I -was, ere I gave way to this accursed vice, stout, strong, and able -for anything. I loved my wife and children, attended to my business, -and was happy; but now I am thin, meagre, and wretched. I can receive -enjoyment from nothing but the pipe, my passions are gone, and if I am -railed at, and abused like a dog, I return not an angry word.” - -Although opium-smoking is carried to such an excess among some of the -Chinese coolies, yet there is no gambling amongst them at the opium -shops at Singapore. It is true that this vice has been suppressed, -but it is not secretly indulged in; and a gentleman who was formerly -the opium farmer, says, “that the consumption of opium is but little -affected by gambling, from arrack or samshu being the intoxicating -medium used, a much better instrument for raising excitement and -stimulating to excessive play than opium, whose effects are much more -sedative than exciting.” - -The consideration of the morals and influence of these customs leads -us to a remarkable passage in one of M. Quetelet’s works, it refers to -the certainty of natural laws in states as well as individuals:——“All -those things which appear to be left to the free will, the passions, -or the degree of intelligence of men, are regulated by laws as fixed, -immutable, and eternal as those which govern the phenomena of the -natural world. No one knows the day or the hour of his own death; and -nothing appears more entirely accidental than the birth of a boy or of -a girl in any given case. But how many out of a million of men living -together in one country, shall have died in ten, twenty, forty, or -sixty years, how many boys and girls shall be born in a million of -births; all this is as certain, nay, much more certain, than any human -truth.” - -The statistics of courts of justice have disclosed to us the -regular repetition of the same crimes, and have established the -fact—incomprehensive to our understandings, because we do not know the -connecting links—that in every large country, the number of offences, -and of each kind of offence, may be predicted for every coming year, -with the same certainty as the number of the births and of the natural -deaths. Of every 100 persons accused before the supreme tribunal in -France, 61 are condemned; in England, 71. The variations, on an -average, amount hardly to 1/100th part of the whole. We can predict -with confidence, for fifteen years to come, the number of suicides -generally—that of the cases of suicide by fire-arms, and that of the -cases of suicide by hanging. - -Every large number of phenomena of the same kind, which rise and -fall periodically, leads to a fixed proportion. This is the law of -large numbers to which all things and all events without exception, -are subject. These laws have nothing to do with the essence of vice -and virtue in the moral world, but with the external causes, and the -effects they produce in human society. No one denies the influence of -education, and of habits of labour and order on the conduct of men, but -no one thinks of regarding this moral conduct as a mere result of those -habits. Good education and improved cultivation diminish the number -of offences, as well as that of the annual deaths in our tables of -mortality. - -The results, therefore, of a collection of statistical information -carefully arranged for Singapore, one of the most inveterate of opium -localities, should, on comparison with the results obtained from -other quarters, show that the per centage of deaths is greater, the -per centage of births less; the per centage of criminals higher, and -of suicides larger, in this population of opium-smokers, than in any -other equally conditioned country in which opium is indulged, or it is -not proven that the habit tends to shorten life, decrease production, -increase crime, and induce suicide, all of which charges have been made -against it. - -With this evidence we are not at present satisfactorily supplied. That -opinion has an influence, though probably only a minor one, on moral -and social development, is not to be denied. Because man is so entirely -a creature of relation, that nothing is unimportant to him. “If the -movements of the remotest star that glitters in the heavens affect -those of our earth, assist in determining its position in space, its -climate, its productions, and thus influence the lot of man, who is the -creature of these circumstances; what combinations subsisting upon the -surface of the earth, or developing themselves in the bosom of society, -can be deemed wholly indifferent to his conduct, and without power over -his well being and happiness?” - -If, as Dr. Lyon Playfair recently noticed, it is worthy of observation, -that the character of the nations through which Dr. Livingstone passed -in his recent travels, depended upon the habits of the people, in the -acquisition of their food, as well as upon the food itself, we may -expect to find opium exerting also its influence. If, for instance, -the Kaffirs who lived by hunting, and were flesh-eaters, were wild -and warlike; and the Wampoos, who lived principally on grain, were of -a more quiet and peaceable disposition. Then again, the Bechuanos, -who lived upon grain, were more civilized than the Kaffirs, and the -Macololas, who combined as their food both grain and flesh, did not -lose the warlike character, and made incursions upon their more feeble -neighbours. It was an axiom amongst the latter people, that if it were -not for the gullet (alluding to their appetites) there would be no war -or fighting amongst mankind. In those parts, such as Loando, where the -people lived upon starchy varieties of food, they had become diminutive -in their stature; and this applied not merely to the natives, but -also to the Portuguese settlers there, for they had lost the physical -characters of their ancestors, and had become feminine in their frames -and habits, and this extended even to their handwriting. Where more -nitrogenous food was taken, the physical character of the people had -not undergone that very marked change. If food exerts this influence -upon the people of a country or district, we cannot doubt that any -habit, such as smoking tobacco or opium, chewing betel or coca, must -exert some influence upon the nations so indulging, whether that -influence be good or bad. - -Who will say that tobacco has no portion in the formation of the German -character? Yet the subtle and profound Germans exhibit no extraordinary -evidence in their national character of the baneful influences on -their moral and social development, by their indulgence in this habit. -Compare with them the Turks and Chinese, and let the balance be shown -in favour of the most elevated in the ranks of civilization. Yet -the most deficient must claim the influence of other equally potent -circumstances in extenuation, for neither opium nor tobacco moulds the -entire national character, it is only one of many influences. Let the -Papuan stand beside the Chinaman and the Turk, and in spite of opium, -the Papuan standard will exhibit a woeful short-coming. The waters of -the great Amazon river must exert some influence on the currents of the -Atlantic, but none will venture to assert that therefore the influx of -such a body of water, vast in itself, but small in comparison to the -whole, is the cause of the gulf stream. The drinking of tea will bear -just such a relation to the currents in the life of nations who indulge -in that luxury, but who will declare that the Chinese soldiers fly from -the points of the British bayonets, or are expert in the carving of -ivory balls, because they indulge in a beverage admired by other old -ladies who can neither run nor carve. Neither because certain Javanese -or Malays, under the influence of an over dose of opium, will “run -amok,” or other Arabs, intoxicated with “haschish,” have made the name -of assassin to become an object of dread, is it to be concluded hence -that all men who indulge in the use of either of these narcotics will -be dangerous members of society, or that they will rush into the jaws -of death without a shudder at the sight of his fangs? - -Is it because the Scot loves whisky that he is generally so cautious -and shrewd in his business transactions as to win himself a name? Is it -because the Cockney imbibes sundry deep potations of London porter or -gin, that the enterprise and commerce of those great citizens of the -world have become the envy of surrounding nations? Or is it because -the Russian persisted in his love of raw turnip and sour quass, that -the Malakoff and Sebastopol passed into the hands of the frog-eating -Frenchman, and the beef-eating Englishman? - -May we not impute to beef and tobacco, gin and opium, porter and hemp, -results infinitely in advance of their power? - -Dr. Eatwell writes, “It has been too much the practice with narrators -who have treated on the subject, to content themselves with drawing -the sad picture of the confirmed opium debauchee, plunged in the last -stage of moral and physical exhaustion, and having formed the premises -of their argument of this exception, to proceed at once to involve -the whole practice in one sweeping condemnation. But this is not the -way in which the subject can be treated; as rational would it be to -paint the horrors of _delirium tremens_, and upon that evidence, to -condemn at once the entire use of alcoholic liquors. The question for -determination is not what are the effects of opium used to excess, but -what are its effects on the moral and physical constitution of the mass -of the individuals who use it habitually, and in moderation, either as -a stimulant to sustain the frame under fatigue, or as restorative and -sedative after labour, bodily or mental. Having passed three years in -China, I may be allowed to state the results of my observation, and I -can affirm thus far, that the effects of the abuse of the drug do not -come very frequently under observation; and that when cases do occur, -the habit is frequently found to have been induced by the presence of -some painful chronic disease, to escape from the sufferings of which -the patient has fled to this resource. That this is not always the -case, however, I am perfectly ready to admit, and there are, doubtless, -many who indulge in the habit to a pernicious extent, led by the same -morbid impulses which induce men to become drunkards in even the most -civilized countries; but these cases do not, at all events, come before -the public eye. It requires no laborious search in civilized England to -discover evidences of the pernicious effects of the abuse of alcoholic -liquors: our open and thronged gin-palaces, and our streets, afford -abundant testimony on the subject; but in China this open evidence of -the evil effects of opium is at least wanting. As regards the effects -of the habitual use of the drug on the mass of the people, I must -affirm that no injurious results are visible. The people generally are -a muscular and well-formed race, the labouring portion being capable -of great and prolonged exertion under a fierce sun, in an unhealthy -climate. Their disposition is cheerful and peaceable, and quarrels -and brawls are rarely heard amongst even the lower orders, whilst in -general intelligence, they rank deservedly high amongst orientals. - -“The proofs are still wanting to show that the moderate use of opium -produces more pernicious effects upon the constitution, than does the -moderate use of spirituous liquors, whilst at the same time, it is -certain, that the consequences of the abuse of the former are less -appalling in their effect upon the victim, and less disastrous to -society at large, than are the consequences of the abuse of the latter. -Compare the furious madman, the subject of _delirium tremens_, with the -prostrate debauchee, the victim of opium; the violent drunkard, with -the dreaming sensualist intoxicated with opium; the latter is at least -harmless to all except to his wretched self, whilst the former is but -too frequently a dangerous nuisance, and an open bad example to the -community at large.” - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -FALSE PROPHETS. - - “If your wish be rest, - Lettuce and cowslip wine _probatum est_.” - - POPE. - - -Before describing any of the imitations of opium, or substitutes -for it in any form, it will not be out of place to notice briefly -the tinctures in popular use in which that drug forms a prominent -ingredient. _Laudanum_ is the spirituous infusion, and contains the -active ingredients of a twelfth part of its weight of opium. Scotch -_paregoric elixir_ is a solution in ammoniated spirit, and is only -one-fifth of the strength of laudanum, containing, therefore, one -part in sixty of opium. English _paregoric_ is a tincture of opium -and camphor, and is four times weaker still. The _black drop_, and -_Battley’s sedative liquor_, are believed to be solutions of opium in -vegetable acids, and to possess, the one of them, four, and the other, -three times the strength of laudanum. Although some good authorities -consider this an exaggerated computation of the strength of the latter -two, and that they are not more than half that strength. There are -several other pharmaceutical preparations into which opium enters as -a component, but to which it is unnecessary to refer. Those already -named, as has before been intimated, are used not a little, to still -the sounds of those miniature human organs so distasteful to bachelor -ears. The practice, unfortunately so prevalent, of soothing infants -with preparations of opium, cannot be too strongly deprecated. We are -ready to express our surprise that oriental mothers should transfer -their cigars from their own mouths to those of their infants, that the -helpless little creatures may enjoy the luxury of a suck, while, at the -same time, we are inuring them to the use of a far more insidious and -deadly poison. Rather let us for the future, when inclined to charge -this as a crime upon others, remember that scene which took place -eighteen hundred years ago, and the rebuke with which it closed, in -words written with the finger upon the ground, “Let him that is without -sin amongst you cast the first stone at her.” - -One of the most important of opium substitutes is derived from a plant -in itself not only harmless, but extensively used as an article of -food: it is _Lactucarium_ or Lettuce Opium, and is prepared generally -from the wild lettuce, although similar properties exist to a more -limited extent in the cultivated varieties which find their way to our -tables. - -There is no certainty about the period at which lettuce was introduced -into this country, although the time has been fixed at 1520, when it -is stated to have been brought from Flanders. In the early part of -the reign of Henry VIII., when Queen Katherine wished for a salad, -she despatched a messenger to Holland or Flanders; at that period, -therefore, very few English tables could ever boast the honour of a -salad. In the privy purse expenses of Henry VIII., in 1530, an item -occurs from which we learn that the gardener of York Place received a -reward for bringing “lettuze” and cherries to Hampton Court. This was -policy on the part of the King, his royal consort having a liking for -salads, for it was rather expensive as well as tedious, to send for -them to the gardens of Brabant.[22] In 1600, peas, beans, and lettuce -were in common use in England; and in 1652, a writer of the time speaks -of lettuce as a plant with which the public generally had been long -familiar. One variety of the cultivated lettuce was doubtless derived -from the island of Cos, inasmuch as it still bears that name. - -Lettuces were known to the ancients. Dioscorides and Theophrastus -speak of them as cultivated by the Greeks, and also used in medicine; -the prickly lettuce is still found wild on the higher hills of -Greece, and was probably one of the species to which the above-named -ancient authors refer. Several varieties of the garden lettuce were -used in salads by both Greeks and Romans. The pride of the garden of -Aristoxenus was his lettuces, and he irrigated them with wine. - -Two species of wild lettuce are found in Britain, the acrid and the -prickly lettuce, both of which possess similar properties, yielding a -juice from which lactucarium may be prepared. Two other wild species -are only occasional. The lactucarium of the London Pharmacopœia is -prepared only from the garden lettuce, but the acrid lettuce is stated -to yield a much larger quantity and of superior quality. A single -plant of the garden lettuce will yield only 17 grains of lactucarium, -on an average, while a plant of the acrid lettuce yields no less than -56 grains, or more than three times that quantity; and although the -milkiness of the juice increases till the very close of the time of -flowering, or till the month of October in this climate, the value -of the lactucarium is deteriorated after the middle of the period -of flowering, for subsequently, while the juice becomes thicker, a -material decrease takes place in the proportion of bitter extract -contained in it. - -Lactucarium is a reddish brown substance with a narcotic odour and -bitter taste, having a considerable resemblance to opium. On analysis -it yields a snow white crystalline substance called _lactucin_, -which is narcotic in its effects. Dr. Duncan recommended the use of -lactucarium as a substitute for opium, the anodyne properties of which -it possesses, without being followed with the same injurious effects. -In France, a water is distilled from lettuce, and used as a mild -sedative. Experiments of the effects of lettuce-opium upon animals are -detailed by Orfila, who states that three drachms introduced into the -stomach of a dog killed it in two days, without causing any remarkable -symptoms; two drachms applied to a wound in the back induced giddiness, -slight sopor, and death in three days; and thirty-six grains injected, -in a state of solution, into the jugular vein caused dulness, weakness, -slight convulsions, and death in 18 minutes. - -In North America the prickly lettuce is more common than with us, and -from it the American lactucarium is extracted. In Guinea a species of -lettuce is found wild, possessing precisely similar properties, and -applicable to a like use. This plant is largely used by the negroes as -a salad and also as an opiate. - -The plants cultivated for the sake of the juice are grown in a -rich soil, with a southern aspect. In such a situation they thrive -vigorously, and send up thick, juicy, flower stems. As soon as these -have attained a considerable height, and before the flowers expand, a -portion of the top is cut off. The milky juice quickly exudes from the -wound, while the heat of the sun renders it so viscid that, instead of -flowing down, it concretes on the stem in a brownish flake. After it -has acquired a proper consistence it is removed. As the juice closes -up the vessels of the plant, another slice is taken off lower down the -stem, and the juice again flows freely and another flake is formed. The -same process is repeated as long as the plant affords any juice. To the -crude juice, thus obtained, the name of lactucarium has been given. - -“This,” says Johnston, “is one of those narcotics in which many of us -unconsciously indulge. The eater of green lettuce as a salad, takes a -portion of it in the juice of the leaves he swallows; and many of my -readers, after this is pointed out to them, will discover that their -heads are not unaffected after indulging copiously in a lettuce salad. -Eaten at night, the lettuce causes sleep; eaten during the day, it -soothes and calms and allays the tendency to nervous irritability. And -yet the lover of lettuce would take it very much amiss if he were told -that he ate his green leaves, partly at least, for the same reason as -the Turk or the Chinaman takes his whiff from the tiny opium pipe: -that, in short, he was little better than an opium-eater, and his -purveyor than the opium smuggler on the coast of China.” - -Lest this should occasion some alarm in the breasts of those who prefer -their lobsters with a salad, let us strive to administer a little -consolation. We have seen that the cultivated or garden lettuce does -not contain so much as one third the quantity of lactucarium yielded -by the wild species, ten good lettuces must therefore be eaten before -sufficient extract will have been consumed to have killed a dog in two -days. This is upon the presumption that the lettuces eaten as salad -are in precisely the same condition, and capable of affording the same -amount of the extract as when cultivated specially for that purpose; -but this is not the case, it is not until just before flowering that -the full amount of juice is contained in the plant, a per centage only -of which exists in the younger plants as gathered for the table. Nor -is that quantity of the same narcotic quality as in the more matured -plant, which has collected, at that period, all its strength properly -to produce, and bring to perfection, its flowers and fruit. - - “Nothing hath got so far, - But man hath caught and kept it as his prey. - His eyes dismount the highest star, - He is in little all the sphere. - Herbs gladly cure our flesh, because that they - Find their acquaintance there. - - “More servants wait on man - Than he’ll take notice of: in every path - He treads down that which doth befriend him, - When sickness makes him pale and wan. - Oh, mighty love! Man is one world, and hath - Another to attend him.” - -The lacticiferous or milk bearing plants are nearly all of them -connected by very important ties with man and civilization. The -phenomena themselves are well worthy of study, and their association -with humanity replete with interest. These plants are by no means -restricted to one genus or family, nor are their properties of the -same character. The one circumstance of their secreting a white juice -resembling milk in appearance is almost all they have in common. In the -poppy it becomes _opium_, in the lettuce _lactucarium_. It constitutes -refreshing beverages, obtained in large quantities, in the sunny -climes of Asia, from the cow-tree of South America, the kiriaghuma and -hya-hya of British Guiana, the _Euphorbia balsamifera_ of the Canary -Islands, the juice of which as a sweet milk, or evaporated to a jelly, -is taken as a great delicacy, and the Banyan tree, all of which, to a -certain extent, supply the place of the cow, in places and conditions -wherein cows are not to be found. Similar juices are collected in the -form of India rubber or caoutchouc, a substance so invaluable in the -arts of life. They exude from figs, euphorbiæ, and cacti, in the East -Indies, South America, and Africa, from all of which places a large -quantity of the consolidated juice is exported to the markets of Europe -and North America. The greater quantity of these lactescent juices -are elaborated in the Tropics. Gutta percha and allied substances -are similarly produced, and indeed, numerous plants are possessed of -this kind of secretion, which have not yet been made available for -economical purposes, but which may become equally well known, and -useful, to succeeding generations. Narcotic properties do not appear to -be so common in these juices as the irritant or acrid, which abound in -some euphorbiaceous plants, and the inert, and when coagulated and dry, -elastic properties found in the siphonias, figs, and sapotaceous plants. - -In St. Domingo, a species of _Muracuja_ is believed to possess -qualities very similar to opium, from which, and from an allied plant, -Dr. Hamilton believes, that the concentrated sap, collected at a proper -time, strained, evaporated, and properly prepared, would prove an -excellent substitute for the expensive opium, at a cheaper rate. The -species indigenous to Jamaica, is known as bull-hoof or Dutchman’s -laudanum. At a time when opium was scarce, from some accidental cause, -in the island of Jamaica, a Dutch surgeon found in this plant a -successful substitute. The plant is common in Jamaica and some other -of the West Indian islands. It is an elegant climber, bearing bright -scarlet blossoms, somewhat resembling a passion flower. Browne says, -that the flowers are principally employed, and when infused, or mixed -in a state of powder with wine or spirits, are regarded as a safe and -effectual narcotic. - -Dr. Landerer states that the Syrian rue is a highly esteemed plant in -Greece. This plant appears to have been known to the ancients, and -mentioned by Dioscorides. Its properties are narcotic, resembling -those of the Indian hemp. The Turks macerate the seeds in scherbet -or boosa, administering the infusion internally. It also serves in -the preparation of a yellow dye. The seeds are sometimes used by the -Turks as a spice, and the same people also resort to them to produce a -species of intoxication. The Emperor Solyman, it is stated kept himself -in a state of intoxication by their use. The peculiar phenomena of this -intoxication has not, that we are aware, been described, but we are -informed that the property of producing it exists in the husks of the -seeds, from which a chemical principle of a narcotic nature has been -obtained. - -There is another plant, a native of Arabia, and of the nightshade -family, so prolific in narcotics, the seeds of which are used by some -of the Asiatics to produce those mental reveries and excitement so -much coveted. These seeds, the produce of a plant known to botanists -under the name of _Scopolia mutica_, are also roasted and infused to -form a sort of drink, in which the Arabs and some others indulge. - -The seeds of a species of _Sterculia_ are said to be used by the -natives of Silhet as a substitute for opium. The Cola nuts, so highly -esteemed by the negroes of Guinea, are the produce of a Sterculia. -The natives attribute very extraordinary properties to these seeds, -somewhat analogous to those claimed by the Peruvians for the leaf of -the coca, stating, that if chewed, they satisfy hunger, and prevent the -natural craving for food, that for this purpose they carry some with -them when undertaking a long journey. They are also affirmed to improve -the flavour of anything that may be subsequently eaten, if a portion -of one of them is taken before meals. Formerly they were even more -esteemed than at the present day. In those times, fifty of them were -sufficient to purchase a wife. These seeds are flat, and of a brownish -colour and bitter taste. Their tonic properties have been supposed -equal to those of the famed Cedron seeds of Guiana and the more famous -Cinchona bark of the Andes. Probably further and more elaborate -investigation will prove that these wonderful seeds possess slightly -beneficial properties as a tonic, it may be even inferior to those of -the roots of Gentian, or other parts of some of our indigenous plants. - -In the Straits, the leaves of the “Beah” tree are used by the -opium-smokers as a substitute for opium, when that drug is not -procurable. These serrated leaves, the produce of we know not precisely -what tree, except under the above native name, are occasionally sold in -the bazaars or markets at a quarter of a rupee per catty, or at the -rate, Anglicised, of fourpence halfpenny per pound. - -In addition to the substances which do duty for opium knowingly and -wittingly, there are others which enter into its composition in the -form of adulteration, to which writers on materia medica have drawn -attention, and ultimately Dr. Hassell. These also deserve, with far -greater appropriateness, the designation of false prophets, since, -promising the glimpses of paradise which opium is believed to give, -they only - - Keep the promise to the lip - And break it with the heart. - -The first sophistication, says Pereira, which opium receives, is that -practised by the peasants who collect it, and who lightly scrape the -epidermis from the shells or capsules to augment the weight. This -operation adds about one-twelfth of foreign matters, which are removed -by the Chinese in their method of preparing the opium and forming it -into chandu. - -[Illustration] - -According to Dr. Eatwell, the grosser impurities usually mixed with -the drug to increase its weight are mud, sand, powdered charcoal, -soot, cow dung, pounded poppy petals, and pounded seeds of various -descriptions. All these substances are readily discoverable in breaking -up the drug in cold water, decanting the lighter portion, and examining -the sediment. Flour is a very favourite article of adulteration, but -is readily detected. Opium so adulterated becomes sour, breaks with -a short ragged fracture, the edges of which are dull, and not pink -and translucent as they should be. The farina of the boiled potato is -not unfrequently made use of; ghee and ghour (an impure treacle) are -also occasionally used, as being articles at the command of most -of the cultivators. Their presence is revealed by the peculiar odour -and consistence which they impart to the drug. In addition to the -above, a variety of vegetable juices, extracts, pulps, and colouring -matters are occasionally fraudulently mixed with the opium, such as -the inspissated juice of the prickly pear, the extracts prepared from -the tobacco plant, the thorn apple, and the Indian hemp. The gummy -exudations from various plants are frequently used; and of pulps, the -most commonly employed are those of the tamarind, and of the Bael -fruit. To impart colour to the drug various substances are employed, as -catechu, turmeric, the powdered flowers of the mowha tree, &c. Here is -a list long enough to satisfy any antiquarian, containing delicacies -of all kinds, the essence of which would improve any soothing syrup or -Godfrey’s cordial, with which, under the name of opium, they may be -incorporated, whether they may consist of tobacco juice, cow dung, or -bad treacle. - -Let us still enlarge the collection from the experience of Dr. -Normandy, eminent in chemical analysis—“Opium is often met with in -commerce from which the morphine has been extracted; on the other -hand, this valuable drug is often found adulterated with starch, -water, Spanish liquorice, lactucarium, extract of poppy leaves, of -the sea-side poppy, and other vegetable extracts, mucilage of gum -tragacanth, or other gums, clay, sand, gravel. Often the opium is mixed -in Asia and Egypt, when fresh and soft, with finely bruised grapes, -from which the stones have been removed; sometimes also a mixture, -fabricated by bruising the exterior skins of the capsules and stalks -of the poppy together with the white of eggs, in a stone mortar, is -added in certain proportions to the opium. In fact, this most valuable -drug, certainly one of the most important, and most frequently used in -medicine, is also one of the most extensively adulterated.” - -Dr. Landerer has described an adulteration of a sample of opium -obtained direct from Smyrna; it consisted of salep powder in large -proportions, and he was afterwards informed that this is a very common -adulteration, practised in order to make the opium harder, and to -hasten the process of drying. Dr. Pereira speaks of an opium which -contained a gelatiniform substance, and Mr. Morson met with opium in -which a similar substance was present. Dr. Landerer also states that -the extract obtained by boiling the poppy plants is commonly added to -Smyrna opium. - -Dr. Hassell found “that out of twenty-three samples of opium analysed, -nineteen were adulterated, and four only genuine, many of these as -shown by the microscope, being adulterated to a large extent; the -prevailing adulterations being with poppy capsules and wheat flour,” in -addition to which adulteration two samples of Smyrna opium, and two of -Egyptian opium were adulterated with sand, sugar, and gum. - -From the analysis of forty samples of powdered opium, he found also, -“that thirty-three of the samples were adulterated, and one only -genuine; the principal adulterations, as in the previous case, being -with poppy capsule and wheat flour. That four of the samples were -further adulterated by the addition of powdered wood, introduced, no -doubt, in the process of grinding.” - -Dr. Thomson stated in his evidence before the Parliamentary Committee, -that he had known extract of opium mixed with extract of senna, and -from thirty to sixty per cent. of water. - -Dr. O’Shaughnessy found from 25 to 21 per cent. of water in Indian -opium (Behar agency), and 13 per cent. in Patna opium. - -Dr. Eatwell, the opium examiner in the Benares district, finds that the -proportion of water varies from 30 to 24-5 per cent. in the opium of -that district. - -In 1838, a specimen of opium resembling that of Smyrna was presented -to the Société de Pharmacie of Paris, being part of a considerable -quantity which had been introduced into commerce at Paris and Havre. -It did not exhibit the least trace of morphia. It was in rolls, well -covered with leaves, had a blackish section, and a slightly elastic -consistence. It became milky upon contact with water. Its odour and -taste were analogous to opium, but feebler. It was adulterated with so -much skill, that agglutinated tears appeared even under a magnifier—a -character which had hitherto been regarded as decisive in detecting -pure opium, but which with this occurrence lost its value. The same -article appears to have been met with also in the United States. - -A writer from Singapore states, “I lately saw a Chinaman brought -to the police for fabricating opium balls. The imitation balls were -composed of a skin or husk formed from the leaves of Madras tobacco, -inside was sand, which was evidently intended to form the shape of -the balls till the outer covering had sufficiently set, the whole was -neatly sewed with bandages of calico, which would be removed when the -tobacco was able to retain its proper shape, the sand would then be -abstracted, and a mixture of gambier and opium substituted, while the -outside would be rubbed over with a watery solution of chandu. By these -means the native traders are much and often imposed upon.” - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -NEPENTHES. - - “Bright Helen mixed a mirth-inspiring bowl, - Tempered with drugs of sovereign use, to assuage - The boiling bosom of tumultuous rage; - To clear the cloudy front of wrinkled care, - And dry the tearful sluices of despair.” - - POPE’S _Homer_. - - -The influence of climate in modifying the characters of plants is -a circumstance known to all botanical students. The same plant, in -temperate regions and under the tropics, exhibits different properties, -or, we should rather say, in one instance developes more highly certain -properties which in the other lie nearly dormant. The newly-introduced -sorghum, from which we have been promised an unfailing supply of -excellent sugar, fails in the North of France to reach that degree of -maturity, or to develope in such manner its saccharine secretions as to -be available for the manufacture of a crystallizable sugar. The sweet -floating grass (_Glyceria fluitans_) in Poland and Russia supplies -farinaceous seeds, which, under the name of manna croup, are consumed -as food; but no seeds at all available for that purpose are produced at -home from the same plant, although it grows freely. The flavour of the -onion, as grown in Egypt, is, we are assured, far milder, and vastly -different from the bulbs cultivated in Britain. The odour of violets -and other flowers grown for perfumery and other purposes at Nice, -have a scent more rich and delicious than when grown in English soil, -subject to our variable climate. But the most extraordinary effect of -all, produced by these influences upon plants, occurs in the case of -hemp, which in Europe developes its fibrous qualities to such an extent -as to produce a material for cordage hitherto unsurpassed; but in -India, while deficient in this respect, developes narcotic secretions -to such an extent as to occupy a prominent position among the chief -narcotics of the world. - -It was for some time supposed that the Indian or narcotic hemp was a -different species to that which is cultivated for textile purposes; and -even now it is often characterised by a different specific name, which -would seem to assume that the species are distinct. This, however, the -most celebrated of our botanists deny. The difference is declared to -be, not one of species, but of climate, and of climate only. The native -home of the hemp plant is assigned by Dr. Lindley to Persia and the -hills in the North of India, whence it has been introduced into other -countries. Burnett says, “Hemp seed is nutritious and not narcotic; it -has the very singular property of changing the plumage of bullfinches -and goldfinches from red and yellow to black, if they are fed on it for -too long a time or in too large a quantity.” Never having tried the -experiment, we have no ground for disputing or authority for verifying -these remarks. If such, however, is the case, hemp seed possesses some -property, if not narcotic, which canary and poppy seeds, we should -presume, do not. - -Johnny Englishman, with his usual genius for discovery and invention, -has been discovered filling his pipe on board ship with oakum, when -the stores of tobacco have been exhausted, but not being satisfied -from his own experiments of the superiority of hemp, in that form, to -his brother Jonathan’s tobacco, he therefore adheres to the latter. He -considers hemp an excellent thing when twisted into a good hawser, but -does not like it as “twist” in the masticatory acceptation of the term; -nor does he at all admire the twist of Ben Battle, when - - “Round his melancholy neck - A rope he did entwine, - And for his second time in life, - Enlisted in the line. - - “One end he tied around a beam, - And then removed his pegs; - And as his legs were off, of course - He soon was off his legs. - - “And there he hung till he was dead - As any nail in town; - For though distress had cut him up, - It could not cut him down.” - -Hemp is one of those plants which adapts itself well to any climate: -there is scarce a country in Europe where it cannot, or might not, be -cultivated. From Poland and Russia in the North, to Italy in the South, -the fibre is supplied to our markets. In North America it is grown for -its fibre, and in South America for its narcotic properties. Throughout -Africa, it may be found chiefly as an article for the pipe. In most of -Asia it is known, and it has been cultivated in Australia. Thus, in its -distribution, it may now be considered as almost universal. - -Twenty-five centuries ago, Herodotus wrote of its cultivation by the -Scythians:——“They have a sort of hemp growing in this country very -like flax, except in thickness and height; in this respect the hemp -is far superior—it grows both spontaneously and from cultivation, and -from it the Thracians make garments very like linen, nor would any -one who is not well skilled in such matters distinguish whether they -are made of flax or hemp; but a person who has never seen this hemp, -would think the garment was made of flax.” Then follows a description -of the use of the hemp as a narcotic: “The Scythians, transported with -the vapour, shout aloud.” Antiquity is in favour of this narcotic, and -its use for that purpose before any other, except perhaps the poppy, -was known, or at least of those now in use. The _nepenthes_ of Homer -has been supposed to have been this plant, or one of its products. The -use of hemp had become so general amongst the Romans at the time of -Pliny, that they commonly made ropes and cordage of it. The practice -of chewing the leaves to produce intoxication existed in India in very -early ages, whence it was carried to Persia, and before the middle of -the thirteenth century, this custom was adopted in Egypt, but chiefly -by persons of the lower orders. - -The narcotic properties of hemp become concentrated in a resinous -juice, which in certain seasons and in tropical countries exudes, and -concretes on the leaves, slender stems, and flowers. This constitutes -the base of all the hemp preparations, to which all the powers of -the drug are attributable. In Central India, the hemp resin called -_churrus_, is collected during the hot season in the following manner. -Men clad in leathern dresses run through the hemp fields, brushing -through the plants with all possible violence; the soft resin adheres -to the leather, and is subsequently scraped off and kneaded into -balls, which sell at from five to six rupees the seer, or about five -or six shillings per pound. A still finer kind, the _momeca_ or waxen -churrus, is collected by the hand in Nepaul, and sells for nearly -double the price of the ordinary kind. Dr. McKinnon says—“In Nepaul, -the leathern attire is dispensed with, and the resin is collected -on the skin of naked coolies.” In Persia the churrus is obtained by -pressing the resinous plant on coarse cloths, and then scraping it from -these and melting it in a pot with a little warm water. Mirza considers -the churrus of Herat the most powerful of all the varieties of the -drug. The hemp resin, when pure, is of a blackish grey colour, with a -fragrant narcotic odour, and a slightly warm, bitterish, acrid taste. - -The dried hemp plant which has flowered, and from which the resin has -been removed, is called in India _gunjeh_. It sells at from twelve -annas to a rupee the seer, or from ninepence to a shilling per pound, -in the Calcutta bazaars. It is sold chiefly for smoking, in bundles two -feet long and three inches in diameter, containing twenty-four plants. -The colour is dusky green, the odour agreeably narcotic, the whole -plant resinous and adhesive to the touch. - -The larger leaves and capsules without the stalks, are called _Bang_, -_Subjee_, or _Sidhee_ in India, and have been brought into the -London market under the name of _Guaza_. They are used for making an -intoxicating drink, for smoking, and in the conserve called _Majoon_. -Bang is cheaper than Gunjeh, and though less powerful, is sold at -so low a price that for one halfpenny enough can be purchased to -intoxicate an habituated person. - -The Gunjeh consumed in Bengal comes chiefly from Mirzapore and -Ghazeepur, being extensively cultivated near Gwalior and in Tirhoot. -The natives cut the plant when in flower, allow it to dry for three -days, and then lay it in bundles averaging two pounds each which are -distributed to the licensed dealers. The best kinds are brought from -Gwalior and Bhurtpore, and it is cultivated of good quality in gardens -around Calcutta. - -The _Majoon_ or hemp confection, is a compound of sugar, butter, flour, -milk, and bang. The mass is divided into small lozenge-shaped pieces; -one dram will intoxicate a beginner, three drams one experienced in its -use. The taste is sweet and odour agreeable. Most carnivorous animals -will eat it greedily, and very soon become ludicrously drunk, but -seldom suffering any worse consequences. - -The confection called _el mogen_ in use amongst the Moors appears to be -similar to, if not identical with, the _majoon_ of India. - -The ancient Saracens and modern Arabs in some parts of Turkey and -generally throughout Syria, use preparations of hemp still known by the -name of _haschisch_ or _Hashash_. M. Adolph Stuze, the court apothecary -at Bucharest, thus describes the haschisch, by which general name all -intoxicating drugs whose chief constituent is hemp, are well known all -over the East. The tops and all the tender part of the hemp plant are -collected after flowering, dried and kept for use. There are several -methods of using it. - -I. Boiled in fat, butter, or oil, with a little water; the filtered -product is employed in all kinds of pastry. - -II. Powdered for smoking. Five or ten grains of the powder are smoked -from a common pipe with ordinary tobacco, probably the leaf of a -species of Lobelia (Tombuki) possessing strong narcotic properties. - -III. Formed with tragacanth mucilage into pastiles, which are placed -upon a pipe and smoked in similar doses. - -IV. Made into an electuary with dates or figs and honey. This -preparation is of a dark brown or almost black colour. - -V. Another electuary is prepared of the same ingredients, with the -addition of spices, cloves, cinnamon, pepper, amber, and musk. This -preparation is used as an aphrodisiac. - -The confection most in use among the Arabs is called _Dawamese_. This -is mingled with other stimulating substances, so as to administer to -the sensual gratifications, which appear to be the _summum bonum_ of -oriental existence. - -The _haschisch_ extract is about the consistence of syrup, and is of a -dark greenish colour, with a narcotic odour, and a bitter, unpleasant -taste. - -A famous heretical sect among the Mahometans bore the name of -Assassins, and settled in Persia in 1090. In Syria they possessed a -large tract of land among the mountains of Lebanon. They assassinated -Lewis of Bavaria in 1213, were conquered by the Tartars in 1257, and -extirpated in 1272. Their chief assumed the title of “Ancient of -the Mountain.” These men, some authorities inform us, were called -_Haschischins_ because the use of the haschish was common among them -in the performance of certain rites, and that the ancient form has -been corrupted into that now in use. M. de Sacy states that the word -“assassin” has been derived from the Arabic name of hemp. It has also -been declared, that during the wars of the Crusades, certain of the -Saracen army while in a state of intoxication from the use of the -drug, rushed madly into the Christian camp, committing great havoc, -without themselves having any fear of death, and that these men were -called _Hashasheens_, whence has arose our word “assassin.” The term -“hashash,” says Mr. Lane, signifies “a smoker or an eater of hemp,” -and is an appellation of obloquy; noisy and riotous people are often -called “hashasheen,” which is the plural of that appellation, and the -origin of our word “assassin.” - -Benjamin of Tudela says, “In the vicinity of Lebanon reside the people -called Assassins, who do not believe in the tenets of Mahommedanism, -but in those of one whom they consider like unto the Prophet Kharmath. -They fulfil whatever he commands them, whether it be a matter of life -or death. He goes by the name of Sheikh-al-Hashishin, or, their old -man, by whose command all the acts of these mountaineers are regulated. -The Assassins are faithful to one another, by the command of their old -man, and make themselves the dread of every one, because their devotion -leads them gladly to risk their lives, and to kill even kings, when -commanded. - -In the centre of the Persian, as well as the Assyrian territory of -the Assassins, that is to say, both at Alamut and Massiat, were -situated, in a space surrounded by walls, splendid gardens—true -eastern paradises—there were flower-beds, and thickets of fruit trees, -intersected by canals; shady walks and verdant glades, where the -sparkling stream bubbles at every step; bowers of roses and vineyards; -luxurious halls, and porcelain kiosks, adorned with Persian carpets and -Grecian stuffs, where drinking vessels of gold, silver, and crystal -glittered on trays of the same costly materials; charming maidens and -handsome boys, black-eyed and seductive as the houris and boys of -Mahommed’s paradise, soft as the cushions on which they reposed, and -intoxicating as the wine which they presented; the music of the harp -was mingled with the songs of birds, and the melodious tones of the -songstress harmonised with the murmur of the brooks—everything breathed -pleasure, rapture, and sensuality. - -A youth who was deemed worthy, by his strength and resolution, to -be initiated into the Assyrian service, was invited to the table -and conversation of the grand master or grand prior; he was then -intoxicated with henbane (haschish) and carried into the garden, which, -on awakening, he believed to be paradise. Everything around him, the -houris in particular, contributed to confirm his delusion. After he had -experienced as much of the pleasures of paradise—which the prophet has -promised to the blessed—as his strength would admit, after quaffing -enervating delight from the eyes of the houris and intoxicating wine -from the glittering goblets, he sank into the lethargy produced by -debility and the opiate, on awakening from which, after a few hours, he -again found himself by the side of his superior. The latter endeavoured -to convince him that corporeally he had not left his side, but that -spiritually he had been wrapped into paradise, and had then enjoyed -a foretaste of the bliss which awaits the faithful, who devote their -lives to the service of the faith and the obedience of their chief. -Thus did these infatuated youths blindly dedicate themselves as the -tools of murder, and eagerly sought an opportunity to sacrifice their -terrestrial, in order to become the partakers of eternal life. - -To this day, Constantinople and Cairo show what an incredible charm -opium with henbane exerts on the drowsy indolence of the Turk and -the fiery imagination of the Arab, and explains the fury with which -those youths the enjoyment of these rich pastiles (haschish), and -the confidence produced in them, that they are able to undertake -anything or everything. From the use of these pastiles they were called -Hashishin (herb-eaters,) which, in the mouths of Greeks and Crusaders, -has been transformed into the word Assassin, and as synonymous with -murder, has immortalized the history of the order in all the languages -of Europe.[23] - -This is the account given by Marco Polo, as repeated by Von Hammer in -his “History of the Assassins.” To this let us further add M. Sylvestre -de Sacy’s, from a memoir read before the Institute of France:——“I have -no doubt whatever, that denomination was given to the Ismaelites, on -account of their using an intoxicating liquid or preparation, still -known in the East by the name of hashish. Hemp leaves, and some other -parts of the same vegetable, form the basis of this preparation, which -is employed in different ways, either in liquid or in the form of -pastiles, mixed with saccharine substances, or even in fumigation. -The intoxication produced by the haschish, causes an ecstasy similar -to that which the orientals produce by the use of opium; and from -the testimony of a great number of travellers, we may affirm that -those who fall into this state of delirium, imagine they enjoy the -ordinary objects of their desires, and taste felicity at a cheap rate. -It has not been forgotten that when the French army was in Egypt the -General-in-chief Napoleon, was obliged to prohibit, under the severest -penalties, the sale and use of these pernicious substances, the habit -of which has made an imperious want in the inhabitants of Egypt, -particularly the lower orders. Those who indulge in this custom are to -this day called Hashishin, and these two different expressions explain -why the Ismaelites were called by the historians of the Crusades -sometimes Assissini and sometimes Assassini.” - -As an instance of the blind submission of these devoted followers to -the will of their chief, it is narrated that Jelaleddin Melekshah, -Sultan of the Seljuks, having sent an ambassador to the Sheikh of -the Assassins, to require his obedience and fealty, the son of Sahab -called into his presence several of the initiated. Beckoning to one of -them, he said, “Kill thyself,” and he instantly stabbed himself: to -another, “Throw thyself down from the rampart;” the next instant he lay -a mutilated corpse in the moat. On this the grand master, turning to -the envoy, who was unnerved by terror, said—“In this way am I obeyed by -seventy thousand faithful subjects. Be that my answer to thy master.” - -From comparison of these notes, it will therefore appear that the order -of Hashishans used the haschish, as a means whereby to induce young -men to devote themselves to their cause. That it was used by the chief -for its intoxicating and illusionary properties, probably without the -knowledge of the members of the order, but as a secret, the divulging -of which would have defeated his design, and that it was not indulged -in habitually by the order; but that from its use in these initiatory -rites they came to be called Haschishans, afterwards corrupted into -Assassins. And ultimately, that their murderous acts procured for all -those who in future times imitated them, the honour of their name. - -But to return from this long digression, we still meet with the name of -Haschisch and Hashasheen in Egypt, and also with preparations of hemp, -which are believed as of old to transport those who indulge therein to -scenes such as paradise alone is supposed to furnish. - - “Where’er his eye could reach, - Fair structures, rainbow-hued, arose; - And rich pavilions through the opening woods - Gleamed from their waving curtains sunny gold; - And winding through the verdant vale, - Flowed streams of liquid light, - And fluted cypresses reared up - Their living obelisks, - And broad-leaved plane trees in long colonnades, - O’er arched delightful walks, - Where round their trunks the thousand-tendril’d vine - Wound up, and hung the boughs with greener wreaths, - And clusters not their own.” - -M. Rouyer, of the Egyptian Commission, says, with the leaves and tops, -collected before ripening, the Egyptians prepare a conserve, which -serves as the base of the _berch_, the _diasmouk_, and the _bernaouy_. -Hemp leaves reduced to powder and incorporated with honey or stirred -with water, constitute the _berch_ of the poorer classes. - -Dr. Livingstone found hemp in use among the natives of Southern Africa -under the name of _mutokuane_. - -With the Hottentots it is known as _Dacha_, and another plant used for -similar purposes among them is called the _wild Dagga_ or Dacha. The -use of hemp as a narcotic appears to be very general in all parts of -Africa. - -The D’amba possesses numerous native titles, but it is only -understood by those distinctive terms which the negroes give it in -their respective countries. By the people of Ambriz and Musula it is -pronounced as D’yambah, while to the various races in Kaffraria, it -is more generally known under the Hottentot name of Dakka or Dacha. -This plant is extensively cultivated by the Dongós, Damarás, and other -tribes to the southward of Benguela. Among the Ambundas or aborigines -of Angola, the dried plant is duly appreciated, not only for its -narcotic effects, but likewise on account of some medicinal virtues -which it has been reputed to enjoy. The markets of St. Paul de Loanda -are mostly supplied from the Dongós, and other adjacent tribes, and -from St. Salvador, and the towns in the vicinity of Upper Kongo. - -The mode in which it is prepared for sale, consists in carefully -separating from the leaves and seeds, the larger stalks, retaining only -the smaller stems, which are compressed into a conical mass, varying -from two to four inches in diameter, and from one to two feet in -length, the whole being covered by some dried vegetable, firmly secured -by thin withes. The substance thus manufactured is ordinarily employed -for the purpose of smoking, and is endowed with powerful stimulant and -intoxicating principles, consequently it is proportionately prized by -those nations who are familiar with those peculiar qualities, and is -probably viewed more in the light of a luxury owing to the absence of -all other sources of excitement, for which, perhaps, it was the only -available substitute. - -The Zulu Kaffirs and Delagoans of the South Eastern Coast use it under -the same or like names. Amongst the former the herb is powdered and -used as snuff. The true tobacco is known amongst them, and is grown to -a certain extent, but the use of hemp both for smoking and snuffing, -is far more common. Perhaps, requiring less cultivation, it suits best -their indolent habits. - -The most eminent of the Persian and Arabian authors refer the origin of -hemp intoxication to the natives of Hindostan. But few traces, however, -of its early use can be found in any part of India. - -In the “Rajniguntu,” a treatise on materia medica, the date of which -is vaguely estimated at about six hundred years ago, there is a clear -account of this drug. The names under which it is there known are, -“_Bijoya_,” “_Ujoya_,” and “_Joya_,” meaning promoters of success; -“_Brijputta_,” or the strengthener; “_Chapola_,” the causer of a -reeling gait; “_Ununda_,” or the laughter-moving; “_Hursini_,” the -exciter of sexual desire. - -In another treatise in Sanscrit, of later date, the above is repeated; -and in a religious treatise, called the Hindu Tantra, it is stated that -_Sidhee_ is more intoxicating than wine. - -In the fifth chapter of the Institutes of Menu, Brahmins are prohibited -to use Pabandoo or onions, _Gunjara_ or _Gunjah_, and such condiments -as have strong and pungent scents. - -Persian and Arabic writers give, however, a fuller and more particular -account of the early use of this substance. Makrisi treats of the hemp -in his description of the ancient pleasure-grounds in the vicinity of -Cairo. This quarter, after many vicissitudes, is now a mass of ruins. -In it was situated a cultivated valley, named Djoneina, which was the -theatre of all conceivable abominations. It was famous, above all, -for the sale of the _Hasheesha_ or Haschisch, which is still consumed -by certain of the populace, and from the consumption of which sprung -those excesses which gave rise to the name of “assassin,” in the time -of the Crusades. This author states that the oldest work in which hemp -is noticed is a treatise by Hassan, who states that in the year of the -Hegira 658, the Sheikh Djafar Shirazi, a monk of the order of Haider, -learned from his master, the history of the discovery of hemp. Haider, -the chief of ascetics and self-chasteners, lived in rigid privation on -a mountain between Nishabor and Rama, where he established a monastery -of Fakirs. Ten years he had spent in this retreat, without leaving it -for a moment, till one burning summer’s day, when he departed alone -to the fields. On his return, an air of joy and gaiety was imprinted -on his countenance; he received the visits of his brethren, and -encouraged their conversation. On being questioned, he stated that, -struck by the aspect of a plant which danced in the heat as if with -joy, while all the rest of the vegetable creation was torpid, he had -gathered and eaten of its leaves. He led his companions to the spot—all -ate, and all were similarly excited. A tincture of the hemp-leaf in -wine or spirits, seems to have been the favourite formula in which the -Sheikh Haider indulged himself. An Arab poet sings of Haider’s emerald -cup—an evident allusion to the rich green colour of the tincture of -the drug. The Sheikh survived the discovery ten years, and subsisted -chiefly on this herb, and on his death his disciples, by his desire, -planted an arbour in which it grew about his tomb. From this saintly -sepulchre, the knowledge of the effects of hemp is stated to have -spread into Khorasan. In Chaldea it was unknown until the Mahommedan -year 728, during the reign of the Caliph Mostansir Billah. The kings of -Ormus and Bahrein then introduced it into Chaldea, Syria, Egypt, and -Turkey. - -In Khorasan, it seems that the date of the use of hemp is considered, -notwithstanding the foregoing, to be far prior to Haider’s era. -Biraslan, an Indian pilgrim, contemporary with Cosroes (whoever this -same Cosroes may be, for it is a name often occurring, and applied -as Cæsar or Czar to more than one generation), is stated to have -introduced and diffused the custom through Khorasan and Yemen. - -In 780 M.E. very severe ordinances were passed in Egypt against this -practice of indulging in hemp. The Djoneina garden was rooted up, -and all those convicted of the use of the drug were subjected to the -extraction of their teeth. But in 792 M.E. the custom re-established -itself with more than original vigour. A vivid picture is given by -Makrisi of the vice and its victims:——“As a general consequence, great -corruption of sentiments and manners ensued, modesty disappeared, every -base and evil passion was openly indulged in, and nobility of external -form alone remained to those infatuated beings.” In the “Sisters of -Old,” some further memoranda will be found of the early history of this -extraordinary narcotic. - -Not only was its intoxicating power, but many other properties—some -true, some fabulous—were known at the above periods. The contrary -qualities of the plant—its stimulating and sedative effects—are dwelt -on:——“They at first exhilarate the spirits, cause cheerfulness, -give colour to the complexion, bring on intoxication, excite the -imagination into the most rapturous ideas, produce thirst, increase -appetite, excite concupiscence; afterwards, the sedative effects begin -to preside, the spirits sink, the vision darkens and weakens, and -madness, melancholy, fearfulness, dropsy, and such like distempers are -the sequel.” Mirza Abdul Russac says of it: “It produces a ravenous -appetite and constipation, arrests the secretions, except that of the -liver, excites wild imagining, a sensation of ascending, forgetfulness -of all that happens during its use, and such mental exaltation that the -beholders attribute it to supernatural inspiration.” To which he also -adds: “The inexperienced, on first taking it, are often senseless for a -day, some go mad, others are known to die.” - -Whether for the purpose of increasing its power, or for what other -reason we know not, in India the seeds of Datura are mixed with hemp, -in compounding some of the confections, as well as the powder of _nux -vomica_. This is, however, exceptional, neither of these substances -entering into the composition of the Majoon of Bengal any more than -does corrosive sublimate form a proportion of the pills in general use -by the opium-eater of Constantinople. - -It is a custom with some people to blame, without limit, those who -indulge in nervous stimulants of a nature differing from their own, -while serving the same purpose. Thus, one who thinks that Providence -never designed his corporeal frame to become a perambulating -beer-barrel, eschews all alcoholic drinks, but at the same time -eschews not the abuse of those who think fit to indulge in a little -wine for their stomach’s sake, or a draught of porter for their -bodily infirmities. These same abstainers still adhere to their tea -and coffee, and though harmless enough as these dietetics may be, yet -they in part serve the purposes for which others employ alcoholic -stimulants. An eminent chemist states that persons accustomed to -the use of wine, when they take cod liver oil, soon lose the taste -and inclination for wine. The Temperance Societies should therefore -canonise cod liver oil. - -It is true that thousands have lived without a knowledge of tea or -coffee; and daily experience teaches, that under certain circumstances -they may be dispensed with without disadvantage to the merely animal -vital functions. “But it is an error,” writes Liebig, “certainly, -to conclude from this that they may be altogether dispensed with in -reference to their effects; and it is a question whether, if we had no -tea and no coffee, the popular instinct would not seek for and discover -the means of replacing them. Science, which accuses us of so much in -these respects, will have, in the first place, to ascertain whether -it depends on the sensual and sinful inclinations merely, that every -people of the globe has appropriated some such means of acting on the -nervous life—from the shore of the Pacific, where the Indian retires -from life for days, in order to enjoy the bliss of intoxication with -coca, to the Arctic regions, where the Kamtschatdale and Koriakes -prepare an intoxicating beverage from a poisonous mushroom. We think -it, on the contrary, highly probable, not to say certain, that -the instinct of man, feeling certain blanks, certain wants of the -intensified life of our times, which cannot be satisfied or filled -up by mere quantity, has discovered, in these products of vegetable -life, the true means of giving to his food the desired and necessary -quality. Every substance, in so far as it has a share in the vital -processes, acts in a certain way on our nervous system, on the sensual -appetites, and the will of man.” So, although some have no tobacco, -they find in the use of hemp or opium a substitute for that vegetable -which nature has denied them. There can be no doubt that had we never -become acquainted with tobacco or gin, we should have discovered and -used some other narcotic in the place of the one, and a no less fiery -and injurious form of alcohol instead of the other. To talk of the -_degraded_ Chinese as _barbarians_, indulging to an awful extent in -opium, and the _ignorant_ Hindoo and Arab, as in madness revelling -in debauches of hemp confections, is an evidence of the workings of -the same narrow-minded prejudices under which some who abstain from -alcoholic stimulants rail and rave at those whose feelings and habits -lay in an opposite direction, charging upon the enjoyments of the -many the excesses of the few. Friend Brooklove, drink thy tea, and -re-consider thy verdict! - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -GUNJA AT HOME. - - “Oh, kind and blissful mockery, when the manacled felon, on his bed - of straw, is transported to the home of his innocent boyhood, and - the pining and forsaken fair, is happy with her fond and faithful - lover—and the poor man hath abundance—and the dying man is in joyous - health—and despair hath hope—and those that want are as though they - wanted not—and they who weep are as though they wept not.—But the - fashion of these things passeth away.” - - -“At home” may mean, that quarter-day has passed with all its terrors, -accounts settled, bills filed, tax-collectors satisfied, and the -horizon of finance clear and cloudless. There is no fear of duns or -doctors, and John Thomas announces “at home.” Or it may mean, that -having enrobed oneself in morning gown and slippers, filled and lighted -our pipe, seated ourselves in an easy chair, placed our feet firmly -and contentedly on the hearthrug, and commenced enveloping ourselves -in a cloud like that in which Juno conveyed the vanquished Paris from -the field to the presence of the fairest of the daughters of Greece, -we _feel_, with reference to ourselves, and in despite of the rest -of the world—“at home.” Or it may mean, that having made the “grand -tour,” crossed the desert on a camel, or seen the lions of Singapore, -Hong-Kong, and Shanghai, we are once more on our native soil, and -no longer fear Italian banditti or Turkish plague, sandstorms or -crocodiles, Chinese poisoners or bow-wow pie, that we breathe again, -and are “at home”. Or it may mean half-a-dozen things beside. But to -see a man at home, is to see him in all the gradations of light and -shade, of sunlight and shadow, brighter and deeper, than when he covers -his head and walks abroad to look at the sun. - -Gunja is not at home in Europe. Notwithstanding the efforts made in -England and France to introduce the Indian hemp into medical practice, -and the asseverations of medical practitioners in British India, -who have extolled its power as a narcotic and anodyne, it has never -settled upon European soil. The drugs already in use to produce sleep -and alleviate pain, still occupy their old popularity, undisturbed -by the visit of a stranger, who, finding the reception too cold, has -retreated. In France, certain experiments were made, and by leave of -Dr. Moreau, we shall take advantage of them, and of the Journal of -Psychological Medicine, to ascertain the effects of this drug on those -who have used it. - -Since the days of Prosper Albinus, both learned and unlearned have -listened with wonder to the marvellous effects of those “drowsy syrups -of the East,” when— - - “Quitting earth’s dull sphere, the soul exulting soars - To each bright realm by fancy conjured up, - And clothed in hues of beauty, there to mix - With laughing spirits on the moonlit green; - Or rove with angels through the courts of heaven, - And catch the music flowing from their tongues.” - -In Asia Minor an extract from the Indian hemp has been from time -immemorial swallowed with the greatest avidity, as the means of -producing the most ecstatic delight, and affording a gratification even -of a higher character than that which is known there to follow on the -use of opium. A small dose seems only to influence the moral faculties, -giving to the intellectual powers greater vivacity, and momentary -vigour. A larger dose seems to awaken a new sensibility, and call into -action dormant capabilities of enjoyment. Not only is the imagination -excited, but an intensity of energy pervades all the passions and -affections of the mind. Memory not only recurs with facility to the -past, but incorporates delusions with it, for with whatever accuracy -the facts may be remembered, they are painted with glowing colours, -and made sources of pleasure. The senses become instruments also of -deception, the eye and the ear, not only are alive to every impression, -but they delude the reason, and disturb the brain, by the delusions to -which they become subject. Gaiety, or a soothing melancholy, may be -produced, as pleasant or disagreeable sights or sounds are presented. - -So much alive are the swallowers of haschisch to the effect of external -objects upon the perceptive powers, that they generally retire to -the depths of the harem, where the almas, or females educated for -this purpose, add, by the charms of music and the dance, to the false -perceptions which the disordered condition of the brain gives rise to. -Insensibly the reason and the volition are entirely overcome, and yield -themselves up to the fantastic imagery which affords such delight. Can -we wonder at such people producing and admiring all the extravagancies -of the “Arabian Nights’ Entertainments?” Can we be surprised at -their belief in a paradise for the future, which is at best but a -voluptuary’s dream? - -At the commencement of the intoxication produced by the hemp, there -is the most perfect consciousness of the state of the disordered -faculties. There exists the power of analyzing the sensations, but the -mind seems unwilling to resume its guiding and controlling power. It is -conscious that all is but a dream, and yet feels a delight in perfect -abandonment to the false enjoyment. It will not attempt to awaken -from the reverie, but rather to indulge in it, to the utmost extent -of which it is capable. There seems an ideal existence, but it is too -pleasurable to shake off—it penetrates into the inmost recesses of the -body—it envelopes it. The dreams and phantoms of the imagination appear -part of the living being; and yet, during all this, there remains the -internal conviction that the real world is abandoned, for a fictitious -and imaginative existence, which has charms too delightful to resist. -To the extreme rapidity with which ideas, sensations, desires, rush -across the brain, may be attributed the singular retardation of time, -which appears to be lengthened out to eternity. Similar effects, -proceeding, doubtless, from the same or similar causes, are noticed -in the “Confessions of an Opium-Eater,” wherein he speaks of minutes -becoming as ages. - -Dr. Moreau gives singular illustrations of this peculiar state. On one -occasion he took a dose of the haschisch previously to his going to the -opera, and he fancied that he was upwards of three hours finding his -way through the passage leading to it. M. de Saulcy partook of a dose -of haschisch, and when he recovered, it appeared to him that he had -been under its influence for a hundred years at least. - -Whilst an indescribable sensation of happiness takes possession of -the individual, and the joy and exultation are felt to be almost too -much to be borne, the mind seems totally at a loss to account for -it, or to explain from what particular source it springs. There is a -positive sensation of universal contentment, but it is vain to attempt -to explain the nature of the enjoyment. The peculiar motion appears -to be wholly inexplicable. A sense of something unusual pervades -every fibre, but all attempts to analyze or describe it are declared -to be in vain. After a certain period of time the system appears to -be no longer capable of further happiness, the sensibility seems -thoroughly exhausted, a gentle sense of lassitude, physical and moral, -gradually succeeds—an apathy, a carelessness, an absolute calm, from -which no exterior object can arouse the torpid frame. These are the -great characteristics of this stage. The most alarming or afflicting -intelligence is listened to without exciting any emotion. The mind -is thoroughly absorbed, the perception seems blunted, the senses -scarcely convey any impression to the brain. A re-action has taken -place, yet the collapse is unattended with any disagreeable feeling. -The energies are all prostrate, yet there are none of those depressing -symptoms which attend the last stages of ordinary intoxication. All -that is described is an ineffable tranquillity of soul, during which -it is perfectly inaccessible to sorrow or pain. “The haschisch eater -is happy,” continues Dr. Moreau, “not like the gourmand, or the -famished man when satisfying his appetite, or the voluptuary in the -gratification of his amative desires; but like him who hears tidings -which fill him with joy, or like the miser counting his treasures, -the gambler who is successful at play, or the ambitious man who is -intoxicated with success.” - -All those who have tried the experiment do not speak in such glowing -terms of the results. M. de Saulcey, who tried it at Jerusalem, -says:——“The experiment, to which we had recourse for passing our time, -turned out so utterly disagreeable that I may safely say, not one of us -will ever be tempted to try it again. The haschisch is an abominable -poison which the dregs of the population alone drink and smoke in the -East, and which we were silly enough to take, in too large a dose, on -the eve of New Year’s-day. We fancied we were going to have an evening -of enjoyment, but we nearly died through our imprudence. As I had taken -a larger dose of this pernicious drug than my companions, I remained -almost insensible for more than twenty-four hours, after which I found -myself completely broken down with nervous spasms, and incoherent -dreams.” - -It is not uncommon for illusions and hallucinations to occur during the -early stage, when the senses have lost their power of communicating -faithfully to the brain the impressions they receive. - -Dr. Auber, in his work on the plague, narrates various instances -of delusions occurring in the course of his administering hemp -preparations as a relief in that disease. An officer in the navy saw -puppets dancing on the roof of his cabin—another believed that he was -transformed into the piston of a steam-engine—a young artist imagined -that his body was endowed with such elasticity as to enable him to -enter into a bottle, and remain there at his ease. Other writers speak -of individuals similarly affected: one of a man who believed himself -changed entirely into brittle glass, and in constant fear of being -cracked or broken, or having a finger or toe knocked off; another, of -a youth who believed himself growing and expanding to such an extent, -that he deemed it inevitable that the room in which he was would be -too small to contain him, and that he must, during the expansion, -force up the ceiling into the room above. Dr. Moreau, on one occasion, -believed that he was melting away by the heat of the sun, at another, -that his whole body was inflated like a balloon, that he was enabled -to elevate himself, and vanish in the air. The ideas that generally -presented themselves to him of these illusions were, that objects -wore the semblance of phantasmagoric figures, small at first, then -gradually enlarging, then suddenly becoming enormous and vanishing. -Sometimes these figures were subjects of alarm to him. A little hideous -dwarf, clothed in the dress of the thirteenth century, haunted him for -some time. Aware of the delusion, he entreated that the object which -kept up the illusion should be removed—these were a hat and a coat -upon a neighbouring table. An old servant of seventy-one, was, upon -another occasion, represented by his eye to the brain as a young lady, -adorned with all the grace of beauty, and his white hair and wrinkles -transformed into irresistible attractions. A friend who presented him -with a glass of lemonade was pictured to his disordered imagination as -a furnace of hot charcoal. Sometimes the happiness was interrupted by -delusions that affrighted him. Thus, having indulged himself with his -accustomed dose, every object awoke his terror and alarm, which neither -the conviction of his own mind nor the soothing explanations of his -friends could diminish, and he was for a considerable length of time -under the most fearful impressions. - - “Through the darkness spread - Around, the gaping earth then vomited - Legions of foul and ghastly shapes, which - Hung upon his flight.” - -These are the immediate effects produced by this most extraordinary -substance. There are others, however, still more singular, which -have attracted the attention of travellers, and become the objects of -intense curiosity. These are of a nature unknown in connection with -any other substance, and have formed the basis of numerous marvellous -narrations, that have astonished even the incredulous. Those who have -seen the fearful symptoms betrayed during delirium tremens, and have -heard the sufferers declare that they saw before them genii, fairies, -devils, know how the senses may become the source of delusion, and -hence may judge to _what_ a disordered state of the intellect may -lead. When the brain has once become disordered by the use of the -narcotic hemp, it becomes ever afterwards liable to hallucinations and -delusions, unlike those produced by anything else, save intoxicating -liquours after an attack of delirium tremens. The mind then believes -that it sees visions, and beholds beings with whom it can converse. -The phenomena gradually develop themselves, until illusions take the -place of realities, and hold firm possession of the mind, which would -seem on all other points to be healthy and vigorous, but on this point, -insane. So firm and so fixed becomes the belief, that neither argument -convinces, nor ridicule shakes, the individual from his faith, in which -a prejudiced or too credulous nature confirms him but the more. - -The Arabs, especially those of Egypt, are exceedingly superstitious, -and there is scarce a person, even among the better informed, who does -not believe in the existence of genii. According to their belief there -are three species of intelligent beings, namely, angels, who were -created of light, genii, who were created of fire, and men, created of -earth. The prevailing opinion is that Sheytans (devils) are rebellious -genii. It is said that God created the genii two thousand years before -Adam, and that there are believers and infidels among them as among -men. It is held that they are aerial animals with transparent bodies, -which can assume any form. That they are subject to death, but live -many ages. The following are traditions of the Prophet concerning -them. The genii are of various shapes, having the forms of serpents, -scorpions, lions, wolves, jackals, &c. They are of three kinds, one -on the land, one in the sea, one in the air. They consist of forty -troops, each troop consisting of six hundred thousand. They are of -three sorts, one has wings and fly; another, are snakes and dogs; and -the third move about from place to place like men. Domestic snakes on -the same authority, are asserted to be genii. If serpents or scorpions -intrude themselves upon the faithful at prayers, the Prophet orders -that they be killed, but on other occasions, first to admonish them -to depart, and then if they remained to kill them. It is related that -Aisheeh, the prophet’s wife, having killed a serpent in her chamber, -was alarmed by a dream, and fearing that it might have been a Muslim -Jinnee, as it did not enter her chamber when she was undressed, gave -in alms, as an expiation, about three hundred pounds, the price of the -blood of a Muslim. The genii appear to mankind most commonly in the -shapes of serpents, dogs, cats, or human beings. In the last case, they -are sometimes of the stature of men, and sometimes of a size enormously -gigantic. If good, they are generally resplendently handsome, if -evil, horribly hideous. They become invisible at pleasure (by a rapid -extension or rarefaction of the particles which compose them) or -suddenly disappear in the earth or air, or through a solid wall. - -The Sheykh Khaleel El Medabighee related the following anecdote of a -Jinnee. He had, he said, a favourite black cat, which always slept -at the foot of his musquito curtain. Once, at midnight, he heard a -knocking at the door of his house, and his cat went and opened the -hanging shutter of the window, and called, “Who is there?” A voice -replied, “I am such a one,” (mentioning a strange name) “the jinnee, -open the door.” “The lock,” said the Sheykh’s cat, “has had the name -pronounced upon it.” It is the custom to say, “In the name of God, the -compassionate, the merciful,” on locking the door, covering bread, -laying down their clothes at night, and on other occasions, and this -they believe protects their property from genii. “Then throw me down,” -said the voice, “two cakes of bread.” “The bread-basket,” answered -the cat at the window, “has had the name pronounced upon it.” “Well,” -said the stranger, “at least give me a draught of water.” But he was -answered that the water-jar had been secured in the same manner, and -asked what he was to do, seeing that he was likely to die of hunger -and thirst. The Sheykh’s cat told him to go to the door of the next -house, and went there also himself, and opened the door, and soon -after returned. Next morning the Sheykh deviated from a habit which he -had constantly observed; he gave to the cat half of the fateereh upon -which he breakfasted instead of a little morsel which he was wont to -give, and afterwards said, “O my cat, thou knowest that I am a poor -man; bring me then a little gold,” upon which words the cat immediately -disappeared, and he saw it no more. Such are the stories which they -believe and narrate of these genii; and there is scarce an indulger in -haschisch whose imagination does not lead him to believe that he has -seen or had communication with some of these beings. - -Mr. Lane, translator of the “Arabian Nights,” had once a humourous -cook addicted to the intoxicating haschisch, of whom he relates the -following circumstance:——“Soon after he had entered my service, I -heard him, one evening, muttering, and exclaiming on the stairs as -if surprised at some event, and then politely saying, ‘But why are -you sitting here in the draught? Do me the favour to come up into the -kitchen, and amuse me with your conversation a little!’ The civil -address not being answered, was repeated, and varied several times, -till I called out to the man, and asked him to whom he was speaking. -‘The efreet of a Turkish soldier,’ he replied, ‘is sitting on the -stairs, smoking his pipe, and refuses to move; he came up from the well -below; pray step and see him.’ On my going to the stairs, and telling -the servant that I could see nothing, he only remarked that it was -because I had a clear conscience. My cook professed to see this efreet -frequently after.” - -Dr. Moreau enumerates many instances, from his own immediate followers, -of genii seers among the haschisch eaters. His dragoman, who had -been attached in that capacity to Champollion, the captain of the -vessel, and several sailors, had not only a firm belief in, but had -actually received visits from genii or efreets, and neither argument -nor ridicule could shake their conviction. The captain had, on two -occasions, seen a jinnee, he appeared to him under the form of a sheep. -On returning one evening somewhat late to his house, the captain found -a stray sheep bleating with unusual noise. He took him home, sheared -him for his long fleece, and was about to kill him, when suddenly the -sheep rose up to the height of twenty feet, in the form of a black man, -and in a voice of thunder, announced himself as a jinnee. - -One of the sailors, Mansour, a man who had made nearly twenty voyages -with Europeans, recounted his interview with a genius under the guise -of a young girl of eight or ten years of age. He met her in the evening -on the banks of the Nile, weeping deplorably because she had lost her -way. Mansour, touched with compassion, took her home with him. In -the morning he mounted her on an ass, to take her to her parents. On -entering a grove of palms, he heard behind him some fearful sighs; on -looking round to ascertain the cause, he saw, to his horror, that the -little girl had dismounted, that her lower extremities had become of an -enormous length, resembling two frightful serpents, which she trailed -after her in the sand. Her arms became lengthened out, her face mounted -up into the skies, black as charcoal, her immense mouth, armed with -crocodile’s teeth, vomited forth flame. Poor Mansour fell suddenly upon -the earth, where, overcome with terror, he passed the night. In the -morning he crawled home, and two months of illness attested the fact of -disorder of the brain. - -Many such tales are recounted, and all told by the sufferers with -the firmest belief, and the most earnest conviction of their truth; -each, by his own delusion, strengthening and confirming others. All -those who had seen visions had their minds diseased through the use -of haschisch, while those who did not indulge in the habit were free -from these extraordinary illusions. These hallucinations seem to be -manifested independently of any then existing affection of the brain, -and the individual appears, under other circumstances, fitted for the -usual avocations of life. They may be only symptoms of a previously -disordered intellect, but they may also be the starting point, -from which insanity is developed. In all instances in which these -hallucinations occur, watchfulness is necessary, since, in the majority -of cases they terminate finally in derangement of the brain to the -extent generally denominated _madness_. - -Other curious results from the use of this narcotic are detailed by -Dr. O’Shaughnessy, as exhibited by patients in India, to whom he had -prescribed it, in his capacity of medical practitioner, and other -experiments he made. - -A dog, to whom some _churrus_ was given, in half an hour became stupid -and sleepy, dozing at intervals, starting up, wagging his tail as if -extremely contented; he ate food greedily, on being called he staggered -to and fro, and his countenance assumed the appearance of utter and -helpless drunkenness. In six hours these symptoms had passed away, and -he was perfectly well and lively. - -A patient to whom hemp had been administered, on a sudden uttered a -loud peal of laughter, and exclaimed, that four spirits were springing -with his bed into the air. Attempts to pacify him were in vain, his -laughter became momentarily more and more uncontrollable. In a short -time he exhibited symptoms of that peculiar nervous condition, which -mesmerists have of late years made us more acquainted with, under the -name of _catalepsy_. In whatever imaginable attitude his arms and legs -were placed, they became rigid and remained. A waxen figure could not -be more pliant or stationary in each position, no matter how contrary -to the natural influence of gravity on the part. A strong stimulant -drink was given to him, and his intoxication led to such noisy -exclamations, that he had to be removed to a separate room, where he -soon became tranquil, in less than an hour his limbs had gained their -natural condition, and in two hours he said he was perfectly well, and -very hungry. - -A rheumatic cooly was subjected to the influence of half a grain -of hemp resin. In two hours the old gentleman became talkative and -musical, told several stories, and sang songs to a circle of highly -delighted auditors, ate the dinners of two persons, subscribed for him -in the ward, and finally fell soundly asleep, and so continued until -the following morning. At noon he was perfectly free from headache, or -any unpleasant sequel; at his request, the medicine was repeated, and -he was indulged with it for a few days, and then discharged. - -A medical pupil took about a quarter of a grain of the resin in the -form of tincture. A shout of loud and prolonged laughter ushered in the -symptoms, and a state of catalepsy occurred for two or three minutes. -He then enacted the part of a Rajah giving orders to his courtiers; -he could recognize none of his fellow students or acquaintances—all -to his mind seemed as altered as his own condition; he spoke of many -years having passed since his student’s days, described his teachers -and friends with a piquancy which a dramatist would envy, detailed -the adventures of an imaginary series of years, his travels, his -attainment of wealth and power. He entered on discussions on religious, -scientific, and political subjects, with astonishing eloquence, and -disclosed an extent of knowledge, reading, and a ready apposite wit, -which those who knew him best were altogether unprepared for. For three -hours and upwards he maintained the character he at first assumed, -and with a degree of ease and dignity perfectly becoming his high -situation. This scene terminated nearly as abruptly as it commenced, -and no headache, sickness, or other unpleasant symptoms followed the -excess. - -Without detailing instances in which its virtues as a medicinal agent -are set forth, or naming cases of hydrophobia in which it was given -and failed, or of tetanus in which it was resorted to with success, we -can scarce forbear noticing the fact, that to an infant only 60 days -old, 130 drops of the tincture had to be given to produce narcotism, -whilst 10 drops produced those effects in the student above named, who -believed himself an important Rajah. - -The most recent information we have of the effects of haschisch is -supplied by Professor K. D. Schroff. It relates to a kind called -“Birmingi,” the laughter producer (“macht keif”) obtained from -Bucharest. - -This preparation was in the form of tablets, hard and difficult to -break, externally almost black and smooth, with but a slight smell. The -taste was neither bitter nor aromatic, but rather insipid. On prolonged -mastication, the very tough mass became gradually pappy, and eventually -dissolved in the saliva, leaving a crumbling solid substance. It -produced irritation in the throat, when chewed for a long time. - -Dr. Heinrich took ten grains of this preparation in May, 1859, at about -half-past five in the afternoon. He chewed this quantity for about an -hour, during which it gradually dissolved and was swallowed; only the -insoluble residue, about two grains, was spit out. Irritation of the -throat, and slight nausea, succeeded. The attempt to smoke a cigar in -the open air had to be given up on account of dryness and roughness -in the throat. Dr. H. walked into town, and looked at the print-shops -without perceiving any change in himself. At the end of an hour and a -half, about seven o’clock, he met an acquaintance, to whom he talked -all kinds of nonsensical trash, and made the most foolish comparisons; -henceforth, everything he looked at seemed to him ridiculous. This -condition of excitement lasted about twenty minutes, during which -his face and eyes grew redder and redder. Suddenly a great degree of -sadness came over him; everything was too narrow for him—he acquired -a disturbed appearance, and became pale. His sadness increased to a -feeling of anxiety, accompanied by the sensation as if his blood was -flowing in a boiling state up to his head; the feeling as if his body -was raised aloft, and as if he was about to fly up, was particularly -characteristic. His anxiety and weakness overcame him to such a degree, -that he was obliged to collect all the power of his will, and his -companion had to seize him firmly under the arm, in order to bring him -on, which was done in all haste, as he feared a new attack, and wished, -if possible, to reach a place where he could be taken care of; but in -the course of three minutes, while he was still walking, the attack set -in with increased violence. - -It was only with great difficulty he reached the Institute—here he -immediately drank two pints of cold water, and washed his head, neck, -and arms with fresh water, on which he became somewhat better. The -improvement, however, lasted only about five minutes. He sat down -on a chair and felt his pulse, which he found to be very small and -slow, with very long intervals. He was no longer in a state to take -out his watch to ascertain more exactly the frequency of his pulse, -for the feeling of anxiety came over him again, and with it he traced -the premonitory symptoms of a new and violent attack. He was taken -into the adjoining chamber, stripped himself partly of his clothes, -and gave over his things, directing what was to be done with them -after his death, for he was firmly convinced that his last hour had -struck, and continually cried out, “I am dying; I shall soon be -undergoing dissection in the dead-room.” The new attack was more -violent than the former were, so that the patient retained only an -imperfect degree of consciousness, and at the height of the paroxysm, -even this disappeared. After the fit, too, consciousness returned but -imperfectly: only so much remained in his recollection, that the -images which arose within him constantly increased in ghastliness, -until they gave way to the unconscious state, and that gradually, -with returning consciousness, less formidable figures appeared in -their stead. Subsequently he stated that it appeared to him as if he -were transported from the level surface to a hill, thence to a steep -precipice, thence to a bare rock, and lastly to the ridge of a hill, -with an immense abyss before him. From this time, he could no longer -control the current of ideas following one another with impetuous -haste, and he could not avoid speaking uninterruptedly until a fresh -attack came on, which quite deprived him of consciousness for some -minutes. The flow of his ideas had now free course; and notwithstanding -his loquacity, he could only utter a few words of what he imagined. -All his thoughts and deeds from his childhood came into his mind. The -senses of sight and hearing were unimpaired, for when he opened his -eyes, he knew all who were standing about him, and recognized them by -their voices when his eyes were closed. Towards ten o’clock—that is, -four hours and a half after the seizure—the storm was somewhat allayed; -he obtained control over his imagination, ceased to speak incessantly, -and traced where he felt pain. During the night he drank a great deal -of lemonade; nevertheless, sleep fled from him, and his imagination -was constantly at work. Next morning he dressed, and was conveyed -home, but could not set to his daily work, because, notwithstanding -the greatest efforts, he could not collect his scattered thoughts, -and he also felt bodily weak. He was obliged to take to bed, where -he remained till the morning of the third day. During this time, he -drank four pints of lemonade, and took soup only twice, as he had no -appetite. On the third day he was led about, supported by a second -person, but was still rather confused and giddy. This day he ate but -little, and drank lemonade. During the second and third nights, his -sleep was tranquil. On the fourth day he felt well again, regained -his appetite, his strength increased, and his appearance became less -unsettled. Nevertheless, walking about for half an hour tired him -much. The depression which came on after the excitement gave way only -gradually.[24] - -The incautious use of hemp is also noticed as leading to, or ending -in, insanity, especially among young persons, who try it for the first -time. This state may be recognised by the strange balancing gait of -the victim, a constant rubbing of the hands, perpetual giggling, and a -propensity to caress and chafe the feet of all bystanders, of whatever -rank. The eye wears an expression of cunning and merriment which can -scarcely be mistaken. In a few cases, the patients are violent—in all, -voraciously hungry. - -Under the influence of this drug, its devotees exhibited, doubtless, -to the astonished gaze of the early travellers from this, and other -northern countries, strange freaks and antics, which filled them -with wonder, and sent them home brim-full of wonderful legends and -marvellous stories gathered from the lips of the votaries of Hemp. The -ready and active brain of the oriental—always associating places and -people, actions and accidents, men and manners, with the unseen agency -of ghosts and genii—under the influence of haschisch, gave full scope -to their imaginations, letting loose upon the traveller a torrent -of romance, and peopling every corner of his route with legions of -spirits, set him wondering to himself whether he had really escaped -from the common-place world of his nativity into another sphere -specially devoted to the occupation of etherial beings. Now listening -to the narrative of a reputed communicant with spirits, he hears of -the concentrated genii, confined in the narrow form of a little dog, -or smaller still, in a little fish, gradually expanding, and towering -higher and higher, till his head reached to the clouds, and then -with a voice of thunder communicating his message to the terrified -and superstitious Arab crouching at his feet. Anon, he hears of the -plague, and his credulous dragoman informs him that once upon a time a -pious Moslem was worshipping at sunrise, when he saw a hideous phantom -approaching him, and the following conversation passed between them. - -“Who art thou?” - -“The Plague.” - -“Whither goest thou?” - -“To Cairo.” - -“Wherefore?” - -“To kill ten thousand.” - -“Go not.” - -“It is destined that I should.” - -“Go then, but slay not more than thou hast said.” - -“To hear is to obey.” - -After the plague was over, at the same hour, and in the same place, the -phantom once more appears to him, and the holy man again addressed him -thus— - -“Whence comest thou?” - -“From Cairo.” - -“How many persons hast thou destroyed?” - -“Ten thousand, according to my orders.” - -“Thou liest, twenty thousand are dead.” - -“’Tis true, I killed ten thousand, _fear_ carried off the remainder.” - -Shortly, and the traveller passes a tree, a mound, or a mass of ruins. -The dragoman narrates the story of confined treasures and protecting -genii, and marvels of the days long gone, and of deeds of sin, and -ends with the universal ejaculation, “God is great, and Mahomet is -his prophet.” From these people of mysteries and land of marvels the -traveller returns, and though he only narrates, for fear of shame, -the more credible of the stories he has heard, from that day forth, -poor man, his friends shake their heads, and mutter their fears that a -tropical sun has addled his brains. - -Naturally and nationally superstitious and credulous, the use of the -narcotic assists in adding to his store of legendary lore, and the -Arab or Turk becomes in himself not only a new edition of the “Arabian -Night’s Entertainments,” but it also becomes in him a living belief, -and the narration comes from his lips with all the earnestness of -positive truth, impressing itself upon the auditor as a circumstance -in which the narrator was a principal actor. And father to son, and -generation to generation, tell the tales, recount the marvels, and -swallow the haschisch of their forefathers, and Allah is praised, and -Mahomet is still “the Prophet.” - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -HUBBLE-BUBBLE. - - “This is a strange repose, to be asleep - With eyes wide open, standing, speaking, moving, - And yet so fast asleep.”——_The Tempest._ - - -The _Hubble-bubble proper_ is a smoking apparatus so contrived that -the smoke, in its passage from the point of consumption to that of -inhalation, shall pass through water, which performs the office of -a cooler. The _Hubble-bubble common_ consists of a cocoa-nut shell, -with two holes perforated in one end, at about an inch apart, through -the germinating eyes of the nut. Through these orifices the kernel -is extracted, and a wooden or bamboo tube, about nine inches long, -surmounted by a bowl, is passed in at one opening to the bottom of -the shell, which is partly filled with water, and the smoke is either -sucked from the other hole, or a tube is inserted into that opening -also, as an improvement on the ruder practice, through which to imbibe -the smoke. The hubble-bubble is used generally for smoking hemp, but in -Siam occasionally for opium. - -Smoking the hemp is indulged in, with some variations, from the course -usually pursued with tobacco. In Africa this mode of indulgence seems -to be more universal than that of the Indian weed. The inhabitants -of Ambriz seek with avidity the solace of this preparation; they, -nevertheless, appear to employ it in moderation, and are not so -passionately addicted to its influence as other native tribes—they -therefore suffer less from those pernicious effects which result from -intemperate indulgence in it. The Aboriginal method of smoking this -narcotic consists in fixing the clay bowl of a native pipe into the -centre of a large gourd, and passing it to each individual composing -the community, who in succession take several inhalations of the -smoke, which is succeeded by violent paroxysms of coughing, flushed -face, suffused eyes, and spasmodic gestures, with other symptoms -indicative of its dominant action on the system. Upon the subsidence -of this excitement, the party experience all those soothing sensations -of ease and comfort, with that pleasing languor stated to constitute -the potent charm, that renders it in such universal request. If the -inhaling process is carried beyond this stage, inebriation shortly -supervenes.[25] - -[Illustration: ABORIGINAL DAKKA PIPE OF AMBRIZ.] - -The Hottentots and Bushmen smoke the leaves of this plant, either -alone or mixed with tobacco; and as they generally indulge to excess, -invariably become intoxicated. When the Bushmen were in London -exhibiting themselves, they smoked the hemp, from pipes made from the -tusks of animals. - -The Bechuanas have a curious method of smoking the _Dacha_. Two holes -the size of the bowl of a tobacco-pipe are made in the ground about a -foot apart; between these a small stick is placed, and clay moulded -over it, the stick is then withdrawn, leaving a passage connecting -the two holes, into one of which the requisite material and a light -is introduced, and the smoking commenced by the members of the party, -each in turn lying on his face on the ground, inhaling a deep whiff, -and then drinking some water, apparently to drive the fumes downward. -It is a singular circumstance, that a similar method of smoking is -employed by certain of the tribes of India, as already described, on -the authority of Dr. Forbes Royle. - -[Illustration: EGOODU, OR SMOKING HORN, OF THE ZOOLUS.] - -Among the Zoolus the _dacha_ is placed at the end of a reed introduced -into the side of an oxhorn, which is filled with water, and the mouth -applied to the upper part of the horn. The quantity of smoke which is -inhaled through so large an opening, unconfined by a mouth-piece, often -affects the breath, and produces much coughing, notwithstanding which -the natives are very fond of it; this kind of pipe is called _Egoodu_. -Tobacco composed of the dried leaf of the wild hemp is in general use, -and has a very stupifying effect, frequently intoxicating, on which -occasions they invariably commence long and loudly to praise the king. - -Though some of the Zoolus indulge in smoking, all, without exception, -are passionately fond of snuff, which is composed of dried “dacca” -leaves mixed with burnt aloes, and powdered. No greater compliment can -be offered than to share the contents of a snuff calabash with your -neighbour. The snuff is shovelled into the palm of the hand, with a -small ivory spoon, whence it is carefully sniffed up. Worse than a Goth -would that barbarian be who would wantonly interrupt a social party -thus engaged. - -The Delagoans of the eastern coast, consider the smoking of the -“hubble-bubble” one of the greatest luxuries of life. A long hollow -reed or cane, with the lower end immersed in a horn of water, and the -upper end capped with a piece of earthenware, shaped like a thimble, -is held in the hand. They cover the top, with the exception of a small -aperture, through which, by a peculiar action of the mouth, they draw -the smoke from the pipe above by the water below; they fill the mouth, -and after having kept it some time there, eject it with violence from -the ears and nostrils. “I have often,” says Mr. Owen, “known them -giddy, and apparently half stifled from indulging in this fascinating -luxury—it produces a violent whooping and coughing, accompanied by -a profuse perspiration, and great temporary debility, and yet it is -considered by the natives highly strengthening, and is always resorted -to by them previously to undertaking a long journey, or commencing work -in the field. To the hut of an old man who was thus indulging himself, -I was attracted by the loudness of the cough it had occasioned, and as -I entered I observed that his feeble frame had almost fallen a victim -to the violent effects of the bang or dakka he was smoking. He had -thrown himself back on some faggots, and it was not until I had been -some time there that he appeared at all conscious of my presence; yet, -as soon as the half inebriated wretch had obtained sufficient strength, -he commenced his devotions to the pipe again, and by the time I quitted -the hut was reduced to the same state as that in which I had found him.” - -“I have seen the opium-eaters of Constantinople,” writes the _Times’_ -correspondent, “and the hashish-smokers of Constantine. I recollected -having a taboosh in the bazaars of Smyrna from a young Moslem whose -palsied hand and dotard head could not count the coins I offered him. -I recollect the hashish-smokers of Constantine, who were to be seen -and heard every afternoon at the bottom of the abyss which yawns under -the Adultress Rock—lean, fleshless Arabs—smoking their little pipes -of hemp-seed, chaunting and swaying their skeleton forms to and fro, -shrieking to the wild echoes of the chasm, then sinking exhausted under -the huge cactus—sights and sounds of saturnalia in purgatory.” - -Hemp, of all narcotics, appears to be the most uncertain in its -effects. It is so in the form of haschisch or alcoholic infusion, and -doubtless is so also when smoked. Professor Schroff says of it—“I -have seen patients take from one to ten, or, in one case, even so -much as thirty grains of the alcoholic extract in the course of an -evening and night, sometimes within a few hours, without producing -any particular symptoms, except some determination to the head; even -the so much wished for sleep, on account of which the remedy was -taken, was not obtained, while in other cases, one grain of the same -preparation, from the same source, produced violent symptoms, bordering -on poisoning—delirium, very rapid pulse, extreme restlessness, and -subsequently, considerable depression. I must, therefore, repeat, that -Indian hemp, and all its preparations, exhibits the greatest variety -in the degree and mode of action, according to the difference of -individuality, both in the healthy and diseased condition, that they -are, therefore, to be classed among uncertain remedies, to be used with -great caution.” - -In India, _Gunjah_ is used for smoking alone. About 180 grains and a -little dried tobacco are rubbed together in the palm of the hand with a -few drops of water. This suffices for three persons. A little tobacco -is placed in the pipe first, then a layer of the prepared Gunjah, then -more tobacco, and the fire above all. Four or five persons usually join -in this debauch. The hookah is passed round, and each person takes a -single draught. Intoxication ensues almost instantly; from one draught -to the unaccustomed, within half an hour; and after four or five -inspirations to those more practised in the vice. The effects differ -from those occasioned by drinking the _Sidhee_. Heaviness, laziness, -and agreeable reveries ensues, but the person can be readily roused, -and is able to discharge routine occupations, such as pulling the -punkah, waiting at table, and divers similar employments. - -Young America is beginning to use the “Bang,” so popular among the -Hindoos, though in rather a different manner, for young Jonathan must -in some sort be an original. It is not a “drink,” but a mixture of -bruised hemp tops and the powder of the betel, rolled up like a quid -of tobacco. It turns the lips and gums of a deep red, and if indulged -in largely, produces violent intoxication. Lager beer and schnaps will -give way for “bang,” and red lips, instead of red noses, become the -“style.” - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -SIRI AND PINANG. - - “He took and tasted, a new life - Flowed through his renovated frame; - His limbs, that late were sore and stiff, - Felt all the freshness of repose; - His dizzy brain was calmed, - The heavy aching of his lids - At once was taken off; - For Laila, from the bowers of Paradise, - Had borne the healing fruit.”——_Thalaba._ - - -The widely distributed race of Malays, occupy not only the Malayan -Peninsula, and, though not exclusively, the islands of the Indian -Archipelago, but has penetrated into Madagascar, and spreads itself -through the islands of the Pacific from New Zealand, the Society, the -Friendly Isles, and the Marquesas, to the distant Sandwich and Easter -Isles. Whatever may have been the starting point, it is essentially a -shore-dwelling race, peopling only islands, or such portions of the -continent as border the ocean, and never penetrating into the interior, -or passing the mountains running parallel to the coast. Their energies -are most conspicuous in maritime occupations, and to this predilection -their extensive diffusion may be attributed. These people, supposed by -some to have an affinity to, or alliance with the Hindoo and Chinese -races, whence they have been called Hindoo-Chinese, present as many -points of difference as of resemblance; and while some of the customs -of the inhabitants of southern or eastern Asia may be found amongst -them, they have also others peculiarly their own. The indulgence -in opium is not unknown to the Malays, but the national indulgence -of the race is the areca or betel nut, a habit characteristic of a -sea-loving people. The use of a pipe, and especially an opium-pipe, -would be a hindrance to the freedom of their motions on board their -vessels, and require a state of inactivity or repose incompatible with -a maritime life, in order to be enjoyed. This may in part account for -the prevalence of chewing tobacco in our navy, and of the “buyo” by the -Malays. - -The areca palm is one of the most beautiful of the palms of India. -It has a remarkably straight trunk, rising forty or fifty feet, with -a diameter of from six to eight inches, of nearly an equal thickness -throughout. Six or seven leaves spring from the top, of about six feet -in length, hanging downwards from a long stalk in a graceful curve. -This palm is cultivated all over India, in Cochin-China, Java, and -Sumatra, and other islands of the Archipelago, for the sake of the -nuts. The fruit is of the size and shape of a hen’s egg, and consists -of an outer, firm, fibrous rind or husk, about half an inch thick, and -an inner kernel, somewhat resembling a nutmeg in size, but more conical -in shape. Internally the resemblance to a nutmeg, with its alternate -white and brown markings, is even greater. When ripe, the fruit is of -a reddish yellow colour, hanging in clusters among the bright green -leaves. If allowed to hang until fully ripe, it falls off and sows -itself in the ground, but this is not allowed. The trees are in blossom -in March and April, and the fruits may be gathered in July and August, -when the sliced nut can be prepared from them, but they do not fully -ripen till September and October. - -The nuts vary in size, their quality, however, does not at all depend -upon this property, but upon their internal appearance when cut, -intimating the quantity of astringent matter contained in them. If the -white or medullary portion which intersects the red, or the astringent -part be small, has assumed a bluish tinge, and the astringent part is -very red, the nut is considered of good quality, but when the medullary -portion is in large quantity, the nut is considered more mature, and -not possessing so much astringency, is not deemed so valuable. - -This palm is cultivated in gardens and plantations. The latter are -usually close to the villages, and are extremely ornamental. Like the -Malays themselves, the areca palm prefers the neighbourhood of the -sea, which is most conducive to the perfection of the fruit, as the -coca shrub of the Peruvian mountaineers delights in the slopes of the -Andes. It is stated that a fertile palm will produce, on an average, -eight hundred and fifty nuts annually, the average production in the -plantation is about fourteen pounds weight for each palm, or ten -thousand pounds per acre. The price they realize to the grower is about -two shillings the hundredweight. - -The _addaca_, or betel nut, is a staple product of Travancore. In -1837 the number of trees growing there was stated in the survey to be -10,232,873, which, at the average rate named, would produce 63,000 tons -of nuts. Nearly half a million trees are in cultivation in Prince of -Wales’ Island, which would produce about 3,000 tons more. The Pedir -coast of Sumatra produces annually about 4,700 tons, of which half is -exported. The Chinese import near 3,000 tons annually, exclusive of -their supplies from Cochin-China, the amount of which is not known, -but, without doubt, more than another 3,000 tons. Many ships freighted -solely with these nuts sail yearly from the ports of Sumatra, Malacca, -and Siam. - -When there is no immediate demand for the areca nuts they are not -shelled, but preserved in the husk, to save them from the ravages of -insects, which attack them nevertheless, almost as successfully. Of the -nuts produced in Travancore, upwards of 2,000 candies,[26] prepared -nuts, are annually exported to Tinnevelly and other parts of the -country, and about 3,000,000 of ripe nuts are shipped to Bombay and -other places, exclusive of the quantity consumed in the country, and -for the inland trade. - -From the report of P. Shungoomry Menowen, we derive the following -account of the preparation of the nuts. There are various kinds in use. -That used by families of rank is collected while the fruit is tender; -the husk, or outer pod, is removed, the kernel, a round fleshy mass, is -boiled in water. In the first boiling of the nut, when properly done, -the water becomes red, thick, and starch like, and this is afterwards -evaporated into a substance like catechu. The boiled nuts being now -removed, sliced, and dried, the catechu-like substance is rubbed -thereto, and dried again in the sun, when they become of a shining -black colour, and are ready for use. Whole nuts, without being sliced, -are also prepared in the same form for use. Ripe nuts, as well as young -nuts in the raw state, are used by all classes of people, and ripe nuts -preserved in water are also used by the higher classes. - -Nuts prepared in Travancore for exportation to Trichinopoly, Madura, -and Coimbatore, are prepared in thin slices, coloured with red catechu -or uncoloured. For Tinnevelly and other parts of the country, the nuts -are prepared by merely cutting them into two or three slices and drying -them. For Bombay, and other parts of the Northern Country, the nuts are -exported in the form of whole nuts dried with the pods. - -The nut is chewed by both sexes indiscriminately in Malabar as well -as on the Coromandel coast. In Malabar they mix it with betel leaf, -chunam, and tobacco; but in Tinnevelly and other parts, tobacco is -never added. The three ingredients for the betel, as commonly used, -are, the sliced nut, the leaf of the betel pepper, in which the nut is -rolled, and chunam, or powdered lime, which is smeared over the leaf. - -The areca nut is commonly known by the Malay name of _Pinang_, but in -the Acheenese language it is called _Penu_, and the palm producing it -_Ba Penu_. The ripe nut is called also _Penu massa_, and the green -_Penu mudr_. The leaf of the betel pepper is called either _Ranu_ or -_Siri_, and the lime _Chunam_ or _Gapu_. Tobacco, when used, is called -_Bakun_. - -In China, the principal consumption of the nut as a masticatory is -in the provinces of Quangton, Quang-se, and Che-keang; and it may be -seen exposed for sale on little stalls about the suburbs of Canton -with the other additional articles used in its consumption. It is also -used in dyeing. In the central provinces of Hoo-kwang and Kang-si the -nut is, after being bruised and pounded, mixed with the green food of -horses as a preventive against diarrhœa, to which some kinds of food -subjects them. The Chinese state that it is used as a domestic medicine -in the North of China, some pieces being boiled, and the decoction -administered. From them is also prepared a kind of cutch, or catechu, -which is exported in great quantities, and is now used largely in this -country, together with other kinds, as a tanning and dyeing material. - -In Ceylon these instruments are used: the Girri (No. 1.) for cutting -the areca nut, and the Wanggedi (No. 2) and Moolgah (No. 3), a kind of -mortar and pestle for mincing and intimately mixing the ingredients -together. - -[Illustration: - No. 1. - GIRRI, FOR CUTTING ARECA. - - No. 2. No. 3 - - WANGGEDI OR MORTAR AND MOOLGAH OR PESTLE - FOR MIXING THE INGREDIENTS.] - -In Virginia, tobacco was at one period used as a currency at a fixed -value per pound. In Peru, the labourer is paid in coca, and in the -Philippines, betel rolls have been used in the same manner as a -currency. To the Malay it is as important as meat and drink, and many -would rather forego the latter than their favourite _Pinang_. The -same thing might also be said of the inveterate quidder of tobacco; -we remember one of this description, who for years used one ounce per -day, and declared often that he had rather be deprived of his dinner -than his quid, although he liked both. Without his leaf, the confirmed -“coquero” is the most miserable of beings, and when deprived of his -customary pipe, the opium-smoker becomes sullen, ill, and utterly -incapacitated for his employment. Habits of indulgence of this kind, -when once commenced, are not so easily thrown off. It has been said -that a “coquero” was never reclaimed from the use of his coca. - -No estimate can be given of the absolute quantity of areca nuts which -are used as a masticatory. Johnston calculates that they are chewed -by not less than fifty millions of people, which, at the rate of ten -pounds per year, or less than half an ounce per day, would amount to -two hundred and twenty thousand tons, or five hundred millions of -pounds, a quantity greater than that of any other narcotic except -tobacco. - -Areca nuts have been strung and made into walking sticks,[27] and, in -this country, turned and formed into ornamental bracelets, as well as -burnt into charcoal for tooth powder. We have engirdled the earth with -pig-tail, let us apply the same kind of calculation to the estimated -annual consumption of areca nuts, and strung together in the form of a -bracelet, we have a string 505,050 miles in length, enough to go round -the world 21 times; or, supposing these nuts to be arranged side by -side, they would cover a road fourteen feet wide for the distance of -not less than 3,000 miles. If arranged in like manner in the form of a -square, they would occupy at least 5,000 acres of land. - -The areca palm has given its name to the island of Penang, not from -its growing there in larger numbers, or more luxuriant than elsewhere, -but because it was the tree chiefly cultivated by the Malays who first -occupied the island. It now better deserves the title, being the -emporium for the betel nut raised on the east coast of Sumatra. - -In Sumatra many of the common drinking and baking utensils in the -boats, and vessels for holding water, not dissimilar to those made by -the Australian natives from the bark of the gum trees, are made from -the spathe of this palm, it is also nailed upon the bottoms of the -boats, and often small bunches of the abortive fruit may be seen placed -as an ornament at the stem and bows of the native vessels. The male -flowers are deliciously fragrant, and are in request in the island -of Borneo on all festive occasions; they are considered a necessary -ingredient in the medicines and charms employed for healing the sick. -In Malabar an inebriating lozenge is prepared from the sap of this palm. - -Manuel Blanco thinks that the areca might be used for making red ink, -and it is not improbable that it is thus employed in India. With other -combinations it makes black ink of moderate quality. The lower part of -the petiole is used for wrapping instead of paper, for which purpose -it is sold in the Philippines. The heart of the leaves is eaten as a -salad, and has not a bad flavour. The convicts confined in the Andaman -Islands masticate the nuts of another species of areca. The Nagas and -Abors of Eastern Bengal, use those of a third species, and the natives -of the mountainous districts of Malabar those of a fourth. There are -about twenty species of the areca genus, of which several are thus used. - -When betel nuts are scarce in the Philippines, the natives substitute -the bark of the Guayabo and the Antipolo. - -It is confidently affirmed to us, that in Ceylon the natives sometimes -masticate the roots of the cocoa-nut palm, instead of, and as a -substitute for, the areca nut, and that it answers the purpose very -well. - -The root of a plant known botanically as _Derris pinnata_, is also -occasionally used amongst certain Asiatics, in the same manner, in -cases of deficiences in the supply of genuine betel. - -The consumption of the areca-nut being confined to an area of no -very wide extent, and that principally in the neighbourhood of the -producing countries, or _in_ those countries themselves, the necessity -for providing a substitute does not often arise; hence, those of which -we have any knowledge, as having been at all generally used for that -purpose, are confined to two or three substances. Some years, however, -are not so productive as others, and instances have occurred in which -the average price of areca nuts for mastication has been doubled. If -the Yankees persist in their betel and hemp chewing propensities, which -have lately been developed amongst them, probably the Chinese and Malay -will have to pay a higher price for their nuts, or provide something -which shall thenceforth fulfil its duties, and we may hear of other -substitutes. - -Ardent as the admirers of the areca may be in their admiration of the -“buyo,” we have never seen more than one translation of a Malayan -poem in which the masticatory was extolled, and this, unfortunately, -we are unable to present to our readers. The gods have either not made -the votaries of betel so poetical as the servants of the pipe, or -the paeans in praise thereof are locked up from us in the cabalistic -characters of their national language. The unmistakable marks left -by the habit on the lips, teeth, and gums, are certainly extolled by -them as marks of beauty. In the poem already referred to, the lover -addresses his mistress in praise of the redness of her teeth and lips, -and the fragrant odour of her breath, produced by the sweet “buyo” -secreted in the hollow of her cheek. White teeth are therefore held in -abomination, and as this is also the opinion of certain African tribes, -who stain theirs with the juice of flowers, ours _must_ be a barbarous -nation to respect such albino masticators. - - * * * * * - - N.B.—The average annual export of areca nuts from Ceylon is 50,000 - cwts., and the price a fraction below 20s. per cwt. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -UNDER THE PALMS. - - “A wind blew warm from the east, and it lifted its arms hopelessly; - and when the wind, love-laden with most subtle sweetness, lingered, - loth to fly, the palm stood motionless upon its little green mound, - and the flowers were so fresh and fair, and the leaves of the trees so - deeply hued, and the native fruit so golden and glad upon the boughs, - that the still warm garden air seemed only the silent, voluptuous - sadness of the tree; and had I been a poet my heart would have melted - in song for the proud, pining palm.”——G. W. CURTIS. - - -Two species of a kind of pepper vine are extensively cultivated, -with the areca palm, in all the countries of the East where chewing -the betel is indulged in. These belong to the same family of plants -as those producing the common black pepper and the long pepper of -commerce. They are known to botanists as _Chavica betle_ and _Chavica -siraboa_. They are similar in their habits, being trailing plants, -with some resemblance to the ivy, but more tender and fragile. The -betel palms may be often seen with the pepper, climbing and twining -around their tall, straight, slender trunks, or they are trained about -poles of bamboo in the manner of hops in the hop gardens of Kent. -Almost every one with a piece of land cultivates the pepper for his -own consumption. In the markets incredible quantities of the leaves -are offered for sale, in piles carried about in baskets. In Northern -India, sheds are constructed for the growth of the pepper. These are -from twenty to fifty yards in length, and eight or twelve broad, of -bamboo, to shelter the plants from the sun. Great attention is paid to -the cultivation, and the plants are carefully attended to, and cleaned -every morning. - -Betel leaf cannot be preserved in a sound state beyond eight days -without preparation, but by being prepared over a fire, and rolled into -balls, in which state it is called _chenai_, it will keep a year, only -the quality is much deteriorated. In Penang the old men carry about -with them a sort of metal tube, having a ramrod-looking pestle, with -which they busy themselves in pounding the mixture for chewing. The -young daily make nut-crackers of their jaws, and although the mixture, -perhaps, rather tends to preserve the teeth, still the exercise on -the nut must be a little too violent for them, and the Malays say it -injures the sight. The Chinese are not much addicted to the use of the -betel. - -The consumption of betel by the inhabitants of Penang and Province -Wellesley may be stated at 6,211,440 bundles of 100 leaves each, equal -in value to 31,057 Spanish dollars, which would be the produce of 98 -orlongs of land, or about 130 acres, planted regularly. But allowing -for the various distances given by different cultivators between the -plants 110 orlongs may be assumed, or about 147 acres. - -The Chinese colonists of Singapore used the leaves of the common -pepper, instead of those of the betel pepper in compounding this -masticatory. - -The Ava pepper, or _Macropiper methysticum_, is even more celebrated -for its narcotic properties than the two just referred to. This plant -has a thick aromatic wood stalk, and a large root, and cordate or -heart-shaped leaves. It is a native of the Society, Friendly, and -Sandwich Islands, where it is largely consumed. Macerated in water, the -stems and root form an intoxicating beverage, and the leaves are used -with the areca nut and lime, in the same manner as the leaves of the -other peppers.[28] - -Mariner gives an account, in his “History of the Tonga Islands,” of the -use of this plant. The root is split up with an axe into small pieces, -and after being scraped clean with mussel shells, is handed out to -those in attendance to be chewed. There is then a buzz in the assembly, -contrasting curiously with the silence which reigned before, several -crying out, “Give me some cava! give me cava,” each of those who intend -to chew it crying out for some to be handed to him. No one offers to -chew the cava but young persons who have good teeth, clean mouths, and -no colds. Women frequently assist. It is astonishing how remarkably dry -they preserve the root during the process of mastication. In about two -minutes, each person having chewed his quantity, takes it out of his -mouth with his hand, and puts it on a piece of plantain or banana leaf, -or he raises the leaf to his mouth, and puts it off from his tongue, -in the form of a ball of tolerable consistence. The different portions -of cava being now chewed, which is known by the silence that ensues, a -large wooden bowl is placed on the ground before the man who is to make -the infusion. Each person passes up his portion of the chewed root, -which is placed in the bowl, wherein they are laid in such a manner -that each portion is distinct and separate from the rest, till the -whole inside of the bowl becomes studded, from the bottom up to the -rim, on every side. The man, before whom the bowl is placed, now tilts -it up a little towards the chief, that he may see the quantity of its -contents, saying, “This is the cava chewed.” If the chief thinks there -is enough, he says, “Cover it over, and let there come a man here.” The -bowl is covered over with a plantain or banana leaf, if there is not -enough, and a man fetches more root to be chewed. If there is enough, -the chief says “mix.” The two men, who sit on each side of him, who is -to prepare the cava, now come forward a little, and making a half turn, -sit opposite to each other, the bowl being between them, one of these -fans off the flies with a large leaf, while the other sits ready to -pour in the water from cocoa-nut shells, one at a time. - -Before this is done, however, the man who is about to mix, having first -rinsed his hands with a little of the water, kneads together the chewed -root, gathering it up from all sides of the bowl, and compressing it -together. Upon this an attendant says, “Pour in the water,” and the man -on one side of the bowl continues pouring, fresh shells being handed -to him, until the attendant thinks there is sufficient, and says, -“Stop the water.” The mixture is stirred together at the command of -the attendant, who then says, “Put in the fow,” which is the bark of -a tree stripped into small fibres, and has the appearance of willow -shavings. A large quantity of this substance, enough to cover the whole -surface of the infusion, is now put in by one of those seated beside -the bowl, and it floats upon the surface. The man who manages the bowl -now begins his difficult operation. In the first place, he extends his -left hand to the further side of the bowl, with the fingers pointing -downwards and the palm towards himself; he sinks that hand carefully -down the side of the bowl, carrying with it the edge of the fow; at the -same time his right hand is performing a similar operation at the side -next to him, the fingers pointing downwards and the palm presenting -outwards. He does this slowly from side to side, gradually descending -deeper and deeper, till his fingers meet each other at the bottom, so -that nearly the whole of the fibres of the root are by these means -enclosed in the fow, forming, as it were, a roll of about two feet in -length, lying along the bottom from side to side, the edges of the -fow meeting each other underneath. He now carefully rolls it over, so -that the edges overlapping each other, or rather intermingling, come -uppermost. He next doubles in the two ends and rolls it carefully over -again, endeavouring to reduce it to a narrower and firmer compass. He -now brings it cautiously out of the fluid, taking firm hold by the two -ends, and raising it breast high, with his arms extended; by a series -of movements the mass is more and more twisted and compacted together, -while the infusion drains from it in a regular decreasing quantity, -till, at length, it denies a single drop. He now gives it to the person -on his left side and receives fresh fow from the one on the right. The -operation is again renewed, with a view to collect what might before -have escaped him, and even a third time till no dregs are left which -this process can remove. - -During the above operation, various people are employed in making -cava cups from the unexpanded leaves of the banana, folded and tied -in a peculiar manner. The infusion being strained, the performance -generally occupying a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes, the man at -the bowl calls out, “The cava is clear.” The infusion is now filled -into the cups by means of a bundle of fow which is dipped into the -bowl, and when replete with the liquid, held over the cup, and being -compressed, the liquid runs out till the cup is filled. With certain -other ceremonies the cups are passed round amongst the company. - -From this account it will be seen that the beverage is drank -immediately after it is prepared, without being in any manner -fermented, its intoxicating and narcotic properties must, therefore, be -due to the root. This liquor is indulged in to a large extent in the -islands of Oceanica, where the natives are generally passionately fond -of it. - -Another substance entering into the composition of the “buyo” is the -extract of the leaves of the gambir (_Uncaria gambir_). There are -different qualities of extract: the first and best is white, brittle, -and has an earthy appearance when rubbed between the fingers, which -earthy appearance gave it the name of Terra Japonica, being supposed, -at first, also, to come from Japan, and is formed into very small round -cakes. This is the most expensive kind, and most refined, but it is -not unfrequently adulterated with sago; this kind is brought in the -greatest quantity from the island of Sumatra. The second quality is of -a brownish yellow colour, is formed into oblong cakes, and when broken -has a light brown earthy appearance; it is also made into a solid cubic -form; it is sold in the bazaars in small packets, each containing five -or six. The third quality contains more impurities than the preceding, -is formed in small circular cakes, and sold, in packages of five or -six, in the bazaars. - -The method employed in making the extract is thus described in the -_Singapore Chronicle_:—The leaves are collected three or four times a -year; they are thrown into a large cauldron, the bottom of which is -formed of iron, the upper part of bark and boiled for five or six -hours, until a strong decoction is inspissated, it is then allowed to -cool, when the extract subsides. The water is drawn off, a soft, soapy -substance remains, which is cut into large masses; these are further -divided by a knife into small cubes, about an inch square, or into -still smaller pieces, which are laid in frames to dry. This catechu -has more of a granular uniform appearance than that of Bengal, it is, -perhaps, also less pure. The younger leaves of the shrub are said to -produce the whitest and best gambir, the older a brown and inferior -sort. The men employed in the gambir plantations generally indulge -freely in the use of opium. - -Another extract made in India from the wood of _Acacia Catechu_,[29] -and which bears the name of Cutch or “Kutt,” is used in combination -with the betel nut. The trees are cut down, and the heart-wood chopped -and boiled in water, strained off, and evaporated. This is poured into -clay moulds and dried in the sun. Dr. Hooker gives a sketch from the -life of one of the native “Kutt” makers of India:—— - -“At half-past eight a.m. it suddenly fell calm, and we proceeded to -Chakuchee, the native carts breaking down in their passage over the -projecting beds of flinty rocks, or as they hurried down the inclined -planes which cut through the precipitous banks of the streams. Near -Chakuchee we passed an alligator, just killed by two men—a foul beast -about nine feet long, and of the Mager kind. More interesting than -its natural history was the painful circumstance of its having just -swallowed a child that was playing in the water, while its mother was -washing her domestic utensils in the river. The brute was hardly dead, -much distended by its prey, and the mother standing beside it. A very -touching group was this! the parent with hands clasped in agony, unable -to withdraw her eyes from the cursed reptile, which still clung to life -with that tenacity for which its tribe is so noted, and beside her the -two men leaning on their bloody bamboo staves with which they had all -but despatched the animal. - -“The poor woman who had lost her child earns a scanty maintenance by -making catechu. She inhabits a little cottage, and has no property but -her two oxen to bring wood from the hills, and a very few household -chattels, and how few these are is known only to persons who have -seen the meagre furniture of the Dangha hovels. Her husband cuts the -trees in the forest and drags them to the hut, but he is now sick, and -her only son, her future stay, was he whose end is just related. Her -daily food is rice, with beans from the beautiful flowered dolichos, -trailing round the cottage, and she is in debt to the contractor, who -has advanced her two rupees, to be worked off in three months, by -the preparation of 240 lbs. of catechu. The present was her second -husband, an old man; by him she never had any children, and in this -respect alone did the poor creature think herself very unfortunate, -for her poverty she did not feel. Rent to the Rajah, tax to the -police, and rates to the Brahminee priest, are all paid from an acre -of land, yielding so wretched a crop of barley, that it more resembled -a fallow field than a harvest field. All day long she is boiling down -the catechu-wood cut into chips, and pouring the decoction into large -wooden troughs, where it is inspissated.” - -From the areca nut another kind of catechu is prepared, which is -generally preferred as a masticatory. Heyne thus describes the process -of its manufacture, “Areca nuts are taken as they come from the tree, -and boiled for some hours in an iron vessel. They are then taken out -and the remaining water is inspissated by continued boiling. This -process furnishes _kassu_, or most stringent _terra japonica_, which is -black, and mixed with paddy husks and other impurities. After the nuts -are dried, they are put in a fresh quantity of water, boiled again, -and the water, being inspissated like the former, yields the best or -dearest kind of catechu, called _coury_. It is yellowish brown, has an -earthy fracture, and is free from the admixture of foreign bodies.” It -is probable that the flat round cakes, covered with paddy husks, met -with in commerce is the _kassu_ of Heyne. - -The husk which surrounds the nut, and which is of a fibrous nature, -resembling the coir of the cocoa nut is thrown away by tons, and -allowed to rot. This substance has lately been experimented upon for -the manufacture of paper, for which purpose it appears to be available, -and, as there is no want of the raw material, perhaps at some future -time it will become utilized as extensively as the “coir” of Ceylon. - -The Bombay catechu is obtained from _Acacia catechu_, and the Bengal -catechu from _Uncaria Gambir_. The Bombay produce is of a dark brownish -red colour, and is stated to be the richer of the two in tannin. The -Bombay variety is commonly called “cutch,” while the Bengal produce -is of a lighter brown colour, and is termed “terra.” Catechu of good -quality is also obtained from Pegu. - -The catechu exported from Madras to England, Bombay, France, and Ceylon -was— - - 1853-4— 484 cwt. valued at £199 4s. - 1864-5—1,364 ” ” 698 8 - 1855-6—2,908 ” ” 2,297 2 - part of 1856-7— 658 ” ” 270 8 - —————— ————————- - Or in 3½ years—5,414 ” ” £4,265 2 - -But this is only a small proportion of the catechu consumed in England -alone, since in 1849 we imported 169,140 cwts. of that substance for -tanning purposes, and the quantity has since increased. - -The totals of cutch and gambier imported in - - 1856 was 8,536 tons. - 1857 ” 11,047 ” - 1858 ” 11,205 ” - 1859 ” 13,762 ” - -Of this quantity we exported in— - - 1856—1,031 tons. - 1857—1,427 ” - 1858— 974 ” - 1859—1,809 ” - -These articles, therefore, make no insignificant item in our East -Indian trade, which, valued at the intermediate rate of 15s. and 30s. -per cwt., would amount to the sum of £153,375 in 1858. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -CHEWING THE COON. - - “It ascends me into the brain, dries me there all the foolish, and - dull, and crudy vapours which environ it; makes it apprehensive, - quick, forgetive, full of nimble, fiery, and delectable shapes, which, - delivered over to the voice (the tongue), which is the birth, becomes - excellent wit.”——_Sir John Falstaff._ - - -“In Burmah,” says Howard Malcolm, “almost every one, male and female, -chews the singular mixture called _coon_, and the lacquered or gilded -box containing the ingredients is borne about on all occasions. The -quid consists of a slice of areca nut, a small piece of cutch, and -some tobacco rolled up in a leaf of betel pepper, on which has been -smeared a little tempered quicklime. It creates profuse saliva, and so -fills up the mouth that they seem to be chewing food. It colours the -mouth deep red, and the teeth, if not previously blackened, assume the -same colour. From the combination of the three ingredients this colour -seems to proceed, since the leaf and nut, without the lime, fail to -produce it. This hue, communicated to the mouth and lips, is esteemed -ornamental, and an agreeable odour is imparted to the breath. The -juice is usually, though not always, swallowed. A curious circumstance -connected with the expectoration of the red juice is related at -Manilla, where it is narrated with strong protestations and firm belief -in its veracity. - -Some years ago a ship from Spain arrived in the port of Manilla. Among -the passengers was a young doctor from Madrid, who had gone to the -Philippines with the design of settling in the colony and pushing his -fortune by means of his profession. On the morning after he had landed, -our doctor sallied forth for a walk on the pasco. He had not proceeded -far when his attention was attracted to a young girl, a native, who was -walking a few paces ahead of him. He observed that every now and then -the girl stooped her head towards the pavement which was straightway -spotted with blood. Alarmed on the girl’s account, our doctor walked -rapidly after her, observing that she still continued to expectorate -blood at intervals as she went. Before he could come up with her the -girl had reached her home, a humble cottage in the suburbs, into which -she entered. The doctor followed close upon her heels, and summoning -her father and mother, directed them to send immediately for the priest -as their daughter had not many hours to live. The distracted parents, -having learned the profession of their visitor, immediately acceded to -his request. The child was put to bed in extreme affright, having been -told what was about to befal her. The nearest padre was brought, and -everything was arranged to smooth the journey of her soul through the -passes of purgatory. The doctor plied his skill to the utmost, but in -vain. In less than twenty-four hours the girl was dead. - -As up to that time the young Indian had always enjoyed excellent -health, the doctor’s prognostication was regarded as an evidence -of great and mysterious skill. The fame of it soon spread through -Manilla, and in a few hours the newly-arrived physician was beleagured -with patients, and in a fair way of accumulating a fortune. In the -midst of all this, some one had the curiosity to ask the doctor how he -could possibly have predicted the death of the girl, seeing that she -had been in perfect health a few hours before. “Predict it,” replied -the doctor, “why, sir, I saw her spit blood enough to have killed her -half a dozen times.” - -“Blood! how did you know it was blood?” - -“How! from the colour, how else?” - -“But every one spits red in Manilla.” - -The doctor, who had already observed this fact, and was labouring under -some uneasiness in regard to it, refused to make any further confession -at the time, but he had said enough to elucidate the mystery. The thing -soon spread throughout the city, and it became clear to every one that -what the new _medico_ had taken for blood, was nothing else than the -red juice of the buyo, and that the poor girl had died from the fear -of death caused by his prediction. His patients now fled from him -as speedily as they had congregated; and to avoid the ridicule that -awaited him, as well as the indignation of the friends of the deceased -girl, our doctor was fain to escape from Manilla, and return to Spain -in the same ship that had brought him out. - -The ladies who work in the government cigar factory at Manilla, -all, more or less, chew the betel nut, and any one daring enough to -disregard the warning not to touch anything, when passing as a visitor -through the rooms, must stand the assault from the mouths of a hundred -or two of these dames, in the shape of a deluge of the decoction of -this nut. The captain of an American vessel at Manilla, although warned -of the consequences, with American impudence, infringed the rule, and -paid the penalty. He was compelled to beat a retreat, and being dressed -in the white garb of the East, resembled a spotted leopard, in the room -of a free and enlightened citizen of the great Republic. - -The mastication of the betel is considered very wholesome by those -who are in the habit of using it, and it may be so, but the black -appearance it gives to the teeth, although it is said to be an -excellent preserver of them, together with the brick red lips and -mouth, cause anything but an agreeable appearance. Its use certainly -does not impart additional beauty to the native females, who habituate -themselves to an extent equal to that of the opposite sex. - -The custom, Marsden states, is universal among the Sumatrans, who -carry the ingredients constantly about them, and serve them to their -guests on all occasions; the prince in a gold stand, and the poor man -in a brass box or mat bag. The betel-stands of the better ranks of -people are usually of silver, embossed with rude figures. The Sultan of -Moco-Moco was presented with one by the India Company with their arms -upon it, and he possesses another besides, of gold filagree. The form -of the stand is the frustum of an hexagonal pyramid, reversed, about -six or eight inches in diameter. It contains many smaller vessels, -fitted to the angles, for holding the nut, leaf, and chunam, with -places for the instruments employed in cutting the first, and spatulas -for spreading the last. - -Captain Wilkes also describes that of the Sultan of Sooloo. “On the -left hand of the Sultan sat his two sons, on the right his councillors, -while immediately behind him sate the carrier of his betelnut casket. -The casket was made of filagree silver, about the size of a small -tea-caddy, of oblong shape, and rounded at the top. It had three -divisions, one for the nut, another for the leaf, and a third for the -lime. Next to this official was the pipe-bearer, who did not appear to -be held in equal estimation.” - -A circumstance is also narrated in connection with the son of this same -Sultan, which exhibits the use of betel in another phase. This son, -shortly after taking a few whiffs from the opium-pipe was overcome, and -became stupid and listless. When partially recovered, he called for -his betel nut to revive him by its exciting effects, and counteract -the influence of the opium. The pinang or buyo was carefully chewed by -his attendant to a proper consistency, moulded into a ball, and then -slipped into his mouth. Hence we may learn two things. First, that -chewing the betel counteracts the ill effects of an over-dose of opium. -Secondly, that it is extremely convenient to have an attendant with -a good set of teeth, since he could not only masticate betel nut for -you, and relieve you from a large amount of labour; but in the event of -your joint not being so tender as it should be, the amount of milling -to be expended at dinner could be divided between you, the attendant -masticating the tough dishes, and yourself the tender, and thus, -by division of labour, a good dinner could be procured with little -expenditure of your own muscular strength. - -In Sumatra, when the first salutation is over, which consists in -bending the body, and the inferior putting his joined hands between -those of the superior, and then lifting them to his forehead, the -betel is presented as a token of hospitality and an act of politeness. -To omit it on the one hand, or to reject it on the other would be an -affront, as it would be, likewise, in a man of subordinate rank to -address a great man without the precaution of chewing it before he -spoke. - -The Tagali maidens, says Meyen, regard it as a proof of the uprightness -of the intentions of a lover, and of the strength of his affection, if -he takes the buyo from his mouth. In Luçon, a little box or dish is -kept in every house, in which are kept the betel rolls prepared for the -day’s consumption, and there a buyo, or betel roll, is offered to every -one who enters, just as a pinch of snuff or a pipe might be with us. -Making the buyo is a part of the occupation of the females, who may be -seen in the forenoon stretched on the ground rolling them. Enough for -the day’s consumption is generally carried, in a siri box of metal or -japanned ware, by those whose occupations call them from home; every -one who can afford the expense, puts a fresh roll in his mouth every -hour, which he continues to chew and suck for about half an hour or -more. - -Betel holds an important place in the marriage ceremonies of the -Tagals. When once a young man has informed his father and mother that -he has a predilection for a young Indian girl, his parents pay a visit -to the young girl’s parents upon some fine evening, and after some -very ordinary chat, the mamma of the young man offers a piastre to the -mamma of the young lady. Should the future mother-in-law accept, the -young lover is admitted, and then his future mother-in-law is sure to -go and spend the very same piastre in betel and cocoa wine. During the -greater portion of the night, the whole company assembled upon the -occasion, chews betel, drinks cocoa wine, and discusses upon all other -subjects but marriage. The young men never make their appearance till -the piastre has been accepted, because in that case they look upon it -as being the _avant-courrier_, that is, the first and most essential -step towards their marriage. - -During the fast of Ramadan, the Mahometans abstain from the use of the -betel while the sun continues above the horizon, but, except at this -time, it is the constant luxury of both sexes from an early period of -childhood till old age, when, becoming toothless, they are unable to -masticate the nut, and are reduced to the alternative of having all -the ingredients previously reduced to the form of a paste for them, so -that, without effort, they may dissolve in the mouth. - -When Lady Raffles had reached Merambung in Sumatra, being much fatigued -with walking, and the rest of the party having dispersed in various -directions, she lay down under the shade of a tree, when a Malay girl -approached, with great grace of manner, and on being asked if she -wanted anything, replied, “No! but as you were quite alone, I thought -you might like to have a little talk, so I came to offer you some -_siri_ (betel), and sit beside you.” - -The darker the teeth the more beautiful is a Siamese belle considered; -and in order that their gums should be of a brilliant red, to form -a pleasant contrast to the black lips and teeth, they resort to the -pastime of chewing betel from morning till night. The constituents of -the betel being rolled up into something very much like a sailor’s -quid, it is then thrust into the lady’s cheek, and is munched, and -crunched, and chewed so long as the slightest flavour is to be -extracted, and, as they never swallow the juice, the results are very -detrimental to the cleanliness of the floors of the houses, and of -themselves generally. They commonly make use of two such quids during -the day, and this mixture has the effect of dyeing their gums and the -whole of the palate and tongue of a blood-red colour. Old crones, and -very ancient _chronoses_ (for both men and women use the betel), who -have no longer any teeth to masticate the mixture with, are attended by -servants, who have a species of small pestle and mortar always about -them, wherein they reduce the betel into a proper form for the delicate -gums of their aged patrons.[30] - -The betel pepper is cultivated at Zanzibar, where the use of betel -prevails, as it does at the Comoro Islands and at Bombay. But the -custom is not in vogue in Arabia. The betel palm is also grown for the -sake of its fruits in the island of Zanzibar. - -The habit of masticating betel nut in combination with hemp has of late -come into vogue in the United States of America, and doubtless Brother -Jonathan will soon eclipse Malaya in his predilection for the “buyo.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -OUR LADY OF YONGAS. - - And all my days are trances; - And all my nightly dreams - Are where thy dark eye glances, - And where thy footstep gleams: - In what etherial dances, - By what eternal streams. - - E. A. POE. - - -To the Peruvian the province of Yongas de la Paz in the North-East -of Bolivia is an El Dorado, because _there_ grows in the greatest -profusion and luxuriance his favorite Coca. We may look with delight -towards the island of Ceylon, and, in imagination, snuff the fragrant -breezes that have passed over the cinnamon groves and coffee -plantations; or direct the gaze of our children across the map of the -world to South-Eastern China, and inform them that from thence our -good dames receive their tea; and thence to the United States, and add -that from this place their worthy sires receive the greater part of -their tobacco. But the affections of the Peruvian are not so divided; -they are located upon one spot, and _that_ the province of the “warm -valleys,” or the Yungas de la Paz; there dwells his patron saint, and -from thence _he_ receives the “keys of Paradise.” - -At the time of the conquest the Coca was only used by the Incas, and -those of the royal, or rather solar, blood. It was cultivated for the -monarch and for the solemnities of their religion; none might raise it -to his mouth, unless he had rendered himself worthy by his services to -partake of this honour with his sovereign. The plant was looked upon as -an image of divinity, and no one entered the enclosures where it was -cultivated without bending the knee in adoration. The divine sacrifices -made at that period were thought not to be acceptable to Heaven, unless -the victims were crowned with branches of this tree. The oracles -made no reply, and auguries were terrible if the priest did not chew -_coca_ at the time of consulting them. It was an unheard of sacrilege -to invoke the shades of the departed great without wearing the plant -in token of respect, and the Coyas and Mamas who were supposed to -preside over gold and silver, rendered the mines impenetrable unless -propitiated by it. In the course of time its use extended, and -gradually became the companion of the whole Indian population. To this -plant the native recurred for relief in his greatest distress; no -matter whether want or disease oppressed him, or whether he sought the -favours of Fortune or Love, he found consolation in the “divine plant.” - -The word by which this plant is known has been referred, for its -etymology, to the Aymara language, in which _Khoka_ signifies _tree_ or -_plant_. It is known that the shrub producing the Matè or Paraguay tea, -the favourite beverage of many South American nations, is called _la -Yerba_, i.e. _the plant_. As also in Mexico tobacco was called _yetl_, -and by the Peruvians _Sagri_, meaning in those languages _the herb_, so -we, occasionally, are apt to designate the latter article _the weed_. -Showing, that to those persons or nations who have appropriated such -names, trivial in themselves, to the different articles of consumption, -these plants were in themselves pre-eminent in the vegetable creation, -as, in another instance, we have shown our appreciation of one book -above all others, century after century, by the simple designation of -_The Book_. - -In Europe, the historians of the conquest gave the first information -of the sacred plant of the Peruvians; this was, however, merely -superficial. In 1569, Monardes, and in 1605 Clusius, wrote concerning -it, but the leaves of the plant itself were not seen until brought over -by one of the companions of La Condamine, Joseph de Jussieu, who nearly -lost his life in 1749, while crossing the Cordilleras in search of this -plant. He was compelled to cross the mountains, covered as they were -with snow, on foot, descending by means of paths cut out like ladders, -and overhanging frightful precipices. The intensity of the sun’s -rays, reflected by the snow, caused him the most distressing pains in -the eyes, and almost blinded him, but the success of his expedition -consoled him for the misfortunes that he had endured. - -This shrub rises to the height of from four to eight feet, the stem -covered with whitish tubercles, which appear to be formed of two curved -lines set face to face. The leaves are oblong, and acute at each end, -from an inch and a half to two inches in length. The leaves are the -only parts used, for which purpose they are collected and dried. The -shrub is found wild in Peru, according to Pöppig, in the environs of -Cuchero, and on the stony summit of the Cerro de San Christobal. It is -cultivated extensively in the mild, but very moist climate of the Andes -of Peru, at from 2,000 to 5,000 feet above the sea level; in colder -situations it is apt to be killed, and in warmer to lose the flavour -of the leaf. - -The coca plant is propagated from seed sown in nursery beds and -carefully watered. When about sixteen or eighteen inches high they -are transplanted into plantations called _cocals_, in terraces upon -the sides of the mountains. At the end of a year and a half the plant -affords its first crop, and from this period to the age of forty years -or more it continues to yield a supply. Instances have been noticed -of coca plantations that have existed for near a century; but the -greatest abundance of leaves is obtained from plants between the third -and sixth years. There are four gatherings in the season; the first -takes place at the period of flowering, and consists of the lower -leaves only. These are larger and less finely flavoured than those -afterwards collected, and are mostly consumed at once. The next and -most abundant harvest takes place in March; the third and most scanty, -in June or July, and the last in November. The leaves are collected -similarly to those of tea. Women and children are employed for this -purpose. The gatherer squats down, and holding the branch with one -hand, plucks from it the leaves, one by one, with the other. These -are deposited in a cloth, from which they are afterwards collected -into sacks to be conveyed from the plantation. The sacks of leaves -are carried to the _haciendas_, where they are spread upon a floor of -black slate to dry in the sun. They are then packed up in bales made -of banana leaf, closely pressed together, each bale containing on an -average twenty-four pounds. The price realised to the cultivator is one -shilling per pound. - -Dr. Weddell endeavoured to obtain reliable information as to the -quantity of coca cultivated and collected in the province of Yongas, -and states, as a result, that the annual produce is about 400,000 -bales, or 9,600,000 Spanish pounds. There is also a large cultivation, -not only in other parts of Bolivia, and in Peru, but also in parts -of Brazil, so that this cannot represent more than half the amount -of the annual consumption of coca. It is true that Pöppig estimated -fifteen millions of pounds as the quantity consumed, but this would -be too small. On the other hand, Johnston estimates the consumption -at thirty millions of pounds; this is, probably, erring rather on the -contrary side. Of this quantity he estimates the value at one million -and a half sterling, and concludes that the chewing of coca is indulged -in by about ten millions of the human race. This again is rather a -“long bow;” the use of coca seems to be confined to Peru, Bolivia, and -Brazil—at any rate, it is confined to South America, and there is no -mention of its indulgence in Chili to the South, or in the Columbian -Republics to the North. It would, moreover, confer upon us somewhat -of a personal favour, were some one to convince us that the male -population of South America amounts to the number which the professor -has estimated as that of the indulgers in coca. Our own impression is, -that the entire population has only been estimated at seventeen and a -quarter millions: this is, at least, the mean of four very respectable -authorities. Suppose half of these to be children, and half of the -residue females, and we have only an adult male population of less than -four and a half millions in the southern half of the New World. Ye -shades of Cocker and De Morgan! tell us how from these we can subtract -ten millions who indulge in coca, and yet show a remainder, be it ever -so small, of abstainers. But it has never been affirmed that coca was -indulged in, except in Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil. The population of -these three countries amount, according to the higher authorities, only -to ten millions, so that every man, woman, and child, must be a coquero -to reach the estimated number. Viewing this subject in another of its -phases—Johnston states that the average consumption of the coquero -is from one ounce to one ounce and a half per day, or, according to -ordinary computation, twenty-two to thirty-three pounds per year, -whereas the estimated production, which we have presumed to be too -large, is, in fact, too small for the number estimated as indulging -therein, as it only allows each coca masticator three pounds per annum. -In all deference to so high an authority, we will venture to suggest -that were the number indulging in coca limited to two millions, and the -supply to twenty millions of pounds, or ten pounds annually to each -person, some of these difficulties would be removed; but, out of regard -for the patience of our readers, we will forbear detailing any further -calculations, or the bases on which they rest. - -At first the Spaniards strenuously opposed the use of the coca—it -was anathematized by them everywhere, as tobacco was by its zealous -opponents in the old world, but this opposition only seemed to produce -an extension of the habit. Then the Spaniards, appreciating the -advantages which might accrue to them in a monopoly of the plant, took -the culture into their own hands, and by force, enrolled the Indians of -the Cordilleras in their service, much to the discomfort of the latter, -who suffered extremely from the change of climate. Complaints to the -government being so numerous, the Viceroy, Don Francisco de Toledo, -espoused the cause of the Indians, published seventy-one decrees in -their favour, and the speculation was abandoned. It is said, that in -1583 the government of Potosi derived a sum not less than £100,000 -from the consumption of 90,000 to 100,000 baskets of this leaf. The -cultivation of coca is therefore an important feature in Peruvian -husbandry, and so lucrative, that a coca plantation, whose original -cost and current expenses amounted to £500 during the first twenty -months, will, at the end of ten months more, bring a clear income of -£340. - -The coca possesses a slightly aromatic and agreeable odour, and when -chewed, dispenses a grateful fragrance, its taste is moderately bitter -and astringent, and somewhat resembles green tea; it tinges the saliva -of a greenish hue. Its effects on the system are stomachic and tonic, -and it is said to be beneficial in preventing intermittents, which have -always prevailed in this country. - -The mode of employing coca is to mix with it in the mouth a small -quantity of lime prepared from shells, much after the manner that -the betel is used in the East. With this, a handful of parched corn, -and a ball of arrow-root, an Indian will travel on foot a hundred -leagues, trotting on ahead of a horse. On the frequented roads, we are -informed, that the Indian guides have certain spots where they throw -out their quids, which have accumulated into little heaps, that now -serve as marks of distance; so that, instead of saying, one place is so -many leagues from another, it is common to call it so many quids. Dr. -Weddell states that the Bolivians are in the habit of using instead of -lime with their leaf, a substance called _llipta_, which consists of -the ashes of the Quinoa plant; in other parts the ashes of other plants -are used, as on the Amazon, those of the leaves of the trumpet-tree. -These alkaline ashes are made into little cakes, and sold in the -markets. - -“The Peruvian ordinarily keeps his coca in a little bag called -_chuspa_, which he carries suspended at his side, and which he places -in front whenever he intends to renew his _chique_, which he does -at regular intervals, even when travelling. The Indian who prepares -himself to chew, in the first place sets himself as perfectly at ease -as circumstances permit. If he has a burden, he lays it down; he seats -himself, then putting his _chuspa_ on his knees, he draws from it, -one by one, the leaves which are to constitute his fresh ‘quid.’ The -attention which he gives to this operation is worthy of remark. The -complaisance with which the Indian buries his hand in the leaves of a -well-filled _chuspa_, the regret he seems to experience when the bag -is nearly empty, deserve observation, for these little points prove -that to the Indian the use of coca is a real source of enjoyment, -and not the simple consequence of want.” We remember an elderly -lady[31] who was in the habit of taking snuff with the same amount of -ceremony. First, she comfortably seated herself, arranged her dress, -and smoothed her apron. The most important occupations always being -for the time put aside, and apparently forgotten. The next operation -consisted in drawing from some capacious receptacle, the entrance -to which was enveloped in the folds of her outer garment, a large -brown handkerchief, studded with small yellow spots, just visible, we -remember it for years, and never any other; this was laid upon the lap -prepared to receive it. Another step consisted in drawing out from the -same mysterious receptacle, a black japanned box, circular in shape, -and of the diameter of a shaving-box, but scarce an inch in thickness; -this was carefully wiped with the handkerchief already named, and -then grasped in the left hand, resting on the palm, and pressed by the -thumb on one side, and the extremities of the fingers on the other. A -slight, but smartly repeated rap or two on the top of the box with the -knuckles of the right hand constituted the commencement of the fourth -operation, which ended by taking hold of the upper portion of the box -with the fingers of the right hand, in the same manner that the lower -was held by the left, and gently raising it obliquely, as it were, -upon a hinge, although it possessed none, and leaving it, when nearly -perpendicular, in charge of the now disengaged fore-finger and thumb of -the left hand, whilst the right hand was entirely free. How radiant was -the smile when the yellow dust filled at least a moiety of the cavity -of the opened box. How disconsolate the expression when this devout -consummation was not attained. Witness next the extended fingers, and -the adroit dexterity with which the finger and thumb collected its -accustomed dole, and conveyed it to the olfactory organs. How carefully -it was carried, first to the right nostril, and then to the left, and -with two hearty inspirations imbibed. The returning fingers now closed -the box, which received another wipe, and was then returned into the -receptacle. The fingers first, and then the nose, underwent the same -purifying process by means of the brown handkerchief. Then, although no -particle of dust could anywhere be seen, the whole frontispiece, from -the chin to the knees, underwent a regular dusting; the handkerchief -was replaced among the folds of the dress, the apron smoothed down with -both hands, a half-uttered exclamation of satisfaction, and the work -which had been temporarily laid aside was now resumed, until another -occasion of a like character should arise to demand its suspension. - -But to return to coca, the effects of which are described as of the -most extraordinary nature, totally distinct from those produced by any -other known plant in any part of the world. The exciting principle -is said to be so volatile, that leaves, after being kept for twelve -months, entirely lose their power, and are good for nothing. - -Large heaps of the freshly-dried leaves, particularly while the warm -rays of the sun are upon them, diffuse a very strong smell, resembling -that of hay in which there is a quantity of melilot. The natives never -permit strangers to sleep near them, as they would suffer violent -headaches in consequence. When kept in small portions, and after a few -months, the coca loses its scent, and becomes weak in proportion. The -novice thinks that the grassy smell and fresh hue are as perceptible -in the old state as when new. Without the use of lime, which always -excoriates the mouth of a stranger, the natives declare that coca has -not its true taste, a flavour which can only be detected after long -use. It then tinges green the carefully swallowed saliva, and yields -an infusion of the same colour. Of this infusion Pöppig made trial, -and found that it had a flat, grass-like taste, but he experienced the -full power of its stimulating principles. When taken in the evening, -it was followed by great restlessness, loss of sleep, and generally -uncomfortable sensations, while from its exhibition in the morning, -a similar effect, though to a slight degree arose, accompanied -with loss of appetite. Dr. Archibald Smith of Huanaco, when on one -occasion unprovided with Chinese tea, made a trial of the coca as a -substitute for it, but experienced such distressing sensations of -nervous excitement, that he never ventured to use it again. It is not -at all uncommonly used in this way; and the Indians have tea-parties -or _tertulias_, for taking the infusion of the leaves, as well as for -chewing them. Some affirm that in the coca-tea drinkings the effects -are agreeably exhilarating. It is usual to say on such occasions, -“_Vamos à coquear y acullicar_”——“Let us indulge in coca.” - -Chewing the coca becomes quite a passion in those who indulge in it; -and when the habit is once commenced, it is affirmed that it is never -discontinued, and that an instance of a reclaimed _coquero_ has never -been known. To indulge in the enjoyment of this narcotic, the Peruvian -will expose himself to the greatest dangers. As its stimulus is most -fully developed when the body is exhausted with toil, or the mind with -conversation, “the victim then hastens to some retreat in a gloomy -native wood, and flinging himself under a tree, remains stretched -out there, heedless of night or of storms, unprotected by covering -or by fire, unconscious of the floods of rain, and of the tremendous -winds which sweep the forest, and after yielding himself for two or -three entire days to the occupation of chewing coca, returns home -to his abode, with trembling limbs, and a pallid countenance, the -miserable spectacle of unnatural enjoyment. Whoever accidentally meets -the coquero under such circumstances, and by speaking interrupts the -effects of this intoxication, is sure to draw upon himself the hatred -of the half-maddened creature. The man who is once seized with the -passion for this practice, if placed in circumstances which favour its -indulgence, is a ruined being. Many instances were related to Pöppig -while in Peru, where young people of the best families, by occasionally -visiting the forests, had begun using the coca for the sake of passing -the time away, and acquiring a relish for it, from that period been -lost to civilization; as if seized by some malevolent instinct, they -refused to return to their homes, and resisting the entreaties of -their friends, who occasionally discovered the haunts of these unhappy -fugitives, either retired to some distant solitude, or took the first -opportunity of escaping, when they had been brought back to the towns.” -So seductive becomes this habit, for we cannot doubt the veracity of -these statements, that neither home, nor friends, nor family, nor -society, nor fear, nor love, nor respect, nor any other creature, nor -passion, would seem to have the power of winning them back from their -monomania to a rational state of existence. - -The virtues of the coca must be of the most astonishing character. -The Indians, who are addicted to its use, are declared to be thereby -enabled to withstand the toil of the mines amidst noxious metallic -exhalations without rest, food, or protection from the climate. They -run hundreds of leagues over deserts, and plains, and craggy mountains, -sustained only by the coca and a little parched corn; and often too, -acting as mules in bearing loads through passes where animals cannot -go. Some have attributed this frugality and power of endurance to -the effects of habit, and not to the use of coca; but the Indian is -naturally voracious, and it is known that many Spaniards were unable to -perform the Herculean tasks of the Peruvians until they habitually used -the coca; moreover, it is affirmed, that without it, the Indians lose -both their vigour and powers of endurance. During the siege of La Paz -in 1781, when the Spaniards were constantly on the watch, and destitute -of provisions, in the inclemencies of winter, they were saved, as -chroniclers narrate, from disease and death by resorting to this plant. -Some of those who deny many of the effects, said to be produced by -its use, admit that the coca is useful medicinally as a preservative -against the fevers which are consequent to a climate like that of Peru. - -Hallucinations result from the use of the coca as from that of the -narcotic hemp, but not, as it would appear, to the same extent. The -inordinate use of this plant, as indeed of all the narcotics, seems to -be attended with fearful results. One description with which we are -acquainted, gives details of no very desirable character. It affirms -that the abuse speedily occasions bodily disease, and detriment to -the moral powers, but that still the custom may be persevered in for -many years, especially if frequently intermitted, and the coquero -sometimes attains the age of fifty with comparatively few complaints. -But the oftener the orgies are celebrated, especially in a warm and -moist climate, the sooner are their destructive effects made evident. -For this reason, the natives of the cold and dry districts of the -Andes are more addicted to the consumption of coca than those of the -close forests, where undoubtedly other stimulants do but take its -place. Weakness in the digestive organs, which, like most incurable -complaints, increases continually in a greater or less degree, first -attacks the unfortunate coquero. This complaint, which is called -“opilacion,” may be trifling at the beginning, but soon attains an -alarming height. Then come bilious obstructions, attended with all -those thousand painful symptoms which are so much aggravated by a -tropical climate, jaundice and derangement of the nervous system -follow, along with pains in the head, and such a prostration of -strength, that the patient speedily loses all appetite. The whites of -the eyes assume a leaden colour, and a total inability to sleep ensues, -which aggravates the mental depression of the unhappy individual, who, -spite of all his ills, cannot relinquish the use of the herb, to which -he owes his suffering, but craves brandy in addition. The appetite -becomes quite irregular, sometimes failing altogether, and sometimes -assuming a wolfish voracity, especially for animal food. Thus do years -of misery drag on, succeeded at length by a painful death. - -This property of dispelling sleep, as a result of the inordinate use -of coca, was noticed by Weddell, as the result also of the moderate -indulgence, by way of experiment, in an infusion of the leaves, and -which led him to suppose that the chemical principle of tea, called -theine, would be found present in them. Professor Frémy analyzed them -accordingly, but found no such principle present, although an active -bitter principle was found, peculiar to this plant, the full properties -of which are still unascertained. - -Coca has the reputed power of sustaining strength in the absence of -any other nutriment. The Indians declare, that when using it they -feel neither the pains of hunger nor of thirst, that they are enabled -to perform the most laborious operations with little or no food, -insensible either to cold or weariness; that by its use they can -ascend the steep passes of the Andes, carrying with them heavy loads, -and without lassitude or loss of breath. When Tschuddi was in the -Puna, he drank always before going out to hunt, a strong infusion of -coca-leaves. Then, he states, he could during the whole day climb the -heights, and follow the wild animals without experiencing any greater -difficulty of breathing than he would have felt in similar movements -along the coast. One account states, that a native, who was employed -in laborious digging for five days and nights, tasted no food during -that period, and only slept two hours each night. He regularly chewed -the coca-leaves, to the extent of about half an ounce every two or -three hours, and kept a quid of them constantly in his mouth. The work -being finished, he went a two days’ journey of twenty-three leagues -across the level heights, keeping pace with a mule, and only halting -to replenish his quid. At the end of all this labour, he was willing -to engage for the performance of as much more without food, but with a -plentiful allowance of coca. This man was sixty-two years of age, and -was never known to have been ill in his life. For this reason, that it -appears to act as a substitute for food, several learned and ingenious -authors have lamented that it has not been introduced into countries -like our own, where it would be a boon so valuable to the poor in times -of scarcity and distress. - -What says science concerning this extraordinary power? One of two -things is certain: either that the coca contains some nutritive -principle which directly sustains the strength, or it does not contain -it, and, therefore, simply deceives hunger while acting on the system -as an excitement. As to the existence of a nutritive principle in coca, -although it cannot positively be denied, on account of the quantity of -nitrogen, together with assimilable carbonized products, which have -been found to exist in the leaf; yet their proportion is so small -compared with the mass, and especially with the quantity that a coquero -consumes at once, that they can scarcely be taken into consideration. -Moreover, it has also been affirmed that coca, as it is habitually -taken, does not satiate hunger. The Indians who accompany travellers, -will chew the leaves during the day, but, on the arrival of evening, -they will fill their stomachs like fasting men, devouring, at a single -meal, enough to satisfy an ordinary man for two days. The Indian of -the Cordillera is like the vulture of his mountains, when provisions -abound, he gorges himself greedily, when they are scarce, his robust -nature enables him to content himself with very little. This is -the evidence—what is the verdict? That the use of the coca assists, -perhaps, to support the abstinence; but that its action is confined -to an excitement of a peculiar kind, very different from that of the -ordinary excitants, and especially alcohol. Brandy gives strength, -but that strength is only a loan, at the expense of strength reserved -for the future. The stimulus produced by coca is slow and sustained, -in part owing to the manner of its employment, as the infusion acts -differently from the leaf as taken in the ordinary way. Tea and coffee -act specially on the brain, on which they produce an anti-soporific -effect; but while coca produces a little of this effect when taken in -large doses, it does not act perceptibly upon the brain in small doses. -To account for the ordinary effects of the leaf, one must suppose -that its action, instead of being localized, as in the case of tea -and coffee, is diffused, and bears upon the nervous system generally, -producing a sustained stimulus, calculated to impart to those under -its influence, that support which has been attributed erroneously to -peculiar nutritive properties. - -Superstition and prejudice combined have, however, ennobled this plant -in the mind of the Peruvian, and he looks upon it as a true “gift -of God.” Its influences and effects are magnified in his own mind -into something miraculous, and, indeed, miraculous powers have been -attributed to it, for in what other light can we regard the belief -current amongst them, that if the miner throws the masticated leaves -upon the hard and impenetrable veins of metal, the ore will thereby -become softened and be more easily worked? or that the leaves when -placed in the mouth of a dead person, ensures it a more favourable -reception into the world of spirits? or that when a mummy is met with -disentombed from its narrow home, the presentation of a few leaves -propitiates its disengaged spirit, and is accepted as a pious offering? - -Much of the fidelity of the Indian to his coca, as with the smoker to -his pipe of tobacco, is due to habit, and in this case the influence of -the habit is more powerful, inasmuch as it has been handed down through -a long line of ancestors, and is almost the only one which has been -preserved. Finally, he finds in its use a distraction, and the only -one, which breaks the monotony of his existence. The Peruvian Indians -are of a gloomy temperament, and subject to fits of melancholy. When -not engaged in out-door work, they will sit in their huts chewing coca -and brooding gloomily over their own thoughts; indeed, the combined -testimony of travellers establish the fact, that there is in their -features an expression of concentrated melancholy, which seems to -speak of an undefined but constant suffering; we cannot be astonished -at finding such people seeking for comfort in the best substitute for -opium that their country will furnish. - -Coca appears to enjoy an undisputed reign in the Cordilleras; no other -narcotic starts up to share the throne, and this is almost the only -one which has not been imitated, or for which some substitute has not -either been proposed or used. The antipodes, or nearly so, of this -country possesses a plant, which, had it grown freely in other parts of -the world might have been heard of more extensively as an indulgence. -In Siberia, however, there seems to be little use made of the small -indigenous rhododendron, which claims to be one of the most powerful -narcotics in the world. Steller, the Russian botanist, had a tame deer -which became so intoxicated by browsing on about ten of its leaves, -that, after staggering about for some time, it dropped into a deep but -troubled sleep for four hours, after which it awoke, apparently free -from pain, but would never touch the leaves again. Steller’s servants, -after this, took to intoxicating themselves with the leaves without any -evil effects. We have also been informed that certain of the Russians -have been charged with the habit of following the example of these -experimentalists, by getting drunk upon the leaves, which have been -used in infusion, as Pallas states, with good effect in the cure of -chronic rheumatism. The flowers of another species of rhododendron are -eaten as a narcotic by the Hill people of India, but in these instances -the extent of their use is so small, and the persons indulging in them -so few, that no claim can be set up for them, except as minor narcotics -occasionally employed, when the other and more important substances -cannot readily be obtained. - -For the basis of much which this chapter contains, we are indebted -to the Travels in Bolivia and Peru of that worthy trio of doctors, -Pöppig, Weddell, and Tschuddi, besides three times as many more, less -noted and less known, but whose information was not less to be relied -upon on the points concerning which they have spoken. Whether the -votaries of our Lady of Yongas are as numerous as has been asserted, -or only of the number we have suggested—whether the influence of -this plant over the stomachic regions is sufficient to subdue the -pangs of hunger, or allay the cruelties of thirst, or these are only -effects due to the imagination—whether it has the marvellous power of -softening the adamantine rock, or strengthening and supporting the -lungs in the ascent of Andean summits, or whether these, and all of -these, are fictions proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain, it is, -nevertheless, certain, that a great amount of interest gathers around -this plant, which associates itself so intimately with the country in -which it flourishes, that, as for centuries past, so for centuries to -come, coca will remain the characteristic plant of the Peruvian nation, -as tea was, and is, of the Chinese. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -WHITEWASH AND CLAY. - - “Alexander died. Alexander was buried. Alexander returneth into - dust; the dust is earth: of earth we make loam. And why of that - loam, whereto he was converted, might they not stop a beer - barrel?”——_Hamlet._ - - -The fact, at one time doubted, but now established beyond dispute, -that some tribes indulge in the habit of dirt-eating, is one which, -from its singularity, claims notice. The Malayan uses lime as an -ingredient in compounding his favourite masticatory, and the coquero -of the Andes mixes it with his leaves of coca. The Nubians mingle the -saline natron with their quid of tobacco, and the blacks of Gesira -the same material to compound their “bucca.” The Ottamacs and Omaguas -avail themselves of the assistance of shell lime to give pungency to -their intoxicating snuffs. The tribes on the coast of Paria, according -to Gomara, stimulated the organs of taste by caustic lime, as other -races employ tobacco, coca, or betel. In our own days this practice -exists among the Guajiros at the mouth of the Rio de la Hacha. Here the -still uncivilized Indians carry small shells, calcined and powdered, -in a box made from the husk of a fruit. This box is suspended from -their girdle, and serves a variety of purposes. The powder used by -the Guajiros is an article of commerce, as formerly was that of the -Indians of Paria. What could first have induced these people to use by -itself, or other races to mingle with vegetable substances, a mineral -only known to us as a whitewash, or for somewhat similar vulgar uses, -and to metamorphose it into a luxury, is difficult to understand. -We comprehend the value of lime when stirred about in a pail, with -sufficiency of water to reduce it to the consistence of cream, and -then by the aid of a broad flat brush transferred to the ceilings of -our dwellings. We cannot so well comprehend or appreciate the luxury -of rolling it into a pellet, and transferring it to our mouths, as a -whitewash for regions where the curious eye of man does not penetrate. - -[Illustration] - -The residents at the fur-posts on the Mackenzie River, have a mineral -in use among them, known by the appellation of _white mud_, which -is used for whitewashing, and, when soap is scarce, it supplies the -place of that article for washing clothes. It resembles pipe-clay, -and exists in beds from six to twelve inches in thickness. It is of -a yellowish white colour, sometimes with a reddish tinge. On the -Arkansas also a similar substance has been met with, called _pink -clay_. The clay of the Mackenzie is smooth, and, when masticated, has -a flavour, we are told, resembling the kernel of a hazel nut. Sir -John Richardson obtained some of this clay in his journey to Prince -Rupert’s Land, and had it examined, but could not discover in it any -nutritious properties, or detect the remains of infusorial animalculæ, -such as are found in other edible clays. The natives of the locality -in which this substance is found, eat it in times of scarcity, and -suppose that by its use they prolong their lives. There are certain -physiological reasons known to us whereby we account for fowls, and -other winged bipeds indulging in the singular propensity of swallowing -small pebbles, fragments of lime or mortar, sand and clay; but as -we cannot apply these same arguments to the cases of other “bipeds -without feathers” who indulge in the same propensity, we naturally seek -for some signs of nutritious value in the substance itself. In this -instance the remote probability of its containing decayed animal matter -does not apparently exist, for the microscope detects no infusoria. And -unless we argue, as did Hamlet with his friend Horatio, that in this -clay are the remains of a previous generation, we can scarce account -for its being a good article of food. - - “Imperial Cæsar, dead and turned to clay, - Might stop a hole to keep the wind away;” - -or dead Indians turned to clay to appease the hunger of their living -descendants. Thus, if the imagination may trace the noble dust of -Alexander, till we find it stopping a bunghole, may it not also follow -this same clay from the bunghole into the veins of a new Alexander? - -Richardson states that the above is a kind of pipe-clay. If made into -pipes for smoking, Hamlet might argue still further, “may we not trace -the dust of the dead Indian, till we find a man smoking his weed from -the leg or arm of his great grandfather.” - -Clay eating exists in South America, among the Guamos, and by the -tribes between the Meta and the Apure. The natives here speak of the -custom as one of great antiquity. The Ottomacs are, however, great -clay-eaters. Humboldt found amongst them heaps of earth-balls, piled up -in pyramid three or four feet high, and these balls five or six inches -in diameter. This clay was of a yellowish grey colour, and did not -contain magnesia, but silex and alumina, and three or four per cent. of -lime, no trace of organic substance, either oily or farinaceous, could -be found mixed with it. If the Ottomac is asked what he lives upon -during the two months of the inundation of the rivers, he shows you his -balls of clayey earth. It is asserted that far from becoming lean at -that season, they are, on the contrary, extremely robust. - -At the village of Banco, on the Rio Magdalena, the same traveller found -Indian women making pottery, who continually swallowed great pieces of -clay. - -On the coast of Guinea, the negroes eat a yellowish earth, which they -call _caouac_, the taste of which is said to be agreeable, and to cause -no inconvenience. When these Africans are carried to the West Indies, -they still indulge in the custom, for which purpose Chanvalon states -that it is sold in the markets, but that the West-Indian clay does not -agree with them so well as that of their native country. - -Labillardière saw between Surabaya and Samarang little square reddish -cakes, called _tanaampo_, exposed for sale, which were slightly baked, -and eaten with relish. - -Leschenault states that the reddish clay (_ampo_) which the Javanese -are fond of eating occasionally, is spread on a plate of iron and -baked, after being rolled into little cylinders in the form of cinnamon -bark. In this state it is sold in the markets. It has a peculiar taste, -which is owing to the baking, is very absorbent, and adheres to the -tongue. The Javanese women eat the _ampo_ in order to grow thin, the -absence of plumpness being there regarded as a kind of beauty. - -In times of hunger or scarcity, the savages of New Caledonia eat great -pieces of a friable stone, which contains magnesia and silex, with a -little oxide of copper. - -The African negroes of Bunck and Los Idoles eat a kind of white and -friable steatite, or soapstone, from which custom they are said to -suffer no inconvenience. - -At Popayan and several of the mountainous parts of Peru, -finely-powdered lime is sold in the public markets with other articles -of food. This powder is, however, generally mixed with the leaves of -the coca, and used as a masticatory. In other parts of South America, -lime is swallowed alone, the Indians carrying with them a little box of -lime, as other people carry their tobacco-box, snuff-box, or siri-box. - -In the kingdom of Quito, the Tigua natives eat from choice, and without -any ill consequences, a very fine clay mixed with sand. This clay, -mixed with water, renders it milky. Large vessels filled with this -mixture, called _agua de llanka_, water of clay, or _leche de llanka_, -milk of clay, may be seen in most of their huts, where it serves as a -beverage. - -On the banks of the river Kamen-da-Maslo, there is produced a fossil, -or an earthy substance, called in Russian _kamennoye maslo_, stone -butter, which is eaten in various ways, as well by the Russians as the -Tongousi, it is of a yellowish cream colour, and not unpleasant in -taste, but it is forbidden as pernicious in its effects. This earthy -matter is stated to be a fossil, or salt oozing out of rocks, in many -parts of Siberia, but chiefly from those near the river Irtish and -Yenissei. When it is exposed to the air in dry weather it hardens, but -in wet weather it again becomes soft or liquid. The Russian hunters use -it also as a bait. The animals scent it from afar, and are fond of the -smell. - -In Germany, the workmen employed in the quarries of sandstone at -Kiffhauser, spread a fine clay upon their bread instead of butter, -which they call _steinbutter_ (stone butter). There is another -substance, called _bergbutter_, or mountain butter, which is a saline -substance produced by the decomposition of aluminous schists. - -On the shores of a lake near Urania, in Sweden, is found a deposit, -called by the peasants “mountain meal” (_bergmehl_) which they use, -mixed up with flour, as an article of food. This deposit consists -chiefly of fossil infusoria. - -In Finland also, a similar kind of earth is mixed with bread stuff, as -also in parts of Northern Germany in cases of scarcity or necessity. -In Lapland also, this fossil farina has been found, and applied to a -like use. The Tripoli or rotten stone of commerce is an infusorial -earth of this description, composed of fossils of extraordinary minute -dimensions. - -A poor man, in the neighbourhood of Dejufors, Sweden, some years since, -found an earth of this description, which had much the appearance of -meal. The people being at that time in a state of privation, and living -upon bark bread, this man took some home, mixed it with rye meal, baked -it into bread, and found it palatable, hereupon there was a general run -upon this earth, and some of it found its way to Stockholm. On analysis -it was found to contain flint and feldspar, finely pulverized with -lime, clay, oxide of iron, and some organic substance resembling animal -matter, and yielding ammonia, and an oil. - -Ehrenberg found that a hill in Bohemia was one mass of the siliceous -fossil shells of these minute creatures, and that in a stratum -fourteen feet in thickness, one cubic inch contained the remains of -41,000,000,000 of individuals. - -These kind of deposits are continually accumulating, and producing -important changes, in the bed of the Nile, at Dongola, and in the Elbe, -at Cuxhaven, and even choking up some of the harbours in the Baltic Sea. - -Dr. Trail analyzed a bergmehl from the North of Sweden, and found it to -be composed of the minute shields of infusoria, about one thousandth -of an inch in size, consisting chiefly of siliceous earth and alumina. -A small quantity of this curious substance was found in County Down, -Ireland, by Dr. Drummond, twenty years ago, while sinking a pit near -Newcastle. - -MM. Cloquet and Breschet ate experimentally as much as five ounces of a -silvery green laminar talc. Their hunger was completely satisfied, and -they felt no inconvenience from the use of a kind of food to which they -had not been accustomed. In parts of the East, use is still made of the -Bole earths of Lemnos, which are clay mixed with oxide of iron. - -In Portugal and Spain, _bucaro_ clays are made into vessels, from which -many are fond of drinking on account of the smell of the clay; and the -women of the province of Alentejo acquire a habit of masticating the -bucaro earth, and feel it a great privation when unable to indulge in -this vitiated taste. - -In the Bolivian markets, Dr. Weddell saw a grey-coloured clay which was -offered for sale. It is called _pahsa_, and the Indians of La Paz eat -it with the bitter potato of the country. It is steeped in water, made -into a kind of gruel, and seasoned with salt. - -At Chiquisaca a kind of earth called _chaco_ is made into little pots, -and eaten like chocolate. Although their moderate use is not calculated -to injure the system, their contribution to the nourishment of the body -must be but small. - -In the valleys of the Sikkim Himalayas, a kind of red earth is chewed -as a cure for the goître, but it is not stated to be regularly indulged -in as an article of food either there or in any other part of India. - -Mr. Wallace relates that a little Indian boy died from the habit of -dirt-eating—a very common and destructive habit among Indians and half -breeds in the houses of the whites in the Amazon valley. All means had -been tried to cure the lad of the habit. He had been physicked and -whipped, and confined in doors; but when no other opportunity offered, -he would find a plentiful supply in the mud walls of the house. The -whole body, face, and limbs swelled, so that he could with difficulty -walk, and not having so much care taken of him, he ate his fill and -died. - -Those who have had much to do with children, will have noticed amongst -some of them the germs of this propensity, which will occasionally -develop itself in chewing pieces of pipe, slate pencil, chalk, and -other substances of a like nature. Although not carried to so great an -extent as to become injurious, cases of this kind are far from being, -among school children, either exceptional or uncommon. - -In the mission of San Borja, Humboldt found the child of an Indian -woman, which, according to the statement of its mother, would hardly -eat anything but earth. It was very thin and emaciated. - -These instances are not, after all, so singular as those of habitual, -national dirt-eating which we find amongst the tribes of South America -and the negroes of Africa. Children are not always the most particular -in the choice of their articles of food, or we should not read of such -instances as occur in tropical America of these youngsters drawing -immense centipedes out of their holes and eating them; or, as related -by Captain Cochrane, of a child devouring several pieces of tallow -candle, which was succeeded by a large lump of yellow soap, all of -which he seemed to enjoy. - -Chroniclers often make mention of the employment, during times of -war, of kinds of infusorial earth as food, under the general term of -mountain meal. This was the case in the Thirty Years War, at Camin in -Pomerania, Muskau in the Lausitz, and Kleiken in the Dessau territory; -and subsequently in 1719 and 1733 at the fortress of Wittenberg. But in -times of war and scarcity, one is prepared to hear of men satisfying -their hunger by every legitimate means. - -M. S. Julien sent to the Academy of Sciences at Paris some few years -since, specimens of a peculiar mineral substance from the province -of Kiang-si in China, on which, in times of famine, the inhabitants -have been said to be able to support themselves as a nutriment. It -has a disagreeable taste, and produces dryness in the mouth. It is -nevertheless used by the natives mixed with flour, and is even esteemed -by them. - -It may appear somewhat singular to refer to these dirt-eating customs, -in connection with those relating to narcotics. The connection is, -however, more intimate than at the first glance might appear. Two kinds -of substances are mostly resorted to, either to gratify these depraved -tastes, or satisfy the cravings of hunger—lime and clay, or, as we -have designated them—_clay_ and _whitewash_. It is, or has been matter -of dispute, whether the stimulating properties of the betel and coca, -and the intoxicating snuffs of the Orinoco, are to be attributed to -the vegetable substances themselves, or to the lime used with them, or -both in conjunction; hence the introduction of lime is not considered -inappropriate. As for the clay, it is not only intimately associated -with the other, from the similarity of the use to which it is thus -strangely applied, but the connection of it in some of its forms with -the consumption of one or two of the narcotics, as the means whereby -they are indulged in, must serve as an apology, if such be needed. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -PRECIOUS METALS. - - “The virtues of the noble metals are, moreover, of such a nature that - they inspire respect even in those who do not seek these qualities in - higher spheres, but ask after the common and every-day usefulness of a - thing.”——VON KOBELL. - - -Some consider those metals most precious which, like gold and -silver, have earned that reputation by acting in the capacity of -representatives of wealth, as the current coins of civilized nations. -To some men these have been esteemed more precious than health, or even -than life itself; others, calculating on the grounds of utility, have -considered iron and copper, so universally applicable to the wants of -civilized life, such mighty agents in the cause of civilization, as the -most precious of metals; and these may be right in their calculations, -for although we might manage to get on without the former, we can -hardly imagine for ourselves the condition occasioned by the loss of -the latter. There are yet a few to whom it would seem, however strange -the fact may appear, that two metals are the most precious which the -rest of the world have no idea of considering as of but a very low -rate of value, and without which they can readily conceive of the -world moving on without any very great sense of their loss. These two -are Arsenic and Mercury. The very names are almost sufficient to send -a shudder of horror through us as we write or repeat them; and to -elect them into the highest place in our affections is the last act we -should, in a state of sanity, deem ourselves likely to perform. The -one suggests images of Aqua Tophana and the Middle Ages, and our teeth -loosen in our gums with unpleasant reminiscences of black draught and -blue pill as associated with the other. For one we can think of no -better employment than the extirpation of rats, or the preservation -of mummies; and for the other no more exalted an occupation than to -coat the backs of our mirrors, or inform us of the conditions of -the atmosphere. That any one could indulge in them as luxuries, or, -by their habitual use, elevate them to a companionship with tobacco -and opium, with haschish and coca, would appear to be a gross libel -upon the “Seven Sisters of Sleep,” and a satire upon the cherished -companions of millions of the human race. - -Medical men, foremost amongst whom is Dr. Christison, consider that -these minerals cannot be indulged in without exercising a deleterious -effect upon the system. The cumulative action of mineral poisons is a -great point of difference between them and those of vegetable origin, -for although the same eminent physician is of opinion that tobacco may -be indulged in without injury, he does not believe such a possibility -to exist with regard to mercury and arsenic.[32] - -The use of corrosive sublimate, the bichloride of mercury, is certainly -restricted within very confined limits, and even within those limits, -the information we have is very meagre. At Constantinople, the -opium-eater, who finds his daily dose insufficient in time to produce -those results which at first accrued from its use, resorts to the -expedient of mixing therewith a small quantity of corrosive sublimate, -to increase the potency of the drug. By itself, it is never indulged -in as a passion in the same manner as vegetable narcotics, nor can the -same pleas be urged in favour of its use, or in extenuation of its -abuse. An opium-eater at Broussa is stated to have been accustomed -to swallow daily with his opium, forty grains of corrosive sublimate -without any apparently injurious effects. In South America its use is -affirmed to be very extensive. - -Arsenious acid, or white arsenic, is a more popular irritant than -mercury. The arsenic-eaters of Styria are now historical individuals, -and the custom there and in the neighbouring districts appears to be -a common one among the labouring population. Itinerant pedlars vend -it for this purpose, and it becomes a necessary of life to those who -commence the practice. It is taken every morning as regularly as the -Turk consumes his opium. - -One of the benefits said to accrue from its use is, that it gives -a plumpness to the figure, softness to the skin, freshness to the -complexion, and brilliancy to the eye. For this purpose, young men and -maidens resort to it, to increase their charms, and render themselves -acceptable and fascinating to each other. A friend, recently returned -from Canada and the United States, informs us, positively, that it is -largely consumed by the young ladies, in those regions of the civilized -world, for the same purposes above described, to which it is resorted -by the Austrian damsels. He declares that the custom is so common that -no surprise is excited on discovering any one addicted to its use, and -that amongst the fairer sex it is the rule rather than the exception. - -The principal authority for its use in the European districts, is -the celebrated traveller Von Tschuddi, who has published an account -of several cases which have come to his knowledge. In one instance, -a pale, thin damsel, anxious to attach herself to her lover, by -presenting a more prepossessing exterior, took the “precious metal,” -in the form of its oxide, several times a week, and soon became stout, -rosy, and captivating; but in her over-anxiety to heighten her charms, -and rival the fabled beauties of old, and having experienced the -benefit of small doses of the poison, ventured upon a larger quantity, -and died from its effects, the victim of her vanity. The habit is -generally commenced with small doses, starting with about half a grain -or less, each day, and gradually increasing it to two or three grains. -The case of a hale old peasant is mentioned, whose morning whet of -arsenic reached the incredible quantity of four grains. - -Another singular benefit is supposed to arise from the use of this -substance, similar to that claimed by the Peruvians for their coca, -namely, that of rendering the breathing easier in toiling uphill, so -that steep heights may be climbed without difficulty or exhaustion. -It is curious that the mountaineers of the Andes and the Alps, at -distances so remote, should deem themselves possessed of the means of -assisting nature in surmounting difficulties, by preventing exhaustion -in climbing the mountain side: in one instance, by chewing a quid of -leaves which grow plentifully on the mountain slopes, and in the other, -by swallowing a small fragment of a mineral obtained from the mines at -the mountain side. - -Whilst the practice of arsenic eating is continued, no evil effects -would seem to be experienced, everything connected with the body of -the eater seems to be in a flourishing condition, the appearance is -healthy, plump, and fresh, no symptoms of poisoning are manifested -until the regular dose is discontinued, when a great feeling of -discomfort arises, the digestion becomes deranged, burning sensations -and spasms are present in the throat, pains in the bowels commence, -and the breathing becomes oppressed. From these unpleasant sensations -there is no relief but by an immediate return to the habit of arsenic -eating, and hence, when once commenced, the use of this article becomes -a necessity of life, and the poisonous mineral a “precious metal.” - -Dr. Macgowan of Ningpo, says, “We are told that Mongolian hunters, -beyond the wall, eat arsenic to enable them to endure cold when -patiently lying on the snow to entrap martins. In this part of China -arsenic is taken by divers, who in cold weather plunge into still water -in pursuit of fish, which are then found hybernating among stones at -the piers of bridges. We perceive with regret, that the modern Chinese -have added arsenic to their habitual stimulants. The red sulphuret in -powder is mixed with tobacco, and their joint fumes are smoked in the -ordinary manner. We have met with no habitual smokers of this compound -of mineral and vegetable poisons; but persons who have made trial state -that dizziness and sickness attend first attempts. After a few trials, -arseniated tobacco may be taken without any apparent inconvenience. -From reports given of it, we infer that its effects on the Chinese are -analogous to what is observed among the arsenic-eating peasants of -Austria. - -“At Peking, where arseniated tobacco is most in use, it costs no more -than the unmixed article; it may be known by the red colour imparted -to the vegetable by the powdered proto-sulphuret. Its introduction -is attributed to Cantonese from Chauchau. If this be correct, it is -probable that these southerners, unable at the north to procure the -masticatory to which they are addicted, sought to appease a craving -for the pungent but harmless lime and betel nut, by substituting the -deleterious mineral gas. Many of the miserable victims of opium, to -whom that narcotic is a necessity, and not a pleasure, have eagerly -employed the new stimulant to prop and exhilarate their exhausted -bodies, and, perhaps, have thereby meliorated and prolonged their -existence. We would fain hope that the use of arsenical stimulants -will not become general; yet that pernicious custom is extending, and -we know our race too well not to entertain fears on that subject. It -is even stated that, for a time at least, the reigning Emperor in his -boyhood preferred tobacco thus mineralized. In domestic economy, the -red sulphuret is employed for making away with rats and husbands.”[33] - -One of the best things that Hahnemann ever did was to write a treatise -on arsenic. This he did well, and therefore deserves to be remembered; -but for this he is often forgotten, and is only extolled for a less -important labour—the introduction of homœopathy. Chemists deserve well -of mankind for the assiduity with which they have studied this subtle -poison, so that now it may be detected in the minutest quantities. One -point, however, seems to be hardly clear, and on this, perhaps, the -Styrian peasant could enlighten us, namely, the taste of arsenic, some -declaring that it has no distinguishable taste, others, that it is -sweetish, and others saline. The only means of arriving at the truth is -rather too hazardous a one to be ventured upon. - -The effects of arsenic upon the human frame, were illustrated in a -curious case which occurred a few years since in the northern part of -France. A domestic at a country seat wished to cause the death of his -mistress, and mixed arsenic in small quantities with her food, hoping -that the slow operation of the poison would prevent any suspicion of -murder. To his great astonishment, she gained rapidly in health, flesh, -and spirits. At length he gave her a larger quantity, which occasioned -serious illness, and led to the discovery and punishment of the crime. - -We have as yet applied arsenic only to some of the purposes for which -it is applicable. The roses of England possess enough of bloom without -resorting to the bloom of the smelting furnace. Although we use it -to preserve with all the appearances of life the deceased zoological -curiosities of our museums, we do not seek its aid to enhance the -charms of those living specimens of beauty which are the glory and the -pride of our hearths and homes. Fortunately, we have no Andes to climb, -and no Alps to scale, and the summits we have to gain are arrived at by -dint of perseverance, and no small amount of puffing, in which latter -circumstance it seems to be our nature to glory as much as the Peruvian -or the Austrian in its absence. Now and then we become suspicious of -its presence in our green paper hangings, and in that menial office are -almost content to dispense with its services. Or anon, we are treated -to a scramble of Bradford drops, which, finding the temperature of the -climate uncongenial, melt away to a stray ghost or two that haunt the -stoppered bottles of our chemical museums. Grumble as we may at _our_ -precious metals, we— - - “Rather bear those ills we have, - Than fly to others that we know not of.” - -Animals have not escaped arsenic-eating, for the Austrians, having -discovered its property of plumping up, and putting into good -condition the human animal, have resorted to it, as an improver of -their ill-conditioned horses. Gentlemen’s grooms bestow it upon the -animals in their charge, and pronounce its effects as certain and -as marvellous, as upon thin and sickly-looking damsels. A pinch of -the white powder is sprinkled like pepper over the “feed of corn,” -or tied up in a piece of rag and fastened to the “bit,” before that -instrument is introduced into the animal’s mouth. The same two -properties are said to be exhibited in the case of the horses, as are -affirmed to take place in man. The body is plumped out, and rounded -into fair proportions, the skin rendered sleek and glossy, and the -breath is improved, so that long journeys, steep and rugged ascents, -and heavy loads, are readily overcome by its potency. If this secret -were communicated to some of our London omnibus and cabmen, it would -probably be of advantage to the appearance of some of the poor animals -doomed for a certain time to _walk_ this earth, and increase their -facility for moving through a space of three or four miles in less time -than a pedestrian could accomplish the feat. - -The teamsters in mountainous countries frequently add a dose of arsenic -to the fodder, which they give their horses, before a laborious ascent. -The practice of giving arsenic to horses may continue for years without -accident, but as soon as the animal passes into the hands of a master -who does not use arsenic, he becomes thin, loses his spirits, and, -in spite of the most abundant nourishment, never recovers his former -appearance. - -The use of arsenic for horned cattle is less frequent; it is only given -to oxen and calves intended for fattening. In Austria, hogs and other -animals are also fattened by a careful use of arsenic. - -Precious metals, like precious stones, are subject to misfortunes. As -of the latter, a learned professor saith, “Patents of nobility are -distributed here in the most arbitrary manner, and outward aspect and -character, weigh heaviest in the scales by which they are determined. -To such an extent is this the case, that the stones which have -literally and truly fallen from the skies, are not reckoned among -the precious stones, although they have been in all times objects of -curiosity to the most cultivated minds, and certainly are of _very -high descent_, since they came, at least, from the moon, and are even -imagined to be young worlds, little princes, which would in time have -come to reign as planets. And whence this injustice? Because these -little strangers, which, perhaps, are pleased to travel _incognito_, -have an inconspicuous exterior, are enveloped in a dark weather-proof -cloak, because from under this cloak, only a greyish suit, without gold -lace, with merely a little iron scattered about it, comes to light; -because this aspect does not show from afar off that they have fallen -from the skies, and because they do not say to everybody, ‘My mother -lives in the mountains of the moon.’” - -And although Mercury, not only in name, but also in its volatile and -skyward tendencies, claims kindred with the planetary system, which -tendencies are likewise shown in the behaviour of the other metallic -substance, of which this chapter discourses. Yet their _high_ claims -are disregarded, and, like the aerolites, they are condemned by the -majority of men to a plebeian rank and menial offices. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -DATURA AND CO. - - “That skulk in the depths of the measureless wood - ’Mid the Dark’s creeping whispers that curdle the blood. - Where the wolf howls aloof, and the wavering glare - Flashes out from the blackness the eyes of the bear.” - - -The thorn-apple and nightshade are types of a class of narcotics, -which, though not largely employed either for their intoxicating -effects or their medicinal virtues, are, notwithstanding, extremely -powerful in their effects, and, when used, exercise a wonderful -influence upon the brain. The majority of them belong to that family -of plants, of which, not only tobacco, but the potato, are members; -so that, if only from their family connections, independently of any -other right, they have a claim upon our attention and respect. Beyond -this, even, we shall find them insinuating themselves into the good -graces of that portion of the creation who have taken the two members -of the family already named under its protection, and adopted them as -companions, the one to soothe and console after the hours of labour are -past, the other to aid in giving strength to perform that labour, or -satisfy the cravings of hunger. - -The solanaceous plants have, in general, narcotic qualities. In some -species these are developed in a great degree, so as to render them -extremely poisonous; in others, they are obscured by the prevalence -of starchy matter. In some instances parts of the plant have narcotic -properties, whilst other parts are used as articles of food. The Bitter -Sweet (_Solanum dulcamara_) has slightly narcotic properties, and -the scarlet berries are considered poisonous. The Common Nightshade -(_Solanum nigrum_) has more active narcotic properties. The Potato -(_Solanum tuberosum_) has slight narcotic qualities in its leaves -and fruit, but its tubers are edible and nutritious. The Deadly -Nightshade (_Atropa belladonna_) is a highly poisonous plant, narcotic -in all its parts. Henbane (_Hyoscyamus niger_) contains also similar -properties. Many species of Thorn Apple are powerfully narcotic, -especially the seeds or fruit; this is especially the case with our -common thorn-apple (_Datura stramonium_), with the thorn-apple of the -Andes (_Datura sanguinea_), and of North America (_Datura tatula_), the -thorn-apples of India (_Datura metel_, _D. ferox_, and _D. fatuosa_). -Several species of _Nicotiana_ furnish tobacco. The fruit of different -species and varieties of _Capsicum_, which are used as pepper, possess -irritant properties which obscure the narcotic action. Other species -are used as narcotics, or as poisons, and some, as the Tomato and other -Lycopersicums, as articles of food; but the majority give evidence, in -some of their parts, of the existence of a narcotic principle.[34] - -The Kala dhatoora (_Datura fatuosa_) and Sada dhatoora (_Datura alba_) -are very common species of thorn-apple over the peninsula of India, -where they are also called _mazil_ or _methel_. For the purpose of -facilitating theft and other criminal designs, the seeds are very -commonly given in Bengal, with sweetmeats, to stupify merely, but not -with the intention of killing. Intoxication or delirium is seldom -produced. The individual sinks into a profound lethargy, with dilated -pupils, but natural respiration. These symptoms have been known to -continue for two days. The vision often becomes obscured long after -the general recovery takes place. Graham says that the seeds are often -fatally used for these purposes in Bombay. The narcotic action is more -speedy and powerful on an empty stomach than after a meal; hence death -often ensues from the effects when the intention was only to produce -narcotism. - -In some parts of South America, especially in Peru, where a species of -thorn-apple (_Datura sanguinea_) grows wild, the natives, in certain -cases, drink a decoction of the leaves or seeds, which produces such -violent effects as to cause them to fall into a state nearly resembling -death, and lasting frequently two or three days. Every malady is there -ascribed to enchantment, and this very singular plan is resorted to -to discover by whom the mischief may have been wrought. In cases of -extreme illness the decoction is given, not to the sick person, but to -the nearest relative, who devotes himself for this purpose, to discover -during his sleep the sorcerer or Mohari who has inflicted the disease. -The medicine soon causes the relative to fall under its influence, and -he is placed in a fit position to prevent suffocation. On returning -to his senses he describes the sorcerer he has seen in his dreams, -and the whole family set out to discover the Mohari who bears the -nearest resemblance to the description, who, when found, they compel -to undertake the cure of the sick person. When no sorcerer has been -seen in the vision, or no one is found resembling the one which has -been seen, the first Mohari they meet with is obliged to undertake the -office of physician. Should the patient die during the vision of the -relative, the sorcerer whose image is then supposed to be presented is -subjected to the same fate. - -This plant, which is called “Florispondio” in tropical America, appears -always to have played, and still continues to play, a prominent part -in the superstitions of the natives. The Indians of Darien, as well -as those of Choco, according to Seemann, prepare from its seeds -a decoction, which is given to their children to produce a state -of excitement, in which they are supposed to possess the power of -discovering gold. In any place where the unhappy patients happen to -fall down, digging is commenced; and as the soil nearly everywhere -abounds with gold dust, an amount of more or less value is obtained. In -order to counteract the bad effects of the poison, some sour _chica_, a -beer made of Indian corn, is administered. - -It is this same thorn-apple which is used amongst the Andes of New -Granada, and even as far south as Peru, for the purpose of preparing -therefrom a drink, with very strong narcotic properties, which they -call “Tonga.” Dr. Von Tschuddi has given a description of the effects -of this narcotic upon an old Indian. “Shortly after swallowing the -beverage he fell into a heavy stupor. He sat with his eyes vacantly -fixed on the ground, his mouth convulsively closed, and his nostrils -dilated. In the course of about a quarter of an hour his eyes began -to roll, foam issued from his half-opened lips, and his whole body -was agitated by frightful convulsions. These violent symptoms having -subsided, a profound sleep of several hours succeeded. In the evening, -when I saw him again, he was relating to a circle of attentive -listeners the particulars of his vision, during which he alleged he had -held communication with the spirits of his forefathers. He appeared -very weak and exhausted.” - -By means of this plant they believe that they can hold communication -with their ancestors, and obtain a clue to the treasures concealed in -their _huacas_ or graves—hence it is called huaca-cacha or grave plant. -It has been supposed that the frenzied ravings, called prophecies, of -the Delphic oracles were produced by this plant, which has been used, -as Dr. Lindley asserts, in the temple of the sun at Sogamossa, near -Bogota, in New Granada, for the same purpose. Already we have alluded -to the Delphic oracles more fully, when writing of the “Sisters of Old.” - -The cunning few acquainted with some of the extraordinary properties of -certain plants, which were unknown to the superstitious and barbarous -multitude in days gone by, had ample means at their disposal for -imposing on their credulity, by the performance of wonderful cures, -working apparent miracles, and gulling the less informed into the -belief that they were either in direct communication with the spiritual -world, or had received a divine commission by which to govern. Most -of the marvels of ancient times were no greater than the little -experiments which the schoolboy now performs for his amusement and that -of his companions, with a few crystals and powders, contained in as -many pill-boxes. - -The pots or gourds, in which cocoa-nut sap to make arrack is drawn off -in Ceylon, are sometimes visited and the contents carried off during -the night. To detect the thief, the leaves of a species of datura or -thorn-apple are occasionally put into some of the pots. By means of -the highly intoxicating effect of this compound the marauder is often -discovered. On the Coromandel coast the retailers of toddy sometimes -rub the inside of the pots with the seed-vessel or leaves of this -highly poisonous plant, to increase the intoxicating influence of the -toddy. - -The phrase “pariah-arrack” is often used to designate a spirit -distilled in the peninsula of India, which is said to be rendered -unwholesome by an admixture of Gunja, and a species of Datura, with -the intention of increasing its intoxicating quality. It is not clear -whether the term pariah-arrack be colloquially employed to designate an -inferior spirit or an adulterated compound. It is curious that a system -of “doctoring” beverages, to make them heady, should obtain abroad, as -it does at home, and in both cases perhaps independently: for it does -not seem probable either that we borrowed the system from the Hindoos, -or that they copied it from us. - -While under the influence of these narcotics the mind seems to be -subjected to a troubled dream, and the person suffering from it -indulges in fits of uncontrollable laughter. Beverley, the historian -of Jamaica, quaintly describes the effects of the thorn-apple. Some -soldiers, who were sent to quell the rebellion in the island, ate of -it: “the effect was a very pleasant comedy, for they turned natural -fools upon it for several days. One would blow up a feather in the air, -another would dart straws at it with much fury. Another, stark naked, -was sitting up in a corner grinning like a monkey, and making mouths at -them. A fourth would fondly kiss and paw his companions, and sneer in -their faces with a countenance more antic than a Dutch doll. In this -frantic condition they were confined, lest in their folly they should -destroy themselves. A thousand simple tricks they played; and, after -eleven days, returning to themselves again, not remembering anything -that had occurred.” - -The extract of Stramonium or common thorn-apple has occasionally, -when injudiciously administered, produced similar effects upon -the individual to whom it has been given, affecting the senses, -particularly that of sight. “Imaginary objects are seen to play before -the eyes, at which the victim strikes, as they seem to terrify him. -And similar results have occurred from the use of the seeds.” Fowler -relates a case of a child who supposed that cats, dogs, and rabbits -were running along the tops and sides of the room. Dr. Winslow says -“that when inhaled, the smoke conveys a sense of gentle tranquillity, -the muscles of the thorax, and those which have been called into -action to assist them, in the paroxysms of asthma which the smoking is -resorted to to relieve, are rendered less irritable and the fibre is -relaxed, sleep is induced, but there is rarely any disturbance of the -imagination.” - -In France and Germany, this plant has been resorted to for the basest -of purposes, and many unhappy victims have been consigned to hopeless -insanity by its means, details of which would be far more horrible than -interesting. Faber also speaks of its use by the ladies of the Turkish -harems; but there is doubt whether this is not one of those marvels, -of which many may be met with in connection with medicinal agents, -containing more of romance than reality. Dr. Ainslie states that the -seeds form one of the ingredients of the confection of hemp and opium -known under the name of _madjoun_ in India; as henbane is asserted -to enter into the composition of that in use under the same, or a -similar name, in Egypt. The proportion of either of these when used is -doubtless small, and is in most cases dispensed with. - -Etymologists declare that the name of belladonna, which has been given -to the deadly nightshade (_Atropa belladonna_) was so given because -those to whom it was administered fancied they saw beautiful females -before them.[35] There is no doubt that it produces illusions of a -singular character, and cases of impulsive insanity have resulted from -its use in repeated doses. The effect of belladonna upon the brain -is more extraordinary than those usually attendant upon the use of -other narcotics. Persons who have been poisoned by the berries of the -plant have become restless and delirious, complained of dimness of -vision, and subsequently loss of sight. There were observed frequent -spasmodic contractions of the muscles of the eyeballs and the throat, -with strong symptoms of mania. Six soldiers who were poisoned by the -plant exhibited delirium the most extravagant, and commonly of the most -pleasing kind, accompanied with immoderate and uncontrollable paroxysms -of laughter, sometimes with constant talking, but occasionally with -complete loss of speech. Buchanan relates that the Scots mixed a -quantity of the juice of belladonna with the bread and drink which, by -their truce, they were to supply the Danes with, which so intoxicated -them, that the Scots killed the greater part of Sweno’s army while -asleep. - -The effects of belladonna on the brain are well described by Dr. -Winslow, than whom no better authority can be desired. “One of the -marvellous effects of continued doses is the production of a singular -psychological phenomenon. A delirium supervenes, unaccompanied by -any fantasia, or imaginary illusion, whose marked characteristic is -somnambulism. An individual who has taken it in several doses seems -to be perfectly alive to surrounding objects, his senses conveying -faithfully to the brain the impressions that they receive; he goes -through his usual avocations without exhibiting any unwonted feeling, -yet is he quite unconscious of his existence, and performs mechanically -all that he is accustomed to do, answers questions correctly, without -knowing from whom or from whence they proceed, looks at objects -vacantly, moves his lips as if conversing yet utters not a sound, -there is no unusual state of the respiratory organs, no alteration -of the pulse, nothing that can bespeak excitement. When this state -of somnambulism passes away, the individual has not the slightest -recollection of what has occurred to him; he reverts to that which -immediately preceded the attack, nor can any allusion to his apparent -reverie induce him to believe that he has excited any attention. The -case of the tailor who remained on his shopboard for fifteen hours, -performing all his usual avocations, sewing with great apparent -earnestness, using all the gestures which his business requires, -moving his lips as if speaking, yet the whole of the time perfectly -insensible, has been frequently quoted. It was produced by belladonna.” - -The use of this plant has been recommended as a preventive of -scarlatina. An instance is recorded of a family consisting of eleven -persons who took it for this purpose, in small quantities, twice a day. -Five of these persons were domestics. On the fourth day, almost all -of them became under the influence of the drug, two or three of them -very slightly, simply complaining of having the vision disturbed by -objects which they in vain attempted to remove, for they were fully -persuaded that they existed. Two had singular fits of laughter which -nothing could control. All complained of being in an unusual state. -The servants were all of them able to go through their work, but all -seemed to act mechanically, each independent of the other. Of this -the most ludicrous example was in the course of the fourth evening. -A carriage arrived at the street door, and the street bell was rung -with considerable violence. They all immediately left their business, -quietly walked up stairs as if they had not the slightest idea that -they were all upon the same errand. They went to the door; two of them, -however, only opened it; one of these walked away without waiting to -know what was the reason of the ringing, and the other seemed not -disposed to trouble himself with anything beyond the opening and -shutting of the door. On the discontinuance of the medicine, they all -soon returned to their usual state, and two of them had scarlatina, -though only in a mild form. - -From this descriptive account of the action of belladonna, and its -singular effects upon the mind, approaching to a form of insanity, -it will appear strange that this drug should be recommended by -Hahnemann and his followers for the cure of insanity. But this is the -very principle upon which that school operates.[36] That drug which -produces, in its effects the worst forms of mania, is the best adapted -for its cure. We are not, however, either apologists, exponents, or -opponents of homœopathy, and will leave its supporters to champion -their own cause. - -Henbane (_Hyoscyamus niger_) is another of these powerful narcotic -agents, educing symptoms analogous to insanity. In small doses, its -effect is to produce a pleasant sleep and soothe pain. In larger -doses, the effects are extremely deleterious. Two soldiers who ate the -young shoots dressed with olive oil, became giddy and stupid, lost -their speech, had a dull and haggard look. The limbs were cold and -palsied, and a singular combination of delirium and coma manifested -itself. As the palsy and somnolency decreased, the delirium became -extravagant. Others who partook of the same species of plant by mistake -were affected in a similar manner. Several were delirious and danced -about the room like maniacs, and one appeared as if he had got drunk. -A French physician gives an account of nine persons who were nearly -poisoned by eating the roots of henbane. The effects of this poison -were horrible in the extreme; in five, out of the nine, it produced -raving madness. The madness of all these was so complete, and their -agitation so violent, that in order to give one of them an antidote, -six strong men had to be employed to hold him down, while his teeth -were being separated to pour down the remedy. For two or three days -after their recovery, every object appeared to them as red as scarlet. - -Henbane, which is often administered as a substitute for opium, and -in the East occasionally mixed with it, has the extraordinary faculty -of producing jealousy. Many authenticated cases are recorded of the -power of the leaves, and the fumes of the seeds, over the more intense -passions. A disposition to quarrel and fight is decidedly produced. One -case is that of a young couple, who had married from affection, had -lived upon terms of the most perfect mutual regard—indeed, had been -noticed for the warmth and strength of their attachment; but suddenly, -to the surprise of the surrounding neighbours, their harmony was not -only interrupted, but they became bitter antagonists, fighting and -beating each other most unmercifully. What seemed most surprising was, -that in one particular room appeared to spring their most determined -quarrels, and that they soon subsided elsewhere. This mystery was -at length explained, and their days of happiness restored, by the -discovery that to the effects of a considerable quantity of henbane, -stored up for drying, their miseries were owing, and on the removal of -this, the source of their feuds appeared to vanish. Hahnemann, as might -be expected, considers this as one of the most potent medicines for the -cure of jealousy, since it is so effective in causing it. - -The leaves of the three plants lately noticed—namely, thorn-apple -or stramonium, belladonna, and henbane—are made up in the form of -cigarettes; and the first of these also as cigars, to be smoked by -asthmatic persons, for their soothing and sedative effects. These are -all made and consumed extensively on the continent, and may be procured -in many parts of London. They have also been recommended to those _not_ -asthmatical, as pleasant, harmless, and containing all the narcotising -influences of a good cigar. They may be considered as truly narcotic -substitutes for tobacco; but at the present rate at which they are -sold, although not subject to either customs or excise, there is but -little fear of their interfering prejudicially with the sale of the -genuine article. In face of the facts already detailed, a good amount -of courage seems necessary to make the attempt, lest they should prove -cumulative in their action. Dr. Christison says, when writing of -these narcotics, “The action of such poisons is not always, however, -entirely thrown away; they still produce some immediate effect; and -further, by being frequently taken, they may slowly bring on certain -diseases, or engender a predisposition to disease. A very singular -exception to this rule prevails in the instance of tobacco, which, -under the influence of habit, may be smoked daily to a considerable -amount, and, so far as appears, without any cumulative effect on the -constitution, like that of opium-eating or drinking spirits.” - -It does not appear that hitherto the leaves of the purple foxglove -(_Digitalis purpurea_) have been used in the same form, or for any -other than purely medicinal purposes; but it possesses narcotic powers -equal to the others, and, in excess, produces equally fatal results, -such as delirium, convulsions, and insensibility. A fatal case which -occurred in 1826 became the ground of a criminal trial, in which death -took place in twenty-two hours, having been preceded by convulsions and -insensibility. - -An enumeration of the various other narcotics which enter into -combination with other substances in the production of beverages, such -as the hop and its substitutes, forming no part of the plan of this -work, would be uninteresting without further details. Nor would a -list of such narcotics as are used merely in _materia medica_ answer -any useful end. Fuller particulars would only convert this into a -toxicological treatise, interesting to none but medical students, for -whom ample information is provided in the libraries to which they have -access. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - -THE EXILE OF SIBERIA. - - “Vilibus ancipites fungi ponentur amicis; - Boletus domino.”——JUVENAL. - - -The rage for scampering half over the world in search of the -picturesque has scarcely got far enough to tempt any, except a stray -traveller or two, into the chilly regions of Siberia and Kamtschatka, -and in these exceptional cases, perhaps, more from force than choice. -These are regions, therefore, concerning which our information is -remarkably limited. It is true that Captain Cochrane informs us that -he married a wife from Kamtschatka—a virtuous maiden, who knew more of -that region, perhaps, than he or she cared to tell; for the one tells -us very little, and the other nothing, of yon strange land, with an -almost unpronounceable name. We are told, moreover, that the capital -is called by the names of St. Peter and St. Paul. Fearing lest one -patron saint should not be sufficient to immortalize the metropolis -of all the Kamtschatkas, the founders and inhabitants have wisely -adopted two. This city also is stated to contain forty-two dwellings, -besides fifteen edifices belonging to the government, an old church, -and the foundation of a new one. The winters are declared to be mild, -compared with those of Siberia; but even these are not very inviting, -as the snow lies on the ground seven or eight months, and the soil, -at the depth of twenty-four to thirty inches, being frozen at all -seasons. Potatoes never ripen, cabbages never come to a head, and -peas only flower. But the gallant captain adds: “I am certainly the -first Englishman that ever married a Kamtschatdale, and my wife is -undoubtedly the first native of that peninsula that ever visited happy -Britain.” - -In such a land, there is little hope of cultivating poppy, tobacco, -betel, coca, hemp, or thorn-apple; and the poor native would have been -compelled to have glided into his grave without a glimpse of Paradise -beforehand, if, on the one hand, the kindly Russian pedlar had not -found a way to smuggle a little bad spirits into the country, to the -great annoyance of all quietly-disposed persons, or, on the other, -nature had not promptly supplied an indigenous narcotic, in the form of -an unpretending-looking fungus or toadstool, to stimulate the dormant -energies of the dwellers in this region of ice and snow. - -That some kinds of mushrooms are poisonous is a truth of which every -farm labourer seems aware. But that some of those which have been -reputed poisonous are inert, is beyond their philosophy, and only -receives at present the sanction of some of the more scientific, who -have directed their studies thitherward. The fly agaric is one of those -justly-reputed poisonous species, occasionally found in this country, -but which grows plentifully in Kamtschatka and Siberia. A recent author -of an account of Russia states, “that mushrooms virulently poisonous -in one country are eaten with safety in another, is well known in -other cases, as, for instance, in that of the fly mushroom (_Amanita -muscaria_), which is common in England, and always poisonous there, -while in Kamtschatka it is used as a frequent article of food.” Then -he inquires into the reasons wherefore this should be the case:——“It -is not enough to say that difference of soil and climate explain the -mystery; for though we know that culture changes the properties of -plants, converting what is poisonous in the wild state into a wholesome -esculent when raised in the garden—as in the case of the common celery, -for example—yet throughout the whole of the vegetable kingdom we find -almost no other instance of a plant which is poisonous in one country -becoming wholesome, without culture, when transplanted to another, and -left entirely to itself, and in both placed in apparently the same -circumstances as to soil, &c. After all, a great part of the secret may -lie, not in the plant, but in the mode of preparing it for the table. -So far as we can judge, the Russian cook, on first cutting up these -spoils of the forest, makes a much more copious use of salt than is -done with us; and the efficacy of this agent in deadening the poisonous -quality, is sufficiently proved by the melancholy case recorded in -medical treatises, of a French officer and his wife, both of whom died -in thirty-two hours after eating certain mushrooms, while the person -who supplied them, and his whole family, made a hearty and wholesome -meal from the same gathering.” In this case, it appears that while -the former took them without addition, the latter first salted them -strongly, and then squeezed them well before using them. M. Roques says -distinctly that this plant has not its poisonous properties modified -by any climate. The Czar Alexis lost his life by eating this mushroom. -The details of its effects upon the Kamtschatkans by Krascheminikow, -in his natural history of that country are explicit, respecting the -delirious intoxication induced by it, Gmelin and Pallas also equally -certifying its intoxicating powers. Roques reports seven different sets -of observations respecting its deleterious effects on man. - -Unless we accept some such explanation of the phenomena as this, how -can we reconcile the fact of their being eaten by the Russians without -injury, whilst, on the authority of Dr. Christison, we have such a -fatal case as the following, from eating the same kind of fungus, the -growth of the same country and climate. Several French soldiers in -Russia ate a large quantity of _Amanita muscaria_, some were not taken -ill for six hours and upwards. Four of them who were very powerful men -thought themselves safe, because, while their companions were already -suffering, they themselves felt perfectly well and refused to take -emetics. In the evening they began to complain of anxiety, a sense of -suffocation, frequent fainting, burning thirst, and violent gripes. The -pulse became small and irregular, and the body bedewed with cold sweat, -the lineaments of the countenance were singularly changed, the nose and -lips acquiring a violet tint, they trembled much, the belly swelled, -and a profuse diarrhœa followed. The extremities soon became livid and -cold, and the pain of the abdomen intense, delirium ensued, and all the -four died. Two of the others suffered coma for twenty-four hours. - -This proves that the mushroom in question is possessed of undoubtedly -poisonous properties, which are fatal in their effects, unless -counteracted or dispelled by the method of preparing them for the -table. That this method is known to the Russians and to some other -nations, and is believed to consist in well saturating the fungi with -salt before cooking them. The Muscovite seems to have no greater dread -of ill effects from the fly agaric than has the Brazilian from his -cassava or mandioca flour, which is prepared from the equally poisonous -root of the mandioca plant, the deleterious qualities of which are -destroyed by the heat used in its preparation. Dr. Pouchet of Rouen -seems to have clearly proved that the poisonous property of the fly -agaric and _a venenata_ may be entirely removed by boiling them in -water. A quart of water in which five plants had been boiled for -fifteen minutes, killed a dog in eight hours; and, again, another in a -day; but the boiled fungi themselves had no effect at all on two other -dogs; and a third which had been fed for two months on little else than -boiled amanitas, not only sustained no harm, but actually got fat on -the fare.[37] Pouchet is inclined to think that the whole poisonous -plants of the family are similarly circumstanced. - -The most singular circumstance connected with the history of this -fungus, is the place it occupies as a substitute for those narcotics -known in other parts of the world, and which an ungenial northern -climate fails to produce. What the coca is to the Bolivian, and opium -to the Chinese—the areca to the Malay, and haschisch to the African—the -tobacco to the inhabitants of Europe and America, and the thorn-apple -to those of the Andes—is the fly agaric to the natives of Siberia and -Kamtschatka. Why it has been called by this name has arisen from its -use as a fly poison. Never having seen those dipterous insects while -under its influence, we cannot detail the symptoms it produces. - -This poisonous fungus has some resemblance to the one generally eaten -in this country, yet there are also striking points of difference. As, -for instance, the gills are white instead of pinkish red, inclining to -brown, and the cap or pileus, which is rather flat, is generally of a -livid red colour, sprinkled with angular lighter coloured worts. These -are distinctions broad enough to prevent any one having the use of his -eyes, and who has ever seen the edible mushroom being deceived into the -belief that the fungus thus briefly described is identical with the -delicacy of our English tables. - -These fungi are collected by those who indulge in them narcotically, -during the hot, or rather summer months, and afterwards hung up to -dry in the open air. Or they may be left to ripen and dry in the -ground, and are afterwards collected. When left standing until they -are dried, they are said to possess more powerful narcotic properties -than when dried artificially. The juice of the whortleberry in which -this substance has been steeped, acquires thereby the intoxicating -properties of strong wine. - -The method of using this singular substance is to roll it up in the -form of a bolus and swallow it without any mastication, as one would -swallow a large pill. It is swallowed thus on principle, not that -its flavour would be unpleasant, as compound colocynth might be when -masticated, but because it is stated to agree ill with the stomach when -that operation is performed. Nature is jealous of her rights, and it -would appear from experience, that the gastronomic regions expect to -receive all other supplies well triturated, except these—amanita and -pill colocynth—which are both expected equally alike to arrive at the -regions below without mutilation. - -A day’s intoxication may thus be procured at the expense of one good -sized bolus, compounded of one large or two small toadstools; and -this intoxication is affirmed to be, not only cheap, which is a -consideration, but also remarkably pleasant. It commences an hour or so -after the bolus has been swallowed. - -The effects which this singular narcotic produces are, some of them, -similar to that produced by intoxicating liquors; others resemble the -effects of haschisch. At first, it generally produces cheerfulness, -afterwards giddiness and drunkenness, ending occasionally in the entire -loss of consciousness. The natural inclinations of the individual -become stimulated. The dancer executes a _pas d’extravagance_, the -musical indulge in a song, the chatterer divulges all his secrets, -the oratorical delivers himself of a philippic, and the mimic -indulges in caricature. Erroneous impressions of size and distance -are common occurrences, equally with the swallower of amanita and -hemp. The experiences of M. Moreau with haschisch are repeated with -the fungus-eaters of Siberia; a straw lying in the road becomes a -formidable object, to overcome which, a leap is taken sufficient to -clear a barrel of ale, or the prostrate trunk of a British oak. - -But this is not the only extraordinary circumstance connected -therewith. There is the property imparted to the fluid excretions, of -rendering it intoxicating, which property it retains for a considerable -time. A man having been intoxicated on one day, and slept himself sober -by the next, will, by drinking this liquor, to the extent of about a -cupfull, become as intoxicated thereby as he was before. Confirmed -drunkards in Siberia preserve their excretionary fluid as a precious -liquor, to be used in case a scarcity of the fungus should occur. This -intoxicating property may be again communicated to every person who -partakes of the disgusting draught, and thus, also, with the third, -and fourth, and even the fifth distillation. By this means, with a -few boluses to commence with, a party may shut themselves in their -room, and indulge in a week’s debauch at a very economical rate. This -species of “sucking the monkey” is one that Mungo never contemplated. -Persons who are fond of getting liquor at the expense of others take -every opportunity of “sucking the monkey,” which process has been -thus explained. It consists in boring a hole with a gimlet in a keg -or barrel, and putting a straw therein, to suck out any quantity, at -any given time. Persons who are accustomed to receive real Devonshire -cider, or genuine Wiltshire ale, or the pure Geneva, in London, -experience the liberties those take who “suck the monkey,” by either -liberally diminishing the quantity, or diluting it with water on the -road, so as to make the quantity what the quality should be. It is -said that the origin of the term “sucking the monkey” is derived from -the prolific invention of a black, who, in order to find an excuse -to the captain for his being caught lying with a favourite monkey so -often near the rum puncheons on board, from which he daily drank, -said—“Massa, you ask what Mungo do here?—do here, massa? You say monkey -hab de milk ob human kindness, massa. Mungo like dat milk, massa, and -Mungo suck de monkey, massa. Dat’s all.” - -Chemical investigations have not yet been directed into the channel -leading towards the elucidation of the mysteries of these poisonous -fungi, and hitherto we know of no experiments having been made with a -view to ascertain whether any of our indigenous fungi, other than the -one already referred to, can be used in the same way, and with the same -results, as we have described. Doubtless such experiments would be -successful, so far as realizing the results, since one of the effects -produced by eating poisonous fungi is narcotic in its character. M. -Letellier found in certain of these fungi a chemical principle which is -fixed, and resists drying, and which he calls Amanitine. Its effects -on animals appear to resemble considerably those of opium.[38] Dr. -Christison states that “the symptoms produced by them in man are -endless in variety, and fully substantiate the propriety of arranging -them in the class of narcotico-acrid poisons. Sometimes they produce -narcotic symptoms alone, sometimes only symptoms of irritation, but -much more commonly, both together.” A person gathered in Hyde Park a -considerable number of mushrooms; which he mistook for the species -commonly eaten, stewed them, and proceeded to eat them; but before -ending his repast, and not more than ten minutes after he began it, -he was suddenly attacked with dimness of vision, giddiness, debility, -trembling, and loss of recollection. In a short time he recovered so -far as to be able to go in search of assistance. But he had hardly -walked 250 yards when his memory again failed him, and he lost his way. -His countenance expressed anxiety, he reeled about, and could hardly -articulate. He soon became so drowsy, that he could be kept awake only -by constant dragging. Vomiting was produced; the drowsiness gradually -went off, and next day he complained merely of languor and weakness. - -The smoke of the common puff-ball when burnt, has been used to -stupify bees when their hive was about to be robbed; and similar -narcotic effects have been observed in other animals when subjected -to its fumes. The action bears a resemblance to that of chloroform by -producing insensibility to pain. If future generations do not deem -it desirable to indulge in a narcotic of this kind for the purpose of -producing pleasurable sensations, or to smother the carking cares of -life, yet they may learn more than we at present know of the peculiar -characteristics which distinguish this from all the others of the -“Seven Sisters of Sleep.” - -Night draws on apace; let us gather together all the straggling members -of the family, sweep up the crumbs, call in the cat, bar the door, wind -up the clock, and go to bed— - - “To sleep, perchance to dream.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI. - -ODDS AND ENDS. - - “And our poor dream of happiness - Vanisheth, so - Farewell.”——MOTHERWELL. - - -After a feast, the prudent and thrifty housewife will gather up the -fragments that remain, if for no other purpose than to distribute them -amongst the poor. - -It was the constant habit of a certain elderly man of business, so long -as he could stoop for the purpose, to pick up and stow away every pin -and scrap of paper, or end of string, which he saw lying about on his -premises. And when he could bend no longer to perform the operation -himself, he would stand by the truant fragment, and vociferate loudly -for one of his apprentices to come and “gather up the cord and string,” -adding “’tis a pity they should spile.” - -Approaching to the conclusion of our task, we have followed the old -gentleman’s advice, and collected the odd pieces that have fallen -to the ground in the course of our work, convinced that thrift is -praiseworthy, and although only “Odds and Ends,” there may be enough -of interest in them to warrant you in adding “’tis a pity they should -spile.” - -Tobacco ends in smoke. We began with the former, it is but a natural -consequence that we should end with the latter. Somewhere we have -read a “smoke vision of life.” Some people have but a smoky or foggy -vision of life—they have sad eyes, poor travellers, and can see nothing -for the fog that surrounds them—they live in a mist, and die without -being missed. Forgive the transgression, good friend, the obscurity -of the subject is to blame, and the pun was written before we had -made ourselves aware of its presence. Let it pass on, it will soon -be lost in the smoke. An old piper believes that there is generally -something racy, decided, and original in the man who both smokes and -snuffs. Outwardly, he may have a kippered appearance, and his voice -may grate on the ear like a scrannel pipe of straw, but think of the -strong or beautiful soul that body enshrines! Do you imagine, oh, -lean-hearted member of the Anti-Snuff and Tobacco Club, that the dark -apostle standing before us will preach with less power, less unction, -less persuasive eloquence, because he snuffs over the psalm book, and -smokes in the vestry between the forenoon and afternoon service? Does -his piety ooze through his pipe, or his earnestness end in smoke? -Was Robert Hall less eloquent than Massillon or Chalmers, because he -could scarcely refrain from lighting his hookah in the pulpit? Answer -us at your leisure—could Tennyson have brought down so magnificently -the Arabian heaven upon his nights; dreamed so divinely of Cleopatra, -Iphigenia, and Rosamond; pictured so richly the charmed sleep of the -Eastern princess in her enchanted palace, with her “full black ringlets -downward rolled;” or painted so soothingly the languid picture of the -Lotos-eaters, if he had never experienced the mystic inspiration of -tobacco? Could John Wilson—peace to his princely shade—have filled -his inimitable papers with so much fine sentiment, radiant imagery, -pathos, piquancy, and point, without the aid of his silver snuff-box? -Deprive the Grants and Macgregors of their mulls and nose spoons of -bone, and you cut the sinews of their strength—you destroy the flower -of the British army. Pluck the calumet of peace from the lips of the -red Indian, and in the twinkling of an eye your beautiful scalp will be -dangling at his girdle. Tear his “gem adorned chibouque” from the mouth -of the Turk, and the Great Bear by to-morrow’s dawn will be grinning -on his haunches in Constantinople. Clear Germany of tobacco smoke, and -Goethe would groan in his grave, Richter would revisit the glimpses of -the moon, philology would fall down in a fatal fit of apoplexy over -the folios of her fame, and poetry would shriek her death-shriek to -see the transcendental philosophy expire. Shake the quids from the -mouths of the merry mariners of England—cast their pig-tail upon the -waters, and commerce would become stagnant in all our ports—our gallant -war-fleet would rot at its stations, and Britain would never boast the -glories of another Trafalgar. Tell Yankeedom that smoking is no more -to be permitted all over the world, under penalty of death, and soon -the melancholy pine forests would wave over the dust of an extinguished -race. In fine, were the club to which you belong to succeed in its -attempt, which it cannot, the earth would stand still, like the sun of -old upon Gibeon, and the moon in the valley of Ajalon, and the planets -would clothe themselves with sackcloth for the sudden death of their -sister sphere! - -There is extant, in an old work written three centuries since, a -curious paragraph which we had well nigh forgotten. It refers to -Canada. “There groweth a certain kind of herbe, whereof in summer they -make great provision for all the yeere, and only the men use of it; -and first they cause it to be dried in the sunne, then wear it about -their neckes, wrapped in a little beaste’s skinne, made like a little -bagge, with a hollow peece of stone or wood like a pipe; then, when -they please, they make poudre of it, and then put it in one of the -ends of the said cornet or pipe, and laying a coal of fire upon it, at -the other end suck so long, that they fill their bodies full of smoke, -till that it cometh out of their mouth and nostrils, even as out of the -tonnell of a chimney.” - -Methinks it had been well had every Canadian been also favoured with -a Saint Betsy, as a companion in life, otherwise there had been fire -as well as smoke. It is now some time since the inimitable _Punch_ -introduced Saint Betsy to the world, and that she may not altogether be -excluded from our future “fireside saints,” we will give her legend a -place in our “Odds and Ends.” - -“St. Betsy was wedded to a knight who sailed with Raleigh, and had -brought home tobacco, and the knight smoked. But he thought that -St. Betsy, like other fine ladies of the Court, would fain that he -should smoke out of doors, nor taint with tobacco smoke the tapestry, -whereupon the knight would seek his garden, his orchard, and, in any -weather, smoke _sub Jove_. Now it chanced, as the knight smoked, St. -Betsy came to him and said, ‘My lord, pray ye come into the house;’ and -the knight went with St. Betsy, who took him into a newly cedared room, -and said, ‘I pray my lord henceforth smoke here, for is it not a shame -that you, who are the foundation and prop of your house, should have -no place to put your head into and smoke?’ And St. Betsy led him to a -chair, and with her own fingers filled him a pipe; and from that time -the knight sat in the cedar chamber and smoked his weed.” - -No pipe, no smoke, no dreams! Never again, on a beautiful summer’s day -would two young Ottoman swains sit smoking under a tree, by the side -of a purling stream, hearing the birds sing, and seeing the flowers -in bloom, to become the actors in a scene like that described in one -of their own songs. By and bye came a young damsel, her eyes like two -stars in the nights of the Ramazan. One of the swains takes his pipe -from his mouth, and “sighing smoke,” gazes at her with delight. The -other demands why his wrapt soul is sitting in his eyes, and he avows -himself the adorer of the veiled fair. “Her eyes,” says he, “are black, -but they shine like the polished steel, nor is the wound they inflict -less fatal to the heart.” The other swain ridicules his passion, and -bids him re-fill his pipe. “Ah, no!” cries the lover, “I enjoy it no -more; my heart is as a fig thrown into a thick leafy tree, and a bird -with bright eyes has caught it and holds it fast.” - -Hearken to the story of Abou Gallioun, the father of the pipe-bowl, -and then laugh if you will at the votaries of the marvellous weed. A -mountaineer of Lebanon, a man young and tall, and apparently well to -do, for his oriental costume was rich and elegant, established himself -at Tripoli, in Syria. He resided at an hotel, and astonished every -one with a bowl at the end of his pipe stem of enormous dimensions. -Some days after his arrival he was seen to seat himself at the corner -of a street, to rest the bowl of his pipe on the ground, and to take -from his pocket a little tripod and a coffee-pot. Having filled his -coffee-pot, he put the tripod upon the bowl of his pipe, and stood his -coffee-pot thereon. He then proceeded to smoke, and at the same time -to boil the water for his coffee. This sight caused the passers-by -to stop, and a crowd collected in the street so as to obstruct the -thoroughfare. The police came to clear the passage, and, at the same -time, the Pacha was informed of the circumstance, and consulted as to -what should be done. The Pacha gave instructions that as the stranger -did harm to no one, he was to be allowed to make his coffee in the -street, for the street was open to all, hoping that when it rained he -would certainly go away. The police were, therefore, ordered to prevent -any crowding around the mountaineer, and to take especial care that he -received no insult, lest he should then complain to the Emir of the -mountain of his ill-treatment. The mountaineer having heard of the -instructions of the Pacha, continued to drink his coffee and smoke his -pipe as before, in the presence of numbers of curious spectators. This -exhibition continued daily, till the news penetrated into the harems, -and the women came to see a man make his coffee upon the bowl of his -pipe—a thing they had never before heard of, and which, till now, had -never occurred. - -The mountaineer loved to converse with the passers-by, when he told -them that his pipe served him also at home for his baking oven, and -that he had no other chafing dish in winter; that he filled the bowl -twice a day, in the morning on rising, and in the evening on going to -rest, to last him through the night; that he stopped very little, and -during the night drank five or six cups of coffee. This stranger was -surnamed Abou Gallioun, “father of the pipe-bowl,” and is still known -by that name in Tripoli when they speak of him and his extravagance. - -In general, the pipe bowls are of a certain size, so that they may last -at least a quarter of an hour, and with slow smoking they will last -half an hour, The tobacco does not burn rapidly if the smoker does not -pull hard—this quiet kind of smoking generally characterizes the grave -orientals. Their pipes are seldom extinguished of themselves unless -laid down, because the tobaccos of the East have more body than other -tobaccos. Abou Gallioun might then always rest assured that his pipe -would never go out, although he held long conversations by day, and -rose occasionally at night to take his coffee. - -Tobacco is stated to have been imported into the Celestial empire by -the Mantchoos; and the Chinese were much astonished when they first -saw their conquerors inhaling fire through long tubes and “eating -smoke.” By a curious coincidence this plant is called by the Mantchoos -_tambakou_; but the Chinese designate it simply by the word meaning -“smoke.” Thus they say they cultivate in their fields the “smoke-leaf,” -they “chew smoke,” and they name their pipe the “smoke-funnel.” - -The old proverb that “smoke doth follow the fairest,” is thus commented -upon:——“Whereof Sir Thomas Brown says, although there seems no natural -ground, yet it is the continuation of a very ancient opinion, as Petrus -Victorius and Casaubon have observed from a passage in Athenæus, -wherein a Parasite thus describes himself— - - ‘To every table first I come, - Whence Porridge I am called by some; - Like whips and thongs to all I ply, - Like smoak unto the fair I fly.’” - -There is extant in the East, an Arabian tale concerning the Broken Pipe -of Saladin, which is taken from an author named Ali-el-Fakir, who lived -in the times of Saladin, a tale which is often repeated among smokers -in Syria. The Sultan, Salah-el-Din (called by us Saladin), was a great -warrior, a lover of the harem, and at the same time pleasant. His -court abounded with officers, servants, and slaves. Among his servants, -who could best amuse him in his leisure moments, was a simple man to -whom he had confided the care of his pipes, and whom he had made his -pipe-bearer. All the Sultan’s pipes were of great value, owing to -the oriental luxury which prevails in everything, and especially in -everything belonging to the Sultan, who is considered the master of the -world. - -Saladin, in consequence of the climate of the south of Syria, generally -passed his time in the gardens of Damascus, luxuriously seated upon -rich Persian carpets and soft cushions, under a tree surrounded by -his guards, and a numerous band of servants, who promptly obeyed his -commands. - -Under another tree, not far off, was the coffee-maker, ready to serve -his master on the instant, for, like all other orientals, he was fond -of this beverage; and Ramadan, the pipe-bearer, was commanded to be at -hand, that he might execute his sovereign’s orders. - -Between the tree under which the Sultan was reposing, and that under -which was the stove of the coffee-maker, stood another tree, to which -was tied a watch-dog, who was only let loose at night. - -Saladin said to Ramadan—“Take my pipe, fill it, and bring it to me -directly.” At that time tobacco was not smoked in the East, instead -thereof they used Tè bégh. Ramadan hastened to obey his master, but -the dog, not well knowing him, set to barking at him as he passed on -his way to the coffee-maker’s stove for the purpose of preparing there -the Sultan’s pipe, and in return Ramadan shook his fist at him. When -the pipe-bearer came back, the dog, recognizing in him the man who -had lately menaced him, not being securely tied, loosened himself and -sprang at him. Ramadan used the pipe to defend himself, the dog was -beaten back, but the bowl, the stem, and the rich mouth-piece of the -pipe were all broken in the encounter. - -The facts were related to Saladin, who immediately ordered the dog -to be summoned before him. The animal said nothing while Ramadan -was continually charging him with the blame. “Thou seest,” said the -Sultan, “that the dog appears docile. If thou hadst not threatened or -frightened him he would have said nothing to thee. Thou shalt be tied -up as the dog was, and the dog shall dwell with me.” - -The guards chained up poor Ramadan to the tree where the dog had been -fastened, and his appearance was very disconsolate. The dog became the -favourite of the Prince, whom he recognized by his natural instinct, -and for ever afterwards the Sultan swore by his dog. - -The Mussulman delights in comparing the wisdom of this decision with -the judgment of Solomon. - -The recent remarks of one high in clerical authority, which came to -light but too lately to have a more honourable position assigned them, -must accordingly be scattered among the fragments. “Heaven forbid,” -writes the reverend gentleman, “that I should ever see in England -what I have more than once seen in France—a fine and gorgeously -arrayed lady, with lavender coloured kid gloves, and a delicate little -cigarette between her lips, expectorating in the most refined manner -into a polished spittoon, and accompanying her male friends in inhaling -the fumes of this noxious weed! No, our ladies have not countenanced -the custom by example, but they have fostered it, cherished it, -promoted it by their too much good nature, and allowed their husbands, -brothers, and sons, and perhaps, their intended husbands, to enjoy -their cigars in their presence, and even in their houses.” - - “Oh horrible, most horrible!” - -Hearken still further. “I don’t scruple to confess that I sat down to -the consideration of this subject strongly prejudiced, personally and -socially, against this evil practice; but I rise from the examination -of the facts of the case surprised at the magnitude of the abomination -to which it gives rise. I cordially throw any influence I possess into -the scale of those who are labouring to promote the total abolition of -the custom among us, and I earnestly entreat all who think with me to -exert their utmost efforts to stay the plague.” - -King James is dead, poor man, otherwise this worthy Dean, most -assuredly, would soon have become a Bishop. How unfortunate a -circumstance it is that wise men _will_ be born at a time when the -generation who would have appreciated them most, is either extinct or -in embryo. - -We remember to have once heard an equally estimable clerical gentleman -declare that he thought those words of Longfellow’s very descriptive of -the effects of his customary “whiff:”—— - - “And the night shall be filled with music, - And the cares that infest the day, - Shall fold their tents like the Arabs, - And as silently steal away.” - -With a fable of Krummacher’s, let this basket of fragments be filled, -and finished— - -“The angel of sleep and the angel of death, fraternally embracing each -other, wandered over the earth. It was eventide. They laid themselves -down beside a hill not far from the habitations of men. A melancholy -silence reigned around, and the evening bell of the distant hamlet had -ceased. - -“Silently and quietly, as is their wont, the two kindly genii of the -human race lay in confidential embrace, and night began to steal on. - -“Then the angel of sleep rose from his mossy couch, and threw around, -with careful hand, the unseen grains of slumber. The evening wind bare -them to the quiet dwellings of the wearied husbandmen. Now the feet -of sleep embraced the inhabitants of the rural cots, from the hoary -headed old man who supported himself on his staff, to the infants in -the cradle. The sick forgot their pains, the mourners their griefs, and -poverty its cares. All eyes were closed. - -“And now, after his task was done, the beautiful angel of sleep lay -down again by the side of his sterner brother. When the morning dawn -arose, he exclaimed in joyous innocency—‘Men praise me as their friend -and benefactor. Oh what a bliss it is, unseen and secretly to befriend -them! How happy are we, the invisible messengers of the good God! How -lovely is our quiet vocation!’ - -“Thus spake the friendly angel of sleep. And the angel of death sighed -in silent grief; and a tear, such as the immortals shed, trembled in -his great dark eye. ‘Alas!’ said he, ‘that I cannot as thou, delight -myself with cheerful thanks. Men call me their enemy and pleasure -spoiler.’ - -“‘Oh, my brother,’ rejoined the angel of sleep, ‘will not the good -also, when awaking, recognize in thee a friend and benefactor, and -thankfully bless thee? Are not we brothers and messengers of one -Father?’ - -“Thus spake he, and the eyes of the angel of death sparkled, and more -tenderly did the brotherly genii embrace each other.” - - - - -APPENDIX. - - -TABLE I. - -CHRONOLOGY OF TOBACCO. - - A.D. - - 1496 Romanus Paine published the first account of tobacco, under the - name _cohoba_. - - 1519 Tobacco discovered by the Spaniards near Tabasco. - - 1535 Negroes cultivated it on the plantations of their masters. - - ” It was used at this time in Canada. - - 1559 Tobacco introduced into Europe by Hernandez de Toledo. - - 1565 Conrad Gesner became acquainted with tobacco. - - ” Sir John Hawkins brought tobacco from Florida. - - 1570 Tobacco smoked in Holland out of tubes of palm-leaves. - - 1574 Tobacco cultivated in Tuscany. - - 1575 First figure of plant in André Thevot’s Cosmographie. - - 1585 Clay pipes noticed by the English in Virginia. - - ” First clay pipes made in Europe. - - 1590 Schah Abbas, of Persia, prohibited the use of tobacco in his - empire. - - 1601 Tobacco introduced into Java. Smoking commenced in Egypt about - this time. - - 1604 James I. laid heavy imposts on tobacco. - - 1610 Tobacco-smoking known at Constantinople. - - 1615 Tobacco first grown about Amersfort, in Holland. - - 1616 The colonists cultivated tobacco in Virginia. - - 1619 James I. wrote his “Counterblast.” - - ” Sale of tobacco prohibited in England till the custom should be - paid, and the royal seal affixed. - - 1620 Ninety young women sent from England to America, and sold to the - planters for tobacco at 120 lbs. each. - - 1622 Annual import of tobacco into England from America, 142,085 lbs. - - 1624 The Pope excommunicated all who should take snuff in church. King - James restricted the culture of tobacco to Virginia and the Somer - Isles. - - 1631 Tobacco-smoking introduced into Misnia. - - 1634 A tribunal formed at Moscow to punish smoking. - - 1639 The Assembly of Virginia ordered that all tobacco planted in that - and the succeeding two years should be destroyed. - - 1653 Smoking commenced at Appenzell (canton) in Switzerland. - - 1661 The police regulations of Berne made, and divided according to - the ten commandments, in which tobacco was prohibited. - - 1669 Adultery and fornication punished in Virginia by a fine of 500 to - 1000 lbs. of tobacco. - - 1670 Smoking tobacco punished in the canton of Glarus by fines. - - 1676 Customs on tobacco from Virginia collected in England, £120,000. - - ” Two Jews attempt the cultivation of tobacco in Brandenburg. - - 1689 Dr. J. F. Vicarius invented tubes containing pieces of sponge for - smoking tobacco. - - 1691 Pope Innocent XII. excommunicated all who used tobacco in St. - Peter’s Church at Rome. - - 1697 Large quantities of tobacco produced in the palatinate of Hesse. - - 1709 Exports of tobacco from America, 28,858,666 lbs. - - 1719 Senate of Strasburg prohibited the culture of tobacco. - - 1724 Pope Benedict XIV. revoked Pope Innocent’s Bull of - excommunication. - - 1732 Tobacco made a legal tender in Maryland, at one penny per lb. - - 1747 Annual exports of tobacco to England from the American colonies, - 40,000,000 lbs. - - 1753 The King of Portugal farmed out the tobacco trade for about - £500,000. - - ” The revenue of the King of Spain from tobacco, £1,250,000. - - 1759 Duties on tobacco in Denmark amounted to £8,000. - - 1770 Empress of Austria derived an income of £160,000 from tobacco. - - 1773 Duties on tobacco in the two Sicilies, £80,000. - - 1775 Annual export of tobacco from the United States 1,000,000 lbs. - - 1780 King of France derived an income of £1,500,000 from tobacco. - - 1782 Annual export of tobacco during the seven years revolutionary - war, 12,378,504 lbs. - - 1787 Tobacco imported into Ireland, 1,877,579 lbs. - - 1789 Exports of tobacco from the United States, 90,000,000 lbs. - - ” Tobacco first put under the excise in England. - - 1820 Quantity of tobacco grown in France, 32,887,500 lbs. - - 1828 Tobacco revenue in the State of Maryland, £5,400. - - 1830 Revenue from tobacco and snuff in Great Britain was 2¼ millions - of pounds. - - 1834 Value of tobacco used in the United States estimated at - £3,000,000. - - 1838 Annual consumption of tobacco in the United States estimated at - 100,000,000 lbs. - - 1840 It was ascertained that 1,500,000 persons were engaged in the - cultivation and manufacture of tobacco in the United States. - - -TABLE II. - -CONSUMPTION OF TOBACCO. - - ——————————————————————————————————+————————————————————+—————————————— - | Average consump. | - COUNTRIES. | of male population | Nett Revenue - | per head, over 18 | from Tobacco. - | years of age. | - ——————————————————————————————————+————————————————————+—————————————— - Austria | 6·75 lbs. | £1,212,530 - Zollverein | 9·75 ” | 296,560 - Steurverein, including Hanover } | 12·50 ” | 12,420 - and Oldenburg } | | - France | 5·50 ” | 3,058,356 - Russia | 2·50 ” | 284,280 - Portugal | 3·50 ” | 304,140 - Spain | 4·75 ” | 1,268,082 - Sardinia | 2·75 ” | 246,192 - Tuscany | 2·50 ” | 84,860 - Papal States | 2·00 ” | 297,252 - Two Sicilies | ... | 168,422 - Britain | 4·10 ” | 5,272,471 - Holland | 8·25 ” | 6,210 - Belgium | 9·00 ” | 28,014 - Denmark | 8·00 ” | 10,488 - Sweden | 4·37 ” | 14,766 - Norway | 6·40 ” | 23,322 - United States | 7·60 ” | ... - ——————————————————————————————————+————————————————————+—————————————— - - -TABLE III. - -DUTIES ON IMPORTATION OF TOBACCO. - - United States 30· per cent. ad valorem. - Belgium 13·9 do. - Great Britain 933·3 do. - Hanover 9·6 do. - Holstein 10· do. - Holland 3·5 do. - Russia 161· do. - Switzerland 3· do. - Zollverein 45· do. - - -TABLE IV. - - Nett Profits of the French Regie on Tobacco, after paying all expenses - of purchase, transportation, manufacture, and sale. Showing the - increased consumption, in decennial periods, from 1811 to 1851. - - ——————————————————————-+——————————- - Years. | Francs. - ——————————————————————-+——————————- - 1811 | 26,000,000 - 1821 | 42,219,604 - 1831 | 45,920,930 - 1841 | 71,989,095 - 1851 | 92,233,729 - Total gross revenue } | - in 1857 } |185,000,000 - ——————————————————————-+——————————- - - -TABLE V. - -Consumption of Tobacco in Britain, with rate of Duty and Revenue -therefrom. - - ——————+————————————————+————————————+———————————+———————————- - Years.| Consumption. | Duty. | Revenue. |Population. - ——————+————————————————+————————————+———————————+———————————- - 1821 |15,598,152 lbs. |4s. per lb. |£3,122,583 |21,282,903 - 1831 |19,533,841 ” |3s. ” | 2,964,592 |24,410,459 - 1841 |22,309,360 ” |3s. ” | 3,580,163 |27,019,672 - 1851 |28,062,978 ” |3s. ” | 4,485,768 |27,452,262 - 1856 |32,579,166 ” |3s. ” | 5,216,770 | [39] - 1857 |32,677,059 ” |3s. ” | 5,231,455 | [39] - 1858 |34,110,850 ” |3s. ” | 5,272,471 | [39] - ——————+————————————————+————————————+———————————+———————————- -[39] Owing to extensive emigration, especially from Ireland, the -population must be considered as but little above that of 1851. - - -TABLE VI. - -Consumption of Tobacco in the Austrian Empire. - - ——————+—————————————————— - Years.|Quantity consumed. - ——————+—————————————————— - 1850 | 34,457,513 lbs. - 1851 | 54,217,578 ” - 1852 | 61,805,697 ” - 1853 | 57,926,925 ” - 1854 | 62,020,333 ” - 1856 | 85,161,030 ” - ——————+—————————————————— - - -TABLE VII. - -Statement exhibiting the quantities of Tobacco exported from the United -States into the countries named, during 1855. - - ————————————————-+———————————————— - Countries. | Quantities. - ————————————————-+———————————————— - Bremen | 38,058,000 lbs. - Great Britain | 24,203,000 ” - France | 40,866,000 ” - Holland | 17,124,000 ” - Spain | 7,524,000 ” - Belgium | 4,010,000 ” - Sardinia | 3,314,000 - Austria | 2,945,000 ” - Sweden and Norway| 1,713,000 ” - Portugal | 336,000 ” - ————————————————-+———————————————— - - -TABLE VIII. - -Disposition of Tobacco the growth of the United States in 1840 and in -1850, with the Home Consumption at each period. - - ——————+————————————————+————————————————+——————————————-+—————————— - Years.| Growth. | Exports. | Consumption. | Rate pr. - | | | | Head. - ——————+————————————————+————————————————+——————————————-+—————————— - 1840 |219,163,319 lbs.|184,965,797 lbs.|34,543,557 lbs.|32½ oz. - 1850 |199,532,494 ” |122,408,780 ” |81,933,571 ” |56 ” - ——————+————————————————+————————————————+——————————————-+—————————— - - -TABLE IX. - - Statement showing the Exports of Tobacco from America (United States) - in decennial periods, from 1820 to 1850, and in 1855. - - ——————+—————————————————— - Years.|Quantity exported. - ——————+—————————————————— - 1820 | 66,000 hogsheads. - 1830 | 83,810 ” - 1840 |119,484 ” - 1850 |145,729 ” - 1855 |150,213 ” - ——————+—————————————————— - - -TABLE X. - -ANALYSIS OF TOBACCO BY POSSELT & REINMANN. - - Nicotina 0·06 - Concrete vegetable oil 0·01 - Bitter extractive 2·87 - Gum, with malate of lime 1·74 - Chlorophylle 0·267 - Albumen and gluten 1·308 - Malic acid 0·51 - Lignin and a trace of starch 4·969 - Salts (sulphate, nitrate, and malate of } - potash, chloride of potassium, phosphate } 0·734 - and malate of lime, and malate of ammonia)} - Silica 0·088 - Water 88·280 - ——————- - Fresh leaves of tobacco 100·836 - ======= - - -TABLE XI. - -Return showing the quantity of Chests of Opium exported by the East -India Company between 1846 and 1858. - - ——————————+——————————————- - Years. | No. of Chests.[40] - ——————————+——————————————- - 1846-47 | 22,468 - 1847-48 | 22,879 - 1848-49 | 33,073 - 1849-50 | 35,919 - 1850-51 | 32,033 - 1851-52 | 31,259 - 1852-53 | 35,521 - 1853-54 | 42,403 - 1854-55 | 49,979 - 1855-56 | 49,399 - 1856-57 | 66,305 - 1857-58 | 68,004 - ——————————+——————————————- - - -TABLE XII. - -Amount of Income derived by the East India Company from the Opium -Monopoly. - - ————————+—————————— - Years. | Amount. - ————————+—————————— - 1840-41 | £874,277 - 1841-42 | 1,018,765 - 1842-43 | 1,577,581 - 1843-44 | 2,024,826 - 1844-45 | 2,181,288 - 1845-46 | 2,803,350 - 1846-47 | 2,886,201 - 1847-48 | 1,698,252 - 1848-49 | 2,845,762 - 1849-50 | 3,309,637 - 1850-51 | 3,043,135 - 1851-52 | 3,139,247 - 1852-53 | 3,717,932 - 1853-54 | 3,359,019 - 1854-55 | 3,333,601 - 1855-56 | 3,961,975 - 1856-57 | 3,860,390 - 1857-58 | 5,918,375 - ————————+—————————— - - -TABLE XIII. - -OPIUM STATISTICS OF GREAT BRITAIN. - - ——————+————————————+———————————— - Years.| Imports. |Consumption. - ——————+————————————+———————————— - 1826 | 79,829 lbs.| 28,329 lbs. - 1827 |113,140 ” | 17,322 ” - 1830 |209,076 ” | 22,668 ” - 1833 |106,846 ” | 35,407 ” - 1836 |130,794 ” | 38,943 ” - 1839 |196,247 ” | 41,632 ” - 1842 | 72,373 ” | 47,432 ” - 1845 |259,644 ” | 38,229 ” - 1848 |200,019 ” | 61,055 ” - 1849 |105,724 ” | 44,177 ” - 1850 |126,318 ” | 42,324 ” - 1851 |118,024 ” | 50,682 ” - 1852 |205,780 ” | 62,521 ” - 1853 |159,312 ” | 67,038 ” - 1854 | 97,427 ” | 61,432 ” - 1855 | 50,143 ” | 34,473 ” - 1856 | 51,479 ” | 38,609 ” - 1857 |136,423 ” | 56,174 ” - 1858 | 82,085 ” | 77,639 ” - ——————+————————————+———————————— - - -TABLE XIV. - -ANALYSIS OF OPIUM, BY MULDER. - - Morphia 10·842 4·106 - Narcotina 6·808 8·150 - Codeia 0·678 0·834 - Narceine 6·662 7·506 - Meconine 0·804 0·846 - Meconic acid 5·124 3·968 - Fat 2·166 1·350 - Caoutchouc 6·012 5·026 - Resin 3·582 2·028 - Gummy extractive 25·200 31·470 - Gum 1·042 2·896 - Mucus 19·086 17·098 - Water 9·846 12·226 - Loss 2·148 2·496 - ——————— ——————— - Total 100·000 100·000 - ======= ======= - - -TABLE XV. - -PRISONERS SENTENCED BY THE POLICE TO THE HOUSE OF CORRECTION AT -SINGAPORE. - - ——————————-+——————————————+————————————-+——————————+————————————+ - | Quantity of | Number of | | | - Class. |Opium consumed| years | Trade. | Monthly | - | daily. | habituated. | | Wages. | - ——————————-+——————————————+————————————-+——————————+————————————+ - | Grains. | | | s. d. | - 1 Chinaman| 60 | 10 |Cooly | 16 0 | - 2 ” | Does not smoke. | ... | - 3 ” | Does not smoke. | ... | - 4 ” | Does not smoke. | ... | - 5 ” | 180 | 10 |Planter | ... | - 6 ” | 90 | 12 | ... | ... | - 7 ” | 60 | 20 |Cooly | 16 0 | - 8 ” | 180 | 7 |Planter | 12 0 | - 9 ” | 90 | 6 | ... | 20 0 | - 10 ” | 60 | 20 |Cooly | 16 0 | - 11 ” | 48 | 4 |Cooly | 16 0 | - 12 ” | 300 to 350 | 16 |Planter | ... | - 13 ” | 30 | 10 |Cooly | 16 0 | - 14 ” | 90 | 6 | ... | 16 0 | - 15 ” | 60 | 16 |Cooly | 16 0 | - 16 ” | Does not smoke. | ... | - 17 ” | 24 | 9 |Cooly | 16 0 | - 18 ” | 60 to 180 | 30 | ... | 20 0 | - 19 ” | 36 | 5 | ... |24s. to 30s.| - 20 ” | 30 | 5 | ... | 16 0 | - 21 ” | 60 | 12 | ... | 16 0 | - 22 ” | 48 | 5 |Cooly | 12 0 | - 23 ” | Does not smoke. | ... | - 24 ” | Does not smoke. | ... | - 25 ” | Does not smoke. | ... | - 26 ” | 60 | 15 | ... | 16 0 | - 27 ” | Does not smoke. | ... | - 28 ” | 36 | 6 | ... | 12 0 | - 29 ” | 48 | 5 |Shopkeeper| ... | - ——————————-+——————————————+————————————-+——————————+————————————+ - - ————+————————————————+——————————————————————————————————————————————— - | | - | Value of Opium | Appearances. - | smoked monthly.| - ————+————————————————+——————————————————————————————————————————————— - | £ s. d. | - 1 | 1 4 0 |Heavy, listless, but not sleepy. - 2 | ... |Looks well and fat. - 3 | ... |Looks well, but not stout. - 4 | ... |Looks well. - 5 | 3 12 0 |Looks well; given up smoking; drinks Tinco in - | | arrack. - 6 | 1 10 0 |Sickly, with cough. - 7 | 1 4 0 |Sickly, thin, and miserable looking. - 8 | 3 12 0 |Sick and herpetic. - 9 | 1 10 0 |Sickly looking, and complains. - 10 | 1 4 0 |Thin, sickly; complains of pain in the stomach. - 11 | 0 16 4 |Yellow, sickly; pain in the abdomen. - 12 | £6 to £7 |Thin, sickly; complains of cough. - 13 | 0 12 0 |Complains of pain in abdomen. - 14 | 1 10 0 |Thin, but not sickly. - 15 | 1 4 0 |Thin, cough, and sickly. - 16 | ... | - 17 | 0 10 0 |Complains of pain in abdomen; does not look - | | sickly. - 18 |24s. to £3 12 0 |Sickly looking; does not complain. - 19 | 0 12 0 |Diarrhœa, and complains. - 20 | 0 8 0 |Complains, but does not look sickly. - 21 | 1 4 0 |Complains, but does not look sickly. - 22 | 1 0 0 |Looks sickly, and complains. - 23 | ... |Looks sickly. - 24 | ... |Looks well. - 25 | ... |Looks well. - 26 | 1 4 0 |Complains much, being without chandu. - 27 | ... |Looks well. - 28 | 0 15 0 |Pale, sickly looking; complains much. - 29 | 1 0 0 |Thin and sickly. - ————+————————————————+———————————————————————————————————————————————— - -Besides which, there were 15 men in the hospital, of whom all smoked -but one. - - -TABLE XVI. - -OPIUM CONSUMED BY FIFTEEN PERSONS FROM THE PAUPER HOSPITAL, SINGAPORE. - - ——-+————————+——————————-+——————-+———————————————————————————— - |Quantity| | | - |of Opium| Years |Monthly|Excess of expenditure over - |consumed|habituated.| Wages.| income. - |daily. | | | - ——-+————————+——————————-+——————-+———————————————————————————— - |Grains. | | s. d.| s. d. - 1 | 36 | 7 | 11 6 | 5 8 excess - 2 | 36 | 3 | 8 0 | 6 6 ” - 3 | 24 | 5 | 8 0 | 1 8 ” - 4 | 36 | 8 | 12 0 | 2 6 ” - 5 | 42 | 20 | 16 0 | 0 10 ” - 6 | 30 | 10 | 10 0 | 2 1 ” - 7 | 24 | 7 | 8 0 | 1 8 ” - 8 | 30 | 10 | 12 0 |Income and expenditure equal - 9 | 24 | 5 | 8 0 | 1 8 excess - 10 | 30 | 10 | 8 0 | 4 0 ” - 11 | 30 | 8 | 12 0 |Income and expenditure equal - 12 | 36 | 10 | 12 0 | 2 6 excess - 13 | 30 | 15 | 12 0 |Income and expenditure equal - 14 | 30 | 25 | 12 0 | ” ” - 15 | 42 | 22 | 12 0 | 4 10 excess - ——-+————————+——————————-+——————-+———————————————————————————— - - -TABLE XVII. - -REPORTS OF OPIUM-SMOKING IN CHINA. - -In the Chung-wan (centre bazaar) there are about 5,800 inhabitants. - -The number that smoke opium merely because they like it are upwards of -2,600. - -The number that smoke opium are upwards of 300. - -In the Hah-wan (Canton bazaar) there are upwards of 1,200 inhabitants. - -The number that smoke opium merely because they like it are upwards of -600. - -The number that smoke opium are upwards of 100. - -The number that died for cause of smoking opium very few. - - (Signed) CHUNG-WAN & HAH-WAN TEAPOA’S REPORT. - - _Dated Yuet-man year, 11th month, 20th day_ - (_December 29th, 1855_). - - -The number of male residents at Sheong-wan are estimated as following:—— - - - This year have ascertained the number of male residents are 13,000. - - There are 3,000 opium-smokers; 300 smoke 8 mace a-day; 700 smoke 5 - mace each day; 1,000 smoke 3 mace each day; the rest smoke 1 mace, - more or less. - - The number that smoke opium merely because they like it are upwards of - 4,000. - - The number that got sick for cause of opium-smoking went home, and did - not die here. - - (Signed) TEAPOA OF SHEONG-WAN TONG CHEW’S REPORT. - - _Dated December 29th, 1855._ - - * * * * * - - By order, have ascertained the number of inhabitants of Tai-ping-Shan. - - There are upwards of 5,300 men. - - The number that smoke opium because they like it are upwards of 1,200. - - The number that smoke opium are upwards of 600. - - The number that died for cause of opium-smoking very few. - - (Signed) TAI-PING-SHAN TEAPOA’S REPORT. - - _Dated Yuet-man year, 11th month, 20th day_ - (_December 29th, 1855_). - - * * * * * - -By order, have ascertained that in Wan-tsai there are upwards of 1,600 -inhabitants. - -Those that smoke opium merely because they like it are upwards of 500 -men. - -Those that smoke opium are upwards of 200 men. - -Those that died for cause of smoking opium, none. - - (Signed) WAN-TSAI TEAPOA’S REPORT. - - _Dated Yuet-man year, 11th month, 20th day_ - (_December 29th, 1855_). - - * * * * * - -By order, have ascertained that in Wang-nai-choon there are upwards of -200 men. - -The number that smoke opium are upwards of 10 men. - -The number that smoke opium merely because they like it are few only. - -The number that died for cause of smoking opium, very few. - - (Signed) WANG-NAI-CHOON TEAPOA’S REPORT. - - _Dated Yuet-man year, 11th month, 20th day_ - (_December 29th, 1855_). - - * * * * * - -By order, have ascertained the number of inhabitants of Ting-loong-chow -(east point). - -There are upwards of 2,500 inhabitants. - -The number that smoke opium merely because they like it are upwards of -300. - -The number that smoke opium are upwards of 100. - - (Signed) TING-LOONG-CHOW TEAPOA’S REPORT. - - _Dated Yuet-man year, 11th month, 20th day_ - (_December 29th, 1855_). - - -TABLE XVIII. - -Professor Johnston’s estimate of the number of persons indulging in the -Seven principal Narcotics of the world. - - Tobacco 800,000,000 - Opium 400,000,000 - Hemp 200,000,000 to 300,000,000 - Betel 100,000,000 - Coca 10,000,000 - Thorn-Apple (no estimate) Less than Coca. - Amanita ” ” - - -TABLE XIX. - -SYNOPSIS OF NARCOTICS, WITH THEIR SUBSTITUTES. - -I.——TOBACCO. - - ——————————————————+——————————————————————————+————————————-+————————— - | |Where used or| How - Vulgar Name. | Botanical Name. | cultivated. | used. - ——————————————————+——————————————————————————+————————————-+————————— - Virginian tobacco |Nicotiana tabacum |U. States |Smoked & - chewed - Orinoko ” | ” macrophylla | ... | ” - European ” | ” rustica |Europe | ” - Javanese ” | ” ” var |Java |Smoked. - Billah ” | ” ” var Asiatica |Malwa | ” - Guzerat ” | ” ” var |Guzerat | ” - Chinese ” | ” ” var Chinensis |China | ” - Thibetian ” | ” ” var |Thibet | ” - Persian ” | ” Persica |Persia | ” - Latakia ” | ” ” var |Syria | ” - Djiddar ” | ” crispa | ” | ” - Indian ” | ” quadrivalvis |N. America | ” - ” | ” multivalvis | ” | ” - ” ” | ” nana |Rocky Mts. | ” - Cuban ” | ” repanda |Cuba | ” - Columbian ” | ” loxensis |America | ” - Brazilian ” | ” glauca |Brazil | ” - Peruvian ” | ” andicola |Andes | ” - Coltsfoot leaves |Tussilago farfar |Europe |Smok’d for - tobacco - Yarrow ” |Achillœa millefolium | ” | ” - Rhubarb ” |Rheum emodi, &c. |Himalayas | ” - Bogbean ” |Menyanthes trifoliata |Britain | ” - Sage ” |Salvia officinalis |Europe | ” - Mountain tobacco |Arnica montana |Switzerland | ” - Black holly |Ilex vomitoria |N. America | ” - Stag’s horn sumach|Rhus typhina |Mississippi | ” - Copal sumach |Rhus copallina | ” | ” - Water lily leaves |Nelumbium speciosum |China |Mix’d with - tobacco - Pucha-pat |Marrubium odoratissimum |India |Mix’d with - tobacco - Tombeki |Lobelia sp. |E. Asia |Smoked as - tobacco - Indian tobacco |Lobelia inflata |N. America | ” - Maize husks |Zea Mays |U. States |Patented - for cigars - Birch bark |Betula excelsa |N. Brunswck |Mix’d with - tobacco - Willow leaves |Salix sp. |N. America |Smoked as - tobacco - Bearberry leaves |Arctostasphylus uva-ursi |Chenook Ind. |Mix’d with - tobacco - Pimento berries |Eugenia pimento |W. Indies |Smoked - Cascarilla bark |Croton eleuteria | ” |Mix’d with - tobacco - Polygonum leaves |Polygonum hispida |S. America |Smoked - Camphor leaves |Tarchonanthus camphoratus |Cape | ” - Wild dagga |Leonotis leonurus | ” | ” - ... |Leonotis ovata | ” | ” - Culen |Psoralea glandulosa |Mauritius | ” - Purphiok |Tupistra sp. |Sikkim |Mix’d with - tobacco - Camomile flowers |Anthemis nobilis |Britain | ” - Beet leaves |Beta vulgaris |France |Recommended - as substitute - Akel | ... |Algeria |Mix’d with - tobacco - Trouna | ... | ” | ” - Kauw goed |Mesembryanthemum tortuosum|Cape |Chewed - Angelica root |Archangelica officinalis |Lapland | ” - Monkey bread - leaves |Adansonia digitata |W. Africa |Snuffed. - Rhododendron - leaves |Rhododendron campanulatum |India |Snuffed. - Brown dust of - petioles of |Kalmia and Rhododendron sp.| N. America | ” - Asarabacca |Asarum Europœum |Europe | ” - Grimstone’s eye }|Various plants |Britain | ” - snuff }| | | - Various indigenous|plants |Erzegebirge | ” - Woodruff |Asperula odorata |Britain |Mixed with - snuff. - Amadou ashes |Polyporus igniarius |Kamtschatka |Snuffed. - - -II.——OPIUM. - - Smyrna opium |Papaver somniferum. |Levant |Smoked, &c. - Constantinople do.| ” |Turkey | ” - Egyptian do. | ” |Egypt | ” - Trebizond do. | ” |Persia | ” - Bengal do. | ” |India | ” - Garden Patna do. | ” | ” | ” - Malwa do. | ” | ” | ” - Cutch do. | ” | ” | ” - Kandeish do. | ” | ” | ” - English do. | ” |England | ” - French do. | ” |France | ” - German do. | ” |Germany | ” - Lactucarium |Lactuca sativa |Britain |Subs. for - opium. - ” | ” virosa | ” | ” - ” | ” scariola | ” | ” - ” | ” altissima | ” | ” - ” | ” sylvestris | ” | ” - ” | ” elongata | ” | ” - ” | ” taraxacifolia |Guiana | ” - Dutchman’s - laudanum |Murucuja ocellata |Jamaica | ” - Ditto | ” orbiculata |Barbadoes | ” - Syrian rue seeds |Peganum harmala |Turkey |To produce - intoxication. - Seeds of |Sterculia alata |Silhet |Subs. for - opium. - Seeds of |Scopolia mutica |Arabia |To produce - intoxication. - Juice of |Chondrilla juncea |Lemnos |Subs. for - opium. - - -III.——HEMP. - - Gunjah and Bang |Cannabis indica |India, Africa|Smoked, &c. - Churrus (resin) | ” |Nepaul, &c. | ” - Powdered dacca }| ” |S. W. Africa.|Snuffed. - and aloes }| | | - - -IV.——BETEL. - - Betel nuts |Areca catechu |Malay Penin. |Chewed. - ” |Areca laxa |Andaman Is. | ” - ” |Areca Nagonsis |E. Bengal | ” - ” |Areca Dicksoni |Malabar | ” - Kassu (extract) |Areca catechu |India | ” - Cowry (extract) |Areca catechu |Mysore | ” - Kutt or catechu |Acacia catechu |India | ” - Gambir |Uncaria gambir |Singapore &c.|Chewed. - ” |Uncaria sp. | ” | ” - Betel pepper |Chavica betle |Malay Penin. |Chewed with - leaves | | | betel - ” |Chavica siraboa | ” | ” - Blk. pepper leaves|Piper nigrum |Singapore | ” - Ava pepper |Macropiper methysticum |S. Seas | ” - Roots of |Derris pinnata | ” |Subs. for - betel - Roots of |Cocos nucifera |Ceylon | ” - Guayabo bark |Psidium guayaba |Phillippines | ” - Antipolo bark | ” | ” | ” - - -V.——COCA. - - Coca leaves |Erythroxylon coca |Peru |Masticatory - - -VI.——THORN-APPLE. - - Florispondio seeds|Datura sanguinea |N. Granada. |Drank in - infusion. - Thorn Apple leaves| ” stramonium |Europe |Smoked. - ” seeds | ” arborea |Peru | ” - ” ” | ” fatuosa |Egypt | ” - ” ” | ” ferox |China | ” - ” ” | ” tatula |Asia |By the - Delphic oracle. - ” ” | ” metel |W. Asia |As an opiate. - Belladonna leaves |Atropa belladonna |Europe |Smoked. - Henbane leaves |Hyoscyamus niger |India |Mixed with - haschish. - Leaves of |Rhododendron chrysanthum|Siberia |Chewed. - Flowers of |Rhododendron arboreum |India | ” - Foxglove leaves |Digitalis purpurea | ” |Mixed with - haschisch. - - -VII.——AMANITA. - - Fly agaric |Amanita muscaria |Siberia |Swallowed. - ——————————————————+——————————————————————————+—————————-+———————————— - - - - -M’CORQUODALE & CO., PRINTERS, LONDON—WORKS, NEWTON. - - - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] The learned in the lore of ancient Rome may charge us, if they -will, with a grievous wrong in considering Sleep as one of the softer -sex, inasmuch as Somnus was one of the elder of the “_lords_ of the -creation.” We confess to an inclination towards the “_ladies_ of the -creation;” and in this matter especially - - “We have a vision of our own, - And why should we undo it?” - - -[2] A correspondent of the _Medical Times_ having asked for authentic -instances of the hair becoming grey within the space of one night, Mr. -D. F. Parry, Staff-Surgeon at Aldershott, transmitted the following -account, of which he made memorandum shortly after its occurrence. -“On February 19, 1858, the column under General Franks, in the south -of Oude, was engaged with a rebel force at the village of Chamda, -and several prisoners were taken. One of them, a sepoy of the Bengal -army, was brought before the authorities for examination, and I, -being present, had an opportunity of watching from the commencement -the fact I am about to record. Divested of his uniform, and stripped -completely naked, he was surrounded by the soldiers, and then first -apparently became alive to the danger of his position; he trembled -violently, intense horror and despair were depicted in his countenance, -and although he answered all the questions addressed to him, he seemed -almost stupified with fear; while actually under observation, within -the space of half-an-hour, his hair became grey on every portion of his -head, it having been, when first seen by me, the glossy jet black of -the Bengalee, aged about twenty-four. The attention of the bystanders -was first attracted by the serjeant, whose prisoner he was, exclaiming, -‘He is turning grey;’ and I, with several other persons, watched its -progress. Gradually, but decidedly, the change went on, and a uniform -greyish colour was completed within the period above named.” - -[3] Herod., lib. iv. cap. 74-75. - -[4] Ib., lib. i. cap. 202. - -[5] The Ansayrii and the Assassins, by the Hon. F. Walpole. - -[6] “Ex illo sane tempore [tabacum] usu cepit esse creberrimo in -Angliâ, et magno pretio dum quam plurimi graveolentem illius fumum per -tubulum testaceum hauriunt et mox e naribus effiant; adeo ut Anglorum -corporum in barbarorum naturam degenerasse videantur quum iidem ac -barbari delectentur.”——CAMDEN, _Annal. Elizab._, p. 143. (1585.) - -[7] Squier’s “Nicaragua.” - -[8] Edwards’ “Voyage up the Amazon.” - -[9] Bentley’s Magazine. - -[10] For the art of making tobacco pipes of clay, the Dutch are -indebted to this country, in proof of which, Mr. Hollis, who passed -through the Netherlands in 1748, states that the master of the Gouda -Pipe Works informed him, that, to that day, the principal working tools -bore English names. - -[11] Catlin’s North American Indians, vol. ii., p. 160. - -[12] Tooke says “SNUFF is the past participle of to _sniff_, that which -is _sniffed_.” - -[13] Lord Stanhope makes the following curious estimate:——“Every -professed, inveterate, and incurable snuff-taker, at a moderate -computation, takes one pinch in ten minutes. Every pinch, with the -agreeable ceremony of blowing and wiping the nose, and other incidental -circumstances, consumes a minute and a half. One minute and a half out -of every ten, allowing sixteen hours to a snuff-taking day, amounts to -two hours and twenty minutes out of every natural day, or one day out -of every ten. One day out of every ten amounts to thirty-six days and -a half in the year; hence, if we suppose the practice to be persisted -in for forty years, two entire years of the snuff-taker’s life will -be dedicated to tickling his nose, and two more to blowing it.” The -expense of snuff, snuff-boxes, and handkerchiefs, is also alluded to; -and it is calculated that “by a proper application of the time and -money thus lost to the public, a fund might be constituted for the -discharge of the national debt.” - -[14] Curiosities of Food, by P. L. Simmonds. Bentley, 1859. - -[15] Tobacco entered for home consumption— - - 1856 1857 1858 - 32,579,166 lbs. 32,851,365 lbs. 34,110,850 lbs. - Total 99,541,381 lbs.—or 44,438 tons. - - -[16] Tea entered for home consumption in— - - 1856 1857 1858 - 63,295,643 lbs. 69,159,640 lbs. 73,217,483 lbs. - - -[17] _Mesembryanthemum tortuosum_, Linn. - -[18] _Rhus typhina._ - -[19] “The tree Tooba that stands in Paradise, in the palace -of Mahomet.”——_Sale._ “Tooba signifies beatitude or eternal -happiness.”——_D’Herbelot._ - -[20] See Table XV. in the Appendix. - -[21] Dr. Hobson states, in an official communication to the Government, -“I do not know of any mortal disease from opium corresponding to -_delirium tremens_ from alcohol. I have never been called to attend -to any accidents resulting from opium similar to those occurring so -frequently from habits of intoxication from liquor. The opium-smoker, -when under the full influence of his delicious drug, brawls and -swaggers not in the public streets, like a drunkard, to the annoyance -of bystanders, but reposes quietly on his couch, without molesting -those around him.” - -Also Dr. Traill, of Singapore, from his own experience, has not found -opium-smoking in any way so powerful a promoter of disease as the -habitual use of intoxicating liquors. - -[22] Dr. Doran says that a salad was so scarce an article during the -early part of the last century, that George I. was obliged also to send -to Holland to procure a lettuce for his queen. These vegetables must, -therefore, have become unpopular before that time, or the cultivation -had been for some cause discontinued, otherwise we cannot reconcile -this with the fact that lettuces were common enough a century before a -George sate upon the English throne. - -[23] Von Hammer’s History of the Assassins. - -[24] “Dublin Quarterly Journal of Medical Science.” - -[25] Dr. Daniell in “Pharmaceutical Journal.” - -[26] - - 1850—1,734 candies. - 1851—1,983 candies. - 1852—2,953 candies. - 1853—2,073 candies. - 1854—1,954 candies. - The candy is 433½ lbs. - - -[27] There is a stick of this kind in the Museum of Economic Botany at -Kew Gardens. - -[28] The stem and roots of long pepper, cut in pieces and dried under -the name of _Pipula moola_, are exposed for sale in all the bazaars of -India, but these are not used with the areca nut, nor are the leaves -applied to that purpose. - -[29] From _cate_ a tree, and _chu_ juice. - -[30] Neale’s Residence in Siam. - -[31] Why are ladies who indulge in this habit universally described as -_elderly_ ladies? - -[32] This name, derived from the Greek, indicates _strong_, _powerful_. - -[33] “Edinburgh Medical Journal,” 1857. - -[34] The potato, the tomato, and egg plant possess, when uncooked, in a -mild degree, the properties of the nightshade, the stramonium, and the -henbane, confirming the remark of De Candolle “that all our aliments -contain a small proportion of an exciting principle, which, should it -occur in a much greater quantity, might become injurious, but which is -necessary as a natural condiment.” In fact, when food does not contain -some stimulating principle, we add it in the form of spices. - -[35] Another fanciful origin for the name, which signifies “beautiful -woman,” is, that it was bestowed in consequence of the use once made of -its berries by the Italian ladies as a cosmetic. - -[36] “Similia similibus curantur.” - -[37] “Journ. de Chim. Méd.,” 1839, p. 322. - -[38] “Archives Gén. de Méd.,” t. xi., p. 94. - -[40] Each Chest of Opium contains about 140 lbs. - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Seven Sisters of Sleep, by -Mordecai Cubitt Cooke - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SEVEN SISTERS OF SLEEP *** - -***** This file should be named 60805-0.txt or 60805-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/0/8/0/60805/ - -Produced by deaurider, Les Galloway and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Seven Sisters of Sleep - -Author: Mordecai Cubitt Cooke - -Release Date: November 29, 2019 [EBook #60805] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SEVEN SISTERS OF SLEEP *** - - - - -Produced by deaurider, Les Galloway and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - -<div class="transnote"> - -<h3>Transcriber’s Notes</h3> - -<p>Obvious typographical errors have been silently corrected. Variations -in hyphenation and accents have been standardised but all other -spelling and punctuation remains unchanged</p>. - -<p>The cover was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public -domain.</p> -</div> - - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/i_f000.jpg" alt="" /> -<div class="caption">Japanese smokers.</div> -</div> - -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<h1> -<small>THE</small><br /> - -SEVEN SISTERS<br /> - -<span class="xs">OF</span><br /> - -SLEEP.</h1> - - -<p class="center">POPULAR HISTORY OF THE SEVEN PREVAILING<br /> -NARCOTICS OF THE WORLD.</p> - - -<p class="center"><small>BY</small><br /> - -M. C. COOKE,<br /> - -<small>DIRECTOR OF THE METROPOLITAN SCHOLASTIC MUSEUM.</small></p> - -<div class="xs"> -<p class="center">“‘How many are you, then?’ said I.<br /> -‘O Master, we are seven.’”<br /> -<span class="smcap right">Wordsworth.</span></p> - -<hr class="small" /> -<p class="center">“To re-create for man, whate’er<br /> -Was lost in Paradise.”<br /> -<span class="smcap right">Southey’s Thalaba.</span></p></div> - - -<p class="center">LONDON:<br /> -JAMES BLACKWOOD, PATERNOSTER ROW.</p> -<hr class="small" /> -<p class="center"><small>[<i>The right of Translation is reserved.</i>]</small> -</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<h2 id="Dedication">Dedication.</h2> - -<div class="dedication"> -<p class="center"> -<span class="smcap">to all LOVERS of TOBACCO, in all parts of the world,<br /> -juvenile and senile, masculine and feminine;<br /> -and to all ABSTAINERS,<br /> -<em class="gesperrt">voluntary and involuntary</em></span>——<br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap"><em class="gesperrt">to all OPIOPHAGI, at home and abroad</em>,<br /> -whether experiencing the pleasures, or pains<br /> -of the seductive drug</span>——<br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap"><em class="gesperrt">to all HASCHISCHANS, east and west,<br /> -in whatever form they choose</em><br /> -to woo the spirit of dreams</span>——<br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap"><em class="gesperrt">to all BUYEROS, malayan or chinese</em>,<br /> -whether their siri-boxes are full, or empty</span>——<br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap"><em class="gesperrt">to all COQUEROS, white or swarthy,<br /> -from the base to the summit</em><br /> -of the mighty cordilleras</span>——<br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap">to all VOTARIES of STRAMONIUM and HENBANE,<br /> -highlander, or lowlander—<br /> -and</span><br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap"><em class="gesperrt">to all SWALLOWERS of AMANITA</em>,<br /> -either in siberia or elsewhere</span>——<br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap"><em class="gesperrt">these pages come greeting</em><br /> -with the best wishes<br /> -of their obedient servant</span>,</p> -</div> -<p class="right"><i>The Author</i>. -</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_v">v</span></p> - - - - -<h2 id="PREFATORY_PREMONITION">PREFATORY PREMONITION.</h2> - -<p>“A certain miller was much annoyed by a -goblin, who used to come and set his mill at -work at night when there was no grain to be -ground, greatly to the danger of the machinery, -so he desired a person to watch. This person, -however, always fell asleep, but once woke up -from a nap time enough to see the mill in full -operation, a blazing fire, and the goblin himself, -a huge hairy being, sitting by the side thereof. -‘Fat’s yer name?’ said the Highlander. -‘Ourisk,’ said the unwelcome guest; ‘and what -is yours?’ ‘Myself,’ was the reply; ‘her nain-sell.’ -The goblin now went quietly to sleep, and -the Highlander, taking a shovel of hot coals, -flung them into the hairy lap of the goblin, who -was instantly in a blaze. Out ran the monster to -his companions, making as much noise as he<span class="pagenum" id="Page_vi">vi</span> - -could. ‘Well,’ said they, ‘who set you on fire?’ -‘Myself,’ said the unlucky monster. ‘Well, then, -you must put it out yourself,’ was the consoling -rejoinder.”</p> - -<p>Some of my readers may arrive at the conclusion, -that I, like the Ourisk, have trespassed -upon other people’s property, and ground my corn -at their mill. Let it not be assumed, on my -account, inasmuch as I do not myself make that -assumption, that I have journeyed from Cornhill -to Cathay, in search of those who habituate -themselves to the indulgences herein set forth. -Others have laboured, and I have eaten of the -fruits of their labours. Travellers numberless -have contributed to furnish my table, in some -instances, without even thanks for their pains. -This is the way of the world, and I am not a -whit better than my neighbours. Let it, therefore, -be understood, that I make no pretensions -to aught beyond the form in which these -numerous contributions are now presented to the -reader. The tedium of wading through volume -after volume in search of information on these<span class="pagenum" id="Page_vii">vii</span> -subjects has been performed for him, and compacted -together into a pocket companion, saving, -thereby, to him, a large amount of trouble, and -a small amount of vexation. Private correspondence -has furnished a portion of the information. -Those who may recognise my own -poaching pranks upon their domains may throw -coals of fire upon my lap, and leave “Myself” to -extinguish the flame.</p> - -<p>Herein the reader will find only a popular -history of the most important Narcotics indulged -in, and the customs connected with that indulgence. -Mere statistical details have as much as possible -been avoided, and those calculated to interest the -more matter-of-fact reader added in a tabulated -form, as an appendix. The majority of these -tables have been compiled from official documents, -trade circulars, or commercial returns, and care -has been taken to render them correct up to the -period of their dates. In this department I am -largely indebted to the valuable assistance of P. L. -Simmonds, Esq., F.S.S., to whom I thus tender -my thanks.</p> - -<p>Those who are desirous of seeing specimens of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_viii">viii</span> -the narcotics named in the following pages, can -visit either the Museum of the Royal Botanic -Gardens at Kew, the East India House Museum, -the Food Department in the gallery of the South -Kensington Museum, or the Industrial Museum -in the gallery of the central transept of the Crystal -Palace, in each of which they will meet with some -of the articles named, though in none of them will -they discover all. In the former two are illustrations -of the opium manufacture, and at Kensington -an interesting series of tobaccos, and other articles -connected with the indulgence therein, and also -with opium-smoking in China, together with some -of the tobacco substitutes and sophistications. -None of these collections are so complete as they -might be. Public museums of this kind have -every facility for doing more to instruct the public -on the common things of every-day life: why they -do not accomplish this, is as much a fault, perhaps, -of the public as of themselves. There are hopes, -however, to be entertained that one, at least, of -these institutions will exhibit, in a complete and -collected form, the principal narcotics and their -substitutes.</p> - -<p>Why I should have chosen such a title for my -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_ix">ix</span> -volume, and wherefore invested it with a legend, -is matter of little importance. It was a fancy of -my own, and if any think fit to quarrel with it, -they may do so, without disturbing my peace of -mind. The reply of the Ourisk to his companions, -as to who set him on fire, was, “Myself.”</p> - -<p>Parents seldom baptize their children with a -name pleasing to all their friends and relatives, -yet the child manages to get through the world -with it, and—dies at last.</p> - -<p class="psig"> -M. C. C.</p> - -<p class="pdate"><i>Lambeth.</i></p> - -<hr class="chap"/> -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_x">xi</span></p> - - - - -<h2 id="CONTENTS">CONTENTS.</h2> - - -<div class="center small"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr> - <td class="toc"><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">Chapter I</a>.—Somewhat Fabulous.</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><span class="smcap">PAGE</span></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="tdh">The Seven Sleepers of Ephesus; Legend of the Seven Sisters of -Sleep; Laureates of Sleep; Necessity of Sleep; Pleasures of -Sleep; Sanctity of Sleep; The “Last Sleep of Argyle;” Death -of Sleeping Duncan; Desdemona and Othello; Drowsiness, -fatal alike to Devotion and Instruction</td> - <td class="tdrb">1</td> -</tr> - - -<tr> - <td class="toc"><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">Chapter II</a>.—The Sisters of Old.</span></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="tdh">Hemp amongst the Scythians; Intoxicating vapours of the Massagetæ; -the <i>Nepenthes</i> of Homer; the Secret of Egyptian Thebes; -The Poppy of the Ancients; Secret Poisoning of Aratus of -Sicyon; The Acts of Locusta; Death of Britannicus; The -Delphic Oracle; Arabian Nights; Another Nepenthes; -Antony’s Retreat; Retreat of the Ten Thousand; Something -unknown</td> - <td class="tdrb">10</td> -</tr> - - -<tr> - <td class="toc"><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">Chapter III</a>.—The “Wond’rous Weed.”</span></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="tdh">Legendary origin of Tobacco; Use in Hispaniola; Names for -Tobacco; First Discovery by Europeans; Introduction into -France, Tuscany, Spain and Portugal, England; Complaints -against it; Smoking taught to the Dutch; Studenten Kneipe; -Tobacco in the East; Progress in England; Opposition by -James I. and other monarchs in Russia, Italy, Persia, Turkey, -Tuscany, &c.; Raleigh and Queen Elizabeth; Lovers of -Tobacco; The Distribution of the Tobacco Plant; Consumption -of Tobacco; Curious use of the Flowers; Tobacco Poison; -Antidote to Arsenic; Finance questions; Religious prohibitions; -King James’s “Counterblaste.”</td> - <td class="tdrb">19</td> -</tr> - - -<tr> - <td class="toc"><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">Chapter IV</a>.—The Cabinet of Cloudland.</span></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="tdh">A Premier; Lord Mayor Staines; Smoking the Plague; A First -Cigar; Infant Smokers at Vizagapatam; Burmah; Female -Smokers in China; Smokers in Persia, Siam, Japan, Nicaragua, -on the Amazon, in New Guinea, Havana, Manilla; The -Binua of Johore; Signor Calistro’s Story; Cigars on the -Orinoco; In Chili; The Court of Montezuma; Panama Smokeblowers; -Rocky Mountain Indians; Salvation Yeo; Yemen -Smokers; Smoking in Austria; Turkish Cloudland; Defeat of -Napoleon; Curious Legend; Old Epigram; Cost of Puffing; -Yankee Calculations; Smoking in New York; Cigar-making -in the States</td> - <td class="tdrb">38 -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xii">xii</span></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="toc"><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">Chapter V</a>.—Pipeology.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdh">Philosophy in a pipe; St. Omer pipes; English pipes; Curious -Indian pipe; Turkish bowls; Meerschaum; Massa bowls; -Amber mouth-pieces; Origin of amber; Modern Egyptian -pipes; The Shibuk; The Nargeeleh; The Gozeh; Egoodu of -the Zulus; Hubble-bubble of the Delagoans; Kaffir bowls; -Sailors’ pipes; Bamboo pipes; Winna of British Guiana; -Shell pipes; Chinese pipes; Metallic pipes; Ode to a Tobacco-pipe; -Red pipe-stone quarry; Stone pipes of Rocky Mountains; -The “Calumet;” The Sultan’s pipe-bearer; Wooden pipes; -Modern pipeology; Pipes in Australia</td> - <td class="tdrb">58</td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="toc"><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">Chapter VI</a>.—Sniffing and Sneeshin.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdh">The Franciscan of Sterne; Etymology of Snuff; Pouncet-boxes; -The “Niopo” of the Ottomacs; The “Curupa” of the Omaguas; -Snuffing in Iceland; Zulu Calabashes; Early Snuff-taking -Apparatus; Origin of the “Mull;” Magnificent Mull; Mongrabin -Cases; Strong Snuff of the Sahara; Plugging and -Quidding; Snuff-taking Estimates; Snuff dipping; Death in -the Box; Adulterated Snuff; Snuff Scents; Substitutes for -Snuff; Lead Poison; Advice Gratis; Gold Snuff-boxes; Amber -Snuff-boxes; Boxes of Hard-shelled Seeds; Chinese Flasks; -Chinese Snuffing; A Snuff-stick; Birch-bark Boxes; Scotch -Snuff-boxes; Introduction of Snuffing; Varieties of Snuff; -Hardham’s 37; Gossip on Sneezing; Pseudo-philosophy of a -Sneeze</td> - <td class="tdrb">73</td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="toc"><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">Chapter VII</a>.—Quid Pro Quo.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdh">Eccentricities of Taste; Miles of Pig-tail; Tobacco and Tea Calculations; -Chewing Ladies of Paraguay; Tchuktchi Chewers; -Tobacco and Natron Quids; Taking the “Bucca;” Chewing -Snuff; Quidding in Washington; Dignified Proceedings in the -Senate House; The Kou of the Hottentots; Angelica Root; -Chewing Dulse; A Quidding Monkey</td> - <td class="tdrb">94</td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="toc"><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">Chapter VIII</a>.—A Race of Pretenders.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdh">Adulterated Tobacco; Substitutes; Coltsfoot; Milfoil; Rhubarb; -Bogbean; Sage; Mountain Tobacco; Cossena; Sumach; -Bearberry; Maize Husks; Pimento; Cascarilla Bark; Polygonum; -Dagga; Wild Dagga; Culen; Purphiok; Rope-smoking -Chaplain; Farewell to Tobacco</td> - <td class="tdrb">104</td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="toc"><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">Chapter IX</a>.——“Mash Allah”—The Gift.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdh">What is Opium? Indian Cultivation; The Nushtur; Cutting the -Capsules; Collecting the Juice; Use of the Refuse; Post; -Boosa; Poppy Trash; Pussewah and Lewah; Different Forms -of Preparation; Chandu; Its Preparation in Singapore; Singular -Workman; Adulterations; Tye and Samshing; Egyptian -Conserves; Cordials; Modes of taking Opium; Immense Doses; -Opium in the “Fen Country;” The Crow and the Pigeon; -Estimate of Opium Consumption</td> - <td class="tdrb">114 -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xiii">xiii</span></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="toc"><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">Chapter X</a>.—The Gates of Paradise.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdh">Paradise of the Moslems; Siamese Opium-pipes; Chinese Opium-pipe; -Smoking the Drug; Its Effects; An Old Malay; Opium -Experiences; Dr. Madden’s Trial; The Habit in China; Dr. -Medhurst’s Report; Victims at Shanghae; Percentage of -Smokers; Amongst the Shikhs; Influence on those engaged in -its preparation; Chinese petition; Results in China; Opium-eating -poultry</td> - <td class="tdrb">132</td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="toc"><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">Chapter XI</a>.—Revels and Reveries.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdh">Mahomet’s Ascent into Heaven; Mental Effects of Opium; An -Opium-eater’s Reverie; At the Opera; Peeping into the Stores -at Hong-Kong; Opium-shops; Papan Mera; Stores in Singapore; -Opium in China; Remarks of M. Abbé Huc</td> - <td class="tdrb">149</td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="toc"><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">Chapter XII</a>.—Pandemonium.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdh">Running <i>amok</i> in Java—in Singapore—in Batavia; Pains of -opium; Piranesi’s dream; Confessions of crocodile visions; -Horrible dreams; Fever phantasmagoria of “Alton Locke;” -A fable; Chinese opium-smoker; Mustapha Shatoor; The -Theriakis; Heu Naetse’s opinion; Experiences of a surgeon at -Penang; Testimonies of Abbé Huc; Ho King Shan; Oppenheim; -Dr. Madden; Dr. Oxley; Dr. Little; Opium and Insurance; -Another side of the question</td> - <td class="tdrb">163</td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="toc"><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">Chapter XIII</a>.—Opium Morals.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdh">Examination of Criminals at Singapore; Income and expenditure; -Opium-Smoking and crime; Examination of transports; Drunkenness -compared with opium-smoking; De Quincey’s comparison; -Abuse of opium the source of poverty; The diseased -poor of Singapore; Their consumption of opium; Cooly -smokers; Difficulty of discarding the habit of opium-smoking; -Opinion of Dr. Eatwell</td> - <td class="tdrb">181</td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="toc"><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">Chapter XIV</a>.—False Prophets.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdh">Preparations of opium; History of lettuce; Lactucarium; Narcotic -effects of Lettuce; Lacticiferous plants; Dutchman’s laudanum; -Syrian rue; Sterculia seeds; Beah leaves; Adulterations; -Imitation opium-balls</td> - <td class="tdrb">199</td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="toc"><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">Chapter XV</a>.—Nepenthes.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdh">Influence of climate on plants; Native home of hemp; Properties -of hemp-seed; Distribution of hemp; Scythian hemp; Antiquity -of hemp; Churrus, or hemp resin; Momeca; Gunjah; -Bang, or Guaza; Majoon; Haschisch; Dawamese; Hashasheens -and Assassins; Berch; Dacha; Hemp in India—in -Egypt; Use of Stimulants</td> - <td class="tdrb">212</td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="toc"><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">Chapter XVI</a>.—Gunja at Home.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdh">“At home;” Influence of hemp extract; Intoxication; Annihilation -of time; Happiness; M. de Saulcey’s trial; Extraordinary -delusions; History of Genii; The Sheykh’s jinnee; Mr. Lane’s -cook and the efreet; The captain’s sheep; Mansour’s jinnee; -Experiments; The impromptu mjah; The fosterer of superstition -amongst the Arabs</td> - <td class="tdrb">230 -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xiv">xiv</span></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="toc"><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">Chapter XVII</a>.—Hubble-Bubble.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdh">Dakka smoking at Ambriz; Bushmen smokers; Curious method of -the Bechuanas; Egoodu of the Zulus; Snuffling hemp; Hubble-Bubble -of the Delagoans; Haschishans of Constantine; Gunjah -in India; Predilection of “Young America” for Bang</td> - <td class="tdrb">250</td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="toc"><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">Chapter XVIII</a>.—Siri and Pinang.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdh">The Malayan race; Areca palm; Qualities of nuts; Produce of -trees; Annual production; Preparation; How used; Local -names; Chinese consumption; Cinghalese instruments; Confirmed -habits; Estimates of consumption; The palm in -Sumatra; Substitutes in the Philippines—in Ceylon; Poetical -votaries</td> - <td class="tdrb">257</td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="toc"><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">Chapter XIX</a>.—Under the Palms.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdh">The betel peppers; Their cultivation; <i>Chenai</i> of Penang; Polynesian -ava; Chewing cava at Tongataboo; Pipula moola; -Gambir preparation; “Kutt,” or cutch; Story of an Indian -“kutt” maker; Areca cutch; Statistics of the catechu and -gambir trade</td> - <td class="tdrb">267</td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="toc"><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XX">Chapter XX</a>.—Chewing the Coon.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdh">In Burmah; The Manilla doctor; Yankee adventure; Teeth -colouring properties; Custom in Sumatra; Betel-stand of the -Sultan of Moco-moco; Of the Sultan of Sooloo; Betel a corrective -of over-doses of opium; Tagali maidens; A Tagal wedding; -Making the buyos; Mahomedan abstinence; Offer to Lady -Raffles</td> - <td class="tdrb">277</td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="toc"><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXI">Chapter XXI</a>.—Our Lady of Yongas.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdh">Coca under the Incas; Origin of the name; Early history; The -coca shrub; The harvest; Estimated production; Estimated -consumption and consumers; Spanish protection; Method of -using the coca; How to enjoy it; Stimulating effects; Coca -tea-parties; Confirmed coqueros; The virtues of coca; The -vices of coca; Power of allaying hunger; Questionable nutritive -properties; Devotion of Peruvians to it; Narcotic rhododendrons</td> - <td class="tdrb">285</td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="toc"><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXII">Chapter XXII</a>.—Whitewash and Clay.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdh">Lime-eating at Paria; Among the Guajiros; White mud of the -River Mackenzie; Edible clay of the Guanos and Ottomacs; Of -Banco; Caouac of Western Africa; Tanaampo and ampo of -Java; Edible stone of New Caledonia; Lime at Popayan; -Leche de llanka of Quito; Russian stone butter; Steinbutter -and bergbutter of Germany; Bergmehl of Sweden; Fossil -infusoria; MM. Cloquet and Breschet’s experiments; Bucaro -clay of Portugal and Spain; Pahsa of La Paz; Chaco of -Chiquisaca; Red earth of Sikkim</td> - <td class="tdrb">304</td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="toc"><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIII">Chapter XXIII</a>.—Precious Metals.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdh">Wherein metals are precious; Cumulative action of mineral -poisons; Use of corrosive sublimate; Arsenic eaters of Styria; -in Canada; Benefits claimed for it; Arseniated tobacco of -China; Effects of Arsenic; Uses of Arsenic at home</td> - <td class="tdrb">314 -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xv">xv</span></td> -</tr> - - -<tr> - <td class="toc"><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIV">Chapter XXIV</a>.—Datura and Co.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdh">Solanaceous plants and their properties; The thorn-apple of India; -The Florispondio of Peru; Its superstitious uses; Indulgence -therein in New Granada; Effects of thorn-apple on the Jamaica -soldiers; Origin of Belladonna; Its effects as a poison; Influence -on the brain; A family beneath the spell; Henbane and its -effects; Jealousy caused and cured; Foxglove leaves</td> - <td class="tdrb">323</td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="toc"><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXV">Chapter XXV</a>.—The Exile of Siberia.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdh">Kamtschatdale prospects; Poisonous fungi; The amanita-eater in -Russia; Fatal effects of amanita; Description; Preparation of -the fungus; Method of indulging therein; Effects produced; -Its singular properties; “Sucking the monkey;” Narcotic -symptoms of poisonous fungi; Narcotism of puff-ball</td> - <td class="tdrb">336</td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="toc"><span class="smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVI">Chapter XXVI</a>.—Odds and Ends.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdh">Gathering the crumbs; Smoke vision of life; The Canadian herb; -Legend of St. Betsy; Two Ottoman swains; Story of Abou -Gallioun; Chinese designations; Smoke doth follow the fairest; -The broken pipe of Saladin; Clerical authority; The Angel of -Sleep and the Angel of Death</td> - <td class="tdrb">346</td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="toc"><span class="smcap"><a href="#APPENDIX">Appendix</a>.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdh">Tables of chronology of tobacco; Of consumption of tobacco; -Duties on importation of tobacco; Profits of the French Regie; -Consumption of tobacco in Britain; Consumption of tobacco in -the Austrian Empire; Exports from the United States in 1855; -Disposition of the growth of the United States in 1840 and -1850; Exports from America in decennial periods; Analysis of -tobacco; Return of opium exports; Income of East India Company -from opium monopoly; Opium statistics of Great Britain; -Analysis of opium; Prisoners sentenced to the House of Correction, -and their opium habits; Opium consumed in the -Singapore Hospital; Reports of opium smoking in China; -Professor Johnston’s estimates; Synopsis of narcotics with their -substitutes</td> - <td class="tdrb">357</td> -</tr> -</table></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_1">1</span></p> - - - - -<p class="half-title">THE SEVEN SISTERS OF SLEEP.</p> - - - -<hr /> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I.</a><br /> - -<small><em class="gesperrt">SOMEWHAT FABULOUS.</em></small></h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“Oh sleep! it is a gentle thing,</div> - <div class="verse">Beloved from pole to pole.”——<span class="smcap">Coleridge.</span></div> -</div></div></div> - - -<p>During the Decian persecution, seven inhabitants of Ephesus retired to -a cave, six were persons of some consequence, the seventh was their -servant; from hence they despatched the attendant occasionally to -purchase food for them. Decius, who like most tyrants possessed long -ears, hearing of this, ordered the mouth of the cave to be stopped up -while the fugitives were sleeping. After a lapse of some hundred years, -a part of the masonry at the mouth of the cave falling, the light -flowing in awakened them. Thinking, as Rip Van Winkle also thought, -that they had enjoyed a good night’s rest, they despatched their -servant to buy provisions. All appeared to him strange in Ephesus; and -a whimsical dialogue took place, the citizens accusing him of having -found hidden treasure, he persisting that he offered the current coin -of the realm. At length, the attention of the emperor was excited, and -he went, in company with the bishop, to visit them. They related their -story, and shortly after expired.</p> - -<p>Thus much chroniclers narrate of the seven sleepers of Ephesus. All are -not agreed as to the place where this extraordinary event occurred. -It<span class="pagenum" id="Page_2">2</span> has been assigned also to the “mountain of the seven sleepers,” -near Tersous. It may have been claimed by the citizens of twenty other -ancient cities, for aught we can tell: Faith removes mountains. But -the number remains intact. Mahomet wrote of seven heavens—no Mahometan -takes the trouble to believe in less. The “wise men were but seven;” -there were seven poets of the age of Theocritus; seven of the daughters -of Pleione elevated to the back of Taurus; and</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“There were seven pillars of gothic mould,</div> - <div class="verse">In Chillon’s dungeon, dark and old;”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>and wherefore not <i>seven</i> sleepers at Ephesus or Tersous; or seven -sisters of</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“Nature’s sweet restorer, balmy sleep?”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>Although not to be found in Livy, or Hesiod, or Ovid, or any of the -fathers of history or fable, there is a legend of the latter <i>seven</i>, -which may be considered in the light of an abstract of title of certain -seven sisters, to be included in the list of immortal sevens who have -honoured the earth by making it their abode.</p> - -<p>It is many thousands of years since Sleep received from her parent, as -a dowry of love, an empire, unequalled in extent by any other which -the earth ever acknowledged. Her domain embraced “the round world, -and they that dwell therein.” From pole to pole, and from ocean to -ocean, she swayed her sceptre. And it was assigned her that man should -devote one-third of his existence in paying homage at the foot of her -throne. All monarchs from Ninus to Napoleon have done her honour. All -ladies from Rhodope to Cleopatra, and from Helen to Clothilde, have -admitted her claim to ascendency. And all serfs,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_3">3</span> and all captives, -from Epictetus to Abd-el-Kader, have forgotten their bonds and their -captivity, and bowed, on an equality with kings, beneath her nod.</p> - -<p>Sleep had seven sisters. Envious of her throne, and jealous of her -power, they complained bitterly that no heritage, and no government, -and no homage was theirs. Then they strove to deceive men, and -counterfeit the blessings which Sleep conferred, and thus to steal the -affections of her subjects from the universal monarch, and transfer -them to themselves. Herein they toiled and invented many strange -devices; and though they beguiled many, these all fell back again to -the allegiance they had sworn of old.</p> - -<p>“O my sisters!” said Sleep, “wherefore do you strive to instil -discontent into the hearts of my subjects and breed discord in my -dominions? Know ye not, that all mortals must fain obey me, or -die? Your enchantments cannot diminish my votaries, and only serve -to increase my power. And men, who for a while are cheated of the -blessings I confer, woo me at last with increased ardour, and with -songs of gratitude fall at my feet.”</p> - -<p>Morphina first replied—</p> - -<p>“We know full well, proud sister, how wide is your empire, and how -great your power, but we too must reign, and our kingdoms will soon -compare with yours. Let us but share with you in ruling the world, or -we will rule it for ourselves.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_4">4</span></p> - -<p>“Sisters! let us be at peace with each other. Is there not two-thirds -of the life of man free from my control? Why should you not steal from -iron-handed care enough of power to make you queens as potent, or -little less than me? My minister of dreams shall aid you by his skill, -and visions more gorgeous, and illusions more splendid, than ever -visited a mortal beneath my sway, shall attend the ecstacies of your -subjects.”</p> - -<p>The sisters were reconciled henceforth. And anon thousands and millions -of Tartar tribes and Mongolian hordes welcomed Morphina, and blessed -her for her soothing charms and benignant rule—blessed her for her -theft from the hours of sorrow and care—blessed her for the marvels of -dreams the most extravagant, and visions the most gorgeous that ever -arose in the brain of dweller in the glowing East.</p> - -<p>More extended became the sway of the golden-haired Virginia, until -four-fifths of the race of mortals burned incense upon her altars, -or silently proffered thank-offerings from their hearts. Curling -ever upwards from the hearth of the Briton and the forest of the -Brazilian—from the palaces of Ispahan and the wigwams of the -Missouri—from the slopes of the eternal hills and the bosom of the -mighty deep, arose the fragrant odours of her votaries, mingled with -the hum of pæans in her praise.</p> - -<p>Beneath the shadow of palms, in the sultry regions of the sun, the dark -impetuous Gunja held her court. There did the sons of the Ganges and -the Nile, the Indus and the Niger, own her sovereignty; and there did -the swarthy Hindoo and the ebon African hold festivals in her honour. -And, though the hardy Norseman scorned her proffered offices, she -established her throne in millions of ardent and affectionate hearts.</p> - -<p>Not far away, the red-lipped Siraboa raised her graceful standard from -the summit of a feathery palm; and the islanders of the Archipelago, in -proa and canoe, hastened to do her homage. The murderous Malay stayed -his uplifted weapon, to bless her name; and savage races, that ne’er -bowed before, fell prostrate at her feet.</p> - -<p>Honoured by the Incas, and flattered by priests—persecuted<span class="pagenum" id="Page_5">5</span> by Spanish -conquerors, but victorious, Erythroxylina established herself in the -Bolivian Andes and the Cordilleras of Peru. With subjects the most -devoted and faithful, she has for ages received the homage of a kingdom -of enthusiastic devotees.</p> - -<p>Two, less favoured, less beautiful, and less successful of the sisters, -pouting and repining at the good fortune that had attended the others, -secluded themselves from the rest of the world, and rushed into -voluntary exile. Datura, ruddy as Bellona, fled to the Northern Andes; -and in those mountainous solitudes collected a devoted few of frantic -followers, and established a miniature court. The pale and dwarfish -Amanita, turning her back on sunny lands and glowing skies, sought and -found a home and a refuge, a kingdom and a court, in the frozen wastes -of Siberia.</p> - -<p>And now in peace the sisters reign, and the world is divided between -them. When care, or woe, or wan disease, steals for a time the mortal -from his allegiance to the calm and blue-eyed Sleep, then do the -sisters ply their magic arts to win him back again, and, by their -soothing influence, lull him to rest once more, and again unlock the -portals of the palace of dreams; then issues from the trembling lips -the half-heard murmur of a whispered blessing on the</p> - - -<h3>SEVEN SISTERS OF SLEEP.<a id="FNanchor_1_1" href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">1</a></h3> - -<p>In all times Sleep has been a fertile theme with poets—one on which -the best and worst has been<span class="pagenum" id="Page_6">6</span> written. All forms in heaven and in earth -have submitted themselves to become similes; and columns of adjectives -have done duty in the service since Edmund Spenser raised his House of -Sleep, where</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent16">“careless Quiet lyes,</div> - <div class="verse">Wrapt in eternal silence, farre from enimyes.”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>No monarch has numbered so many odes in his praise, or had so many -poet laureates “all for love.” These, though not so long, are quite as -worthy as the one we heard when George III. was no longer king. Perhaps -that same little tyrant, <span class="smcap">Love</span>, has come in for even a larger share -of what some would call “twaddle.” In the sunny morn of youth, these -hung upon our lips, and dwelt in our hearts, with less of doubt than -disturbs their present repose. Old age makes us sleepy, and we sing—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“O magic sleep! O comfortable bird,</div> - <div class="verse">That broodest o’er the troubled sea of the mind</div> - <div class="verse">Till it is hushed and smooth! O unconfined</div> - <div class="verse">Restraint, imprisoned liberty, great key</div> - <div class="verse">To golden palaces, strange minstrelsy,</div> - <div class="verse">Fountains grotesque, new trees, bespangled caves,</div> - <div class="verse">Echoing grottoes, full of tumbling waves</div> - <div class="verse">And moonlight; aye, to all the mazy world</div> - <div class="verse">Of silvery enchantments!”——<i>Endymion.</i></div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>“God gave sleep to the bad,” said Sadi, “in order that the good -might be undisturbed.” Yet to good and bad sleep is alike necessary. -During the hours of wakefulness the active brain exerts its powers -without cessation or rest, and during sleep the expenditure of power -is balanced again by repose. The physical energies are exhausted by -labour, as by wakefulness are those of the mind; and if sleep comes not -to reinvigorate the mental powers, the overtaxed brain gives way, and -lapses into melancholy and madness. Men deprived of rest, as a sentence -of death, have gone from the world raving maniacs; and violent emotions -of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_7">7</span> mind, without repose, have so acted upon the body, that, as in -the case of Marie Antoinette, Ludovico Sforza, and others, their hair -has grown white in a single night—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“As men’s have grown from sudden fears.”<a id="FNanchor_2_2" href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">2</a></div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>Mind and body alike suffer from the want of sleep, the spirit is -broken, and the fire of the ardent imagination quenched. Who can wonder -that when disease or pain has racked and tortured the frame, and -prevented a subsidence into a state so natural and necessary to man, he -should have resorted to the aid of drugs and potions, whereby to lull -his pains, and dispel the care which has banished repose, and woo back -again—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent16">“the certain knot of peace,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">The baiting place of wit, the balm of woe;</div> - <div class="verse">The poor man’s wealth, the prisoner’s release,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Th’ indifferent judge between the high and low.”</div> -</div></div></div> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_8">8</span></p> -<p>Leigh Hunt has well said, “It is a delicious moment that of being well -nestled in bed, and feeling that you shall drop gently to sleep. The -good is to come, not past; the limbs have just been tired enough to -render this remaining in one posture delightful; the labour of the -day is gone—a gentle failure of the perceptions creeps over you—the -spirit of consciousness disengages itself once more, and with slow -and hushing degrees, like a mother detaching her hand from that of a -sleeping child, the mind seems to have a balmy lid closing over it, -like the eye—it is closed—the mysterious spirit has gone to take its -airy rounds.”</p> - -<p>It is this universal sense of the blessing of sleep which takes hold -of the mind with such a religious feeling, that the appearance of -a sleeping form, whether of childhood or age, checks our step, and -causes us to breathe softly lest we disturb their repose. We can scarce -forbear whispering, while standing before the well-known picture of the -“Last Sleep of Argyle,” lest by louder or more distinct articulation, -we should rob the poor old man of a moment of that absence of sorrow -which sleep has brought to him for the last time.</p> - -<p>Shakespeare has made the murder of Duncan to seem the more revolting in -that it was committed while he slept. Macbeth himself must have felt -this while exclaiming—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“Methought I heard a voice cry, ‘Sleep no more!</div> - <div class="verse">Macbeth does murther sleep, the innocent sleep;</div> - <div class="verse">Sleep, that knits up the ravelled sleave of care,</div> - <div class="verse">The death of each day’s life, sore labour’s bath,</div> - <div class="verse">Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course,</div> - <div class="verse">Chief nourisher in life’s feast.’”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>Had Desdemona been sent to her last account at once, when her lord -entered the room and kissed her as she slept, we feel that all our -pity for the jealous Moor would have been turned to hate, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_9">9</span> -our detestation of him been so great that no room had been left -for execration of the villanous Iago, who <i>now</i> seems to be the -Mephistopheles, the evil genius, of the work.</p> - -<p>“A blessing,” says Sancho Panza, “on him who first invented sleep; -it wraps a man all round like a cloak.” But neither Sancho nor any -one else will give us a blessing if we suffer ourselves to go to -sleep in thinking over it, at the very threshold of our enterprise, -and before indulging in communion with the seven sisters of whom we -have spoken. It was a trite remark of a divine that “where drowsiness -begins, devotion ends,” and needs application as much to book writers -as to sermon preachers. Although we may not have the power to check an -occasional yawn, in which there may be as much temporal relief as in a -good sneeze, let us avoid the premonitory sinking of the upper eyelids, -by calling in the aid of Francesco Berni to release us from the spell -of sleep, and introduce us to “the sisters” of the olden time.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“Quella diceva ch’era la piu bella</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Arte, il piu bel mestier che si facesse;</div> - <div class="verse">Il letto er’ una veste, una gonella</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Ad ognun buona che se la mettesse.”</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> - <p class="right"><span class="smcap">Orland. Innamor</span>, lib. iii. cant. vii.</p> -</div></div></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_10">10</span></p> - - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II.</a><br /> - -<small><em class="gesperrt">THE SISTERS OF OLD.</em></small></h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent16">“What are these,</div> - <div class="verse">So withered, and so wild in their attire;</div> - <div class="verse">That look not like the inhabitants o’ the earth,</div> - <div class="verse">And yet are on’t?”——<span class="smcap">Macbeth.</span></div> -</div></div></div> - - -<p>There is no reason to doubt that the ancients were, in a manner, -acquainted with some of the narcotics known to us, although they did -not indulge in them as stimulants or luxuries. The antiquarian, it is -true, has failed to unearth the tobacco-box of Claudius, or the pipe of -Nero—however much the latter may have been given to smoke. And no one -has as yet discovered a snuff-box bearing the initials of Marc Antony, -whence the taper fingers of Egypt’s queen drew a pinch of Princess’ -Mixture or Taddy’s Violet, gazing with loving eyes on Antony the while. -In those remote times the hemp and the poppy were not unknown; and -there is reason for believing that in Egypt the former was used as a -potion for soothing and dispelling care.</p> - -<p>Herodotus informs us that the Scythians cultivated hemp, and converted -it into linen cloth, resembling that made from flax; and he adds also, -that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_11">11</span> “when, therefore, the Scythians have taken some seed of this -hemp, they creep under the cloths, and then put the seed on the red hot -stones; but this being put on smokes, and produces such a steam, that -no Grecian vapour-bath would surpass it. The Scythians, transported -with the vapour, shout aloud.”<a id="FNanchor_3_3" href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">3</a> The same author also states that the -Massagetæ, dwelling on an island of the Araxes, have discovered “trees -that produce fruit of a peculiar kind, which the inhabitants, when they -meet together in companies, and have lit a fire, throw on the fire -as they sit round in a circle; and that by inhaling the fumes of the -burning fruit that has been thrown on, they become intoxicated by the -odour, just as the Greeks do by wine, and that the more fruit is thrown -on, the more intoxicated they become, until they rise up to dance, and -betake themselves to singing.”<a id="FNanchor_4_4" href="#Footnote_4_4" class="fnanchor">4</a></p> - -<p>Homer also makes Helen administer to Telemachus, in the house of -Menelaus, a potion prepared from <i>nepenthes</i>, which made him forget his -sorrows.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“Meanwhile with genial joy to warm the soul,</div> - <div class="verse">Bright Helen mix’d a mirth-inspiring bowl;</div> - <div class="verse">Temper’d with drugs of sovereign use to assuage</div> - <div class="verse">The boiling bosom of tumultuous rage;</div> - <div class="verse">To clear the cloudy front of wrinkled care,</div> - <div class="verse">And dry the tearful sluices of despair;</div> - <div class="verse">Charm’d with that virtuous draught, the exalted mind</div> - <div class="verse">All sense of woe delivers to the wind:</div> - <div class="verse">Though on the blazing pile his parent lay,</div> - <div class="verse">Or a loved brother groan’d his life away,</div> - <div class="verse">Or darling son, oppress’d by ruffian force,</div> - <div class="verse">Fell breathless at its feet a mangled corse;</div> - <div class="verse">From morn to eve, impassive and serene</div> - <div class="verse">The man entranced would view the deathful scene.</div> - <div class="verse">These drugs, so friendly to the joys of life,</div> - <div class="verse">Bright Helen learn’d from Thone’s imperial wife,</div> - <div class="verse">Who sway’d the sceptre where prolific Nile</div> - <div class="verse">With various simples clothes the fatten’d soil.</div> - <div class="verse">With wholesome herbage mixed, the direful bane</div> - <div class="verse">Of vegetable venom taints the plain;</div> - <div class="verse">From Pæon sprung, their patron-god imparts</div> - <div class="verse">To all the Pharian race his healing arts.”</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse"><span class="smcap">Pope’s</span> <i>Homer’s Odyssey</i>, b. iv.</div> -</div></div></div> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_12">12</span></p> -<p>Diodorus Siculus states that the Egyptians laid much stress on the -circumstance that the plant used by Helen had been given her by a woman -of Egyptian Thebes, whence they argued that Homer must have lived -amongst them, since the women of Thebes were celebrated for possessing -a secret whereby they could dissipate anger or melancholy. This secret -is supposed to have been a knowledge of the narcotic properties of -hemp. The plant was known to the Romans, and largely used by them in -the time of Pliny for the manufacture of cordage, and there is scarce a -doubt that they were acquainted with its other properties. Galen refers -to the intoxicating power of hemp, for he relates that in his time it -was customary to give hemp-seed to the guests at banquets as a promoter -of hilarity and enjoyment. Slow poisons and secret poisoning was an -art with which the Romans were not at all unfamiliar. What the medium -was through which they committed these criminal acts, can only be -conjectured from the scanty information remaining. Hemp, or opium, or -both, may have had some share in the work, since the poppy was sacred -to Somnus, and known to possess narcotic properties.</p> - -<p>The latter plant is one of the earliest described. Homer speaks of -the poppy growing in gardens, and it was employed by Hippocrates, the -father of physic, who even particularizes two kinds, the black and the -white, and used the extract of opium so extensively, as to be condemned -by his contemporary Diagoras. Dioscorides and Pliny also make mention -of it; and from their time, it has been so commonly used, as to be -incorporated in all the materia medicas of subsequent medical writers.</p> - -<p>Plutarch tells us that a poison was administered to Aratus of Sicyon, -not speedy and violent, but of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_13">13</span> that kind which at first occasions a -slow heat in the body, with a slight cough, and then gradually brings -on consumption and a weakness of intellect. One time when Aratus spat -up blood, he said, “This is the effect of royal friendship.” And -Quintilian, in his Declamations, speaks of this poison in such a manner -as proves that it must then have been well known.</p> - -<p>The infamous acts of Locusta are noticed by Tacitus, Suetonius, and -Juvenal. This poisoner seems to have been a type of such a character as -the traditions of a later age embodied in the person and under the name -of Lucretia Borgia.</p> - -<p>Agrippina, being desirous of getting rid of Claudius, but not daring -to despatch him suddenly, and yet wishing not to leave him time -sufficient to make new regulations concerning the succession to the -throne, made choice of a poison which should deprive him of his reason -and gradually consume him. This she caused to be prepared by an -expert poisoner, named Locusta, who had been condemned to death for -her infamous actions, but saved that she might be employed as a state -engine. The poison was given to the emperor in a dish of mushrooms, -but as, on account of his irregular manner of living, it did not -produce the desired effect, it was assisted by some of a stronger -nature. We are also further told that this Locusta prepared the drug -wherewith Nero despatched Britannicus, the son of Messalina, whom his -father, Claudius, wished to succeed him on the throne. As this poison -occasioned only a dysentery, and was too slow in its operation, the -emperor compelled Locusta, by blows, and by threatening her with death, -to prepare in his presence one more powerful. It was first tried on -a kid, but as the animal did not die till the end of five hours, she -boiled it a little longer, until it<span class="pagenum" id="Page_14">14</span> instantaneously killed a pig to -which it had been given, and this poison despatched Britannicus as soon -as he had tasted it. For this service the emperor pardoned Locusta, -rewarded her liberally, and gave her pupils, whom she was to instruct -in her art, in order that it might not be lost.</p> - -<p>The pupils of Locusta have not left us, however, the secret which their -mistress confided to them. The demand made of the apothecary in “Romeo -and Juliet” would have suited Nero’s case, in the latter instance.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent22">“Let me have</div> - <div class="verse">A dram of poison; such soon speeding geer</div> - <div class="verse">As will disperse itself through all the veins,</div> - <div class="verse">That the life-weary taker may fall dead;</div> - <div class="verse">And that the trunk may be discharged of breath</div> - <div class="verse">As violently, as hasty powder fired</div> - <div class="verse">Doth hurry from the fatal cannon’s mouth.”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>What connection the narcotic hemp had with the famous oracle of -Delphi is not altogether certain, but it has been supposed, and such -supposition contains nothing of heresy in these days, that the ravings -of the Pythia were the consequences of a good dose of haschish, or -bang. The non-classical readers will allow us to inform them, and the -classical permit us to remind them, that the oracle at Delphi was -the most celebrated in all Greece. That it was related of old, that -a certain shepherd, tending his flocks on Mount Parnassus, observed, -that the steam issuing from a hole in the rock seemed to inspire his -goats, and cause them to frisk about in a marvellous manner. That this -same shepherd was tempted to peep into the hole himself, and the fumes -rising therefrom filled him with such ecstacy, that he gave vent to -wild and extravagant expressions, which were regarded as prophetical. -This circumstance becoming known, the place was revered, and thereon -a temple was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_15">15</span> afterwards erected to Apollo, and a priestess appointed -to deliver the oracles. This priestess of Apollo, Pythia, was seated -over the miraculous cavity upon a tripod, or three-legged stool, and -the fumes arising were supposed to fill her with inspiration, and -she delivered, in bad verses, the oracles of the deity. During the -inspiration, her eyes sparkled, her hair stood erect, and a shivering -ran over the whole body. Under the convulsions thus produced, with loud -howlings and cries, she delivered the messages, which were carefully -noted down by an attendant priest. Plutarch states, that one of the -priestesses was thrown into such an excessive fury, that not only those -who came to consult the oracle, but the priests in attendance, were -so terrified, that they forsook her and fled; and that the fit was so -violent, that she continued several days in agony, and finally died. -It has been believed that these fumes, instead of proceeding from the -earth, were produced by the burning of some narcotic herb, probably -hemp. Who shall decide?</p> - -<p>In later times “bang” is referred to in the “Arabian Nights.” In one -of the tales, two ladies are in conversation, and one enquires of the -other, “If the queen was not much in the wrong not to love so amiable -a prince?” To which the other replied, “Certainly, I know not why she -goes out every night and leaves him alone. Is it possible that he does -not perceive it?” “Alas!” says the first, “how would you have him to -perceive it? She mixes every evening with his drink the juice of a -certain herb, which makes him sleep so sound all night, that she has -time to go where she pleases, and as day begins to appear, she comes to -him again, and awakes him by the smell of something she puts under his -nose.”</p> - -<p>The Caliph Haroun al Raschid indulged too in “bang,” and although -somewhere we have seen<span class="pagenum" id="Page_16">16</span> this word rendered “henbane,” we still adhere -to the “bang” of the text, and think the evidence is in favour of the -Indian hemp. Further accounts of the early history of this plant we -will not however forestal, as it will occur more appropriately when we -come to speak of it in particular. Henbane has been long enough known; -but it has always had the misfortune either of a positive bad name, or -no one would speak much in its favour, and therefore it has never risen -in the world.</p> - -<p>The lettuce, which has not been known to us three hundred years, was -also known to the ancients, and its narcotic properties recognized. -Dioscorides writes of it, and so also Theophrastus. It is referred -to by Galen, and, if we mistake not, spoken of by Pliny. It was -certainly wild, in some of its species, on the hills of Greece, and was -cultivated for the tables of the salad-loving Greeks and Romans. It had -been better that some of them had spent more of their time in eating -lettuce salads, and by that means had less time to spare for other -occupations of a far more reprehensible kind.</p> - -<p>The “nepenthes” of Homer has already been shown to have found -a representative in hemp. There have also been claims made for -considering it as the crocus, or the stigmas of that flower known to us -as saffron. Pliny states that it has the power of allaying the fumes of -wine, and preventing drunkenness; and it was taken in drink by great -winebibbers, to enable them to drink largely without intoxication. -Its properties are of a peculiar character, causing, in large doses, -fits of immoderate laughter. The evidence in favour of this being the -true “nepenthes” is, however, we consider very incomplete, and not so -satisfactory, by any means, as that given on behalf of the Indian hemp.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_17">17</span></p> - -<p>When the Roman soldiers retreated from the Parthians, under the command -of Antony, Plutarch narrates of them that they suffered great distress -for want of provisions, and were urged to eat unknown plants. Among -others, they met with a herb that was mortal; he that had eaten of it -lost his memory and his senses, and employed himself wholly in turning -about all the stones he could find, and, after vomiting up bile, -fell down dead. Attempts to unravel the mysteries of this plant have -ended, in some cases at least, in referring it to the belladonna, a -plant common enough in these our days, and known to possess poisonous -properties of a narcotico-acrid character.</p> - -<p>An analogous circumstance occurred in the retreat of the Ten Thousand, -as related by Xenophon. Near Trebizond were a number of beehives, and -as many of the soldiers as ate of the honeycombs became senseless, and -were seized with vomiting and diarrhœa, and not one of them could stand -erect. Those who had swallowed but little looked very like drunken men, -those who ate much were like madmen, and some lay as if dying; and -thus they lay in such numbers, as on a field of battle after a defeat. -And the consternation was great; yet no one was found to have died; -all recovered their senses about the same hour on the following day; -and on the third or fourth day thereafter, they rose up as if they had -suffered from the drinking of poison.</p> - -<p>This poisonous property of the honey is said to be derived by the bees -from the flowers of a species of rhododendron (<i>Azalea pontica</i>), all -of which possess narcotic properties.</p> - -<p>Supposing that blind old Homer—if ever there was an old Homer, and if -blind, no matter—knew the secret of Egyptian Thebes, and the power -of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_18">18</span> the narcotic hemp, and yet never smoked a hubble-bubble, it is -of little consequence, except to the Society of Antiquaries, and -certainly makes no difference to Homer now. Although Diagoras condemned -Hippocrates for giving too much opium to his patients, we are not -informed whether it was administered in the shape of “Tinctura opii,” -or “Confectio opii,” or “Extractum opii,” or “Godfrey’s cordial,” or -“Paregoric elixir.” The discovery would not lengthen our own lives, -and therefore we do not repine. We think that we have some consolation -left, in that we are wiser than Homer or Hippocrates in respect of that -particular vanity, called “shag tobacco,” which, we venture to suggest, -neither of those venerable sages ever indulged in during the period of -their natural lives. And although Herodotus found the Scythians using, -in a strange manner, the tops of the hemp plant, he never got so far -as Kamtschatka, and therefore never saw a man getting drunk upon a -toadstool. If he had ever seen it, he had never slept till he had told -it to that posterity which he has left us to enlighten.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_19">19</span></p> - - - - -<h2 id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III.<br /> - -<small>THE “WOND’ROUS WEED.</small></h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“Canst thou not minister to a mind diseased;</div> - <div class="verse">Pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow;</div> - <div class="verse">Raze out the written troubles of the brain;</div> - <div class="verse">And, with some sweet oblivious antidote,</div> - <div class="verse">Cleanse the stuff’d bosom of that perilous stuff,</div> - <div class="verse">Which weighs upon the heart?”——<span class="smcap">Macbeth.</span></div> -</div></div></div> - - -<p>Amongst Mahometans, the following legend is said to be accepted as an -account of the miraculous introduction of the “wond’rous weed” to the -world.</p> - -<p>“Mahomet, passing the desert in winter, found a poor viper frozen on -the ground; touched with compassion, he placed it in his sleeve, where -the warmth and glow of the blessed body restored it to life. No sooner -did the ungrateful reptile find its health restored, than it poked -forth its head, and said—</p> - -<p>“‘Oh, Prophet, I am going to bite you.’</p> - -<p>“‘Give me a sound reason, O snake, and I will be content.’</p> - -<p>“‘Your people kill my people constantly, there is war between your race -and mine.’</p> - -<p>“‘Your people bite my people, the balance between our kindred is even, -between you and me; nay, it is in my favour, for I have done you good.’</p> - -<p>“‘And that you may not do me harm, I will bite you.’</p> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_20">20</span></p> -<p>“‘Do not be so ungrateful.’</p> - -<p>“‘I will! I have sworn by the Most High that I will.’</p> - -<p>“At the Name the Prophet no longer opposed the viper, but bade him bite -on, in the name of God. The snake pierced his fangs in the blessed -wrist, which the Prophet not liking, shook him off, but did him no -further harm, nor would he suffer those near him to destroy it, but -putting his lips to the wound, and sucking out the poison, spat it upon -the earth. From these drops sprang that wond’rous weed, which has the -bitterness of the serpent’s tooth, quelled by the sweet saliva of the -Prophet.”<a id="FNanchor_5_5" href="#Footnote_5_5" class="fnanchor">5</a></p> - -<p>Happy Moslem! you have solved the mystery, and your heart feels no -doubt; but Christian dogs despairingly sigh for some revelation from -the past, whether through history or tradition, of the first use of -this plant. In vain we enquire who it was that first conceived and put -in practice the idea of burning the large leaves of a weed, and drawing -in the smoke to spit it out again? Who it was that discovered pleasure -or amusement in tickling the nose with that “titillating dust” to enjoy -the luxury of a sneeze, or find employment in blowing it out again? -Ye shades of heroes departed, that hover around the pine-woods of the -Saskatchewan, sail over the rolling prairies of Illinois, or roam along -the strands of Virginia, tell us to what illustrious progenitor of Cree -or Mohawk we are to accord the honour of a discovery more popular than -any since the days when “Adam delved and Eve span?”</p> - -<p>In default of the shades giving us the required information, we must -resort to the faint footsteps which “the habit” has left imprinted -on the sands of Time. Even the name by which it is called,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_21">21</span> has been -disputed and even denied, as of right, belonging to tobacco. This word, -Humboldt informs us, like the words <i>savannah</i>, <i>maize</i>, <i>maguey</i>, and -<i>manati</i>, belong to the ancient language of Hayti or St. Domingo, and -did not properly denote the herb, but the pipe through which it was -smoked. Tobacco, according to Oveido, was indigenous in Hispaniola, and -much used by the native Indians, who smoked it from a tube in the shape -of the letter =Y=, the two branches being inserted in the nostrils, -and the stem placed in the burning leaves. The plant was called the -<i>cohiba</i>, and the rude instrument by which it was inhaled <i>tabaco</i>.</p> - -<p>Other fabulous accounts of the origin of this mystic name, which opens -the heart and hand of the savage more readily than that of gold, trace -it to Tabacco, a province of Yucatan in New Spain, whence it is stated -to have been first brought to Europe. Or affinity is claimed for it -with the Island of Tobago, one of the Caribbees, where it grew wild in -abundance. Or its derivation is traced to Tobasco, in the island of -Florida. In Mexico it was called <i>yetl</i>, and in Peru <i>sagri</i>, meaning -in those languages “the herb,” or the herb <i>par excellence</i>, worthy of -superiority over all other herbs which the earth ever produced from her -bosom.</p> - -<p>It seems surprising that a vegetable production so universally spread -should have different names among neighbouring people. In North -America the Algonkin name is <i>sema</i>, and the Huron <i>oyngoua</i>, and the -same dissimilarity exists in the languages of South-American tribes; -the Omagua, <i>petema</i>; the Maypure, <i>jema</i>; the Chiquito, <i>pâis</i>; the -Vilela, <i>tusup</i>; and the Tamanac, <i>cavai</i>. One would have expected to -have found names with less variation among such neighbours. It might -be urged, perhaps, that these are all independent<span class="pagenum" id="Page_22">22</span> ancient names given -by each tribe to the plant before they became acquainted with the -existence of their neighbours, and an evidence that its use was not -derived from each other, nor from travellers passing among them. To -these speculations the theorist is welcome.</p> - -<p>There is little reason to doubt that tobacco is a plant indigenous to -the New World. With the era, therefore, of Columbus, our knowledge -of it will necessarily commence. When the Spaniards landed with that -navigator in Cuba in 1492, they found the Cubans doing the same kind -of thing as the voyager would now find them occupied in, making and -smoking cigars. In the latter act, these Spaniards soon followed the -Cuban example, as did those also who landed in 1518, with Fernando -Cortez, in the island of Tobago, to a still greater extent. The honour -of introducing this, the fairest of “the Seven Sisters of Sleep,” -to European society and soil, is due, perhaps, to Hernandez, the -naturalist, who brought the first seeds from Mexico (Humboldt states, -from the Mexican province of Yucatan), in 1559, and conveyed them -to Spain. About the same time some unknown Flamingo introduced the -illustrious visitor to Portugal.</p> - -<p>Of the introduction of tobacco into France, the more commonly-received -opinion is, that the first seeds were sent to Catherine de Medici -from Portugal in 1560, by Jean Nicot, the French ambassador to that -country, and ever since it has borne as its generic name a memento of -its patron. Other accounts attribute to Father André Thevet, or some -friend of his, the honour of introducing the raw material to the most -accomplished snuff-takers in Europe, and, perhaps, the first who ever -indulged in it to any extent.</p> - -<p>In Tuscany, tobacco was first cultivated under Cosmo de Medici, who -died in 1574. It was originally<span class="pagenum" id="Page_23">23</span> raised by Bishop Alfonso Tournabuoni, -from seeds received from his nephew, Nicolo Tournabuoni, then -ambassador at Paris. After him it bore the name of Erba Tournabuoni, -as in France it was called Herbe de la Reine. Very early, before 1589, -the Cardinal Santa Croce, returning from his nunciature in Spain -and Portugal to Italy, carried with him thither tobacco; but he can -scarce claim the honour of its introduction, although the exploit was -commemorated by Castor Duranti in Latin verse. Thus it would appear -that this plant was brought from Mexico to Spain, whence it passed into -France, and thence into Italy, during the early part of the latter half -of the sixteenth century.</p> - -<p>The first introduction of tobacco into England has been claimed for a -trinity of valiant knights—Sir Francis Drake, Sir John Hawkins, and -Sir Walter Raleigh. In Bancroft’s “History of the United States,” it -is said—“The exiles of a year had grown familiar with the favourite -amusement of the lethargic Indians, and they introduced into England -the general use of tobacco.” These exiles were brought home by -Drake before Raleigh visited the New World, and the period for the -introduction of tobacco into this country by Sir Francis, claims the -date of 1560. For Sir John Hawkins’ introduction, the time has been -fixed at 1565; whilst the earliest date assigned for its introduction -by Sir Walter Raleigh is 1584, the same year in which a proclamation -was issued in England against it. Humboldt states that the celebrated -Raleigh contributed most to introduce the custom of smoking among the -nations of the North. When Raleigh brought tobacco from Virginia to -England, whole fields of it were already cultivated in Portugal. It -was also previously known in France, where it was brought into fashion -by Catherine de Medici. As<span class="pagenum" id="Page_24">24</span> early as the end of the sixteenth century, -bitter complaints were made in England of this imitation of the manners -of a savage people. It was feared, that by the practice of smoking -tobacco, Englishmen would degenerate into a barbarous state.<a id="FNanchor_6_6" href="#Footnote_6_6" class="fnanchor">6</a> The -cultivation of this narcotic plant preceded that of the potato in -Europe 120 or 140 years.</p> - -<p>Camden, who informs us of these fears for the civilization of England, -also states that Richard Fletcher, Bishop of London, a courtly prelate -(who died in 1596), by the use of tobacco “smothered the cares he took -by means of his unlucky marriage.” According to Aubrey, the pipe was -handed from man to man round the table; and this bears, certainly, a -great resemblance to the custom of the North-American Indians—the chief -smoking two or three whiffs, then passing it to his neighbour, until -from one to another it passes round the circle, and comes back to the -first smoker again.</p> - -<p>M. Jorevin, a Frenchman, who visited England in Charles the Second’s -time, says that the women smoked tobacco as well as the men.</p> - -<p>From England the practice of smoking was carried to the Continent. -Dutch students were first taught the art of smoking at the University -of Leyden by students from England; hence the greatest smokers in -Europe derived their knowledge of the use of the pipe from the English.</p> - -<p>Lilly, in his autobiography, informs us that when committed to the -guard-room in Whitehall, he thought himself in regions far below, where -Orpheus sang, and Pluto reigned, for<span class="pagenum" id="Page_25">25</span> “some were sleeping, others -swearing, others smoking tobacco; and in the chimney of the room were -two bushels of broken tobacco-pipes.” Good friend Lilly, what wouldst -thou have thought of a visit to a Studenten Kneipe, where a crowd of -students, amid fumes dense as a London fog in November, scream and -growl the well-known song—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“And smokes the Fox tobacco?</div> - <div class="verse">And smokes the Fox tobacco?</div> - <div class="verse">And smokes the leathery Fox tobacco?</div> - <div class="verse indent10">Sa! Sa!</div> - <div class="verse indent10">Fox tobacco.</div> - <div class="verse">And smokes the Fox tobacco.</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“Then let him fill a pipe!</div> - <div class="verse">Then let him fill a pipe!</div> - <div class="verse">Then let him fill a leathery pipe;</div> - <div class="verse indent10">Sa! Sa!</div> - <div class="verse indent10">Leathery pipe.</div> - <div class="verse">Then let him fill a pipe!”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>And then perhaps—but let the reader enquire for himself of some -descendant from the ancestors of the renowned Wouter Van Twiller, the -worthy head of the long-pipe faction. In 1601, tobacco was carried to -Java, whence it spread over the East. It was also conveyed to Turkey -and Arabia in the beginning of this century. El-Is-hákee states that -the custom of smoking tobacco began to be common in Egypt between the -years of the flight, 1010 and 1012 (<span class="smcap lowercase">A.D.</span> 1601-1603). And from Persian -writers on <i>Materia medica</i>, it appears to have been introduced into -India in <span class="smcap lowercase">A.H.</span> 1014 (<span class="smcap lowercase">A.D.</span> 1605), towards the end of the reign of -Jelaladeen Akbar Padshaw. From India, tobacco probably found its way -to the Malayan Peninsula and China; although Pallas, Loureiro, and -Rumphius think that tobacco was known in China before the discovery of -the New World, and that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_26">26</span> the Chinese tobacco plant is indigenous to -that country.</p> - -<p>From “Notes and Queries” we learn that “tobacco was first cultivated -in this country at Winchcombe in Gloucestershire, and that the natives -did suck thereout no small advantage; and before the time of James -II. the best Virginia was but two shillings the pound, and two gross -of the best glazed pipes, and a box with them, three shillings and -fourpence.” Tobacco became almost a necessary among the upper classes; -nor could the parliamentary representatives of the city of Worcester -be despatched up to town until the “collective wisdom” had smoked and -drunk sack at the “Globe,” or some other hostelry. As early as 1621, -it was moved in the House of Commons by Sir William Stroud, that “he -would have tobacco banished wholly out of the kingdom, and that it may -not be brought from any part, nor used amongst us.” And by Sir Grey -Palmes, “that if tobacco be not banished, it will overthrow 100,000 men -in England, for it is now so common, that he hath seen ploughmen take -it as they are at the plough.” At a later period of the same century, -so inveterate had the practice become, that an order appears on the -journals of the House, “That no member in the House do presume to -smoke tobacco in the gallery, or at the table of the House sitting at -Committees.”</p> - -<p>But tobacco did not come into general use in Europe without great and -strenuous opposition. All kinds of weapons were called in requisition -to stay its progress. Persuasion and force were alike essayed without -effect. A German writer has collected the titles of a hundred different -works condemning its use, which were published within half a century of -its introduction into Europe. The pen was wielded by royal as well as -plebeian<span class="pagenum" id="Page_27">27</span> fingers, and the famous diatribe of the British Solomon, King -James I., of blessed memory, defender of the faith, and antagonist of -tobacco, keeps his memory still <i>green</i> in the hearts of Englishmen. -In Russia, the snuff-taker was ingeniously cured of the habit, by -having his nose cut off, while smokers had a pipe bored through the -same useful projection. Michael Feodorovitch Tourieff kindly offered a -bastinado to the Muscovites for the first offence, cutting off the nose -for the second, and the head for the third. In 1590, Pope Innocent XII. -took the trouble to excommunicate all who used tobacco in any form in -the church of St. Peter’s in Rome. And in 1624, Pope Urban VII., the -old woman, fulminated a bull against all persons found taking snuff -during divine service; and old women, in the spirit of opposition, -have been fond of snuff ever since. The sultans and priests of Persia -and Turkey declared smoking a sin against their religion. Amurath IV. -of Persia published an edict, making the smoking of tobacco a capital -offence. Shah Abbas II. punished such delinquents equally severely. -When leading an army against the Cham of Tartary, he proclaimed that -every soldier in whose possession tobacco was found, would have his -nose and lips cut off, and afterwards be burnt alive. El-Gabartee -relates, that about a century ago, in the time of Mohammed Básha -El-Yedekshee, who governed Egypt in the years of the flight, 1156-8, it -frequently happened that, when a man was found with a pipe in his hand -in Cairo, he was made to eat the bowl with its burning contents. This -may seem incredible, but a pipe bowl <i>may</i> be broken by strong teeth, -particularly if it be of meerschaum. In Tuscany, the growth of tobacco -was prohibited, except in a few localities, where it was allowed, under -certain<span class="pagenum" id="Page_28">28</span> restrictions, from 1645 to 1789, when the Grand Duke Peter -Leopold declared its cultivation free all over the country. Ferdinand -III. afterwards restricted it to its former localities. The number -of these were reduced in 1826, and in 1830 its growth was entirely -prohibited. In Transylvania the penalty for growing tobacco was a total -confiscation of property; and for the use of the weed, a fine of from -three to two hundred florins. In 1661, the Canton of Berne introduced -an eleventh commandment to the decalogue, and this was inserted -after the seventh, “Thou shalt not smoke!” In 1719, the wise senate -of Strasburg prohibited the cultivation of tobacco, fearing lest it -should interfere with the growth of corn. Prussia and Denmark contented -themselves with prohibiting its use. This brings us back again to -England, and the days of “good Queen Bess.” That lady, who is said to -have prohibited the use of tobacco in churches, according to certain -chroniclers, was wont to banter Sir Walter Raleigh on his affection -for his <i>protégé</i>. It is said, that on one occasion, when Raleigh was -conversing with his royal mistress upon the singular properties of this -new and extraordinary herb, he assured her Majesty that he had so well -experienced the nature of it, that he could tell her of what weight -even the smoke would be in any quantity proposed to be consumed. Her -Majesty, deeming it impossible to hold the smoke in a balance, must -needs lay a wager to solve the doubt. Raleigh procured the quantity -agreed upon, he thoroughly smoked it, and weighed the ashes, pleading -at the same time that the weight now wanting was the weight of the -smoke dissipated in the process. The Queen did not deny the doctrine -of her favourite, saying<span class="pagenum" id="Page_29">29</span> “that she had often heard of those who had -turned their gold into smoke, but Raleigh was the first who had turned -his smoke into gold.”</p> - -<p>The Star Chamber levied a heavy duty, and Charles II. prohibited its -cultivation in England. Tobacco was first put under the excise in -1789. It was not at first allowed to be smoked in ale-houses. “There -is a curious collection of proclamations, &c.,” says Brand, “in the -archives of the Society of Antiquaries of London. In vol. viii. is an -ale-house licence, granted by six Kentish justices of the peace, at the -bottom of which is the following item, among other directions to the -inn-holder:——‘_Item._—You shall not utter, nor willingly suffer to be -uttered, drunke, or taken, any tobacco within your house, cellar, or -other place thereunto belonging.’”</p> - -<p>Notwithstanding oppositions, imposts, anathemas, counterblasts, and -persecutions, tobacco gradually and rapidly arose in popular esteem. -The first house in which it was publicly smoked in Britain was the -Pied Bull, at Islington; but this was “alone in its glory” for a very -brief period of time. “Is it not a great vanity,” saith Royal James, -“that a man cannot heartily welcome his friend now, but straight they -must be in hand with tobacco? And he that will refuse to take a pipe of -tobacco amongst his fellows is accounted peevish, and no good company; -yea, the mistress cannot in a more mannerly kind entertain her servant -than by giving him out of her fair hand a pipe of tobacco.” Raleigh -smoked in his dungeon in the Tower, while the headsman was grinding his -axe. Cromwell loved his pipe, and dictated his despatches to Milton -over some burning Trinidado, or sweet-smelling nicotine. Ben Johnson -affirmed that tobacco was the most precious weed that the earth ever -tendered to the use of man. Dr. Radcliffe recommended snuff to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_30">30</span> his -brethren. Dr. Johnson kept his snuff in his waistcoat pocket; and so -did Frederick the Great. Robert Hall smoked in his vestry, and, it -would seem, in other places as well, for Gilfillan informs us, that -when on a visit to a brother clergyman, he went into the kitchen where -a pious servant girl, whom he loved, was working. He lighted his pipe, -sat down, and asked her—“Betty, do you love the Lord Jesus Christ?” “I -hope I do, sir,” was the reply. He immediately added, “Betty, do you -love me?” They were married. And Napoleon took rappee by the handful. -And poets wrote, and minstrels sang, in the praise of the “Divine -Virginia.”</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“Thou glorious weed of a glorious land,</div> - <div class="verse">I would not be freed from thy magical wand—</div> - <div class="verse">Though a slave to thy fetters, and bound in thy chain,</div> - <div class="verse">Despairing of freedom, I cannot complain.</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“Tobacco, I love thee—I bow at thy shrine!</div> - <div class="verse">The longer I prove thee, the less I repine.</div> - <div class="verse">The affection I cherish, no time can assuage—</div> - <div class="verse">Thy joys do not perish, like others, with age.”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>The mailed Spaniard and red-plumed Indian have fought around it; and -gold-seekers have drenched it with the gore of negroes. One whole -continent has been enriched by it; and to cultivate it, another -continent has been depopulated. Negroes have prayed to their Fetishes -beside it—many a Cacique now dead smoked it at the war-council, and -many a grave, grey-bearded Spaniard, who had fought at Lepanto, or -bled in the Low Countries. Old soldiers of Cromwell have smoked it; -and while Indians have bartered their gold for English beads, the -swarthy Buccaneers looked on, handling their loaded muskets. Tobacco -was for some time used as currency in Virginia, as, according to Mr. -Galton, is the case now among the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_31">31</span> Damarás, Ovampo, and other tribes of -South-Western Africa.</p> - -<p>Forty varieties of tobacco have been described; but the differences are -mainly the result of climate, and the mode of culture. It grows well -in almost every part of the world. The northern limit in Scandinavia -is 62°-63° N. L. The different parts of America in which it is grown -include Canada, New Brunswick, United States, Mexico, the Western -Coast, as far as 40° S. L. In Africa it is cultivated by the Red Sea -and Mediterranean, in Egypt, Algeria, the Canaries, the Western Coast, -the Cape, and numerous places in the interior. In Europe, it has been -raised successfully in almost every country; in Hungary, Germany, -Flanders, and France, it forms an important agricultural product. -In Asia, it has spread over Turkey, Persia, India, Thibet, China, -Japan, the Philippines, Java, and Ceylon. In parts of Australia and -New Zealand. From the Equator to 50° N. L., it may be raised without -difficulty. The finest qualities are raised between 15° and 35° N. L.</p> - -<p>The most noted tobacco is that of Cuba; and the most extensive growers -are the Americans of the United States. Two-thirds of our supply is -doubtless derived from the latter source.</p> - -<p>In 1665, Virginia exported to England 60,000 pounds. Twenty-five years -afterwards, our total imports were double that amount; while in 1858, -they amounted to 62,217,705 pounds, including snuff and cigars; hence, -we may fairly calculate that, in Great Britain, eight millions of -pounds sterling are annually spent in tobacco.</p> - -<p>It has been computed that eight hundred millions of the human race are -consumers of tobacco, and that the average annual consumption is 70 -ounces per head. The total consumption would,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_32">32</span> therefore, approximate -to two millions of tons. The average annual consumption of every -male over eighteen years of age, in each of the following countries -of Europe, as collected from returns, is, in Austria, 108 ounces; -Zollverein, 156 ounces; Steurverein, including Hanover and Oldenburg, -200 ounces; France, 88 ounces; Russia, 40 ounces; Portugal, 56 ounces; -Spain, 76 ounces; Sardinia, 44 ounces; Tuscany, 40 ounces; the Papal -States, 32 ounces; England, 66 ounces; Holland, 132 ounces; Belgium, -144 ounces; Denmark, 128 ounces; Sweden, 70 ounces; and Norway, 99 -ounces. In the United States of America, the consumption is 122 ounces; -and in New South Wales, where there are no restrictive duties, it is -declared to exceed 400 ounces.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“<i>Jamie</i>, thou shouldst been living at this hour,</div> - <div class="verse">Europe hath need of thee.”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>To what a height of royal indignation the “Misocapnos” would have -risen, had its author postponed its publication 250 years, and -reappeared, a “new avater,” to see it through the press in these latter -days. He had then required no Spanish matches to set him on fire; and -the “horrible Stygian smoake” would have required the addition of all -Catesby’s gunpowder to have made the simile worthy of its royal master, -unless, peradventure, the weight of five millions of golden sovereigns -from the Inland Revenue Office had pressed heavily upon his conscience, -and he had purchased himself a new pair of silk stockings, and rested -in peace; then he could have returned the old pair he borrowed in his -Scotch capital, in which to meet his English Court at London.</p> - -<p>Since the days when the green leaf of tobacco was used as a sovereign -application for wounds and bruises and the bites of poisonous -serpents,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_33">33</span> there has been no more singular use discovered for any part -of this plant than that of certain African tribes, who, Denham says, -“colour their teeth and lips with the flowers of the goorjee tree and -the tobacco plant. The former, he saw only once or twice; the latter, -was carried every day to market at Bornou, beautifully arranged in -large baskets. The flowers of both these plants rubbed on the lips and -teeth give them a blood-red appearance, which is there thought a great -beauty.” That the poison of tobacco should have been turned to account -is not surprising; and we are more prepared to hear of the bushmen of -South Africa poisoning the heads of their arrows, not with nicotine, -but with a poison taken from the head of the yellow serpent. These -serpents they kill with the oil of tobacco, one drop or two producing -spasms and death. Count Bocarmé effectually settled the question of the -poisonous property of nicotine, some years since at Mons. It remained -for future experimentalists to discover that as well as a <i>bane</i>, -tobacco was an <i>antidote</i>.</p> - -<p>A young lady in New Hampshire fell into the mistake of eating a -portion of arsenic, which had been prepared for the destruction of -rats. Painful symptoms soon led to the discovery. An elderly lady, -then present, advised that she should be made to vomit as speedily -as possible, and as the unfortunate victim had always exhibited a -loathing for tobacco in any shape, that was suggested as a ready means -of obtaining the desired end. A pipe was used, but this produced no -nausea. A large portion of strong tobacco was then chewed, and the -juice swallowed, but even this produced no sensation of disgust. A -strong decoction was then made with hot water, of this she drank half a -pint without producing nausea or giddiness, or any emetic or cathartic -action. The pains gradually<span class="pagenum" id="Page_34">34</span> subsided, and she began to feel well. On -the arrival of physicians, an emetic was administered. The patient -recovered, and no ill consequences were experienced. Another case -occurred a few years subsequent at the same place, when tobacco was -administered and no other remedy. In this instance there was complete -and perfect recovery. From this it may be reasonably concluded, that -tobacco is an antidote of very safe and ready application in cases of -poisoning by arsenic.</p> - -<p>Financiers and Chancellors of Exchequers or Ministers of Finance, look -with particularly favourable eyes upon the “Indian Weed.” Our own -official in that department, can now calculate on nearly six millions -of safe income in his estimates for a year, from this fertile source. -Our near neighbours of France consider four millions too good an -addition to the revenue, to denounce its use. Austria and Spain each -manages to supply the state coffers with a million and a half of money -from the tobacco monopoly. Russia, the Zollverein, Portugal, Sardinia, -and the Papal States, individually realizes from three to four hundred -thousands of pounds every year, from the use or abuse of this most -popular plant in the world.</p> - -<p>Although this habit, in its increase, may cause throbs of ecstatic -joy in the breasts of certain officials, there are other sections of -society holding antagonistic opinions. The Maine Conference of the -Methodist Episcopal Church at a late session, passed the following -preamble and resolutions:——</p> - -<p>“Whereas—The use of tobacco prevails to a prodigious extent in our -country, as indicated in the reports of our national treasury, and -other authentic documents, from which it appears that over 100,000,000 -pounds of this article are consumed in the United States annually, at a -cost to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_35">35</span> the consumers of over 20,000,000 dollars, and whereas, we have -reason to believe that its use is rapidly increasing, and that even -ministers of the Gospel are becoming, to a great extent, guilty of this -debasing indulgence; therefore—</p> - -<p>“I.—Resolved. That we view these facts as a matter of profound alarm, -and such an evil as to demand the serious attention of the Church.</p> - -<p>“II.—Resolved. That we regard the use of tobacco as an expensive and -needless indulgence, unfavourable to cleanliness and good manners, -unbecoming in Christians, and especially in Christian Ministers, -and, like the use of alcohol, a violation of the laws of physical, -intellectual, and moral life.</p> - -<p>III.—Resolved. “That we will discountenance the use of that injurious -narcotic, except as a medicine prescribed by a physician, by precept -and example, and by all proper means.”</p> - -<p>De Lagny states that the “Old Believers”, a sect of dissenters from the -Greek Church in Russia, look with horror on the use of tobacco. The -Wahhabees, a Pharasaical sect of strict Moslems, are rigid in their -condemnation of tobacco, and in their adherence to the precepts of the -Koran, and the traditions of the Prophet.</p> - -<p>There are to be met with nearer home, those who are inveterate against -its use, and who willingly join with Cowper in denouncing the</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“Pernicious weed which banishes for hours,</div> - <div class="verse">That sex whose presence civilizes ours.”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>An occasional pamphlet or letter, makes its way into the hands of -speculative publishers or into class papers, giving gratuitous advice, -and much denunciatory language, against a habit which is by far too -general, and has been tested by too many experiments not to be well -known, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_36">36</span> equally well understood. These “counterblasts” differ but -little from the model one which each would seem to aim at imitating—the -quaint expressions, the only redeeming quality in the original, alone -being wanting.</p> - -<p>“Surely,” saith the high and mightie Prince James,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_37">37</span> “smoke becomes -a kitchen farre better than a dining chamber; and yet it makes a -kitchen oftentimes in the inward parts of men, soyling and infecting -them with an unctuous and oyly kind of soote, as hath been found in -some great tobacco takers, that after their death were opened. Now, -my good countrymen, let us (I pray you), consider what honour or -policie can move us to imitate the barbarous and beastlie manners of -the wild, godlesse, and slavish Indians, especially in so vile and -filthy a custome. Shall we, that disdain to imitate the manner of our -neighbour, France (having the style of the greate Christian kingdome), -and that cannot endure the spirit of the Spaniards, (their king being -now comparable in largenesse of dominions to the greatest Emperor of -Turkey), shall we, I say, that have been so long civill and wealthy in -peace, famous and invincible in war, fortunate in both—we that have -been ever able to aid any of our neighbours (but never deafened any of -their ears with any of our supplications for assistance), shall we, -I say, without blushing, abase ourselves so far as to imitate these -beastlie Indians, slaves to the Spaniards, the refuse of the worlde, -and, as yet, aliens from the holy covenant of God? Why do we not as -well imitate them in walking naked as they do, in preferring glasses, -feathers, and toys, to gold and precious stones, as they do? Yea, why -do we not deny God, and adore the devils, as they do? Have you not, -then, reasons to forbear this filthie noveltie, so basely grounded, so -foolishly received, and so grosslie mistaken in the right use thereof? -In your abuse thereof, sinning against God, harming yourselves both -in person and goods, and raking also, thereby, the marks and notes -of vanitie upon you, by the custom thereof, making yourselves to be -wondered at by all forreine civill nations, and by all strangers that -come among you, to be scorned and contemned; a custom loathsome to the -eye, hateful to the nose, harmfull to the braine, dangerous to the -lungs, and, in the blacke stinking fume thereof, nearest resembling the -horrible Stygian smoake of the pit that is bottomless.”</p> - -<p>Wise and worthy king, adieu. Gold stick, lead the way. We hasten -from your royal presence to join the Cabinet of Cloudland.<i>Vive la -Virginie!</i></p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_38">38</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV.</a><br /> - -<small>THE CABINET OF CLOUDLAND.</small></h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent10">“A magnificent array of clouds;</div> - <div class="verse">And as the breeze plays on them, they assume</div> - <div class="verse">The forms of mountains, castled cliffs, and hills,</div> - <div class="verse">And shadowy glens, and groves, and beetling rocks;</div> - <div class="verse">And some, that seem far off, are voyaging</div> - <div class="verse">Their sunbright path in folds of silver.”</div> -</div></div></div> - - -<p>“Right,” said I to myself, as I lay down the volume of Hyperion, in -which I had been glancing for repose. “I, too, have a friend, not -yet a sexagenary bachelor, but a bachelor notwithstanding. He has -one of those well oiled dispositions which turn upon the hinges of -the world without creaking, except during east winds, and when there -is no butter in the house. The hey-day of life is over with him; but -his old age (begging his pardon) is sunny and chirping, and a merry -heart still nestles in his tottering frame, like a swallow that builds -in a tumble-down chimney. He is a professed Squire of Dames. The -rustle of a silk gown is music to his ears, and his imagination is -continually lantern-led by some will-with-the-wisp in the shape of a -lady’s stomacher. In his devotion to the fair sex—the muslin, as he -calls it—he is the gentle flower of chivalry. It is amusing to see -how quickly he strikes into the scent of a lady’s handkerchief. When -once fairly in pursuit, there is no such thing as throwing him out. -His heart looks out at his eye; and his inward delight tingles down -to the tail of his coat. He loves to bask in the sunshine of a smile;<span class="pagenum" id="Page_39">39</span> -when he can breathe the sweet atmosphere of kid gloves and cambric -handkerchiefs, his soul is in its element; and his supreme delight is -to pass the morning, to use his own quaint language, ‘in making dodging -calls, and wriggling round among the ladies.’” Yet there are a few -little points in the picture which want retouching, and beyond all, one -great omission to be remedied. It is the <span class="smcap lowercase">PIPE</span>. What would the worthy -Abbot be without his pipe? Just as uncomfortable as we should presume -a dog to be without his tail. As incomplete as a sketch of Napoleon -without his boots and cocked-hat. See him in a cloud, and he seems -the very Premier of Cloudland. It was said of Staines, Lord Mayor of -London, that he could not forego his pipe long enough to be sworn into -office, without a whiff; and a print was published representing his -lordship smoking in his state carriage; the sword bearer smoking—the -mace bearer smoking—the coachmen smoking—the footmen smoking—the -postilions smoking—and, to crown the whole—all the six horses smoking -also. The ninth of November on which this event occurred, must needs -have been a cloudy day.</p> - -<p>Another cloudy day arose upon London when the great plague broke out, -and on this occasion, the smoke of tobacco mingled with the gloom. In -Reliquiæ Hearnianæ, it is stated that “none who kept tobacconist’s -shops had the plague. It is certain that smoking was looked upon as -a most excellent preservative, insomuch, that even children were -obliged to smoke. And I remember”, continues the writer,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_40">40</span> “that I heard -formerly Tom Rogers, who was yeoman beadle, say, that when he was that -year when the plague raged, a schoolboy at Eton, all the boys of that -school were obliged to smoke in the school every morning, and that -he was never whipped so much in his life as he was one morning for -not smoking.” We may imagine the experiences of some of these urchins -at their first or second attempt, and in remembrance, it may be, of -some similar experience of our own, see no cause for wonder at Tom -Rogers not liking to elevate his yard of clay, and view the curls of -smoke arise from the ashes of the smouldering weed. Another amateur -who flourished after the great fire had burnt out all traces of the -great plague, has left us the record of his “day of smoke,” and the -cudgelling he received for doing that which Tom Rogers was whipped for -not doing—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_41">41</span></p> - -<p>“I shall never forget the day when I first smoked. It was a day of -exultation and humiliation. It was a Sunday. My uncle was a great -smoker. He dined with us that day; and after the meal, he pulled out -his cigar case, took a cheroot, and smoked it. I always liked the fumes -of tobacco, so I went near him and observed how he put the cheroot into -his mouth, the way he inhaled the smoke, how he puffed it out again, -and the other coquetries of a regular smoker. I envied my uncle, and -was determined that I would smoke myself. Uncle fell asleep. Now, -thought I, here’s an opportunity not to be lost. I quietly abstracted -three cigars from the case which was lying on the table, and sneaked -off. Being a lad of a generous disposition, I wished that my brothers -and cousins should also partake of the benefits of a smoke, so I -imparted the secret to them, at which they were highly pleased. When -and where to smoke was the next consideration. It was arranged that -when the old people had gone to church in the evening, we should smoke -in the coach-house. We were six in number. I divided the three cigars -into halves, and gave each a piece. Oh, how our hearts did palpitate -with joy! Fire was stealthily brought from the cook-house, and we -commenced to light our cigars. Such puffing I never did see. After each -puff we would open our mouths quite wide, to let the smoke out. At the -performance of the first puff we laughed heartily—the smoke coming out -of our mouths was so funny. At the second puff we didn’t laugh so much, -but began to spit; we thought the cigars were very bitter. After the -third puff we looked steadfastly at each other—each thought the other -looked pale. I could not give the word of command for another pull. I -felt choked, and my teeth began to chatter. There was a dead silence -for a second. We were ashamed, or could not divulge the state of our -feelings. Charlie was the first who gave symptoms of rebellion in his -stomach. Then there was a general revolt. What occurred afterwards I -did not know, till I got up from my bed next morning, to experience the -delights of a sound flagellation. After that I abhorred the smell of -tobacco—would never look at a cigar or think of it.” All this happened, -as the narrator informed us, at the age of seven—an early age, some may -imagine, who do not know that in Vizagapatam and other places on the -same coasts, where the women smoke a great deal, it is a common thing -for the mothers to appease their squalling brats by transferring the -cigar from their own mouths to that of their infants. These youngsters -being accustomed to the art of pulling, suck away gloriously for a -second, and then fall asleep.</p> - -<p>Howard Malcom states,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_42">42</span> “that in Burmah the consumption of tobacco for -smoking is very great, not in pipes, but in cigars or cheroots, with -wrappers made of the leaves of the Then-net tree. In making them, -a little of the dried root, chopped fine, is added, and sometimes -a small portion of sugar. These are sold at a rupee per thousand. -Smoking is more prevalent than ‘chewing coon’ among both sexes, and is -commenced by children almost as soon as they are weaned. I have seen,” -he continues, “little creatures of two or three years, stark naked, -tottering about with a lighted cigar in their mouth. It is not uncommon -for them to become smokers even before they are weaned—the mother often -taking the cheroot from her mouth and putting it into that of the -infant.”</p> - -<p>In China, the practice is so universal, that every female, from the age -of eight or nine years, as an appendage to her dress, wears a small -silken pocket to hold tobacco and a pipe.</p> - -<p>The use of tobacco has become universal through the Chinese empire; -men, women, children, everybody smokes almost without ceasing. They go -about their daily business, cultivate the fields, ride on horseback, -and write constantly with the pipe in their mouths. During their meals, -if they stop for a moment, it is to smoke a pipe; and if they wake in -the night, they are sure to amuse themselves in the same way. It may -easily be supposed, therefore, that in a country containing, according -to M. Huc, 300,000,000 of smokers, without counting the tribes of -Tartary and Thibet, who lay in their stocks in the Chinese markets, -the culture of tobacco has become very important. The cultivation -is entirely free, every one being at liberty to plant it in his -garden, or in the open fields, in whatever quantity he chooses, and -afterwards to sell it, wholesale or retail, just as he likes, without -the Government interfering with him in the slightest degree. The most -celebrated tobacco is that obtained in Leao-tong in Mantchuria, and -in the province of Sse-tchouen. The leaves, before becoming articles -of commerce, undergo various preparatory processes, according to the -practice of the locality. In the South, they cut them into<span class="pagenum" id="Page_43">43</span> extremely -fine filaments; the people of the North content themselves with drying -them and rubbing them up coarsely, and then stuff them at once into -their pipes.</p> - -<p>According to etiquette and the custom of the court, Persian princes -must have seven hours for sleep. When they get up, they begin to smoke -the narghilè or shishe, and they continue smoking all day long. When -there is company, the narghilè is first presented to the chief of the -assembly, who, after two or three whiffs, hands it to the next, and so -on it goes descending; but in general, the great smoke only with the -great, or with strangers of distinction. The Schah smokes by himself, -or only with one of his brothers, the tombak, the smoke of which is -of a very superior kind, the odour being exquisite. It is the finest -tombak of Shiraz.</p> - -<p>Mr. Neale says—“Talk about the Turks being great smokers; why, the -Siamese beat them to nothing. I have often seen a child only just able -to toddle about, and certainly not more than two years of age, quit -its mother’s breast to go and get a whiff from papa’s cigaret, or, as -they are here termed, <i>borees</i>—cigarets made of the dried leaf of the -plantain tree, inside of which the tobacco is rolled up.”</p> - -<p>In Japan, after tea drinking, the apparatus for smoking is brought in, -consisting of a board of wood or brass, though not always of the same -structure, upon which are placed a small fire-pan with coals, a pot -to spit in, a small box filled with tobacco cut small, and some long -pipes with small brass heads, as also another japanned board or dish, -with socano—that is, something to eat, such as figs, nuts, cakes, and -sweetmeats. “There are no other spitting pots,” says Kœmpfer,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_44">44</span> “brought -into the room but those which come along with the tobacco. If there -be occasion for more, they make use of small pieces of bamboo, a hand -broad and high being sawed from between the joints and hollowed.”</p> - -<p>In Nicaragua, the dress of the urchins, from twelve or fourteen -downwards, consists generally of a straw hat and a cigar—the latter -sometimes unlighted and stuck behind the ear, but oftener lighted and -stuck in the mouth—a costume sufficiently airy and picturesque, and -excessively cheap. The women have their hair braided in two long locks, -which hang down behind, and give them a school-girly look, quite out -of keeping with the cool deliberate manner in which they puff their -cigars, occasionally forcing the smoke in jets from their nostrils.<a id="FNanchor_7_7" href="#Footnote_7_7" class="fnanchor">7</a></p> - -<p>On the Amazon, all persons—men and women—use tobacco in smoking; when -pipes are wanting, they make cigarillos of the fine tobacco, wrapped -in a paper-like bark, called Towarè; and one of these is passed round, -each person, even to the little boys, taking two or three puffs in his -turn.<a id="FNanchor_8_8" href="#Footnote_8_8" class="fnanchor">8</a></p> - -<p>The Papuans pierce their ears and insert in the orifice, ornaments -or cigars of tobacco, rolled in pandan leaf, of which they are great -consumers.</p> - -<p>A Spaniard knows no crime so black that it should be visited by the -deprivation of tobacco. In the Havana, the convict who is deprived of -the ordinary comforts, or even of the necessaries of life, may enjoy -his cigar, if he can beg or borrow it; if he stole it, the offence -would be considered venial. At the doorway of most of the shops hang -little sheet-iron boxes filled with lighted coals, at which the -passer-by may light cigars; and on the balustrade of the staircase -of every<span class="pagenum" id="Page_45">45</span> house stands a small chafing dish for the same purpose. -Fire for his cigar, is the only thing for which a Spaniard does -not think it necessary to ask and thank with ceremonious courtesy. -If he has permitted his cigar to go out, he steps up to the first -man he meets—nobleman or galley slave, as the case may be—and the -latter silently hands his smoking weed; for it is impossible that two -Spaniards should meet and not have one lighted cigar between them. -The light obtained, the lightee returns the cigar to the lighter in -silence. A short and suddenly checked motion of the hand, as the cigar -is extended, is the only acknowledgment of the courtesy. This is never, -however, omitted. Women smoke as well as men; and in a full railroad -car, every person, man, woman, and child, may be seen smoking. To -placard “no smoking allowed,” and enforce it, would ruin the road.</p> - -<p>A regular smoker in Cuba will consume perhaps twenty or thirty cigars -a day, but they are all fresh. What we call a fine old cigar, a Cuban -would not smoke.</p> - -<p>At Manilla, the women smoke as well as the men. One manufactory employs -about 9,000 women in making the Manilla cheroots; another establishment -employs 3,000 men in making paper cigars or cigarettes. The paper -cigars are chiefly smoked by men; the women prefer the “puros,” the -largest they can get.</p> - -<p>The Binua of Johore, of both sexes, indulge freely in tobacco. It -is their favourite luxury. The women are often seen seated together -weaving mats, and each with a cigar in her mouth. When speaking, it -is transferred to the perforation in the ear. When met paddling their -canoes, the cigar is seldom wanting. The Mintira women are also much -addicted to tobacco, but they do not smoke it.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_46">46</span></p> - -<p>In South America, many of the tribes are free indulgers in tobacco; and -this extends also to the female and juvenile sections of the community. -A story, which Signor Calistro narrated to Mr. Wallace whilst -travelling in the interior of Brazil, shows that it was nothing but a -common occurrence for little girls to smoke. This story is in itself -interesting considered apart from all circumstances of veracity. -“There was a negro who had a pretty wife, to whom another negro was -rather attentive when he had an opportunity. One day the husband went -out to hunt, and the other party thought it a good opportunity to pay a -visit to the lady. The husband, however, returned rather unexpectedly, -and the visitor climbed up on the rafters to be out of sight, among the -old boards and baskets that were stowed away there. The husband put -his gun by in a corner, and called to his wife to get his supper, and -then sat down in his hammock. Casting his eyes up to the rafters, he -saw a leg protruding from among the baskets, and thinking it something -supernatural, crossed himself, and said, ‘Lord deliver us from the legs -appearing overhead!’ The other, hearing this, attempted to draw up his -legs out of sight; but, losing his balance, came down suddenly on the -floor in front of the astonished husband, who, half-frightened, asked, -‘Where do you come from?’ ‘I have just come from heaven,’ said the -other, ‘and have brought you news of your little daughter Maria.’ ‘Oh, -wife, wife! come and see a man who has brought us news of our little -daughter Maria!’ then, turning to the visitor, continued, ’and what -was my little daughter doing when you left?’ ‘Oh, she was sitting at -the feet of the Virgin with a golden crown on her head, and smoking a -golden pipe a yard long.’ ‘And did she send any message to us?’ ‘Oh, -yes; she sent many remembrances, and begged you to send her two pounds<span class="pagenum" id="Page_47">47</span> -of your tobacco from the little rhoosa; they have not got any half so -good up there.’ ‘Oh, wife, wife, bring two pounds of our tobacco from -the little rhoosa, for our daughter Maria is in heaven, and she says -they have not any half so good up there.’ So the tobacco was brought, -and the visitor was departing, when he was asked, ‘Are there many -white men up there?’ ‘Very few,’ he replied; ‘they are all down below -with the <i>diabo</i>.’ ‘I thought so,’ the other replied, apparently quite -satisfied; ‘good night.’”</p> - -<p>On the Orinoco, tobacco has been cultivated by the native tribes from -time immemorial. The Tamanacs and the Maypures of Guiana wrap maize -leaves around their cigars as did the Mexicans at the time of the -arrival of Cortes; and, as in Chili, is done at the present day. The -Spaniards have substituted paper for the maize husks, in imitation -of them. The little cigarettos of Chili are called <i>hojitas</i>. They -are about two inches and a half long, filled with coarsely powdered -tobacco. As their use is apt to stain the fingers of the smoker, the -fashionable young gentlemen carry a pair of delicate gold tweezers for -holding them. The cigar is so small that it requires not more than -three or four minutes to smoke one. They serve to fill up the intervals -in a conversation. At tertulias, the gentlemen sometimes retire to a -balcony to smoke one or two cigars after a dance.</p> - -<p>The poor Indians of the forests of the Orinoco know, as well as did the -great nobles of the Court of Montezuma, that the smoke of tobacco is an -excellent narcotic; and they use it, not only to procure an afternoon -nap, but, also to induce a state of quiescence which they call dreaming -with the eyes open. At the Court of Montezuma the pipe was held in one -hand, while the nostrils were stopped with the other, in order that -the smoke might be<span class="pagenum" id="Page_48">48</span> more easily swallowed. Bernal Diaz also informs -us, that after Montezuma had dined, they presented to him three little -canes, highly ornamented, containing liquid amber, mixed with a herb -they call tobacco, and when he had sufficiently viewed and heard the -singers, he took a little of the smoke of one of these canes, and then -laid himself down to sleep. A tribe of Indians originally inhabiting -Panama, improved upon this method, which occupied both hands, and -involved considerable trouble; the method adopted by the chiefs and -great men of this tribe, was to employ servants to blow tobacco smoke -in their faces, which was convenient and encouraged their indolence; -they indulged in the luxury of tobacco in no other way.</p> - -<p>Amongst the Rocky Mountain Indians, it is a universal practice to -indulge in smoking, and when they do so they saturate their bodies -in smoke. They use but little tobacco, mixing with it a plant which -renders the fume less offensive. It is a social luxury, for the -enjoyment of which, they form a circle, and only one pipe is used. -The principal chief begins by drawing three whiffs, the first of -which he sends upward, and then passes the pipe to the person next -in dignity, and in like manner the instrument passes round until it -comes to the first chief again. He then draws four whiffs, the last of -which he blows through his nose, in two columns, in circling ascent, -as through a double flued chimney; and their pipes are not of the -race stigmatized by Knickerbocker as plebeian. None of the smoke of -those villanous short pipes, continually ascending in a cloud about -the nose, penetrating into and befogging the cerebellum, drying up all -the kindly moisture of the brain, and rendering the people who use -them vapourish and testy; or, what is worse, from being goodly, burly, -sleek-conditioned men, to become like the Dutch<span class="pagenum" id="Page_49">49</span> yeomanry who smoked -short pipes, a lantern-jawed, smoke-dried, leathern-hided race. The red -people, whether of the Rocky mountains or of the Mississippi, belonged -to the aristocracy of the <i>long pipes</i>. Let us hope that they have -not degenerated, and become followers of the customs of the barbarian -<i>ultra-marines</i>.</p> - -<p>Turn over the leaves of “Westward Ho!” until you reach the end of -the seventh chapter, and then read of Salvation Yeo and his fiery -reputation, and his eulogium—“for when all things were made, none was -made better than this; to be a lone man’s companion, a bachelor’s -friend, a hungry man’s food, a sad man’s cordial, a wakeful man’s -sleep, and a chilly man’s fire, sir; while, for stanching of wounds, -purging of rheum, and settling of the stomach, there’s no herb like -unto it under the canopy of heaven.” The truth of which eulogium Amyas -testeth in after years. But, “mark in the meanwhile,” says one of the -veracious chroniclers from whom I draw these facts, writing seemingly -in the palmy days of good Queen Anne and “not having (as he says) -before his eyes the fear of that misocapnic Solomon James I. or of any -other lying Stuart,” “that not to South Devon, but to North; not to -Sir Walter Raleigh, but to Sir Amyas Leigh; not to the banks of the -Dart, but to the banks of Torridge, does Europe owe the dayspring of -the latter age, that age of smoke which shall endure and thrive when -the age of brass shall have vanished, like those of iron and of gold, -for whereas Mr. Lane is said to have brought home that divine weed (as -Spenser well names it), from Virginia, in the year 1584, it is hereby -indisputable that full four years earlier, by the bridge of Pulford in -the Torridge moors (which all true smokers shall hereafter visit as a -hallowed spot and point of pilgrimage) first twinkled that fiery beacon -and beneficent loadstar of Bidefordian commerce, to spread hereafter -from port to port, and peak to peak, like the watch-fires which -proclaimed the coming of the Armada and the fall of Troy, even to the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_50">50</span> -shores of the Bosphorus, the peaks of the Caucasus, and the farthest -isles of the Malayan sea; while Bideford, metropolis of tobacco, saw -her Pool choked up with Virginian traders, and the pavement of her -Bridgeland Street groaning beneath the savoury bales of roll Trinidado, -leaf, and pudding; and the grave burghers, bolstered and blocked out -of their own houses by the scarce less savoury stockfish casks which -filled cellar, parlour, and attic, were fain to sit outside the door, -a silver pipe in every strong right hand, and each left hand chinking -cheerfully the doubloons deep lodged in the auriferous caverns of -their trunkhose; while in those fairy rings of fragrant mist, which -circled round their contemplative brows, flitted most pleasant visions -of Wiltshire farmers jogging into Sherborne fair, their heaviest -shillings in their pockets to buy (unless old Aubrey lies) the lotus -leaf of Torridge for its weight in silver, and draw from thence, after -the example of the Caciques of Dariena, supplies of inspiration much -needed then, as now, in those Gothamite regions. And yet did these -improve, as Englishmen, upon the method of those heathen savages; -for the latter (so Salvation Yeo reported as a truth, and Dampier’s -surgeon, Mr. Wafer, after him), when they will deliberate of war or -policy, sit round in the hut of the chief; where being placed, enter -to them a small boy with a cigarro of the bigness of a rolling pin, -and puffs the smoke thereof into the face of each warrior, from the -eldest to the youngest; while they, putting their hand funnel-wise -round their mouths, draw into the sinuosities of the brain, that more<span class="pagenum" id="Page_51">51</span> -than Delphic vapour of prophecy; which boy presently falls down in a -swoon, and being dragged out by the heels and laid by to sober, enter -another to puff at the sacred cigarro, till he is dragged out likewise, -and so on till the tobacco is finished, and the seed of wisdom has -sprouted in every soul into the tree of meditation, bearing the flowers -of eloquence, and, in due time, the fruit of valiant action.” And -with this quaint fact, narrated in the bombastic style of chronicles, -closeth the seventh chapter of the voyages and adventures of Sir Amyas -Leigh, under the style and title already mentioned, and after which -digression the course of our narrative proceedeth as before.</p> - -<p>The inhabitants of Yemen smoke their well-loved dschihschi pipes, with -long stems passed through water, that the smoke may come cold to the -mouth; and which, when a few inveterate smokers meet together, keep up -a boiling and bubbling noise, not unlike a distant corps of drummers in -full performance.</p> - -<p>In the Austrian dominions, the lovers of the pipe may be found amongst -all classes of the community. Köhl writes, that after taking two or -three pipes of tobacco with the pasha at New Orsova, he went into -the market-place, where he found several merchants who invited him -to sit down, and again he was presented with a pipe. From this place -he went to a mosque, calling in at a school on his way:——“The little -Turkish students were making a most heathenish noise, which contrasted -amusingly with the quiet and sedate demeanour of their teacher, who lay -stretched upon a bench, where he smoked his pipe, and said nothing.” -He afterwards went to look at the fortifications, and here and there -saw a sentinel, with his musket in one hand and pipe in the other.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_52">52</span> -“Twenty-five soldiers were seen smoking under a shed, and on the ground -lay a number of shells or hollow balls, which they assured us were -filled with powder and other combustibles, yet the soldiers smoked -among them unconcernedly, and allowed us to do the same.” A gentleman -from Constantinople told him that he had seen worse instances of -carelessness, in Asia Minor. He had there been one day in the tents -of a pasha, where some wet powder was drying and being made into -cartridges, and the men engaged in the work were smoking all the while.</p> - -<p>In the “Stettin Gazette,” lately appeared a notification that the -Prussian clergy had privately been requested by the higher authorities -to abstain from smoking in public. We are not accustomed to it, and -should certainly think it odd to see clergymen perambulating the -streets with short pipes in their mouths.</p> - -<p>In all parts of the Sultan’s dominions, the pipe or narghilè has a stem -generally flexible, about six feet in length; and at this the owner -will suck for hours. You may see a man travelling, mounted aloft on a -tall camel, with his body oscillating to and fro like a sailor’s when -he rows, but still that man has his two yards of pipe before him. You -may see two men caulking a ship’s side as she lies careened near the -shore. Up to their waists in water, they act up to the principle of -division of labour; for one will smoke as the other plies the hammer, -and then the worker takes his turn at the narghilè. Arabs sitting at -work, fix their pipes in the sand. In the potteries both hands must be -employed—how, then, can the potter smoke? Necessity is the mother of -invention. One end of the pipe is suspended by a cord from the ceiling, -the other is in the potter’s mouth.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_53">53</span></p> - -<p>In smoking, Lane informs us, the people of Egypt and other countries -of the East draw in their breath freely, so that much of the smoke -descends into the lungs; and the terms which they use to express -“smoking tobacco,” signify “<i>drinking</i> smoke,” or “<i>drinking tobacco</i>;” -for the same word signifies both smoke and tobacco. Few of them spit -while smoking; he had seldom seen them do so.</p> - -<p>It was something like drinking of smoke that Napoleon accomplished -in his unsuccessful smoking campaign. He once took a fancy to try to -smoke. Everything was prepared for him, and his Majesty took the amber -mouth-piece of the narghilè between his lips; he contented himself -with opening and shutting his mouth alternately, without in the least -drawing his breath. “The devil,” he replied—“why, there’s no result!” -It was shewn that he made the attempt badly, and the proper method -practically exhibited to him. At last he drew in a mouthful, when the -smoke—which he had discovered the means of drawing in, but knew not -how to expel—found its way into his throat, and thence by his nose, -almost blinding him. As soon as he recovered breath, he cried out—“Away -with it! What an abomination! Oh! the hog—my stomach turns!” In fact, -the annoyance continued for an hour, and he renounced for ever a habit -which, he said, was fit only to amuse sluggards.</p> - -<p>Although Napoleon managed to fail, thousands less mighty have managed -to succeed. There is a curious kind of legend mentioned in Brand’s -Antiquities, by way of accounting for the frequent use and continuance -of taking tobacco, for the veracity of which he declares that he will -not vouch.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_54">54</span> “When the Christians first discovered America, the devil -was afraid of losing his hold of the people there by the appearance -of Christianity. He is reported to have told some Indians of his -acquaintance, that he had found a way to be revenged on the Christians -for beating up his quarters, for he would teach them to take tobacco, -to which, when they had once tasted it, they should become perpetual -slaves.”</p> - -<p>Without venturing to authenticate this strange story, in the moral -of which Napoleon would have concurred—with a mental reservation in -favour of snuff—after the above defeat, let us console tobacco lovers, -that whilst the success of the first temptation closed the gates of -Paradise, the success of the second opens them again.</p> - -<p>The following from an old collection of epigrams is, in every respect, -worthy of the theme.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“All dainty meats I do defie,</div> - <div class="verse indent4">Which feed men fat as swine;</div> - <div class="verse">He is a frugal man indeed</div> - <div class="verse indent4">That on a leaf can dine.</div> - <div class="verse">He needs no napkin for his hands</div> - <div class="verse indent4">His fingers’ ends to wipe,</div> - <div class="verse">That keeps his kitchen in a box,</div> - <div class="verse indent4">And roast meat in a pipe.”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>In Hamburg, 40,000 cigars are smoked daily in a population scarcely -amounting to 45,000 adult males. And in London, the consumption must -be considerable to furnish, from the profits of retailing, a living -to 1566 tobacconists. In England, we may presume that the largest -smoker of tobacco must be the Queen, since an immense kiln at the -docks, called the Queen’s pipe, is occasionally lighted and primed with -hundredweights of tobacco, sea damaged or otherwise spoiled, at the -same time blowing a cloud</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“Which Turks might envy, Africans adore.”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>The total number of cigars consumed in France in 1857 is stated to have -been 523,636,000; and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_55">55</span> the total revenue of the French Government from -the tobacco monopoly is estimated at £7,320,000 annually. In Russia the -revenue is £7,200,000 annually; and in Austria near £3,000,000. These -are large sums to pay for the privilege of puffing.</p> - -<p>The <i>Buffalo Democracy</i> estimates the annual consumption of tobacco -at 4,000,000,000 of pounds. This is all smoked, chewed, or snuffed. -Suppose it all made into cigars 100 to the pound, it would produce -400,000,000,000 of cigars. These cigars, at the usual length, four -inches, if joined together, would form one continuous cigar 25,253,520 -miles long, which would encircle the earth more than 1000 times. Cut up -into equal pieces, 250,000 miles in length, there would be over 1000 -cigars which would extend from the centre of the earth to the centre of -the moon. Put these cigars into boxes 10 inches long, 4 inches wide, -and 3 inches high, 100 to the box, and it would require 4,000,000,000 -boxes to contain them. Pile up these boxes in a solid mass, and they -would occupy a space of 294,444,444 cubic feet; if piled up 20 feet -high, they would cover a farm of 338 acres; and if laid side by side, -the boxes would cover nearly 20,000 acres. Allowing this tobacco, -in its unmanufactured state, to cost sixpence a pound, and we have -100,000,000 pounds sterling expended yearly upon this weed; at least -one-and-a-half times as much more is required to manufacture it into -a marketable form, and dispose of it to the consumer. At the very -lowest estimate, then, the human family expend every year £250,000,000 -in the gratification of an acquired habit, or a crown for every man, -woman, and child upon the earth. This sum, the writer calculates, -would build 2 railroads round the earth at a cost of £5,000 per mile, -or 16 railroads the Atlantic to the Pacific. It would build 100,000 -churches, costing £2,500 each, or 1,000,000<span class="pagenum" id="Page_56">56</span> dwellings costing £25 each -(rather small!) It would employ 1,000,000 of preachers and 1,000,000 of -teachers, giving each a salary of £125. It would support 3⅓ millions of -young men at college, allowing to each £75 a year for expenses.</p> - -<p>What a cloud the “human family” would blow if they had each his share -of the 4,000,000,000 pounds dealt out to him in cigars on the morning -of the 25th of December, in the year of our Lord, 1860. One feels -dubious as to the number who would refuse to take their quota, if there -were nothing to pay.</p> - -<p>Dr. Dwight Baldwin states, that in 1851, the city of New York spent -3,650,000 dollars for cigars alone, while it only spent 3,102,500 -dollars for bread. The Grand Erie Canal, 364 miles long, the longest in -the world, with its eighteen aqueducts, and eighty-four locks, was made -in six years, at a cost of 7,000,000 dollars. The cigar bill in the -city of New York would have paid the whole in two years.</p> - -<p>The number of cigar manufactories in America is 1,400, and the number -of hands employed in them 7,000 and upwards. The total estimated -weekly produce of these manufactories is 17½ millions, and the yearly -840 millions. At 7 dollars per 1,000, these would be worth 5 million -dollars, and adding 50 per cent. for jobber and retailer, the total -cost to consumers would be 7½ million dollars—add to this the sum -paid for imported cigars, 6 million dollars, and we have 13½ million -dollars, the value of cigars consumed yearly in the United States, -without adding profit to the imported cigars; so that, including the -amount expended in tobacco for smoking and chewing, and in snuff, the -annual cost of the tobacco consumed yearly, is not less than 30 million -dollars or £6,000,000. This is but little more than is<span class="pagenum" id="Page_57">57</span> realized -annually in Great Britain by the excise duty alone on the tobacco -consumed at home; but it must be remembered, that in America tobacco is -free of the duty of three shillings and twopence per pound, and free -of charges for an Atlantic passage, so that the tobacco represented by -6 millions there, would be represented here by at least six times that -amount.</p> - -<p>Cloudland costs something to keep up its dignity after all, but beauty -is seductive, and so is tobacco.</p> - -<p>Yes! St. John (Percy, we mean—not “the Divine”), there must be “magic -in the cigar.” Then, to the sailor, on the wide and tossing ocean, -what consolation is there, save in his old pipe? While smoking his -inch and a half of clay, black and polished, his Susan or his Mary -becomes manifest before him, he sees her, holds converse with her -spirit—in the red glare from the ebony bowl, as he walks the deck at -night, or squats on the windlass, are reflected the bright sparkling -eyes of his sweetheart. The Irish fruit-woman, the Jarvie without a -fare, the policeman on a quiet beat, the soldier at his ease, all bow -to the mystic power of tobacco<a id="FNanchor_9_9" href="#Footnote_9_9" class="fnanchor">9</a>—all acknowledge the infatuations of -<span class="smcap">Cloudland</span>.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_58">58</span></p> - - - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V.</a><br /> - -<small>PIPEOLOGY.</small></h2> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“It was his constant companion and solace. Was he gay, he smoked—was -he sad, he smoked—his pipe was never out of his mouth—it was a part of -his physiognomy; without it his best friends would not know him. Take -away his pipe—you might as well take away his nose.”——<span class="smcap">Knickerbocker’s</span> -<i>New York</i>.</p></blockquote> - - -<p>Semele, in a death by fire, became a martyr to love. Thus Virginia -suffers herself to be burnt for the good of the world. From the ashes -of the old Phœnix the young Phœnix was born. From the smoke of the -Havana spring new visions, and eloquent delights. As the altars of the -gods received honour from men, and the censers from whence ascended the -burning incense were sacred to the deities, wherefore should not the -pipe receive honour, as well as the man who uses it, or the odorous -weed consumed within it. An enthusiast writes of it thus<span class="pagenum" id="Page_59">59</span>—“Philosophers -have drawn their best similes from their pipes. How could they have -done so, had their pipes first been drawn from them? We see the smoke -go upwards—we think of life; we see the smoke-wreath fade away—we -remember the morning cloud. Our pipe breaks—we mourn the fragility of -earthly pleasures. We smoke it to an end, and tapping out the ashes, -remember that ‘Dust we are, and unto dust we shall return.’ If we are -in love, we garnish a whole sonnet with images drawn from smoking, and -first fill our pipe, and then tune it. That spark kindles like her eye, -is ruddy as her lip; this slender clay, as white as her hand, and slim -as her waist; till her raven hair grows grey as these ashes, I will -love her. This perfume is not sweeter than her breath, though sweeter -than all else. The odour ascends me into the brain, fills it full of -all fiery delectable shapes, which delivered over to the tongue, which -is the birth become delectable wit.”</p> - -<p>The instruments by which the “universal weed” is consumed, are almost -as variable in form and material as the nations indulging in their use. -The pipe of Holland is of porcelain, and that of our own island of -unglazed clay. These latter are made in large quantities, both at home -and abroad.<a id="FNanchor_10_10" href="#Footnote_10_10" class="fnanchor">10</a> One factory at St. Omer employs 450 work-people, and -produces annually 100,000 gross, or nearly fifteen millions of pipes; -and another factory at the same place employs 850 work-people, and -produces 200,000 gross, or nearly thirty millions of pipes, consuming -nearly eight thousand tons of clay in their manufacture. The quantity -of pipes used annually in London is estimated at 364,000 gross, or -52,416,000 pipes; it requires 300 men, each man making 20 gross four -dozen per week, for one year, to make them; the cost of which is -£40,950. The average length of these pipes is twelve and a half inches; -and if laid down in a horizontal position, end to end together, they -would reach to the extent of 10,340 miles, 1,600 yards; if they were -piled one above another perpendicularly, they would reach 135,138 times -as high as St. Pauls; they would weigh 1,137 tons,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_60">60</span> 10 cwts., and it -would require 104 tons, 9 cwts., 32 lbs. of tobacco to fill them. In -1857 we imported clay pipes to the value of £7,614, which cannot be -short of 121,000 gross, or seventeen and a half millions. But even -with us, pipes were not always of clay. The earliest pipes used in -Britain are stated to have been made from a walnut-shell and a straw. -Dr. Royle describes a very primitive kind of clay pipe used by some of -the natives of India—it is presumed only in cases of necessity. “The -amateur makes two holes, one longer than the other, with a piece of -stick in a clay soil, inclining the stick so that they may meet; into -the shorter hole he places the tobacco, and applies his mouth to the -other, and thus, as he lies upon the ground, luxuriates in the fumes of -the narcotic herb.”</p> - -<p>Turkish pipe-bowls, or Lules, are composed of the red clay of Nish, -mixed with the white earth of the Roustchouck. They are very graceful -in form, and are in some cases ornamented with gilding. The “regular -Turk” prefers a fresh bowl daily; therefore the plain ones are resorted -to on the score of economy. In Turkey and some other parts of the -Orient, it is not unusual to compute distances, or rather the duration -of a journey, by the numbers of pipes which might be smoked in the time -necessary to accomplish it.</p> - -<p>The pipe of the German is, almost universally, the Meerschaum, that -pipe of fame so coveted by the Northern smoker. These articles are -composed of a kind of magnesian earth, known to the Tartars of the -Crimea as <i>keff-til</i>. Pallas erroneously supposed that this kind of -earth was so denominated from Caffa, and therefore the name signified -“Caffa earth.” From “Meninski’s Oriental Dictionary” it would appear to -be a derivation of two Turkish words which signify “foam” or<span class="pagenum" id="Page_61">61</span> “froth” -of the “earth.” The French name, <i>écume de mer</i>, or “scum of the sea,” -and the Germans’ “sea foam,” have doubtless an intimate relationship -with this same “keff til” of the Crimean Tartars.</p> - -<p>Meerschaum earth is met with in various localities in Spain, Greece, -Crimea, and Moravia. The greatest quantity is derived from Asia Minor, -it being dug principally in the peninsula of Natolia, near the town of -Coniah. Before the capture of the Crimea, this earth is stated to have -formed a considerable article of commerce with Constantinople, where it -was used in the public baths to cleanse the hair of women. The first -rude shape was formerly given to the pipe-bowls on the spot where the -mineral was dug, by pressure in a mould; and these rude bowls were -more elegantly carved and finished at Pesth and Vienna. At the present -time, the greater part of the meerschaum is exported in the shape of -irregular blocks; these undergo a careful manipulation, after having -been soaked in a preparation of wax and oil. After being finished, and -sold at the German fairs, some of them have acquired such an exquisite -tint through smoking, in the estimation of connoisseurs, that they have -realized from £40 to £50.</p> - -<p>Attempts have not been wanting to imitate this material, hitherto not -very successfully. The large quantity of parings that are left in -trimming up the bowls, has been rendered available for the manufacture -of what are called “massa bowls,” but they do not enjoy the reputation -of the genuine meerschaum bowls.</p> - -<p>There is yet another mineral production, the use of which Turkish -smokers, at any rate, know how to appreciate. This is amber. The Turk -will expend an almost fabulous sum in an amber mouth-piece for his -<i>narghileh</i>. Four valuable articles of this description were exhibited -in the Turkish<span class="pagenum" id="Page_62">62</span> department of the Exhibition of 1851, which were -worth together £1000, two of them being valued at £305 each. There is -a current belief in Turkey that amber is incapable of transmitting -infection; and as it is considered a great mark of politeness to offer -the pipe to a stranger, this presumed property of amber accounts in -some measure for the estimation in which it is held.</p> - -<p>The knowledge of amber extends backwards to a remote antiquity, as the -Phœnicians of old fetched it from Prussia. Since that period it has -been obtained there uninterruptedly, without any diminution in the -quantity annually collected. The greatest amount of amber is found -on the coast of Prussia proper, between Konigsberg and Dantzic. From -the amber-beds on the coast of Dirschkeim, extending under the sea, a -storm threw up, on the 1st of January, 1848, no less than 800 pounds. -The amber fishery of Prussia formerly produced to the king about -25,000 crowns per month. After a storm, the amber coasts are crowded -with gatherers, large masses of amber being occasionally cast up by -the waves. In digging for a well in the coal-mines near Prague, the -workmen lately discovered, between the bed of gritstone which forms the -roof of that mine and the first layer of coals, a bed of yellow amber, -apparently of great extent. Pieces weighing from two to three pounds -have been extracted. There are two kinds—the terrestrial, which is dug -in mines, and the marine, which is cast ashore during autumnal storms.</p> - -<p>Opinions vary as to the origin of amber. Tacitus and others have -considered it a fossil resin exhaled by certain coniferous trees, -traces of which are frequently observed among the amber, whilst other -theorists contend that it is a species of wax or fat, having undergone -a slow process of putrefaction; this latter view being based upon the -fact that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_63">63</span> chemists are able to convert fatty or cerous substances into -succinic acid by artificial oxidation. One thing is, however, certain, -that amber, at some period of its history, must have existed in a state -of fluidity, since numerous insects, especially of the spider kind, -are found imbedded in it; and a specimen has been shown enclosing the -leg of a toad. Toads are in the habit of living for centuries, we -are informed, cooped up in stone and rock; but we are not aware that -hitherto any of these extraordinary reptiles have been found buried -alive in a mass of amber. Masses of amber have been found weighing from -4 lbs. to 6 lbs.—more than large enough to contain a toad or two of -ordinary dimensions.</p> - -<p>For a knowledge of the pipes of modern Egypt, we must resort for -information to Mr. Lane, from whom we gather the following notes. -The pipe (which is called by many names, as “shibuk,” “ood,” &c.) is -generally between four and five feet long. Some pipes are shorter, and -some of greater length. The most common kind used in Egypt is made of -a kind of wood called “garmashak.” The greater part of the stick is -covered with silk, which is confined at each extremity by gold thread, -often intertwined with coloured silks, or by a tube of gilt silver; -and at the lower extremity of the covering is a tassel of silk. The -covering was originally designed to be moistened with water, in order -to cool the pipe, and consequently the smoke, by evaporation; but this -is only done when the pipe is old, or not handsome. Cherrystick pipes, -which are never covered, are used by some persons, particularly in the -winter. In summer, the smoke is not so cool from the cherrystick pipe -as from the kind before mentioned. The bowl is of baked earth, coloured -red or brown. The mouth-piece is composed of two or more pieces of -opaque, light-coloured amber, interjoined by ornaments of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_64">64</span> enamelled -gold, agate, jasper, carnelion, or some other precious substance. This -is the most costly part of the pipe. Those in ordinary use by persons -of the middle classes cost from £1 to £3 sterling. A wooden tube passes -through it; this is often changed, as it becomes foul from the oil of -the tobacco. The pipe also requires to be cleaned very often, which -is done with tow, by means of a long wire. Many poor men in Cairo -gain a livelihood by cleaning pipes. Some of the Egyptians use the -Persian pipe, in which the smoke passes through water. The pipe of this -kind most commonly used by persons of the higher classes is called -“nargeeleh,” because the vessel that contains the water is the shell -of a cocoa-nut, of which “nargeeleh” is an Arabic name. Another kind -which has a glass vase, is called “sheesheh,” from the Persian word -signifying “glass.” Each has a very long, flexible tube.</p> - -<p>A kind of pipe commonly called “gozeh,” which is similar to the -nargeeleh, excepting that it has a short cane tube, instead of the -snake, and no stand. This is used by men of the lowest class for -smoking both the “tumbak” or Persian tobacco, and the narcotic hemp.</p> - -<p>The Zoolus of Southern Africa have a kind of pipe or smoking horn -called “Egoodu,” which is constructed on a similar principle to the -Persian pipe. The herb is placed at the end of a reed introduced into -the side of an oxhorn, which is filled with water, and the mouth -applied to the upper or wide part of the horn, the smoke passing down -the reed and through the water.</p> - -<p>The Delagoans of Eastern Africa smoke the “hubble-bubble,” a similar -instrument, having the upper part of the horn closed, excepting a -small orifice in the centre of the covering through which the smoke is -inhaled.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_65">65</span></p> - -<p>The Kaffirs form pipe bowls from a black, and also from a green stone; -they are in shape similar to the Dutch pipes, and without ornament. The -negroes of Western Africa have pipes of a reddish earth, some of them -of very uncouth and singular forms, others close imitations of European -pipe bowls. One kind of pipe consists of two bowls placed side by side -upon a single stem. Old Indian pipes have been found in America, also -fashioned out of green stone.</p> - -<p>The natives of the South-West coast of Africa, near Elizabeth’s Bay, -use pipes in the shape of a cigar tube formed of a mottled green or -white mineral of the magnesian family, externally carved or roughly -ornamented.</p> - -<p>Sailors, when on a voyage, are often in difficulties for the want -of pipes. Under such circumstances, numerous contrivances have at -different times been resorted to to remedy the defect; such as pipes -cast out of old lead, or cut out of wood. The sailors belonging to -H.M.S.<i>Samarang</i> having lost their pipes in the Sarawak river, set to, -and in a very little while, manufactured excellent pipes from different -sized internodes of the bamboos that grew around them. In India, simple -pipes are used composed of two pieces of bamboo, one for the bowl cut -close to a knot, and a smaller one for the tube.</p> - -<p>The aborigines of British Guiana use a pipe, or rather a tube, called a -“Winna.” It resembles a cheroot in outward appearance, but is hollow, -so as to contain the tobacco. It is said to be made from the rind of -the fruit of the manicot palm, growing on the river Berbice. Forasmuch -as it pleaseth us to borrow fashions from nations barbarous as well as -civilized, a form of tube much resembling the “Winna,” has been made -and sold in the tobacconist shops of the metropolis of old England.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_66">66</span></p> - -<p>Among the Bashee group, and particularly on the island of Ibayat, -the natives form very elegant and commodious pipes from different -species of shells, the columella and septa of the convolutions being -broken down, and a short ebony stem inserted into a hole at the apex -of the spire. These are more generally formed of the shells known as -the Bishop’s mitre (<i>Mitra episcopalis</i>) and the Pope’s mitre (<i>Mitra -papalis</i>). Species of <i>Terebra</i> and <i>Turbo</i> are also converted into -pipes.</p> - -<p>In China, where M. Rondot calculates that there are not less than 100 -millions, and Abbé Huc 300 millions of smokers, pipes are made in -immense numbers. Of these there are three kinds, the water pipe, the -straight pipe, and the opium pipe. Chinese pipes, and indeed those of -all the Indo-Chinese races, including the Tartars, Chinese, Koreans, -and Japanese, are provided with a small metallic bowl, and usually a -long bamboo stem; for with persons who are in the habit of smoking, -at short intervals, all day long, a large bowl would be inadmissible. -By inhaling but a pinch of tobacco on one occasion, they extend the -influence of a larger pipe over a greater space of time. In such cases -they suffer no inconvenience from the nature of the material of which -the bowl is composed. Nations that smoke larger pipes adopt some other -substance, as metal would become too hot; hence we have pipes of -“Samian ware” in Turkey, “Meerschaum” in Germany, and “Clay” in England -and other places. My “Uncle Toby” would have burnt his fingers with a -Chinese pipe of nickel silver many a time and often; and it would have -required a large amount of logic to have induced Doctor Riccabocca to -have exchanged his companion (his pipe, not his umbrella) for a bowl of -Japanese manufacture.</p> - -<p>Isaac Browne thought, a century ago, that there<span class="pagenum" id="Page_67">67</span> was something in a -pipe worth writing about, or he had never given us the following</p> - - -<p class="center">“ODE TO A TOBACCO PIPE.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“Little tube of mighty power,</div> - <div class="verse">Charmer of an idle hour,</div> - <div class="verse">Object of my warm desire,</div> - <div class="verse">Lip of wax, and eye of fire;</div> - <div class="verse">And thy snowy taper waist,</div> - <div class="verse">With thy finger gently braced;</div> - <div class="verse">And thy pretty swelling crest,</div> - <div class="verse">With thy little stopper prest;</div> - <div class="verse">And the sweetest bliss of blisses</div> - <div class="verse">Breathing from thy balmy kisses.</div> - <div class="verse">Happy thrice, and thrice again,</div> - <div class="verse">Happiest he of happy men;</div> - <div class="verse">Who, when again the night returns,</div> - <div class="verse">When again the taper burns,</div> - <div class="verse">When again the cricket’s gay</div> - <div class="verse">(Little cricket full of play),</div> - <div class="verse">Can afford his tube to feed</div> - <div class="verse">With the fragrant Indian weed;</div> - <div class="verse">Pleasure for a nose divine,</div> - <div class="verse">Incense of the god of wine.</div> - <div class="verse">Happy thrice, and thrice again,</div> - <div class="verse">Happiest he of happy men.”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>In Virginia’s native country, the pipe sticks closer to a man than his -boots. An American is no more furnished without his pipe or cigar, than -a house is furnished without a looking glass. To the native Indian, -it supplies an important place; it becomes his treaty of peace—his -challenge of war. It is the instrument of a solemn ratification, and -the subject of more than one semi-sacred legend, which has woven about -the heart of the Red-man.</p> - -<p>“At the Red-pipe Stone Quarry,” say they,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_68">68</span> “happened the mysterious -birth of the red-pipe, which has blown its fumes of peace or war to the -remotest corners of the Continent, which has visited every warrior, -and passed through its reddened stem, the irrevocable oath of war and -desolation. And here, also, the peace breathing calumet was born, and -fringed with the eagle’s quills, which has shed its thrilling fumes -over the land, and soothed the fury of the relentless savage. The -Great Spirit, at an ancient period, here called together the Indian -warriors, and standing on the precipice of the red-pipe stone rock, -broke from its wall a piece, and made a huge pipe, by turning it in his -hand, which he smoked over them, and to the north, the south, the east, -and the west; and told them that this stone was red—that it was their -flesh—that they must use it for their pipes of peace, that it belonged -to them all, and that the war club, and the scalping knife must not -be raised on its ground. At the last whiff of his pipe, his head went -into a great cloud, and the whole surface of the rock, for several -miles, was melted and glazed. Two great ovens were opened beneath, and -two women, guardian spirits of the place, entered them in a blaze of -fire, and they are heard there yet, answering to the invocations of the -priests or medicine men, who consult them when they are visitors to -this sacred place.”<a id="FNanchor_11_11" href="#Footnote_11_11" class="fnanchor">11</a></p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“From the red stone of the quarry</div> - <div class="verse">With his hand he broke a fragment,</div> - <div class="verse">Moulded it into a pipe head,</div> - <div class="verse">Shaped and fashioned it with figures.</div> - <div class="verse">From the margin of the river</div> - <div class="verse">Took a long reed for a pipe stem,</div> - <div class="verse">With its dark green leaves upon it;</div> - <div class="verse">Filled the pipe with bark of willow;</div> - <div class="verse">With the bark of the red willow;</div> - <div class="verse">Breathed upon the neighbouring forest,</div> - <div class="verse">Made its great boughs chafe together,</div> - <div class="verse">Till in flame they burst, and kindled;</div> - <div class="verse">And erect upon the mountains,</div> - <div class="verse">Gitche Manito, the mighty,</div> - <div class="verse">Smoked the calumet, the Peace Pipe,</div> - <div class="verse">As a signal to the nations,” &c.</div> -</div></div></div> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_69">69</span></p> -<p>The tribes of the Missouri make their pipes of a kind of stone called -Catlinite, from the red pipe stone quarries upon the head waters of -that river, the colour of which is brick red. These stones, when first -taken out of the quarry are soft, and easily worked with a knife, but -on exposure to the air become hard and take a good polish. The pipes of -the Rocky Mountain Indians are some of them wrought with much labour -and ingenuity of an argillaceous stone of a very fine texture, found at -the north of Queen Charlotte’s Island. This stone is of a blue black -colour, and in character similar to the red earth of the Missouri -quarry.</p> - -<p>The Calumet or “pipe of peace” of the Sioux Indians is thus described -by Irving. “The bowl was of a species of red stone resembling porphyry, -the stem was six feet in length, decorated with tufts of horse hair -dyed red. The pipe bearer stepped within the circle, lighted the pipe, -held it towards the sun, then towards the different points of the -compass, after which he handed it to the principal chief. The latter -smoked a few whiffs, then, holding the head of the pipe in his hand, -offered the other end to their visitor, and to each one successively in -the circle. When all had smoked, it was considered that an assurance -of good faith and amity had been interchanged.” The use of the Uspogan -or Calumet among the Eythinyuwak, appears not to have been an original -practice of the Tinne, but was introduced with tobacco by Europeans; -while among the Chippeways, the plant has been grown from the most -ancient times.</p> - -<p>Among the most uncultivated and uncivilized of nations, the pipe is -an object upon which is exercised all their ingenuity, and in the -decoration of which is concentrated all their taste. One might almost -classify the races of the world by means of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_70">70</span> a good collection of -their pipes, and not stray very far from the order resulting from more -scientific processes.</p> - -<p>In the East, there is existing an almost incessant habit of smoking; -and the pipe is the prelude of all official acts, of all conversations, -and of all social relations. The Oriental seizes his pipe in the -morning, and scarcely relinquishes it till he goes to bed. Here there -is generally a special functionary—the pipe-bearer—as an appendage -to all officials. When the Sultan goes abroad, his pipe-bearer is -with him. In families of respectability, the care of the pipes is the -exclusive attribute of one or more servants, who occupy the highest -grade of the domestic establishment; and thus dignity is given to the -pipe, even in a country where less dignity is allowed to the fairer -portion of the community than in more highly cultivated countries.</p> - -<p>In the Museum of the Botanic Gardens at Kew, are pipes and stems carved -out of boxwood, as used in Sweden; also pipe-bowls of pine and other -woods made by the native Indians near Sitka in North-West America, and -brought home from a late expedition. The latter are rude, but quite -equal in elegance to many which adorn the windows of fancy tobacconists -and cigar divans in this metropolis of the civilized world.</p> - -<p>From a schism in tobacco-pipes, Knickerbocker dates the rise of parties -in the Niew Nederlandts. “The rich and self-important burghers, who -had made their fortunes, and could afford to be lazy, adhered to -the ancient fashion, and formed a kind of aristocracy, known as the -<i>Long-pipes</i>; while the lower order, adopting the reform of William -Kieft, as more convenient in their handicraft employments, were branded -with the plebeian name of <i>Short-pipes</i>.” Who may be considered as -the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_71">71</span> founder of the English Short-pipe school, is more difficult to -determine; it is nevertheless, of late years, a very popular one, and -considerably outnumbers the aristocracy of Long-pipes. The variety of -these instruments is almost infinite. There are all kinds of short -clays, cutties, St. Omer, Gambier, meerschaum washed, coloured clay, -and fancy clay of all shapes, grotesque, uncouth, stupid, and in some -instances graceful. Pipes also of wood, of black ebony, green ebony, -brier-root—whatever that may be—cherry-root, tulip-wood, rosewood, &c. -Glass pipes, with reservoirs and without, smokers’ friends, and, if we -may judge from their size, tobacconists’ friends; meerschaum bowls, -massa bowls, porcelain bowls, clay bowls, of uncouth and monstrous -heads, with eyes of glass and enamelled teeth, together with short -stems and mounts for broken clays. Add to these, one knows not how -many kinds of tobacco-pots, from a smiling damsel in all the glories -of crinoline, to the dissevered head of Poor Dog Tray. The windows -of retail tobacconists now-a-days more resemble a toy-shop, or a -fancy stall from an arcade or bazaar, than the sober-looking windows -of a retailer half a century ago. Mr. Frank Fowler informs us that -the same tastes have migrated to Australia. “The cutty is of all -shapes, sizes, and shades. Some are negro heads, set with rows of very -white teeth; some are mermaids, showing their more presentable halves -up the front of the bowls, and stowing away their weedy extremities -under the stems. Some are Turkish caps, some are Russian skulls, -some are houris, some are Empresses of the French, some are Margaret -Catchpoles, some are as small as my lady’s thimble, others as large as -an old Chelsea tea-cup. Everybody has one, from the little pinafore -schoolboy, who has renounced his hardbake for his Hardham’s, to the old<span class="pagenum" id="Page_72">72</span> -veteran who came out with the second batch of convicts, and remembers -George Barrington’s prologue. Clergymen get up their sermons over the -pipe; members of parliament walk the verandah of the Sydney House of -Legislature, with the black bowl gleaming between their teeth. One of -the metropolitan representatives was seriously ill just before I left, -from having smoked forty pipes of Latakia at one sitting. A cutty -bowl, like a Creole’s eye, is most prized when blackest. Some smokers -wrap the bowls reverently in leather during the process of colouring; -others buy them ready stained, and get (I suppose) the reputation of -accomplished whiffers at once. Every young swell glories in his cabinet -of dirty clay pipes. A friend of mine used to call a box of the little -black things his ‘<i>Stowe</i> collection.’ Tobacco, I should add here, is -seldom sold in a cut form; each man carries a cake about with him, like -a card-case; each boy has his stick of Cavendish, like so much candy. -The cigars usually smoked are Manillas, which are as cheap and good -as can be met with in any part of the world. Lola Montez, during her -Australian tour, spoke well of them. What stronger puff could they have -than hers?”</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_73">73</span></p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI.</a><br /> - -<small>SNIFFING AND SNEESHIN.</small></h2> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“‘Tis most excellent,’ said the monk. ‘Then do me the favour,’ I -replied, ‘to accept of the box and all; and when you take a pinch out -of it, sometimes recollect that it was the peace-offering of a man who -once used you unkindly, but not from the heart.’”</p> - -<p class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Sterne’s</span> <i>Sentimental Journey</i>.<br /> -</p></blockquote> - - -<p>Everybody, of course, knows all about the Franciscan and his snuff-box, -with which this chapter begins. Sterne narrates it in his happiest -vein, and all who read it are somehow sure to remember it. Boxes are -exchanged; the traveller is left to himself. Now he moralises: “I guard -this box as I would the instrumental parts of my religion, to help my -mind on to something better. In truth, I seldom go abroad without it; -and oft and many a time have I called up by it the courteous spirit of -its owner to regulate my own in the justlings of the world. They had -found full employment for his, as I learned from his story, till about -the forty-fifth year of his age, when, upon some military services -ill-requited, and meeting at the same time with a disappointment in the -tenderest of passions, he abandoned the sword and the sex together, and -took sanctuary, not so much in his convent as in himself.”</p> - -<p>The word “snuff” is stated by competent authorities, to be an -inflection of the old northern verb <i>sniff</i>, which latter word was in -existence long before the invention or knowledge of the substance<span class="pagenum" id="Page_74">74</span> -to which it now gives its name.<a id="FNanchor_12_12" href="#Footnote_12_12" class="fnanchor">12</a> In its earlier signification, -it was expressive of strong inhalation through the nostrils, or -descriptive of any impatience. Hence arose the expressions in use in -the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, to “snuff pepper” or “take in -snuff.” Shakespeare makes a similar use of the phrase in Henry IV., in -connection with a small box of perfume displayed by a courtier to the -annoyance of Hotspur.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“He was perfumed like a milliner;</div> - <div class="verse">And, ’twixt his finger and his thumb, he held</div> - <div class="verse">A pouncet box, which ever and anon</div> - <div class="verse">He gave his nose, and took’t away again;</div> - <div class="verse">Who, therewith angry, when it next came there,</div> - <div class="verse">Took it in snuff.”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>In this quotation we also meet with the “pouncet box,” which seems -to have been a small box having a “pounced” or perforated cover, -containing perfumes, the scent of which escaping from the open work -at the top was regarded as a preservative against contagion. From the -pouncet box the perfumes were inhaled. It was probably not till a -century after the introduction of tobacco, that the triturated dust was -commonly in use, and there became any occasion for the <i>snuff-box</i>.</p> - -<p>Humboldt gives an account of a curious kind of snuff, as well as an -extraordinary method of inhaling it, which came under his notice -while travelling in South America. “The Ottomacs,” he says,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_75">75</span> “throw -themselves into a peculiar state of intoxication, we might say of -madness, by the use of the powder of <i>niopo</i>. They gather the long pods -of an acacia (made known by him under the name of <i>Acacia niopo</i>), -cut them into pieces, moisten them, and cause them to ferment. When -the softened seeds begin to grow black, they are kneaded like paste, -mixed with some flour of cassava and lime procured from the shell of a -<i>helix</i> (snail), and the whole mass is exposed to a very brisk fire, -on a gridiron made of hard wood. The hardened paste takes the form of -small cakes. When it is to be used, it is reduced to a fine powder, -and placed on a dish, five or six inches wide. The Ottomac holds this -dish, which has a handle, in his right hand, while he inhales the niopo -by the nose, through the forked bone of a bird, the two extremities of -which are applied to the nostrils. This bone, without which the Ottomac -believes that he could not take this kind of snuff, is seven inches -long; it appears to be the leg bone of a large species of plover. The -niopo is so stimulating, that the smallest portions of it produce -violent sneezing in those who are not accustomed to its use.” Father -Gumilla says, “this diabolical powder of the Ottomacs, furnished by -an arborescent tobacco plant, intoxicates them through the nostrils, -deprives them of reason for some hours, and renders them furious in -battle.”</p> - -<p>A custom analagous to this, La Condamine observed among the natives -of the Upper Maranon. The Omaguas, a tribe whose name is intimately -connected with the expeditions in search of El Dorado, have, like the -Ottomacs, a dish, and the hollow bone of a bird, and a powder called -<i>curupa</i>, which they convey to their nostrils by means of these, in -a manner identical with that of the Ottomacs. This powder is also -obtained from the seed of a kind of acacia, apparently closely allied -to, if not the same as the niopo.</p> - -<p>A similar instrument to the bone of the Ottomacs and Omaguas has -already been referred to as in use in Hispaniola, for inhaling through -the nostrils the smoke of burning tobacco leaves.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_76">76</span></p> - -<p>The method of taking snuff in Iceland is described by Mad<sup>e</sup>. Pfeiffer -as differing from the methods above detailed, but equally singular. -Most of the peasants, and many of the priests, have no proper -snuff-box, but only a box made of bone, and shaped like a powder flask. -When they take snuff, they throw back the head, insert the point of the -flask in the nose, and shake a dose of snuff in it. They then offer it -to their neighbour, who repeats the performance, passes it to his, and -thus it goes the round, until it reaches its owner again. Had this been -the custom in the days of the “Rape of the Lock,” Belinda had not so -readily subdued the baron, as with one finger and a thumb—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“Just where the breath of life his nostrils drew,</div> - <div class="verse">A charge of snuff the wily virgin threw;</div> - <div class="verse">The gnomes direct, to every atom just,</div> - <div class="verse">The pungent grains of titillating dust.</div> - <div class="verse">Sudden, with starting tears each eye o’erflows,</div> - <div class="verse">And the high dome re-echoes to his nose.”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>The Zoolus of Southern Africa use a small gourd to carry their snuff, -and a small ivory spoon with which to ladle out the dust. We remember -many years ago an elderly gentleman who practised on the Zoolu plan, -his snuff was carried loose in his waistcoat pocket, whence it was -conveyed to his nose by means of a small silver spoon, which was always -at hand for the purpose.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/i_p076.jpg" alt="" /> -<div class="caption">ZOOLU SNUFF GOURD AND SPOON.</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_77">77</span></p> - -<p>As early as the beginning of the reign of James I., a “taker of -tobacco” was furnished with an apparatus resembling that of a modern -Scotch mull, when supplied with all the necessary implements. In -1609, Dekker, in his “Gull’s Horn Book,” says—“Before the meat come -smoking to the board, our gallant must draw out his tobacco-box, the -ladle for the cold snuff into the nostril, the tongs and priming iron; -all which artillery may be of gold or silver, if he can reach the -price of it.” In 1646, Howell describes the apparatus and practice of -snuff taking as quite common in other countries; since, he says—“The -Spaniards and Irish take tobacco most in powder or <i>smutchin</i>, and it -mightily refreshes the brain; and I believe there’s as much taken this -way in Ireland, as there is in pipes in England. One shall commonly -see the serving maid upon the washing block, and the swain upon the -ploughshare, when they are tired of their labour, take out their boxes -of smutchin, and draw it into their nostrils with a quill, and it will -beget new spirits in them with a fresh vigour to fall to their work -again.”</p> - -<p>The word printed “smutchin” by Howell, is stated to be more accurately -“sneeshin,” a vulgar name for snuff which causes sneezing; and hence -“sneeshin mill” (sometimes corrupted into “mull”) is the Scottish -name for snuff-box. Dr. Jameson’s Etymological Dictionary may be -considered as an authority in these matters; and from it we learn that -the word “mill” is the vulgar name for a snuff-box, especially one of -a cylindrical form, or resembling an inverted cone. No other name was -formerly in use in Scotland; and the reason assigned for it is, that -when tobacco was first introduced into this country, those who wished -to have snuff, were accustomed to toast the tobacco<span class="pagenum" id="Page_78">78</span> leaves before the -fire, and then bruise them with a piece of wood in the box, which was -thence called a “mill,” because the snuff was ground in it. From all -this, it is easy to perceive how a ram’s horn, from its conical shape, -became one of the primitive forms of the Scottish snuff-box, although -latterly it is often one of the most costly and luxurious.</p> - -<p>In confirmation of the latter remark, it is only necessary to refer -to an example in the Exhibition of 1851. Mr. W. Baird of Glasgow, -exhibited a ram’s head beautifully mounted, as a snuff-box and cigar -case. When alive, he must have been a noble sheep, for the circular -horns measured no less than 3 feet 4 inches from root to tip. The cigar -case was beautifully mounted, having on the top a splendid Scotch -amethyst, surmounted with thistle wreaths in gold and silver, and -set out with many fine cairngorms and small amethysts. The snuff-box -cavity, occupied the centre of the forehead, the lid surmounted by a -splendid cairngorm, and clustered with gold and silver wreaths and -small precious stones. In fact, the head presented a perfect flourish -of the most beautiful and gracefully disposed ornaments, and altogether -the article was most unique. Attached thereto was a fine ivory hammer -and silver spoon, pricker and rake, with a silver mounted hare’s foot. -It ran on ivory castors upon a rosewood platform, surmounted by a -glass shade. There were not less than nine hundred separate pieces of -precious stones and metals used in the construction of this ornate -article.</p> - -<p>Down to the middle of the eighteenth century, the “sneeshin horn,” with -spoon and hare’s foot attached to it by chains, appears to have been -regarded as so completely a national characteristic, that when Baddeley -played Gibby in “The Wonder,” with Garrick, he came on the stage with -such an apparatus.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_79">79</span></p> - -<p>The Mongrabins and other African races, according to Werne, are much -addicted to snuff taking. The snuff they usually carry in small -oval-shaped cases made out of the fruit of the Doum palm; these have -a very small opening at one end, stopped up by a wooden peg; and the -snuff is not taken in pinches, but shaken out on the back of the hand. -Mr. Campbell, while travelling in South Africa, gave a Bushman a piece -of tobacco. It was speedily converted into snuff. One of the daughters, -after grinding it between two stones, mixed it with white ashes from -the fire; the mother then took a large pinch of the composition, -putting the remainder into a piece of goat’s skin, among the hair, and -folding it up for future use.</p> - -<p>The snuff in use in Africa is not always made from tobacco. Mr. -Hutchinson states that he saw at Panda, on the western coast, snuff -made of the powdered leaves of the monkey fruit tree (<i>Adansonia -digitata</i>). That of the Zoolus is composed of the dried leaves of -the dacca or narcotic hemp mixed with the powder of burnt aloes. -Whether or not this was the kind of snuff which Mr. Richardson was -knocked down with in his journey across the Great Desert, we are not -in a position to determine; whatever it was, it appears to have been -extremely powerful. “A merchant,” he says,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_80">80</span> “offered me a pinch of -snuff, and to please him I took a large pinch, pushing a portion of -it up my nostrils. Immediately I fell dizzy and sick, and in a short -time vomited violently. The people stared at me with astonishment, and -were terrified out of their wits, and thought I was about to give up -the ghost. They never saw snuff before produce such terrible effects. -After some time I got a little better and returned home. This snuff -was from Souf, and is called <i>wâr</i> (difficult). I had been warned of -it, and therefore paid richly for my folly; indeed, the Souf snuff -is extremely powerful.” Some of the strict Mahometans of Ghadames -consider snuffing, as well as smoking, prohibited by their religion, -and therefore do not indulge in it. The South American traveller which -Mr. Lizars, the tobacco antagonist, once fell in with, was evidently -not a strict Mahometan, for he first filled his nostrils with snuff, -which he prevented falling out by stuffing shag tobacco after it, and -this he termed “plugging;” then put in each cheek a coil of pig-tail -tobacco, which he named “quidding;” lastly, he lit a Havannah cigar, -which he put into his mouth, and thus smoked and chewed—puffing at one -time the smoke of the cigar, and at another time squirting the juice -from his mouth. What a phenomenon! That gentleman should have politely -thanked the South American for permitting him to view an exhibition, -such as he may never have the pleasure of seeing again. And what a -capital illustration ready made to his hands. It is almost equal to -those elaborate calculations which are based upon the amount of time -consumed in taking so many pinches of snuff during the day, and so many -repetitions of the operation of blowing the nose.<a id="FNanchor_13_13" href="#Footnote_13_13" class="fnanchor">13</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_81">81</span></p> - -<p>A correspondent of the “Petersburg (Va) Express” says:——“There are, -perhaps, in our state 125,000 women, leaving out of the account those -who have not cut their teeth, and those who have lost them from age. Of -this number, eighty per cent. may be safely set down as snuff-dippers. -Every five of these will use a two-ounce paper of snuff per day—that -is to the 100,000 dippers 2,500 lbs. a day, amounting to the enormous -quantity of 912,000 lbs. In this number of snuff-dippers are included -all ages, colours, and conditions. This practice is generally prevalent -in the pine districts of North Carolina, and in many parts of South -Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and Eastern Tennessee. It may be -thus described:—A female snuff-dipper takes a short stick, and, wetting -it, dips it into her snuff-box, and then rubs the gathered dust all -about her mouth, into the interstices of her teeth, &c., where she -allows it to remain until its strength has been fully absorbed. Others -hold the stick thus loaded with snuff in the cheek, <i>à la</i> quid of -tobacco, and suck it with a decided relish, while engaged in their -ordinary avocations; while others simply fill the mouth with the snuff, -and thus imitate, to all intents and purposes, the chewing propensities -of the men. In the absence of snuff, tobacco, in the plug or leaf, -is invariably resorted to as a substitute. Oriental betel chewing is -elegant, compared tosnuff-dipping.”</p> - -<p>The most uncomfortable reflection to the snuffer is that which -concerns the probability of his consuming himself by a condition of -slow poisoning,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_82">82</span> not the result of the pure tobacco, but its impure -associates in the box. In boxes lined with very thin lead, but -especially in cases where the leaden lining is thicker, and which are -much used by the Paris retailers, a chemical action takes place, the -result of which is to charge the snuff with sub-acetate of lead. This -result was suspected by Chevalier, and has been confirmed by Boudet -of Paris, and Mayer of Berlin, by careful experiments. Mayer traces -several deaths and cases of saturnine paralysis to the patient’s having -taken snuff from packets, the inner envelope of which was thin sheet -lead, in constant contact with the powdered weed. The cry once heard -of “death in the pot,” requires now to be exchanged for “death in the -box,” and Holbein to give us a new plate of the skeleton form emerging -from a packet or snuff-box containing the scented rappee.</p> - -<p>Late investigations have shown that no small amount of adulteration is -practised with snuff, and this in some instances of a most dangerous -kind. Out of forty-three samples of snuff examined by Dr. Hassell, the -majority were adulterated considerably. Chromate of lead, oxide of -lead, and bichromate of potash, all highly poisonous, were detected. -Mr. Phillips also stated to the committee of adulteration, that he -had found in different samples common peat, such as is obtained from -the bogs of Ireland, starch, ground wood of various kinds, especially -fustic, extract of logwood, chromate of lead, bichromate of potash, -and various ochreous earths. Samples of spurious snuff, it is presumed -for the purpose of mixing, were found to be composed of sumach, umber, -Spanish brown, and salt; another kind was made up of ground peat, -yellow ochre, lime, and sand, all of these being more or less scented.</p> - -<p>The numerous varieties of snuff owe their<span class="pagenum" id="Page_83">83</span> character principally to the -peculiarity of scent and the method of preparation. The perfumes used -are either the essential oil of bergamot or otto of roses, and in some -cases powdered orris root or Tonquin beans. The powdered leaves of the -sweet-scented woodruff and the fragrant melilot have been alluded to -as used for the same purpose, also the dried leaves of some species of -orchis (<i>Orchis fusca</i>, &c.)</p> - -<p>As a substitute for snuff, either in preference, or in cases where -tobacco snuff could not be readily obtained, different vegetable -productions have come into use. In India the powdered rusty leaves of a -species of rhododendron (<i>R. campanulatum</i>), and in the United States -the brown dust found adhering to the petioles of several species of -kalmia and rhododendron, all of which possess narcotic properties, are -used for this purpose. The powdered leaves of asarabacca have been -named as the base of some kind of cephalic snuff. “Grimstone’s eye -snuff” has long enjoyed a certain amount of popularity, although it -does not contain a particle of tobacco, but is composed mainly of such -harmless ingredients as powdered orris root, savory, rosemary, and -lavender.</p> - -<p>But to return to the subject of deleterious adulteration, we find in -Dr. Hassell’s “Adulterations detected in Food and Medicine” several -pages occupied with this really important subject. First comes the -narration of a case of slow poisoning, on the authority of Professor -Erichsen, by means of snuff containing as an adulteration 1·2 per cent. -of oxide of lead. Then follows the case of Mr. Fosbroke, of injuries -sustained from snuff containing lead. These are followed by other -instances showing that all the combinations of lead tested, exhibited -dangerous and disastrous symptoms, if indulged in, when mingled with<span class="pagenum" id="Page_84">84</span> -snuff, as too often, unfortunately, is the case, as an adulteration, -or, as before shown, liable as a result of packing the snuff in lead, -or keeping in boxes lined with lead.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Advice Gratis.</span>—Give up taking snuff; or, if you should propose slight -objections to this course, then purchase leaf tobacco, and manufacture -your own snuff, and having done so, keep it in a gold snuff-box, or if -you have weighty reasons for preferring silver, there is no objection -to that metal, or even the homely horn of the Franciscan of Calais.</p> - -<p>Our forefathers thought of the box, as well as of the snuff, and -sometimes paid for their thought. In the early part of the eighteenth -century, fashionable snuff-boxes had reached the highest point of -luxury and variety.<i>The Tatler</i> of March 7, 1710, notices several gold -snuff-boxes which “came out last term,” but that “a new edition would -be put out on Saturday next, which would be the only one in fashion -until after Easter. The gentleman,” continues the notice, “that gave -£50 for the box set with diamonds, may show it till Sunday, provided -he goes to church, but not after that time, there being one to be -published on Monday that will cost fourscore guineas.” These costly -articles, so happily satirized by Steele, are represented as the -productions of a fashionable toyman, named Charles Mather, popularly -known under the name of “Bubble Boy.”</p> - -<p>Nor must we forget the amber snuff-box of which Sir Plume, in the “Rape -of the Lock,” was so justly vain; in 1711 he “spoke, and rapped the -box.” In 1733, Dodsley mentions boxes made of shell, mounted in gold -and silver. Latterly we have made the acquaintance of several shell -snuff-boxes; some of these were made of the tiger cowry, mounted in -silver; of a small species of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_85">85</span> Turbo, cleaned and polished, and of harp -shells, either mounted in silver or in baser metal. In different parts -of the globe, tastes differ as to the materials of which snuff-boxes -should be composed. A gentleman sent a piece of cannel coal from -England to China, to be there carved by the ingenious Chinese into a -snuff-box; this task was accomplished, and the box was shown in the -Exhibition of 1851; also, in the Turkish department, a snuff-box of -bituminous shale. Perhaps in the new Exhibition of 1862, there may be -found a similar article, carved out of Gravesend flint, by natives of -the Orange River Territory; or one of Suffolk coprolite, executed by -rebellious sepoy women imprisoned in the hulks at Portsmouth.</p> - -<p>In India, snuff-boxes are made of polished cocoa-nut shell, or of the -seeds of <i>Entada gigalobium</i>, or <i>pursætha</i>; or in Nepal, of a small -kind of calabash or gourd, apparently resembling those used for the -same purpose, at the distance of 5,000 miles, in the South of Africa; -excepting, that in some instances, the gourds of Nepal and of Scinde, -are ornamented with mountings of gold or silver, a luxury in which the -African does not indulge. In the same part of Africa, among the Zoolu -Kaffirs, other kinds of snuff-boxes, of smaller size, are in common -use. These are made of the seeds of a species of Zamia, ornamented with -strings of small beads, and are worn suspended as earrings, from the -ears of the natives.</p> - -<p>In China, flasks are used, the form and size of a smelling bottle; -these are of different kinds of material, some being cut out of rock -crystal, and others made of porcelain and similar plastic substances. -Snuff-takers are less numerous in China than smokers of tobacco; in -powder, or as the Chinese say, “smoke for the nose,” is little used, -except by the Mantchoo Tartars and Mongols, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_86">86</span> among the Mandarins -and lettered classes. The Tartars are real amateurs, and snuff is with -them an object of the most important consideration. For the Chinese -aristocracy, on the contrary, it is a mere luxury—a habit that they try -to acquire—a whim. The custom of taking snuff was introduced into China -by the old missionaries who resided at the Court. They used to get the -snuff from Europe for themselves, and some of the Mandarins tried it, -and found it good. By degrees the custom spread; people who wished -to appear fashionable, liked to be taking this “smoke for the nose;” -and Pekin is still <i>par excellence</i>, the locality of snuff-takers. -The first dealers in it made immense fortunes. The French tobacco was -the most esteemed; and as it happened at this time, that it had for -a stamp the ancient emblem of the three <i>fleur de lis</i>, the mark has -never been forgotten, and the three <i>fleur de lis</i> are still in Pekin, -the only sign of a dealer in tobacco. The Chinese have now, for a long -time, manufactured their own snuff, but they do not subject it to any -fermentation, and it is not worth much. They merely pulverize the -leaves, sift the powder till it is as fine as flour, and afterwards -perfume it with flowers and essences. A curious method of snuffing, -requiring neither box nor flask, is noticed in the “Voyages and -Researches of the <i>Adventure</i> and <i>Beagle</i>.” At Otaheite, a substance, -not unlike powdered rhubarb in appearance, but of a very pleasant -fragrance, is rubbed on a piece of shark’s skin stretched on wood; and -an old man, who had one of these snuff sticks in his possession, valued -it so highly, that he could not be induced to part with it.</p> - -<p>Boxes of very rude construction are made in France and Germany from -birch bark, and sold in the streets of Paris and other continental -cities,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_87">87</span> for about one halfpenny each. These have lately been seen in -the shops of London tobacconists, under the name of “German boxes,” -at about three times the above price. They are used abroad either for -tobacco or snuff. Boxes are also made of horn, either black buffalo or -transparent pressed horn—the latter at a much cheaper rate than the -former. St. Helena contributed to the Great Exhibition snuff-boxes made -from the willow under which the remains of Napoleon reposed, until -their removal to France, and also from a willow planted by him at -Longwood. Van Dieman’s Land contributed a box made from the tooth of -the Sperm whale, as well as boxes from several native woods.</p> - -<p>The Scotch snuff-boxes are justly celebrated for the perfection of -their hinge, and close fitting cover. They were originally made at -Lawrencekirk, but the manufacture has now spread to various parts of -Scotland. The wood employed principally in the manufacture of these -boxes is the sycamore (or plane of the Scotch). Mr. W. Chambers states, -“that from a rough block of this wood, worth twenty-five shillings, -snuff-boxes may be made to the value of three thousand pounds.”</p> - -<p>The <i>modus operandi</i> in making these boxes is described as follows:—The -box is made from a solid block of wood; the first operation consists -in making a number of circular excavations in close contiguity to each -other, by means of a centre-bit, or a drill running in a lathe; the -interior is then squared out by means of gouges and chisels, and is -afterwards smoothed with files and glass-paper. The celebrated hinge -is formed partly out of the substance of the box, and partly out of -that of the lid, the greatest attention being paid in its construction -to the accurate fitting of the various parts<span class="pagenum" id="Page_88">88</span> one into the other. -The box is lined in the inside with stout tin-foil, and is painted -on the outside with several coats of colour, each of which is rubbed -down smooth with glass-paper before the succeeding coat is applied. -It is then ready to receive the various styles of ornament, which, in -some cases, are produced by the hand of the artist, and in others by -mechanical means. The most usual decoration consists of the tartan -patterns, the component lines of which are drawn separately, by pens -fixed in a ruling machine, on to the box itself, if bounded by planes -or slightly curved surfaces; although such lines were also formerly -drawn by means of a rose engine on circular boxes, it is now found -a more convenient practice to rule the lines on paper, and then to -attach the paper to the boxes. Another style of ornamentation, known -as the Scoto-Russian, is of more recent introduction, and imitates, -in a remote degree, the beautiful enamelled silver snuff-boxes for -which Russia has long been famous. In these, the outside of the box is -first covered with stout tin-foil, then completely painted all over -the surface, and afterwards placed in the ruling machine, which traces -upon it an intricate pattern of curved and straight lines, by means -of a sharp flat tool. This instrument penetrates completely through -the paint, but only scrapes the tin-foil, which is left very bright, -and resembles inlaid silver. Several coats of copal varnish, each of -which is successively polished down, are then applied to complete the -snuff-box.</p> - -<p>Box-wood, box-root, king-wood, ebony, and all kinds of hard wood; tin, -brass, pewter, lead, silver, and all sorts of metals, are used for -snuff-boxes, some of these cheap and rudely fashioned, others elaborate -and expensive; some lined with tortoise-shell or horn, others with tin -or lead-foil; and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_89">89</span> invention has been taxed to produce all kinds of -ornamentation.</p> - -<p>The practice of using snuff is said to have come into England after -the Restoration, and to have been brought from France; but it is well -known that the habit of mere snuff-taking did not originate with the -introduction of tobacco, since there are recipes for making snuff -from herbs in the oldest medicinal works extant. The use of tobacco -snuff has been referred to the age of Catherine de Medicis, and it -was recommended to her son, Charles IX., for his chronic headaches. -Snuff-taking was formerly characteristic of the medical profession; and -the gold-headed cane and gold snuff-box came to be the peculiar emblems -of those who were learned in the healing art.</p> - -<p>There are almost an endless variety of snuffs, as of noses, the purest -kind being the “Scotch,” made either entirely from the stalks removed -from the leaf in the course of its preparation for the cigar, or of -the stalks with a small quantity of leaf. The “Welsh” and “Lundyfoot” -are affirmed to owe their qualities chiefly, if not altogether, to the -circumstance of their being dried almost to scorching; hence they have -received the appellation of “high-dried” snuffs. The “Rappees” and -other dark snuffs are manufactured from the darker and ranker leaves. -Scenting, which the dark snuffs undergo, also furnish names and procure -customers for numerous varieties. There is a story current, that the -celebrated “Lundyfoot” had its origin in an accident, one version -affirming that the man who was attending to the batches got drunk, -neglected his duty, and made his master’s fortune; another, that an -accidental fire did that for the firm which in the other case it is -affirmed that an extra glass of grog accomplished. There is nothing -surprising in this, and either narrative may be true; most inventions<span class="pagenum" id="Page_90">90</span> -of this kind, like the claying of sugar, had their origin in accidents. -A certain quantity of snuff, in the preparation, gets overdone in -some of the steps of the process, at some time or other, and the firm -resolves, perhaps, as it is not altogether useless, to try and realize -something for it. The peculiarity just tickles certain noses, and for -the future they wish for none but <i>spoilt</i> snuff; that which was at -first spoilt accidentally, is now spoilt for the purpose, to supply -the demands of the market at even a higher rate than ordinary, and the -name of Lundyfoot becomes immortalized amongst old ladies through all -succeeding generations. What other experiments and other accidents of -over-salting or over-liming may have done, has not transpired; and who -may be the next so to turn circumstances to account, that what would -ordinarily be considered a misfortune, shall be turned to good fortune, -time alone will reveal.</p> - -<p>John Hardham was Garrick’s under-treasurer, and kept a snuff-shop -in Fleet Street, at the sign of the Red Lion, where he contrived to -get into high vogue, a particular <i>poudre de tabac</i>, still known as -Hardham’s 37. Stevens, while daily visiting Johnson in Bolt Court, on -the subject of their joint editorship of Shakespeare, never failed -to replenish his box at the shop of a man who was for years the butt -of his witticisms. Hardham died a bachelor, September 20, 1772, and -bequeathed £6000—the savings of a busy life—for the benefit of the poor -of his native city, Chester.</p> - -<p>As a pinch of snuff ends in a sneeze, so sniffing ends in sneezing, and -with a hearty sneeze we bring our pinch of snuff to a sudden ending. -What comfort and consolation there is sometimes in a hearty sneeze, no -one knows better than him who has just made two or three attempts, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_91">91</span> -ingloriously failed. With half closed eyes, and open mouth, and bated -breath—once—twice—thrice—no! it will not be beguiled—psh-h-h-h-haw! -“God bless you!”</p> - -<p>“The year 750,” says a writer in the <i>Gentleman’s Magazine</i>, “is -commonly reckoned the era of the custom of saying God bless you to one -who happens to sneeze.” It is said that, in the time of the pontificate -of St. Gregory the Great, the air was filled with such a deleterious -influence, that they who sneezed immediately expired. On this the -devout pontiff appointed a form of prayer, and a wish to be said to -persons sneezing for averting them from the fatal effects of this -malignancy. A fable contrived against all the rules of probability, it -being certain that this custom has from time immemorial, subsisted in -all parts of the known world. According to mythology, the first sign -of life Prometheus’s artificial man gave, was by sternutation. This -supposed creator is said to have stolen a portion of the solar rays, -and filling a phial with them, sealed it up hermetically. He instantly -flew back to his favourite automaton, and opening the phial, held it -close to the statue, the rays still retaining all their activity, -insinuated themselves through the pores, and set the factitious man -a sneezing. Prometheus transported with success, offered up a prayer -with wishes for the preservation of so singular a being. The automaton -observed him, remembering his ejaculations, was careful, on like -occasions to offer these wishes in behalf of his descendants, who -perpetuated it from father to son in all their colonies. The Rabbis, -also, fix a very ancient date to the custom. Pliny says, that to sneeze -to the right was deemed fortunate; to the left, and near a place of -burial, the reverse. Tiberius, otherwise a sour man, would perform this -right of blessing most punctually to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_92">92</span> others, and expect the same from -others to himself. Aristotle has a problem, “Why sneezing from noon to -midnight was good, but from night to noon unlucky.” St. Austin tells us -that the ancients were accustomed to go to bed again, if they sneezed -while they put on their shoe.</p> - -<p>When Themistocles sacrificed in his galley before the battle of Xeres, -one of the assistants upon the right hand sneezed, Euphrantides the -soothsayer, presaged the victory of the Greeks, and the overthrow of -the Persians.</p> - -<p>When the Greeks were consulting concerning their retreat in the time of -Cyrus the Younger, it chanced that one of them sneezed, at the noise -whereof, the rest of the soldiers called upon Jupiter Soter.</p> - -<p>Brand tells us, that when the king of Mesopotamia sneezes, acclamations -are made in all parts of his dominions. The Siamese wish long life to -persons sneezing. And the Persians look upon sneezing as a happy omen, -especially when repeated often.</p> - -<p>A writer lately gives us the following “Philosophy of a sneeze” -for which he alone is responsible. “The nose receives three sets -of nerves—the nerves of <i>smell</i>, those of <i>feeling</i>, and those of -<i>motion</i>. The former communicate to the brain, the odorous properties -of substances with which they may come in contact, in a diffused or -concentrated state; the second, communicate the impressions of touch; -the third, move the muscles of the nose; but the power of these muscles -is very limited. When a sneeze occurs, all these faculties are excited -to a high degree. A grain of snuff excites the olfactory nerves, which -despatch to the brain the intelligence that ‘snuff has attacked the -nostril.’ The brain instantly sends a mandate through the motor nerves -to the muscles, saying ‘cast it out!’ and the result is unmistakable. -So offensive is the enemy besieging the nostril held to be, that the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_93">93</span> -nose is not left to its own defence. It were too feeble to accomplish -this. An allied army of muscles join in the rescue—nearly one-half the -body arouses against the intruder—from the muscles of the lips to those -of the abdomen, all unite in the effort for the expulsion of the grain -of snuff.”</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_94">94</span></p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII.</a><br /> - -<small>QUID PRO QUO.</small></h2> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“A third party sprang up, headed by the descendants of Robert -Chewit, the companion of the great Hudson. These discarded pipes -altogether, and took to chewing tobacco; hence, they were called -<i>Quids</i>.”——<span class="smcap">Knickerbocker’s</span>, <i>New York</i>.</p></blockquote> - - -<p>Any one who will take the trouble to read through the “Curiosities of -Food,” will soon become convinced, from the examples which Mr. P. L. -Simmonds has collected so assiduously from all parts of the world, that -there is no accounting for tastes. What extraordinary things men will -admit between their teeth to gratify their appetites, is almost enough -to set one’s own teeth on edge. Tobacco is certainly not more nauseous -or revolting, than to us would be many of the delicacies dished up for -dinner by some of the bipedal race. “Some Europeans,” observes the -author, “chew tobacco, the Hindoo takes to betel nut and lime, while -the Patagonian finds contentment in a bit of guano, and the Styrians -grow fat and ruddy on arsenic. English children delight in sweetmeats -and sugar-candy, while those of Africa prefer rock salt. A Frenchman -likes frogs and snails, and we eat eels, oysters, and whelks. To the -Esquimaux, train oil is your only delicacy. The Russian luxuriates upon -his hide and tallow; the Chinese upon rats, puppy dogs, and shark’s -fins; the Kaffir upon elephant’s foot and trunk or lion steaks; while<span class="pagenum" id="Page_95">95</span> -the Pacific islander places cold missionary above every other edible. -Why then should we be surprised at men’s feeding upon rattle snakes and -monkeys, and pronouncing them capital eating?”<a id="FNanchor_14_14" href="#Footnote_14_14" class="fnanchor">14</a></p> - -<p>Nothing is more extraordinary than the habit of dirt-eating and chewing -of lime, either by themselves or in combination with other substances. -But more of this anon. Tobacco, as a masticatory, might equally cause -surprise did it not daily occur at our doors. The quantity used in -this form will not bear comparison with that consumed in smoke, but -even this is considerable. In America, the custom is carried to a very -unpleasant extent, and were it the only form in which the plant could -be indulged, there is good ground for presuming that it would fall very -far short of the popularity which it has attained.</p> - -<p>Somebody, with a strong antipathy to pig-tail and fine cut, has entered -into certain investigations and calculations in the <i>Philadelphia -Journal</i>, which has resulted in this wise. If a tobacco chewer chews -for fifty years, and uses each day of that period two inches of solid -plug, he will consume nearly one mile and a quarter in length of -solid tobacco, half an inch thick and two inches broad, costing 2,094 -dollars, or about £500. Plug ugly, sure enough! By the same process of -reasoning, this statist calculates, that if a man ejects one pint of -saliva per day for fifty years (a feat, one would presume, it would -require a Yankee to accomplish), the total would swell into nearly -2,300 gallons, quite a respectable lake, and almost enough to float the -“Great Eastern” in! Truly, Brother Jonathan, there are more things in -heaven and earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy.</p> - -<p>Another calculation shows, that if all the tobacco<span class="pagenum" id="Page_96">96</span> which the British -people have consumed during the last three years were worked up into -pig-tail half an inch thick, it would form a line 99,470 miles long; or -enough to go nearly four times round the world;<a id="FNanchor_15_15" href="#Footnote_15_15" class="fnanchor">15</a> or if the tobacco -consumed by the same people in the same period were to be placed in one -scale, and St. Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey in the other, the -ecclesiastical buildings would kick the beam.</p> - -<p>“Oh, the nasty creatures!” some lady exclaims. “Who could suppose that -they would do such a thing, and to such an extent too, as to burn -and chew and smoke in three years enough tobacco to reach round the -world four times!” It is astonishing, my dear Mrs. Partington, we must -confess; but let us compare therewith the tea consumption<a id="FNanchor_16_16" href="#Footnote_16_16" class="fnanchor">16</a> for the -same period, and we shall find that during the past three years, we -have consumed about 205,500,000 of pounds of tea, which, if done up in -packages containing one quarter of a pound each—such packages being -4½ inches in length and 2½ inches in diameter—these placed end to -end, would reach 59,428 miles; or, upon the same principles as those -adopted for the pig-tail, would girdle the earth twice with a belt of -tea 2½ inches in diameter, or twenty-five times that of the aforesaid -pig-tail. Enough to make rivers of tea strong enough for any old lady -in the kingdom to enjoy, and deep enough for all the old ladies in the -kingdom to bathe in.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_97">97</span></p> - -<p>All this, we are free to confess, does not make the habit of quidding -either more justifiable or respectable, although indulged in by some of -the members of the gentler sex. In Paraguay, for instance, an American -traveller informs us that everybody smokes, and nearly every woman -and girl more than thirteen years old chews tobacco. A magnificent -Hebe, arrayed in satin and flashing in diamonds, puts you back with -one delicate hand, while with the fair taper fingers of the other she -takes the tobacco out of her mouth previous to your saluting her. An -over delicate foreigner turns away with a shudder of loathing under -such circumstances, and gets the epithet of “the savage” applied to him -by the offended beauty for his sensitive squeamishness. However, one -soon gets used to these things in Paraguay, where one is, per force of -custom, obliged to kiss every lady one is introduced to, and one half -of those you meet are really tempting enough to render you reckless of -consequences.</p> - -<p>Suppose not that Paraguay is a solitary instance in which ladies have -a predilection for this masticatory. In Siberia, which is far enough -geographically to prevent any collusion, or the influence of example -to exert its power, Captain Cochrane says that the Tchuktchi eat, -chew, smoke, and snuff at the same time. He saw amongst them, boys and -girls of nine or ten years of age who put a large leaf of tobacco into -their mouths without permitting any saliva to escape, nor would they -put aside the tobacco should meat be offered to them, but continued -consuming both of them together.</p> - -<p>The Mintira women and other races of the great Indian Archipelago are -addicted to chewing tobacco. Amongst the Nubians, the custom is more -common than smoking. Of the South American tribes, the Sercucumas of -the Erevato, and the Caura neighbours of the whitish Taparitos, swallow -tobacco<span class="pagenum" id="Page_98">98</span> chopped small, and impregnated with some other stimulant -juices.</p> - -<p>In Africa, the habit is not at all an uncommon one. The Turks and -Arabs of Egypt are great smokers, but not so with the other tribes. -The Mongrabins, scarcely know the use of a pipe, or the method of -manufacturing a cigar, yet tobacco is well known, and chewing is the -order of the day. With them each piece of tobacco is mixed with a -portion of natron. Master and servant, rich and poor, all carry about -them a pouch of tobacco, with pieces of natron in it. These people do -not carry the quid in their cheek, as do the Europeans who indulge in -the habit, but in front, between the teeth and the upper lip.</p> - -<p>The blacks of Gesira have another method of enjoying this luxury. They -make a cold infusion of tobacco, and dissolve the natron in it. This -mixture is called “bucca.” The natives take a mouthful of it from the -bucca cup, which they keep rinsing and working about in their mouths -for a quarter of an hour before they eject it. So much do they delight -in it, that it is considered the highest treat a man can offer to -his dearest friends, to invite them to sip the bucca with him. Bucca -parties are given, as in some localities tea parties are honoured. All -sit in solemn silence as the cup goes round, each taking a mouthful, -and nothing is heard save the gurgling and working inside the closed -mouths. On such occasions the most important questions receive no -reply, for to open the mouth and answer would be to lose the cherished -“bucca.”</p> - -<p>In Iceland, tobacco is chewed and snuffed as assiduously as it is -smoked in other countries; and in the northern states of Europe, or -some of them, the powdered leaf, which, with most people is deemed -a preparation for the nose, is placed, a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_99">99</span> pinch at a time, upon the -tongue. Of Joubert’s statement we scarce know what opinion to hold. -He says, “When a stranger arrives in Greenland, he is immediately -surrounded by a crowd of the natives, who ask the favour of sucking -the empyreumatic oil in the reservoir of his pipe. And it is stated -that the Greenlanders smoke only for the pleasure of drinking that -detestable juice which is so disgusting to European smokers.” The -Finlander delights in chewing. He will remove his quid from time to -time, and stick it behind his ear, and then chew it again. This reminds -us of a circumstance narrated by a friend, which occurred when he was -a boy. His master was a chewer. After a “quid” had been masticated -for some time, it was removed from his mouth, and thrown against the -wall, where it remained sticking; the apprentice was then called to -write beside it the date at which it was flung there, so that it might -be taken down in its proper turn, after being thoroughly dried, to be -chewed over again.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“And then he tried to sing All’s well,</div> - <div class="verse indent6">But could not though he tried;</div> - <div class="verse">His head was turned, and so he chewed</div> - <div class="verse indent6">His pig-tail till he died.”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>Of all tobacco chewers, none can compete with the Yankee—not even -our own Jack Tars. They are the very perfection of masticators, and -of spitters, also, if the narratives of travellers in general, and -of Dickens in particular, are to be relied on. “As Washington may be -called the head-quarters of tobacco-tinctured saliva, the time is come -when I must confess, without any disguise, that the prevalence of these -two odious practices of chewing and expectorating began, about this -time, to be anything but agreeable, and soon became most offensive and -sickening. In all the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_100">100</span> public places of America, this filthy custom -is recognized. In the courts of law, the judge has his spittoon, the -crier his, the witness his, and the prisoner his, while the jurymen -and spectators are provided for, as so many men who, in the course -of nature, must desire to spit incessantly. In the hospitals, the -students of medicine are requested by notices upon the wall, to eject -their tobacco juice into the boxes provided for that purpose, and not -to discolour the stairs. In public buildings visitors are implored, -through the same agency, to squirt the essence of their ‘quids’ or -‘plugs,’ as I have heard them called by gentlemen learned in this kind -of sweetmeat, into the national spittoons, and not about the bases of -the marble columns. But in some parts this custom is inseparably mixed -up with every meal and morning call, and with all the transactions of -social life. The stranger who follows in the track I took myself, will -find it in its full bloom and glory at Washington; and let him not -persuade himself (as I once did to my shame) that previous tourists -have exaggerated its extent. The thing itself is an exaggeration of -nastiness which cannot be outdone.</p> - -<p>“On board the steamboat there were two young gentlemen, with shirt -collars reversed, as usual, and armed with very big walking sticks, who -planted two seats in the middle of the deck, at a distance of some four -paces apart, took out their tobacco boxes, and sat down opposite each -other to chew. In less than a quarter of an hour’s time, these hopeful -youths had shed about them on the clean boards, a copious shower of -yellow rain, clearing by that means a kind of magic circle, within -whose limits no intruders dared to come, and which they never failed to -refresh and refresh before a spot was dry. This being before breakfast, -rather disposed me, I confess, to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_101">101</span> nausea; but looking attentively at -one of the expectorators, I plainly saw that he was young at chewing, -and felt inwardly uneasy himself. A glow of delight came over me at -this discovery, and as I marked his face turn paler and paler, and saw -the ball of tobacco in his left cheek quiver with his suppressed agony, -while yet he spat and chewed, and spat again, in emulation of his older -friend, I could have fallen on his neck and implored him to go on for -hours.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_102">102</span></p> - -<p>“The senate is a dignified and decorous body, and its proceedings are -conducted with much gravity and order. Both houses are handsomely -carpetted; but the state to which these carpets are reduced by the -universal disregard of the spittoon, with which every honorable member -is accommodated, and the extraordinary improvements on the pattern -which are squirted and dabbled upon it in every direction, do not -admit of being described. I will merely observe, that I strongly -recommend all strangers not to look at the floor; and if they happen -to drop anything, though it be their purse, not to pick it up with an -ungloved hand on any account. It is somewhat remarkable, too, to see -so many honorable members with swelled faces; and it is scarcely less -remarkable to discover, that this appearance is caused by the quantity -of tobacco they contrive to stow within the hollow of the cheek. It -is strange enough, too, to see an honorable gentleman leaning back -in his tilted chair, with his legs on the desk before him, shaping -a convenient ‘plug’ with his penknife, and when it is quite ready -for use, shooting the old one from his mouth as from a pop-gun, -and clapping the new one in its place. I was surprised to observe, -that even steady old chewers of great experience are not always -good marksmen, which has rather inclined me to doubt that general -proficiency with the rifle of which we have heard so much in England. -Several gentlemen called upon me, who, in the course of conversation, -frequently missed the spittoon at five paces; and one (but he was -certainly short-sighted) mistook the closed sash for the open window -at three. On another occasion when I dined out, and was sitting with -two ladies and some gentlemen round a fire before dinner, one of the -company fell short of the fireplace six distinct times. I am disposed -to think, however, that this was occasioned by his not aiming at that -object, as there was a white marble hearth before the fender, which was -more convenient, and may have suited his purpose better.”</p> - -<p>At the Cape of Good Hope grows a plant, allied to the iceplant of our -greenhouses, and which is a native of the Karroo,<a id="FNanchor_17_17" href="#Footnote_17_17" class="fnanchor">17</a> which appears to -possess narcotic properties. The Hottentots know it under the name of -Kou, or <i>Kauw-goed</i>. They gather and beat together the whole plant, -roots, stem, and leaves, then twist it up like pig-tail tobacco; after -which they let the mass ferment, and keep it by them for chewing, -especially when they are thirsty. If it be chewed immediately after -fermentation, it is narcotic and intoxicating. It is called canna-root -by the colonists.</p> - -<p>In Lapland, Angelica-root (<i>Archangelica officinalis</i>, Linn.) is -dried and masticated in the same way, and answers the same purpose as -tobacco. It is warm and stimulating, and not narcotic, nor does it -leave those unpleasant and unsightly evidences of its use which may be -observed about the mouth of the true votary of the quid.</p> - -<p>The areca nut and the betle-pepper, which, in the Malayan Peninsula -and other parts of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_103">103</span> East, are used as a masticatory, will receive -special notice hereafter.</p> - -<p>Lightfoot says that the Scotch are very fond of “dulse,” but they -prefer it dried and rolled up, when they chew it like tobacco, for the -pleasure arising from the habit. This is the only reference to the -custom that we have met with, and requires further confirmation.</p> - -<p>The Duke of Marlborough has the credit of being the first distinguished -man who made the chewing of tobacco famous; who was the last is not so -readily declared, since distinguished men generally do not distinguish -themselves much in this department of the “fine arts.” It is related -of a monkey, that while on the voyage home from some tropical clime -in which he had been made a prisoner, he noticed a sailor who was in -the habit of going to his trunk and taking out a quid, roll it up, and -place it in his mouth. Finding, one day, that the course was clear, and -the box unfastened, Jocko helped himself to a very respectable twist, -which he put into his mouth, and scampered therewith upon deck. He soon -commenced chewing and spitting, and, unsuccessful in the experiment, -the quid, which was not found to be so pleasant as was anticipated, -was thrown away. The poor animal soon became dreadfully sick, held its -stomach, and moaned piteously, but ultimately recovered. He learnt a -lesson, however, the impression of which never passed away; for ever -after he shunned the box, and the sight or smell of tobacco sent him -scampering into the shrouds.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_104">104</span></p> - - - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII.</a><br /> - -<small>A RACE OF PRETENDERS.</small></h2> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“I grant your worship that he is a knave, sir; but yet, Heaven forbid, -sir, but a knave should have some countenance at his friends’ request. -An honest man, sir, is able to speak for himself, when a knave is -not.”——<i>King Henry IV., part 2.</i></p></blockquote> - - -<p>It is the misfortune of kingdoms to be subject to rebellions, and of -monarchs to behold the advent of pretenders, as it is the fate of gold -to be imitated in baser metals, and bank notes to be forged. A rule is -supposed to be strengthened by an exception, and tried gold to shine in -greater splendour beside its counterfeit—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“Than that which hath no foil to set it off.”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>So, tobacco, in the midst of all its success and prosperity, has been -envied and imitated by duller pretenders to the virtue it boasts, from -among the meaner denizens of the vegetable world. Of course these -pretenders have been unsuccessful; for had they been successful, they -had no longer been branded with the baser name, but had risen to the -rank of benefactors and patriots. Such is the custom of the world.</p> - -<p>The following are the substances which are<span class="pagenum" id="Page_105">105</span> stated to be used for the -adulteration of tobacco, principally in the form of “cut” and “roll.” -Dr. Hassell divides them—</p> - -<p>First, into vegetable substances, as the leaves of the dock, rhubarb, -coltsfoot, cabbage, potato, chicory, endive, elm, and oak; malt -cummings, that is the roots of germinating malt; peat, which consists -chiefly of decayed moss; seaweed, roasted chicory root, wheat, oatmeal, -bran, catechu or terra japonica, oakum, and logwood dye.</p> - -<p>Secondly, into saccharine substances, as cane-sugar, treacle, honey, -liquorice, and beetroot dregs.</p> - -<p>Thirdly, into salts and earths, as nitre, common salt, sal ammoniac, or -hydrochlorate of ammonia, nitrate of ammonia, carbonate of ammonia, the -alkalies, as potash, soda, and lime; sulphate of magnesia, sulphate of -soda or glauber salts, yellow ochre, umber, fuller’s earth, Venetian -red, sand, and sulphate of iron.</p> - -<p>And the experience of the excise, as may be gathered from the evidence -of Mr. Phillips before the committee of adulteration, harmonizes with -the above list. “With regard to tobacco,” he says, “we have found in -<i>cut</i> tobacco, sugar, liquorice, gum catechu, saltpetre, and various -nitrates; yellow ochre, Epsom salts, glauber salts, green copperas, red -sandstone, wheat, oatmeal, malt cummings, chicory, and the following -leaves—coltsfoot, rhubarb, chicory, endive, oak, elm; and in <i>fancy</i> -tobacco, I once found lavender, and a wort called mugwort. It is a -fragrant herb, suggestive rather of the nutmeg. In <i>roll</i> tobacco we -have found rhubarb leaves, endive and dock leaves, sugar, liquorice, -and a dye made of logwood and sulphate of iron.”</p> - -<p>Let consumers of tobacco console themselves, however, in the face of -this formidable list, by the assurance of the eminent experimenter -on articles<span class="pagenum" id="Page_106">106</span> of food, &c., before named, that “not one of the forty -samples of manufactured cut tobacco which he examined was adulterated -with any foreign leaf, or with any insoluble or organic extraneous -substance of any description other than with sugar, or some other -saccharine matter, which was present in several instances.”</p> - -<p>Leaving adulterations to take care of themselves, we find that an -article, of very ancient use, is still occasionally smoked instead of -the Virginian weed. The plant referred to is <i>coltsfoot</i> (<i>Tussilago -farfar</i>, Linn.), a very common weed on chalky and gravelly soils. -Pliny refers to it, and directs that the foliage should be burned, -and the smoke arising from it drawn into the mouth through a reed and -swallowed. These leaves have long been smoked for chest complaints, and -are said to form the chief ingredient in British herb tobacco.</p> - -<p>The leaves of milfoil or yarrow (<i>Achillœa millefolium</i>), another plant -equally common with the last, have been recommended to smokers in lieu -of tobacco, and occasionally used for that purpose. Added to beer, they -render it heady or more intoxicating.</p> - -<p>Leaves of rhubarb are occasionally smoked by those who are too poor -to furnish themselves with a regular supply of tobacco, and those who -have used them state, that, although devoid of strength, they are not -a bad substitute when tobacco is not to be obtained. For the same -purpose they are collected and used in Thibet, and on the slopes of the -Himalayas.</p> - -<p>The leaves of a plant common in marshes and boggy soils in Europe and -North America, called Bogbean (<i>Menyanthes trifoliata</i>, Linn.) are used -in the north of Europe when hops are scarce, to give a bitter flavour -to beer, and have been recommended and adopted as a tobacco substitute.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_107">107</span></p> - -<p>An agricultural labourer near Blois, pretends that the leaves of the -beet make an excellent tobacco.</p> - -<p>Undescribed plants called Akil and Trouna, are used by the Arabs of -Algeria to render their tobacco milder.</p> - -<p>In some parts of Europe, the leaves of the common garden sage has -served the same purpose; whilst in some parts of Switzerland, the -leaves of mountain tobacco (<i>Arnica montana</i>, Linn.) are collected for -use as tobacco, or dried and powdered to be used as snuff. This is no -doubt a virulent plant, and has the reputation of being a powerful -acrid narcotic.</p> - -<p>The tobacco substitutes in North America are more numerous than we -should have expected to have found in the native land of the true -tobacco. A decoction of the holly-leaves (<i>Ilex vomitoria</i>, Linn.) are -drunk by the native Creek Indians, under the name of “black drink,” at -the opening of their councils, on account of its peculiar properties. -This shrub is also called Cossena by the Indians, and the leaves are -used for smoking as a substitute for tobacco. “Often,” says one of the -early settlers, “I have smoked a pipe of cossena with their majesties -Toma Chaci and Senoaki his queen, at their mud-palace, about three -miles from Savanacke.”</p> - -<p>The Virginian or Stag’s Horn Sumach,<a id="FNanchor_18_18" href="#Footnote_18_18" class="fnanchor">18</a> which is met with almost over -the whole of the United States, supplies leaves which are dried and -used by some of the native tribes as tobacco.</p> - -<p>The Indians of the Mississippi and Missouri use the leaves of another -Sumach (<i>Rhus copallina</i>) and Indian tobacco (<i>Lobelia inflata</i>, Linn.) -is supposed to be indebted for its name to the fact that it was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_108">108</span> one of -the plants smoked by the Indians instead of the genuine “weed.” Under -the name of “tombeki,” the leaf of a species of <i>Lobelia</i> is smoked in -parts of Asia. It is smoked in a narghilè, and is exceedingly narcotic, -so much so, that it is usually steeped in water to weaken it before -being used; and it is always smoked whilst damp.</p> - -<p>Not many years since, a patent was taken out at Washington for -fabricating tobacco from maize-husks, steeped in a solution of cayenne. -It was stated to be equal in flavour to true tobacco, and without any -of the deleterious properties which have been attributed to that plant.</p> - -<p>The Miliceti Indians, New Brunswick, scrape the bark from the young -twigs of the birch, and when dry, mix it with their tobacco for -smoking. They are very partial to the admixture, the odour of which, it -is affirmed, is much more agreeable than that of pure tobacco.</p> - -<p>Mr. Mölhausen smoked willow-leaves among the Rocky Mountains; and the -use of these leaves for the same purpose is mentioned in “Hiawatha.”</p> - -<p>The Bearberry (<i>Arctostaphylus uva ursi</i>) common in many parts of North -America, is found in the valley of the Oregon, where the leaves are -collected by the Chenook Indians, who mix them with their tobacco. -The Crees also use them for the same purpose, and with them it is -called Tchakashè-pukh. The Chepewyans, who name it Kleh, and the -Eskimos north of Churchill (by whom it is termed Attung-ā-wi-at) turn -it to a like account. From the custom of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s -officers carrying it in bags for the same use, the voyagers gave it the -appellation of Sac-a-commis.</p> - -<p>Latterly a writer in a West Indian paper, called attention to a novel -application of the berries of the Pimento (<i>Eugenia pimento</i>), known -commercially<span class="pagenum" id="Page_109">109</span> by that name or as Allspice. “I have been,” he says, -“a smoker for the past twenty years, and have consumed many pounds -of honey-dew within that period; but it was only a short time ago -that I discovered that Pimento forms by far a more agreeable article -for smoking; and any person who knows nothing of the fragrance of a -Pimento walk when in full bloom, may form some idea of it by a pipe -charged and lighted with the dried berry, simply crushed in coarse -bits. Every lady has a dislike to the smell of tobacco. While she may -be driven by its fumes and smell from the drawing-room, the Pimento -would, on the contrary, invite her presence. By way of experiment on -the taste of other smokers, I may mention that I had the other day two -men (great lovers of tobacco) employed in my garden. ‘Joseph,’ I said, -‘where is your pipe to-day?’ ‘Out of tobacco, massa,’ was his reply. -‘Well, here is some very costly; give me your opinion of it when you -have tried it.’ To prevent deception, I charged his pipe myself, and -directed him to light it. He did so, and up ascended a graceful curl of -smoke. Joseph was not a little pleased, and thanking me for this costly -tobacco, said it was ‘first-rate,’ and desired I should inform him what -per pound it could have cost. I told him it grew pretty near his hut, -and on opening my pouch, and disclosing to him that this ‘first-rate -tobacco’ was nothing more than dried pimento, you may imagine his -surprise. ‘A man is neber too old to larn,’ he exclaimed, and soon -imparted the good news to his fellow-labourer.” With all due deference -to the opinion of both Joseph and his master, we have experimented on -this wonderful pretender, and hold the opinion that it is unworthy -of their joint encomiums. A friend who has also tested it, thinks -it, however, very pleasant, and a fair substitute. It would appear,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_110">110</span> -therefore, that there is something to be said on both sides.</p> - -<p>Cascarilla bark, the produce of the <i>Croton eleuteria</i> in the Bahamas, -was first used to mix with tobacco, on account of the pleasing odour -which it diffuses in burning. It is supposed also to possess narcotic -properties, when used in this way. In South America, Humboldt states -that the leaves of <i>Polygonum hispida</i> are used as a tobacco substitute.</p> - -<p>The African contributions to our list are also rather extensive, -especially from the neighbourhood of the Cape. The leaves of a certain -plant (<i>Tarchonanthus camphoratus</i>, Linn.) possessing a camphorated -odour, are chewed by the Mahometans, and smoked by the Hottentots -and Bushmen instead of tobacco, and, like the “<i>Dagga</i>,” exhibit -slight narcotic symptoms. This may be owing to the camphor which they -contain. The common camphor, in quantities a little beyond a medium -dose, will produce indistinctness of ideas, incoherence of language, -an indescribable uneasiness, shedding of tears, a sensation of fear -and dread; then the body feels lighter than usual—an idea exists that -flying will not only be easy, but a source of pleasure.</p> - -<p>The Wild Dagga (<i>Leonotis leonurus</i>, <i>R. Br.</i>) grows wild on the sandy -Cape flats. It has a peculiar scent, and a nauseous taste, and seems -to produce narcotic effects if incautiously used. The Hottentots are -particularly fond of it, and smoke it as tobacco. In the eastern -districts of the Cape, an allied species (<i>Leonotis ovata</i>) has a -similar reputation, and is used for a like purpose.</p> - -<p>In the Mauritius the leaves of the <i>Culen</i> (<i>Psoralea glandulosa</i>) are -dried and smoked, while on the western coast of South America they are -used in decoction as a beverage, instead of tea.</p> - -<p>In Asia, tobacco substitutes have but one or two<span class="pagenum" id="Page_111">111</span> representatives. -One of these has been already alluded to, another consists of the -long leaves of a species of <i>Tupistra</i>, called “Purphiok,” which are -gathered in Sikkim, chopped up, and mixed with tobacco for the hookah. -The leaves of the water-lily are dried, and used in China to mix with -tobacco for smoking, to render it milder.</p> - -<p>Cigars of stramonium, henbane, and belladonna, may be purchased at -the same rate as those made of genuine tobacco, in chemists’ and -herbalists’ shops—never having tried them, we have no experience of -their flavour.</p> - -<p>The majority of the substitutes for tobacco are, after all, very poor -pretenders—capable, perhaps, of raising a smoke, but possessed of -neither aromatic nor stimulating properties; and those which contain -any active properties at all, are of a character so dangerous, as to -make their extensive use extremely hazardous. In the former class, we -may rank coltsfoot, sage, milfoil, rhubarb, and bogbean; and in the -latter, stramonium, henbane, bella-donna, arnica, and lobelia. Those -who have been long accustomed to the use of tobacco, seldom, except in -times of scarcity or deprivation of that plant, resort to the use of -any other. This is the case at home. In the Cape Colony, the united -testimony of travellers proves that the Kaffirs are ready to make <i>any</i> -sacrifices for tobacco, and prefer it to any of their own indigenous -substitutes.</p> - -<p>When the tobacco has been found to be too strong, incipient smokers -have been known to counteract its effects, and lessen its power, by -mixing therewith the flowers of chamomile, which once enjoyed great -reputation as a useful medicine. Others, in the absence of tobacco, -have resorted to brown paper or tow, which, being smoked through an -old or foul pipe, is said to carry with its smoke<span class="pagenum" id="Page_112">112</span> some of the tobacco -flavour, and to be infinitely better than no smoke at all. Juveniles -will sometimes, with a piece of cane, or a strip of clematis, imitate -their elders, and, in imagination, enjoy the luxury of an Havannah -cigar.</p> - -<p>A curious anecdote of a Buckinghamshire parson occurs in “Lilly’s -History of his Life and Times,” to which we have before referred. “In -this year, also, William Breedon, parson or vicar of Thornton in Bucks, -was living, a profound divine, but absolutely the most polite parson -for nativities in that age, strictly adhering to Ptolemy, which he -well understood; he had a hand in composing Sir Christopher Heydon’s -‘Defence of Judicial Astrology,’ being at that time his chaplain; he -was so given over to tobacco and drink, that when he had no tobacco -(and I suppose too much drink) he would cut the bell-ropes and <i>smoke</i> -them.”</p> - -<p>Having unmasked the “race of pretenders,” and shown the titles upon -which they seek to establish their claims, with Charles Lamb we now bid -farewell to Tobacco.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“For I must, (nor let it grieve thee,</div> - <div class="verse">Friendliest of plants, that I must) leave thee;</div> - <div class="verse">For thy sake, Tobacco, I</div> - <div class="verse">Would do anything but die;</div> - <div class="verse">And but seek to extend my days</div> - <div class="verse">Long enough to sing thy praise.</div> - <div class="verse">But as she, who once hath been</div> - <div class="verse">A king’s consort, is a queen</div> - <div class="verse">Ever after, nor will bate</div> - <div class="verse">Any tittle of her state,</div> - <div class="verse">Though a widow, or divorced,</div> - <div class="verse">So I, from thy converse forced,</div> - <div class="verse">The old name and style retain,</div> - <div class="verse">A right Katherine of Spain;</div> - <div class="verse">And a seat, too, ’mongst the joys</div> - <div class="verse">Of the blest Tobacco boys;</div> - <div class="verse">Where, though I, by sour physician,</div> - <div class="verse">Am debarred the full fruition<span class="pagenum" id="Page_113">113</span></div> - <div class="verse">Of thy favours, I may catch</div> - <div class="verse">Some collateral sweets, and snatch</div> - <div class="verse">Sidelong odours, that give life,</div> - <div class="verse">Like glances from a neighbour’s wife;</div> - <div class="verse">And still live in the by-places,</div> - <div class="verse">And the suburbs of thy graces;</div> - <div class="verse">And in thy borders take delight,</div> - <div class="verse">An unconquered Canaanite.”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/i_p112b.jpg" alt="Mountain Scenery" /> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_114">114</span></p> - - - - -<h2 id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX.<br /> - -<small><em class="gesperrt">“MASH ALLAH!”—THE GIFT</em>.</small></h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“Farewell ye odours of earth that die,</div> - <div class="verse indent4">Passing away like a lover’s sigh;</div> - <div class="verse">My feast is now of the Tooba tree,<a id="FNanchor_19_19" href="#Footnote_19_19" class="fnanchor">19</a></div> - <div class="verse indent4">Whose scent is the breath of eternity.”</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse"><span class="smcap">Moore’s</span><i>Lalla Rookh</i>.</div> -</div></div></div> - - -<p>That opium is the milky juice of the capsules of a species of poppy, -evaporated by exposure to light and air, is a fact so well known, as -scarce to require repetition. This species of poppy contains two well -marked varieties, the <i>black</i> and the <i>white</i>, a circumstance noticed -by Hippocrates long enough ago. The black variety derives its name from -the colour of its seeds. The original home of the poppy is Asia and -Egypt. But it is extensively cultivated for the sake of its juice in -British India, Persia, Egypt, and Asia Minor, and might be cultivated, -were it more remunerative, in England, France, and Germany, where good -samples of opium have been obtained experimentally. Dr. Royle states -that the black variety is cultivated in the Himalayas, but generally -the white is<span class="pagenum" id="Page_115">115</span> preferred. The poppy is grown in Europe for the sake of -the capsules and seed: from the latter a mild oil is extracted.</p> - -<p>The cultivation of the poppy in British India is confined chiefly to -the large Gangetic tract, about six hundred miles in length, and two -hundred miles in depth, extending from Goruckpore in the north to -Hazareebaugh in the South; and from Dingepore in the East, to Agra in -the West. This extent of country contains the two agencies of Behar and -Benares, the former sending to the market about treble the quantity of -the latter. In the Benares agency, there are about 21,500 cultivators, -and the total number of under cultivators of the opium poppy 106,147.</p> - -<p>After all the preliminaries of preparing the land, sowing, and -cultivating the plant, all of which are much more interesting to the -parties concerned than ourselves, if all goes well, the whole field of -poppies presents a sheet of white bloom, which generally occurs about -the month of February. When nearly ready to fall, the white petals are -gathered, and made into circular cakes; these are preserved to form -the outer coverings of the balls of opium. In a few days after the -“leaves” of the flower are collected, the capsules or poppy heads are -ready for operation. At from three to four o’clock in the afternoon, -individuals go into the fields and scratch or cut the poppy heads with -iron instruments called “nushturs.” This instrument consists of three -or four thin narrow strips of iron, about six inches in length, and -about the thickness and width of a penknife at one end, but extending -in width to nearly an inch at the opposite extremity, where it is -deeply notched. These plates are bound together by means of thread, -each plate being kept a little distance from its neighbour by means of -thread passed between them. Thus<span class="pagenum" id="Page_116">116</span> completed, it has the appearance of a -scarificator with four parallel blades. This instrument, which has the -angles sharpened, has one of its sets of points drawn down the poppy -capsule from top to bottom, or rather upwards from the base to the -summit, making three or four parallel incisions, corresponding to the -number of blades in the poppy head. These only pass through the outer -coating or pericarp. Each capsule is scarified from two to six times, -according to its size, two or three days intervening between each -operation. In Asia Minor, a different course is pursued. One horizontal -incision is made nearly round the capsule, with a single blade. After -the scarification of the capsules, the juice exudes and thickens on -them during the night, which is collected early the next morning, by -means of little iron instruments called “seetooahs,” and which resemble -small concave trowels. When sufficient is collected into the trowel, it -is emptied into an earthen pot which the collector carries at his side.</p> - -<p>When all the opium is collected which the plants will yield, the -capsules are gathered and broken, and the seed preserved for the -extraction of their oil. Of these seeds comfits are also made -resembling carraway comfits, and, without doubt, great comforts they -are to naked little squalling Hindoos whenever they can be obtained. -After the extraction of the oil, the dry cake, called Khari, is either -made into unleavened cakes for the very indigent, or cattle are fed -upon them, or when necessity requires, it is converted into poultices -after the manner of linseed meal.</p> - -<p>In poor districts, where the people cannot afford the luxury of opium, -the broken capsules are made into a decoction and drank instead, says -Mr. Impey. This liquid is termed “post,” from the Persian name of the -capsule. There is also another<span class="pagenum" id="Page_117">117</span> use for the capsules. They are ground -into fine powder, and sold under the name of “boosa,” and sprinkled -over the <i>buttees</i> of opium to prevent their adhesion. In the Benares -agency, the stems and leaves, when perfectly dry, are collected and -crushed into a coarse powder called “poppy trash” which is employed in -packing the opium cakes.</p> - -<p>One acre of well-cultivated ground will yield from 70 to 100 lbs. -of “chick” or inspissated juice, the price of which varies from six -shillings to twelve shillings per pound; so that an acre will yield -from twenty to sixty pounds worth of opium at one crop. Three pounds of -chick will produce one pound of opium, from a third to a fifth of the -weight being lost in evaporation.</p> - -<p>When freshly collected, the mass of juice is of a pinkish colour. This -is placed in shallow vessels to drain. A coffee-coloured liquid, called -“<i>pussewah</i>,” is drained off, which is used to cement the poppy-leaves -round the cakes of opium, under the name of <i>lewah</i>. After exposure -to the air in the Benares agency, the opium is made up into balls. In -Turkey it is the custom to beat up the juice with saliva. In Malwa it -is immersed as collected in linseed oil. In Benares it is brought to -the required consistence by exposure in the shade only.</p> - -<p>Opium is prepared in different forms, in the various localities for -market. Bengal opium is made into balls of about 3½ lbs. weight, and -packed in chests, each containing forty balls. They are about the size -of a child’s head, coated externally with poppy petals, agglutinated -with <i>lewah</i> to the thickness of about half an inch. Garden Patna -opium is in square cakes, about three inches in diameter, and one -inch thick, wrapped in thin plates of mica. Malwa opium is in round -flattened cakes, of about ten ounces in weight, packed<span class="pagenum" id="Page_118">118</span> in “boosa,” -or in coarsely-powdered poppy-petals, or in some instances without -any coating at all. Cutch opium is in small cakes, rather more than -an inch in diameter, enclosed in fragments of leaves. Kandeish opium -is imported in round flattened cakes, of about half a pound weight. -Egyptian opium occurs in round flattened cakes, about three inches -in diameter, covered with the vestiges of some leaf. This kind is -very dry, but it is considered inferior in quality to the Turkish -kinds. Persian opium is in the form of sticks, about six inches in -length, and half an inch in diameter, enveloped in smooth shining -paper, and tied with cotton. Smyrna opium occurs in regular rounded -or flattened masses, of various sizes, rarely exceeding two pounds -in weight, sometimes covered with the capsules of a species of dock. -Constantinople opium is either in large irregular cakes, or small, -regular, lenticular-formed cakes, covered with poppy-leaf, and from two -to two and a half inches in diameter.</p> - -<p>Formerly the balls of Bengal opium were covered with tobacco-leaves; -but Mr. Flemming introduced the practice of covering them with -poppy-petals, which service the Court of Directors of the East India -Company acknowledged by presenting him with 50,000 rupees. Sometimes -these balls are so soft as to burst their skins, when much of the -liquid opium is lost. The quantity of opium produced annually in Bengal -exceeds five millions of pounds, and the income derived by the Hon. -East India Company from this source is not less than £5,003,162.</p> - -<p>The kinds of opium most approved in the English market is the Smyrna, -and in China and the East generally, the preference is given to -the produce of India. Before used by the opium-smoker, the extract -undergoes a course of preparation, the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_119">119</span> following being the method -pursued in Singapore, as described by Mr. Little.</p> - -<p>Between three and four o’clock in the morning the fires are lighted. -A chest is then opened by one of the officers of the establishment of -the opium farmer, and the number of balls delivered to the workmen -proportioned to the demand. The balls are then divided into equal -halves by one man, who scoops out with his fingers the inside or -soft part, and throws it into an earthen dish, frequently during the -operation moistening and washing his hands in another vessel, the -water of which is carefully preserved. When all the soft part is -carefully abstracted from the hardened skins or husks, these are broken -up, split, divided, and torn, and thrown into the earthen vessel, -containing the water already spoken of, saving the extreme outsides, -which are not mixed with the others, but thrown away, or sometimes sold -to adulterate chandu in Johore and the back of the island.</p> - -<p>The second operation is to boil the husks with a sufficient quantity -of water in a large, shallow, iron pot, for such a length of time as -may be requisite to break down thoroughly the husks, and dissolve -the opium. This is then strained through folds of China-paper, laid -on a frame of basket-work, and over the paper is placed a cloth. The -strained fluid is then mixed with the opium scooped out in the first -operation, and placed in a large iron pot, when it is boiled down to -the consistence of thickish treacle. In this second operation, the -refuse from the straining of the boiled husk is again boiled in water, -filtered through paper, and the filtered fluid added to the mass, to -be made into chandu. The refuse is thrown outside, and little attended -to. It is dried and sold to the Chinese going to China for from ten to -seventeen<span class="pagenum" id="Page_120">120</span> shillings the hundredweight, who pound it, and adulterate -good opium with it. The paper that has been used in straining contains -a small quantity of opium, it is carefully dried and used medicinally -by the Chinese.</p> - -<p>In the third operation, the dissolved opium being reduced to the -consistence of treacle, is seethed over a fire of charcoal, of a strong -and steady, but not fierce temperature, during which time it is most -carefully worked, then spread out, then worked up again and again by -the superintending workman, so as to expel the water, and, at the same -time, avoid burning it. When it is brought to the proper consistence, -it is divided into half-a-dozen lots, each of which is spread like -a plaister on a nearly flat iron pot, to the depth of from half to -three-quarters of an inch, and then scored in all manner of directions -to allow the heat to be applied equally to every part. One pot after -another is then placed over the fire, turned rapidly round, then -reversed, so as to expose the opium itself to the full heat of the red -fire. This is repeated three times, the length of time requisite, and -the proper heat are judged of by the workman, from the effluvium and -the colour, and here the greatest dexterity is requisite, for a little -more fire, or a little less would destroy the morning’s work, or eighty -or a hundred pounds’ worth of opium. The head workmen are men who have -learned their trade in China, and from their great experience, receive -high wages.</p> - -<p>The fourth operation consists in again dissolving this fired opium in -a large quantity of water, and boiling it in copper vessels till it is -reduced to the consistence of the chandu used in the shops. The degree -of tenacity being the index of its complete preparation, which is -judged of by drawing it out with slips of bamboo.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_121">121</span></p> - -<p>By this long process, many of the impurities in the opium are got rid -of, and are left in the refuse thrown out, such as vegetable matter, -part of the resin and oil, with the extractive matter. By the seething -process, the oil and resin are almost entirely dissipated, so that the -chandu, as compared with the crude opium, is less irritating and more -soporific. The quantity of chandu obtained from the soft opium is about -seventy-five per cent., but from the opium, including the husk, not -more than 50 to 54 per cent.</p> - -<p>The heat to be endured by the men during this operation is very great, -and can only be tolerated when custom has inured them to it. One of -these men, Mr. Little graphically describes. He was quite a character -in his way. “From three in the morning till ten in the forenoon he -stands before the boiling cauldron, with a fan in one hand, and a -feather in the other; with the latter he scoops off the scum that -forms, while, with the fan, he prevents the fluid from boiling over. He -never speaks, but is always smiling; nor does he move, except to quench -his thirst, from a bucket of water placed beside him. His trowsers are -his only article of dress, the floor his bed, a little rice his food. -When his labour is finished, his enjoyment is to drink arrack till he -is insensible, from which he is wakened in the morning to his work. He -has but one idea, and that is, the prospect of getting drunk on his -favourite beverage; for his work is mechanically done, and costs him -not a thought, no more than it does the dog that turns the spit. But -he smiles, as he thinks of the revel for the night; and with his whole -soul wrapped up in that fancied bliss, he heeds not the days that go -by. He is a singular being, and in another country, would be the inmate -of a mad-house.”</p> - -<p>The method of preparation in China and Hong-Kong,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_122">122</span> is identical with -that pursued at Singapore. When the chandu or prepared extract of opium -is consumed, it leaves a refuse consisting of charcoal, empyreumatic -oil, some of the salts of the opium, and part of the chandu not -consumed. One ounce of the chandu gives nearly half an ounce of the -refuse called <i>Tye</i> or <i>Tinco</i>. This is smoked or swallowed by the -poorer classes, who cannot afford the pure extract, and for this they -only pay half the price of chandu. When smoked, it yields a further -refuse called <i>Samshing</i>, which contains a very small quantity of the -narcotic principle. This last is never smoked, as it cannot furnish -any smoke, but is swallowed, and that not unfrequently mixed with -arrack. Samshing is used by the very poorest and most indigent class—by -beggars and outcasts, and those who, from long habit, are unable to -exist without some stimulus from the drug, but are unable to supply -themselves with any but the cheapest form in which any of the effects -of the narcotic can be obtained.</p> - -<p>Opium is called in Arabic “Afiyoon,” and the opium-eater “Afiyoonee.” -In the crude state, opium is generally taken by those who have not long -been addicted to its use, in the dose of three or four grains, and the -dose is increased by degrees.</p> - -<p>The Egyptians make several conserves composed of hellebore, hemp, and -opium, and several aromatic drugs which are in much more common use -than the simple opium. One of these conserves is called “magoon,” and -the person who makes or sells it, is called “magoongee.” The most -common kind is called “barsh” or “berch.” There is one kind which, -it is said, makes the person who takes it manifest his pleasure by -singing, another which will make him chatter, a third which excites to -dance, a fourth which particularly effects the vision in a pleasurable -manner,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_123">123</span> and a fifth which is simply of a sedative nature. These are -sold at certain kind of shops called “mahsheshehs,” solely appropriated -to the sale of intoxicating preparations.</p> - -<p>Thus, in different countries, we find opium used in different ways. -In Great Britain, for instance, it is either used in the solid state, -made into pills, in which form it is somewhat extensively employed in -certain of our manufacturing districts, where druggists are affirmed -to keep a supply of these pills ready made to meet the demand, or it -is used in the form of tincture in the common state of laudanum, in -which form it is not only used medicinally, but to our knowledge, -somewhat largely as a means of indulgence, or, we should rather say, -with somewhat of qualification, largely for a country in which many are -fain to suppose that it is not used for those purposes at all. It is -also used in the form of Paregoric elixir, and is given insidiously to -children under a variety of quack forms, such as Godfrey’s cordial, &c. -On the authority of a reverend gentleman, it is stated that in the town -of Preston, in 1843, there were upwards of sixteen hundred families in -which Godfrey’s cordial was habitually employed, or some other equally -injurious compound. Professor Johnston has noticed a communication -which appeared in the “Morning Chronicle,” describing the effects -of opium upon the health of children, says—“The child sinks into a -low torpid state, wastes away into a skeleton, except the stomach, -producing what is known as pot-belly. One woman said, ‘The sleeping -stuff made them that they were always dozing, and never cared for food. -They pined away; their heads got big, and they died.’”</p> - -<p>In India, the pure opium is either dissolved in water, and so used, -or rolled into pills. It is<span class="pagenum" id="Page_124">124</span> there a common practice to give it to -children when very young, by mothers who require to work, and cannot at -the same time nurse their offspring. The natives of the western coast -of Africa have a curious mechanical contrivance, by means of which they -get rid of the necessity for opium in these cases. The girls wear a -“kankey,” or artificial hump on their backs as soon as they can walk, -in order to learn betimes to carry their juniors, who ride astride on -the said projections. The usefulness of them consists in enabling the -mothers to work with their infants in this way <i>on their backs</i>, while -in England they excuse themselves from work on the plea of an infant -<i>in arms</i>, or else the helpless little creatures are drugged with -sleeping stuff, and their heads grow big, and they die.</p> - -<p>In China, opium is either swallowed or smoked in the shape of <i>Tye</i>. In -Bally it is first adulterated with China paper, and then rolled up with -the fibres of a particular kind of plantain. It is then inserted into a -hole made at the end of a small bamboo and smoked. In Java and Sumatra -it is often mixed with sugar and the ripe fruit of the plantain. -In Turkey it is usually taken in pills, and those who do so, avoid -drinking any water after having swallowed them, as this is said to -produce violent colic; but to make it more palatable, it is sometimes -mixed with syrups or thickened juice; in this form, however, it is less -intoxicating, and resembles mead. It is then taken with a spoon, or is -dried in small cakes, with the words “Mash Allah,” the “Work of God,” -or the “Gift of God” imprinted on them. When the dose of two or three -drams a day no longer produces the beatific intoxication so eagerly -sought, they mix corrosive sublimate with the opium till the quantity -reaches ten grains a day.</p> - -<p>In Singapore there are representatives of almost<span class="pagenum" id="Page_125">125</span> every Eastern nation, -indulging in the luxury according to the fashion of the country of -which he is a native. The Hindoo, fresh from the continent, prefers -the mode there in use, and swallows the soul-soothing pill; while the -Chinese, with a gusto which no worshipper of the meerschaum can compete -with, inhales the smoke, not only into his mouth, but into his lungs, -where it becomes breath of his breath, and where retained, it acts on -the nervous fibres that are spread over the extensive membrane which -lines every cell of the lungs until exhaled through nose and mouth—yea, -even in some cases, through ear and eye, it is replaced by another puff.</p> - -<p>As the body becomes accustomed by habit to bear larger doses of opium -than before the habit has been formed, the enormous quantity which -some persons have taken are startling and surprising. Dr. Christison, -in his work on Poisons, refers to some of these cases.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_126">126</span> “A female who -died of consumption at the age of forty-two, had taken about a dram of -solid opium daily for ten years. A well-known literary character, about -fifty years of age, has taken laudanum for twenty-five years, with -occasional short intermissions, and sometimes an enormous quantity, but -enjoys tolerable bodily health. A lady about fifty-five, who enjoys -good health, has taken opium many years, and at present uses three -ounces of laudanum daily. Lord Mar, after using laudanum for thirty -years, at times to the amount of two or three ounces daily, died at -the age of fifty-seven, of jaundice and dropsy. A woman who had been -in the practice of taking about two ounces of laudanum daily for very -many years, died at the age of sixty or upwards. An eminent literary -character who died lately, about the age of sixty-three, was in the -practice of drinking laudanum to excess from the age of fifteen, and -his daily allowance was sometimes a quart of a mixture consisting of -three parts laudanum and one of alcohol. A lady now alive, at the age -of seventy-four, has taken laudanum in the quantity of half an ounce -daily between thirty and forty years. An old woman died not long ago -at Leith at the age of eighty, who had taken about half an ounce of -laudanum daily for nearly forty years, and enjoyed tolerable health -all the time. Visrajee, a celebrated Cutchee chief mentioned by Dr. -Burnes, had taken opium largely all his life, and was alive at the age -of eighty, with his mind unimpaired.” To these examples we may add -the confession of De Quincey:<span class="pagenum" id="Page_127">127</span> “I, who have taken happiness both in a -solid and a liquid shape, both boiled and unboiled, both East Indian -and Turkish—who have conducted my experiments upon this interesting -subject with a sort of galvanic battery, and have, for the general -benefit of the world, inoculated myself, as it were, with the poison -of eight thousand drops of laudanum a day—I, it will be admitted, must -surely now know what happiness is, if anybody does. Fifty and two -years’ experience of opium, as a magical resource under all modes of -bodily suffering, I may now claim to have had. According to the modern -slang phrase, I had, in the meridian stage of my opium career, used -‘fabulous’ quantities. Stating the quantities—not in solid opium, but -in the tincture (known to everybody as laudanum)—my daily ration was -eight thousand drops. If you write down that amount in the ordinary -way as 8000, you see at a glance that you may read it into eight -quantities of a thousand, or into eight hundred quantities of ten; or, -lastly, into eighty quantities of one hundred. Now, a single quantity -of one hundred will about fill a very old-fashioned obsolete teaspoon, -of that order which you find still lingering amongst the respectable -poor. Eighty such quantities, therefore, would have filled eighty -of such antediluvian spoons, that is, it would have been the common -hospital dose for three hundred and twenty adult patients.” And he adds -solemnly, that “without opium, thirty-five years ago, beyond all doubt, -I should have been in my grave.”</p> - -<p>It is not a very easy task to ascertain the full extent of opium -indulgence at home; but there is more of truth than fiction in that -passage in “Alton Locke,” where the hero, on his way to Cambridge, -meets with a ride in the vehicle of a certain yeoman of the Fen -country, and enters into conversation with him, in the course of which -the following dialogue takes place.</p> - -<p>“Love ye, then! they as dinnot tak’ spirits down thor, tak’ their -pennord o’ elevation, then—women folk especial.”</p> - -<p>“What’s elevation?”</p> - -<p>“Oh! ho! ho! Yow goo into druggist’s shop o’ market day, into -Cambridge, and you’ll see the little boxes, doozens and doozens, a’ -ready on the counter; and never a ven-man’s wife goo by, but what calls -in for her pennord o’ elevation, to last her out the week. Oh! ho! ho! -Well, it keeps women folk quiet, it do; and it’s mortal good agin ago -pains.”</p> - -<p>“But what is it?”</p> - -<p>“Opium, bor’ alive, opium!”</p> - -<p>“But doesn’t it ruin their health? I should think it the very worst -sort of drunkenness.”</p> - -<p>“Ow, well, yow moi say that—mak’th ‘em cruel thin, then, it do; but -what can bodies do i’ th’ ago? But it’s a bad thing, it is.”</p> - -<p>The fact is well known, that in the Fen country, opium is extensively -used under the presumption or excuse that it is good for the ague. In -Wisbeach, as we ascertained from certain official<span class="pagenum" id="Page_128">128</span> medical documents, -more opium is sold and consumed, in proportion to the population, than -in any other part of the kingdom. In other parts of Cambridgeshire and -Lincolnshire, large quantities of opium are regularly and habitually -sold in small doses amongst the labouring population. In Manchester -some years ago, a similar run upon opium was experienced, but <i>not</i> as -a cure for ague. Several cotton manufacturers stated to our authority, -that their work-people were rapidly getting into the practice of -opium-eating; so much so, that on a Saturday afternoon the counters of -the druggists were strewed with pills of one, two, or three grains, in -preparation for the known demand of the evening. The immediate occasion -of this practice was stated to be the lowness of wages, which, at that -time, would not allow them to indulge in ale or spirits; hence they -adopted opium as a substitute.</p> - -<p>There was a sin of which we were guilty in the age of Butler, and from -which we are not yet freed; probably, it is somewhat of a universal -one. Whether or no, there are certainly not a few who—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“Compound for sins they are inclined to,</div> - <div class="verse">By damning those they have no mind to.”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>Opium indulgence is, after all, very un-English, and never has been, -nor ever will be, remarkably popular; and if we smoke our pipes -of tobacco ourselves, while in the midst of the clouds, we cannot -forbear expressing our astonishment at the Chinese and others who -indulge in opium. Pity them we may, perhaps, looking upon them as -miserable wretches the while, but they do not obtain our sympathies. -Philanthropists at crowded assemblies denounce, in no measured -terms, “the iniquities of the opium trade,” and then go home to -their pipe or cigar, thinking them perfectly<span class="pagenum" id="Page_129">129</span> legitimate, whether -the produce of slave labour or free. It is the same sort of feeling -that the Hashasheens of the East inspire, and indeed all, who have a -predilection for other narcotics than those which Johnny Englishman -delights in, come in for a share of his contempt.</p> - -<p>A carrion crow was once indulging in a feast upon the carcase of a -nice fat rat which had just been caught in a neighbouring barn and -thrown out into the road. A wood pigeon, who had finished his meal -in a field of peas hard by, came past at the time and saw his friend -the crow in full enjoyment of his rat. “I cannot imagine,” said the -pigeon, “how you can eat such a disgusting creature as that on which -you are making your breakfast—the sight of it turns my stomach.” “It is -quite a matter of taste,” said the crow, “and I think that I have the -advantage, my food is juicy and sweet, this rat has lived upon the best -of the farmer’s corn, and the farmer would enjoy the treat himself, -I am confident, if he only knew what a delicious breakfast it would -make. You should be welcome to an acre of peas every day, if you would -bring me such a dish as this. Besides, if I did not eat it, it would -soon putrefy, and fill the air with disgusting smells, so that I am, -in myself, a perfect board of health, working for the good of society, -you, no better than a vagabond, stealing from society your daily -bread.” “I have heard it said,” added the pigeon, “that it was you and -your companions that destroyed a whole field of turnips in grubbing -after the worms—I suppose that was a benefit to society.” “Go and eat -your peas,” said the crow, “and leave me to enjoy my rat in peace.”</p> - -<p>Calculations as to the number of persons indulging in the use of opium -are necessarily liable to objections; one person asserting that in -China, for<span class="pagenum" id="Page_130">130</span> instance, not less than twenty millions of people indulge -in opium, whilst others consider that two millions and a half are all -that can be calculated upon. The number which Johnston estimates as -the proportion of the human race using opium is four hundred millions, -or about half the number of those who indulge in tobacco. This is, -perhaps, as near an approximation as can be made, but one which must be -based on the quantity produced, deducing therefrom the number required -to consume it, rather than on any details of consumption, which cannot -be arrived at.</p> - -<p>There is one important and well-authenticated fact with regard to the -Chinese consumption of opium, that in the year 1854, the value of opium -imported into China exceeded the value of all the tea and silk exported -from China to Great Britain and her colonies.</p> - -<p>As we take farewell of the “gift of God” to pass through the portals -of Paradise, let us do so in the words of that most celebrated of -English opium eaters, Thomas de Quincey:——“O just, subtle, and -all-conquering opium! that, to the hearts of rich and poor alike, for -the wounds that will never heal, and for the pangs of grief that ‘tempt -the spirit to rebel,’ bringest an assuaging balm; eloquent opium! that -with thy potent rhetoric stealest away the purposes of wrath, pleadest -effectually for relenting pity, and through one night’s heavenly -sleep, callest back to the guilty man the visions of his infancy, -and hands washed pure from blood. O just and righteous opium! that -to the chancery of dreams, summonest for the triumphs of despairing -innocence, false witnesses, and confoundest perjury, and dost reverse -the sentences of unrighteous judges; thou buildest upon the bosom -of darkness, out of the fantastic imagery of the brain, cities and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_131">131</span> -temples, beyond the art of Phidias and Praxiteles—beyond the splendours -of Babylon and Hekatompylos; and from the ‘anarchy of dreaming sleep,’ -callest into sunny light the faces of long-buried beauties, and the -blessed household countenances, cleansed from the ‘dishonours of the -grave.’ Thou only givest these gifts to man, and thou hast the keys of -Paradise, O just, subtle, and mighty opium!”</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_132">132</span></p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X.</a><br /> - -<small>THE GATES OF PARADISE.</small></h2> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“Thou only givest these gifts to man; and thou hast the keys of -Paradise, O just, subtle, and mighty opium.”——<i>Confessions of an -Opium-Eater.</i></p></blockquote> - - -<p>According to the common opinion of the Arabs, there are seven heavens, -one above another. The upper surface of each is believed to be nearly -plane, and generally supposed to be circular, five hundred years’ -journey in width. The first is described to be formed of emerald; the -second of white silver; the third of large white pearls; the fourth -of ruby; the fifth of red gold; the sixth of yellow jacinth; and the -seventh of shining light. Some assert Paradise to be in the seventh -heaven; others state that above the seventh heaven are seven seas of -light, then an undefined number of veils, or separations, of different -substances, seven of each kind, and then Paradise, which consists of -seven stages, one above another. The first is the mansion of glory, of -white pearls; the second, the mansion of peace, of ruby; the third, -the garden of rest, of green chrysolite; the fourth, the garden of -eternity, of green coral; the fifth, garden of delight, of white<span class="pagenum" id="Page_133">133</span> -silver; the sixth, the garden of Paradise, of red gold; the seventh, -the garden of perpetual abode or Eden, of large pearls—this overlooking -all the former, and canopied by the throne of the Compassionate.</p> - -<p>The most direct road and speediest conveyance to Paradise, according to -the testimony of all confirmed opiophagi, is by means of that subtle -drug, opium. The most common form in which it is taken is that of -vapour, inhaled through a peculiarly-constructed pipe. Those used by -the Siamese resemble in form the common narghilè, or hubble-bubble of -the Levant. They consist of an empty cocoa-nut shell, in an orifice -in the top of which a hollow wooden tube is inserted, and the opening -hermetically closed, so as to prevent the escape of either air or -smoke. In another hole in the side of the cocoa-nut shell, a common -little bamboo tube, about eighteen inches long, is tightly fixed; a -little earthen bowl, perforated at the bottom like a sieve, is filled -with opium, and one or two pieces of fire being placed thereon, this -bowl is fitted on the top of the wooden tube. The man who hands round -this pipe holds with one hand the bottom of the cocoa-nut (which is -half full of water), and with the other hand he presents the bamboo -tube to the smoker, who, putting it to his mouth, inhales three or -four whiffs of this most intoxicating narcotic. The effect is almost -instantaneous. He sinks gently against the cushion set at his back, and -becomes insensible to what is passing around. The pipe is passed round -from mouth to mouth, so that half an hour generally intervenes between -the first whiff taken by the first smoker, and the last sigh heaved by -the last man, as he revives from his short, pleasant dream, into which -the whiffing has thrown him. One old and inveterate Siamese smoker -declared to a recent resident among them, that if he knew his life<span class="pagenum" id="Page_134">134</span> -would be forfeited by the act, he could no more resist the temptation -than he could curb a fiery steed by a thread bridle. It carried him -into the seventh heaven—he heard and saw things no tongue could utter, -and felt as though his soul soared so high above things earthly, during -those precious moments of oblivion, as to have flown beyond the reach -of its heavy, burthensome cage.</p> - -<p>Opium smoking is not generally conducted on a plan so social. The -Siamese may be considered as an exception to the general rule. The -method pursued at Hong-Kong, of which we have received an account from -a competent authority, is more a type of the opium-smoker in general, -and the method he pursues.</p> - -<p>In a reclining position, on boards placed on tressels, ranged around -long, disgustingly dirty rooms, may be seen, at all hours of the day, -haggard beggars, with putrefying sores, whose miserable feelings of -desperation and woe drive them here to obtain a partial alleviation, -by steeping their senses in forgetfulness. The stem of the pipe used -for smoking is made of hard wood, and would be taken for an English -paper-ruler, about eighteen inches long, and an inch in diameter. The -earthenware bowl or head screws on and off, at about three inches from -the end. An assistant of the divan, sitting in a corner of the room, is -constantly engaged in scraping and cleaning these heads, which, from -the small size of the hole through which the opium is inhaled (about -the size of a pin’s head), are apt to get clogged. The quantity of -opium intended to be smoked, varying at a time from twenty to a hundred -grains, is dipped carefully out of small gallipots, laid on a leaf, and -charged for at the rate of a dollar per ounce. The opium is used by -dipping into it the pointed end of a small wire, which is then applied<span class="pagenum" id="Page_135">135</span> -to the flame of a lamp. In ignition it inflates into a bubble, and is -then, with a dexterity obtained only by constant practice, rolled on -the pipe head until it assumes the shape and size of a small orange-pip -cut in half, and of the hardness of wax. It is then placed over the -orifice in the head of the pipe, like a small chimney, through which -the flame of the lamp is drawn into the bowl, converting the opium, in -its passage, into a blue smoke, which is inspired by long continuous -whiffs, and without removal of the pipe from the mouth, respired -through the nostrils. Two or three pipes may be taken by persons -unaccustomed to the habit without leaving any other unpleasant feeling -than a harshness in the throat. There are in Hong-Kong ten regular -licensed divans for the smoking of opium, and nearly all these are in -the Chinese portion of the town.</p> - -<p>This picture would, however, be incomplete, without a few more -particulars concerning the individuals who give themselves up to -indulgence in the drug. And for this we must again seek the aid of -an experienced medical man, who for years lived and laboured in the -midst of opium smokers. “Nothing on earth,” he states, “can equal -the apparent quiet enjoyment of the opium smoker. As he enters the -miserable scene of his future ecstasy, he collects his small change, -the labour, or begging, or theft of the day, with which he supplies -himself with his quantity of Chandu; then taking the pipe, which is -furnished gratis, he reclines on a board covered with a mat, and with -his head resting on a wooden or bamboo pillow, he commences filling -his pipe. As he entered, his looks were the picture of misery, his -eyes were sunk, his gait slouched, his step trembling, and his voice -quivering, with a sallow cast of countenance, and a dull unimpressive -eye. He<span class="pagenum" id="Page_136">136</span> who runs might read that he is an opium-smoker, and, diving -still deeper below appearances, would declare him an opium sufferer. -But now with pipe in hand, opium by his side, and a lamp before him, -his eye already glistens, and his features soften in their expression, -while he is preparing the coming luxury. At last it is ready, and -the pipe being applied to the lamp, there is heard a soughing noise, -as with a full and hearty pull, he draws in all that opium and air -can give. Slowly is the inspiration relaxed, but not until all the -opium that is in the pipe is consumed; then, allowing the vapour, -impregnated with the narcotic influence, to remain in his chest until -nature compels him to respire, he gently allows it to escape, seeming -to grudge the loss of each successive exit, until all is gone, when -exhausted and soothed—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“‘Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch</div> - <div class="verse">About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams,’</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>he withdraws the pipe, reclines his head, and gives himself up to -the first calming effect of the drug. His next attempt confirms the -comfort, and now no longer does he complain of racking limbs or -aching bones; no longer does the rheum run from his eyes, and relaxed -is the tightness of the chest, as he dwells with fond affection on -the inspiring pipe. His second pipe being finished, he can now look -round, and has time to gaze on what is going on; but his soul is -still wrapped in the bliss that is anticipated from what remains of -his allowance, for not until a third or fourth whiff do the feelings -of positive pleasure arise. Then is felt a lightness of the head, a -tingling in every limb—the eyes seem to be enlarged, and the ears -sharpened to hearing, an elasticity, an inclination to mount on high is -experienced—all pains are gone, and pleasure now<span class="pagenum" id="Page_137">137</span> remains—all weariness -has left, and freshness takes its place. The loathing of food that was -lately experienced is changed to a relish for what is piquant, and a -great desire is frequently felt for some particular food. The tongue -is now loosened, and tells its tale. For whatever is secret becomes -open, and what was intended for one becomes known to all. Still there -is no excitement, but a calmness, soft, soothing, and sedative. He -dreams no dreams, nor thinks of the morrow but with a smile in his -eye; he fills his pipe with the last of his allowance; slowly inhaling -it, he seems to brighten up. The smile that was sparkling in his eye, -extends to other features, and his appearance is one of complete, yet -placid enjoyment. Presently the pipe is slowly displaced, or drops -by his side; his head, if raised, is now laid on the pillow—feature -after feature gives up its smile—the eye becomes glazed—now droops -the upper eyelid, and falls the chin with the lower lip, deeper and -deeper inspirations follow—all perception is gone; objects may strike -the eye, but no sights are seen; sounds may fall on the ear, but no -sensations are excited. So he passes into sleep, disturbed and broken, -from which the wretched being awakes to a full conception of his -misery. ‘To sleep, perchance to dream!’—and what dreams!—what ecstatic -delights!—what ravishments!—what illusions!</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent22">“‘Things</div> - <div class="verse">Seen for the first time, and things, long ago</div> - <div class="verse">Seen, which he ne’er again shall see, do blend</div> - <div class="verse">Strangely and brokenly with ghastly things</div> - <div class="verse">Such as we hear in childhood, scorn in youth,</div> - <div class="verse">And doubt in manhood, save when seen.’”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>In the narrative of the voyage of H.M.S.<i>Samarang</i>, Mr. A. Adams -informs us, that in a large<span class="pagenum" id="Page_138">138</span> caravansary belonging to the Malay village -near Singapore, he had an opportunity of observing the effects of -opium on the physical aspect of the Malay. One of these was a feeble, -worn out old man, with an unearthly brilliancy in his eye. His body -was bent forwards and greatly emaciated—his face was shrunken, wan, -and haggard—his long skinny arm, wasted fingers, and sharp pointed -nails resembled more the claw of some rapacious bird, than the hand -of a lord of the creation—his head was nodding and tremulous—his skin -wrinkled and yellow, and his teeth were a few decayed, pointed, and -black stained fangs. As he was approached, he raised his body from -the mat on which he was reposing. There was something interesting -and at the same time melancholy in the physique of the old man, who -now in rags, appeared from the silver ornaments he wore, and by his -embroidered jacket, to have been formerly a person of some distinction; -but the fascinating influence of the deadly drug had fastened on him, -and a pallet in a caravansary was the reward of self-indulgence. “In my -experience of opium,” says Mr.————, “which has not, however, been very -extensive, I cannot say I have found as much pleasure as the English -opium-eater in his Confessions would lead us to believe fell to his -lot. After three or four Chinese opium pipes, I found my brain very -much unsettled, and teeming with thoughts ill-arranged, and pursuing -each other in wanton dreamy play, without order or connection, the -circulating system being at the time much excited, the frame tremulous, -the eyeballs fixed, and a peculiar and agreeable thrilling sensation -extending along the nerves. The same succession of image crowding upon -image, and thoughts revelling in strange disorder, continues for some -time, during which a person appears to be in the condition of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_139">139</span> the -madman alluded to by Dryden in his play of the ‘Spanish Fryar.’</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent4">“‘He raves, his words are loose,</div> - <div class="verse">As heaps of sand, and scattering wide from sense</div> - <div class="verse">So high he’s mounted on his airy throne,</div> - <div class="verse">That now the wind has got into his head,</div> - <div class="verse">And turned his brains to frenzy.’</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>Unutterable melancholy feelings succeed to this somewhat pleasurable -period of excitement, but a soft languor steals shortly across the -senses, and the half-poisoned individual falls asleep. The next day -there is great nausea and sickness of stomach, headache, and tormenting -thirst, which makes you curse opium, and exclaim, with Shakespeare’s -‘King John,’</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“‘And none of you will bid the winter come</div> -<div class="verse">To thrust his icy fingers in my maw;</div> -<div class="verse">Nor let my kingdom’s rivers take their course</div> -<div class="verse">Thro’ my burnt bosom, nor entreat the North</div> -<div class="verse">To make his bleak winds kiss my parched lips,</div> -<div class="verse">And comfort me with cold.’”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>Dr. Madden tried, experimentally, the effects of opium—he commenced -with a grain, which produced no perceptible effect, to this he -afterwards added another grain. After two hours from commencing the -operation, his spirits became excited. “My faculties,” he writes,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_140">140</span> -“appeared enlarged, everything I looked at seemed increased in volume. -I had no longer the same pleasure when I closed my eyes which I had -when they were open; it appeared to me as if it was only external -objects which were acted on by the imagination, and magnified into -images of pleasure; in short, it was the faint exquisite music of a -dream in a waking moment. I made my way home as fast as possible, -dreading, at every step, that I should commit some extravagance. In -walking, I was hardly sensible of my feet touching the ground—it seemed -as if I slid along the street, impelled by some invisible agent, and -that my blood was composed of some ethereal fluid, which rendered my -body lighter than air. I got to bed the moment I reached home. The -most extraordinary visions of delight filled my brain all night. In -the morning I rose pale and dispirited, my head ached, my body was so -debilitated, that I was obliged to remain on the sofa all day, dearly -paying for my first essay at opium-eating.” Thus far, the opium-eater -and the opium-smoker seem to agree in the principal results from the -use of the drug.</p> - -<p>From the communications of Dr. Medhurst may be learnt many important -facts relative to this habit in China. Day by day, and year by year, -the practice of opium-smoking prevails more and more among this -people, and by and by it will doubtless have a powerful effect upon -the destinies of the country. It is said, that the late Emperor used -the drug; it is certain that most of the government officers do, and -their innumerable attendants are in the same category. Opium is used -as a luxury by all classes, and to a great extent, indeed so great, -that it cannot fail to exhibit its effects speedily upon the mass of -the inhabitants. In rich families, even if the head of the house does -not use the drug, the sons soon learn to use it, and almost all are -exposed to the temptation of employing it, as many of their friends -and acquaintances are in the habit of smoking; and it is considered -a mark of politeness to offer the pipe to a friend or visitor. Many -persons fly to the use of the pipe when they get into trouble, and when -they are afflicted with chronic or painful diseases, sleeplessness, -&c. Several persons who have been attended for malignant tumours -were made victims<span class="pagenum" id="Page_141">141</span> of the drug, by the use of it to appease the pain -and distress they had to endure. The beggars are, to a great extent, -under its influence; but they use the dregs and scrapings only of the -half-consumed drug, which is removed from the pipe-head when it is -cleaned. The most common cause of the Chinese resorting to the use of -the opium-pipe is their not knowing how to employ their leisure hours -when the business of the day is over—there is no periodical literature -to engage their attention. Their families do not present sufficient -attractions to keep them at home, and sauntering about of an evening, -with nothing to employ the mind, they are easily tempted into the opium -shops, where one acquaintance or another is sure to be found, who -invites to the use of the drug.</p> - -<p>Many of the middling classes dissipate their money in this indulgence, -and, among the lower classes, those who indulge in the use of opium -are reduced to abject poverty. Having no property, furniture, or -clothes to dispose of, their wives and children are sold to supply -their ever-increasing appetite for the drug; and when these are gone, -with greatly diminished strength for labour, they can no longer earn -sufficient for their own wants, and are obliged to beg for their daily -bread. As to the supply of opium, they must depend on the scrapings -of other men’s pipes, and as soon as they are unable, by begging, to -obtain the necessaries of life, together with the half-burnt opium, on -which their very life depends, they droop and die by the roadside, and -are buried at the expense of the charitable.</p> - -<p>Two respectable young men, the sons of an officer of high rank, -well informed, having received a good education, accustomed to good -society, and who excited great interest in the minds of those with -whom they came in contact, lately died. So<span class="pagenum" id="Page_142">142</span> inveterate was their habit -of opium-smoking, and so large the quantity necessary to keep up the -stimulus, that their funds were exhausted. Friends assisted them, and -relieved their necessities again and again; but it was impossible to -give them bread and opium too, and they subsequently died, one after -the other, in the most abject and destitute condition.</p> - -<p>At Shanghae, just inside the north gate, in front of a temple, one of -such destitute persons, unable to procure either food or opium, was -lying at the last gasp, while two or three others with drooping heads -were sitting near, who looked as if they would soon be prostrated too. -The next day, the first of the group lay dead and stiff, with a coarse -mat wound round his body for a shroud. The rest were lying down unable -to rise. The third day another was dead, and the remainder nearly so. -Help was vain, and pity was the only feeling that could be indulged.</p> - -<p>It may be judged of the extent of opium-smoking in China from the -reports of the native Teapoas, inclosures in Sir J. Bowring’s Report. -The inhabitants in the Chung-wan (Centre bazaar) are about 5,800. The -number that smoke opium, merely because they like it, are upwards of -2,600. In the Hah-wan (Canton bazaar) there are upwards of 1,200. The -number that smoke opium, merely because they like it, are upwards of -600. At Sheong-wan the number of male residents are 13,000; there are -3,000 opium-smokers. At Tai-ping-shan the number of inhabitants are -5,300 men; of these upwards of 1,200 smoke opium because they like it. -The number of inhabitants in Ting-loong-chow are 2,500; the number of -opium-smokers are reported at 400. Thus, out of 27,800 inhabitants, -7,800 of whom, or 26 per cent., are smokers of opium.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_143">143</span></p> - -<p>Dr. McPherson, in writing of the Shikhs, informs us that most of the -Shirdars are under the influence of spirits or of opium for eighteen -hours out of the twenty-four. Their early use, both of the spirit and -the drug, renders them indispensable through life. If deprived of their -usual dose, the Shikh is one of the most wretched beings imaginable. -Before engaging in any feast, the Shikh takes his opium, by which -he is for a time excited, and this is soon followed by languor and -inactivity. Talking of Runjeet Sing, who was at that time labouring -under paralysis, from which eventually he died, he says he still used -opium, so that little could be expected from remedial means.</p> - -<p>The Shikhs are forbidden the use of tobacco by the tenets of their -religion, but find a ready substitute for it in opium, which is -consumed in great quantities throughout the whole of the Punjaub, as -well as among the protected Shikh states. While under the effects of -this drug, the Shikh is a very different person to the same individual -before he has taken it. In the former instance, he is active and -talkative; in the latter, lazy and stupid.</p> - -<p>It has been imagined that the preparation of opium has an injurious -effect upon those engaged therein; but Dr. Eatwell, of the Benares -Agency, states that, “amongst the thousands of individuals, -cultivators, and <i>employés</i>, with whom the factory is filled during -the receiving and manufacturing seasons, no complaints are ever heard -of any injurious effects resulting from the influence of the drug, -whilst they all remain quite as free from general sickness as persons -unconnected with the general establishment—in fact, if anything, more -so. It occasionally happens that a casual visitor to the factory -complains of giddiness or headache; but the European officers employed -in the department, who pass the greater part of the day with<span class="pagenum" id="Page_144">144</span> the -thermometer between 95° and 105° Fah. amongst tons of the drug, never -experience any bad effects from it. The native purkhea sits usually -from six <span class="smcap lowercase">A.M.</span> to three <span class="smcap lowercase">P.M.</span> daily, with his hand and arm immersed -nearly the whole time in the drug, which he is constantly smelling, -and yet he feels no inconvenience from it. He has informed me, that -at the commencement of the season, he experiences usually a sensation -of numbness in the fingers; but I believe this to be more the result -of fatigue, consequent upon the incessant use of the arm and fingers, -than of any effect of the opium. In the large caking-vats, men are -employed to wade knee-deep through the drug for several hours during -the morning, and they remain standing in it during the greater part of -the rest of the day, serving out the opium by armsful, their bodies -being naked, with the exception of a cloth about the loins. These men -complain of a sensation of drowsiness towards the end of their daily -labours, and declare that they are overpowered early in the evening -by sleep, but they do not complain of the effect as being either -unpleasant or injurious.</p> - -<p>“Infants, of a few months old, may be frequently seen lying on the -opium-besmeared floor, under the vats, in which dangerous position they -are left by their thoughtless mothers; but, strange to say, without -any accident ever occurring. Here are abundant facts to show that the -health of those employed in the opium-factory, and in the manipulation -of the drug, is not exposed to any risk whatever; whilst the impunity -with which the drug is handled by hundreds of individuals, for hours -together, proves that it has no endemic action; for I am inclined -to consider the soporific effect experienced by the vat-treaders as -produced through the lungs, and not through the skin.” This may be -considered, therefore, as setting the question<span class="pagenum" id="Page_145">145</span> entirely at rest, and -demonstrating the fact that the factory labourers are not sufferers.</p> - -<p>According to a Chinese petition presented on one occasion to the -Emperor, it is believed that the English, by introducing opium into -that country, did so as a means of its subjugation, presuming, we may -suppose, that the Celestials were invincible, except by some such -cabalistic means. “In the History of Formosa,” says this document, “we -find the following passage: ‘Opium was first produced in Kaoutsinne, -which by some is said to be the same as Kalapa or Batavia. The natives -of this place were at the first sprightly and active, and, being good -soldiers, were always successful in battle. But the people called -Hung-maou (red-haired) came thither, and having manufactured opium, -seduced some of the natives into the habit of smoking it. From these, -the mania for it spread rapidly through the whole nation; so that in -process of time the natives became feeble and enervated, submitted -to foreign rule, and ultimately were completely subjugated. Now -the English,’ it continues, ‘are of the race of foreigners called -Hung-maou. In introducing opium into this country, their purpose has -been to weaken and enfeeble the Central Empire. If not early aroused to -a sense of our danger, we shall find ourselves, ere long, on the last -step towards ruin.’”</p> - -<p>The degradation or subjugation of the Chinese is much more likely to -be affected by a habit concerning which we hear less, but which is -infinitely more disastrous than the indulgence in opium. This is the -brandy-drinking customs of the north. This horrible drink, distilled -from millet, is the Chinaman’s delight, and he swallows it like -water. Many ruin themselves with brandy, as others do with gaming. -In company, or even alone, they will pass whole days and nights in -drinking<span class="pagenum" id="Page_146">146</span> successive little cups of it, until their intoxication -makes them incapable of carrying the cup to their lips. “Gambling and -drunkenness,” says Abbé Huc, “are the two permanent causes of pauperism -in China.”</p> - -<p>It is unfortunately the custom for the distillers to supply brandy -on credit for a whole year, so that a tippler may go on for a long -time drawing from this inexhaustible spring. His troubles will only -begin in the last moon—the legal period of payment. Then, indeed, he -must pay, and with usury; and as money does not usually become more -plentiful with a man from the habit of getting drunk every day, he -has to sell his house and his land, if he has any, or to carry his -furniture and his clothes to the pawnbroker’s. In the south, there is -less brandy-drinking, and more gambling; but between the two there is -little to choose, as either impoverishes those who devote themselves to -its service, and to which even opium-smoking is preferable.</p> - -<p>Mr. Meadows, the Chinese Government Interpreter at Hong-Kong, says,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_147">147</span> -“As to the morality of the opium question, I am fortunately able to -give the home reader, by analogy, and in a few words, as exact an idea -of it as I have got myself. Smoking a little opium daily, is like -taking a pint or two of ale, or a few glasses of wine daily; smoking -more opium is like taking brandy as well as beer and wine, or a large -allowance of these latter; smoking very much opium is like excessive -brandy and gin-drinking, leading to delirium tremens and premature -death. After frequent consideration of the subject during thirteen -years, the last two spent at home, I can only say that, although the -substances are different, I can, as to the morality of producing, -selling, and consuming them, see no difference at all; while the only -difference I can observe in the consequences of consumption is, that -the opium-smoker is not so violent, so maudlin, or so disgusting as the -drunkard. The clothes and breath of the confirmed and constant smoker -are more or less marked by the peculiar penetrating odour of opium, -and he gets careless in time of washing from his hands the stains -from his pipe. But all this is not more disagreeable than the beery, -vinous, or ginny odour, and the want of cleanliness that characterize -the confirmed drunkard. In all other respects, the contrast is to the -disadvantage of the drunkard.”</p> - -<p>Without pursuing this question further, there is evidently a -fascination in the pipe to the opium-smoker, to a degree of which -the most ardent lover of a pipe of tobacco has but a faint idea. In -proportion as the indulgence in the drug produces a state of happiness -far transcending all that the votary of the weed experiences, so -does its influence over him increase; and if it is difficult for the -habitual smoker of tobacco to forego the pleasure of his accustomed -pipe, it is therefore ten times more difficult for the smoker or eater -of opium to renounce for ever, a custom which brings with it, even -in imagination though it may be, tenfold more pleasures, and a more -ecstatic enjoyment. This is the universal evidence of all who have been -inquired of, and of all who have had intercourse with opiophagi in all -parts of the world.</p> - -<p>What fascinating influence this Paradise in prospect has upon those -who indulge in journeys thither, may be imagined from the notorious -fact, that in Bristol, Coleridge went so far as to hire men—porters, -hackney-coachmen, and others—to oppose by force his entrance into any -druggist’s shop. But as the authority for stopping him was derived -only from himself, so these poor men found themselves in a fix; for -when the time and the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_148">148</span> inclination arrived, he proceeded to the shop, -and on their offering resistance, he, the same who had instructed them -to prevent his entrance, now insisted on their allowing him to pass, -annulled all former instructions, and on the authority of one who paid -for their services, demanded its exercise as he thought fit, and the -gates of Paradise were opened.</p> - -<p>According to Darwin, even poultry have mounted the ladder to within -a few steps of Elysium; for that worthy informs us, that they were -fed for the London market by mixing gin and opium with their food, -and keeping them in the dark, but that “they must be killed as soon -as they are fattened, or they become weak and emaciated, like human -drunkards.” We have no recording pullet to inform us of the visions -of the barn-door family under the influence of the beatific drug, nor -“Confessions of a Chanticleer,” to tell of the pains that succeeded a -too-free indulgence in the little pills; all we learn from the account -is, that the vision of Paradise very closely preceded its reality, for -the feathered bipeds were dosed and killed. The human biped for half -a century continues his dream—and all through that period it is but -a dream—yet that he is happy while under its influence there can be -no doubt; and when he has reclined on his couch, obtained his pipe, -and sunk into the beatific oblivion so coveted by the Asiatic, we may -imagine his exclaiming with the Peri, after obtaining the trickling -tear,</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“Joy, joy for ever! my task is done;</div> - <div class="verse">The gates are passed, and heaven is won.</div> - <div class="verse">Oh! am I not happy? I am—I am.</div> - <div class="verse">To thee, sweet Eden! how dark and sad</div> - <div class="verse">Are the diamond turrets of Shadukram,</div> - <div class="verse">And the fragrant bowers of Amberabad.</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Joy, joy for ever! my task is done;</div> - <div class="verse">The gates are passed, and heaven is won!”</div> -</div></div></div> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_149">149</span></p> - - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI.</a><br /> - -<small>REVELS AND REVERIES.</small></h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“That juice of earth, the bane</div> - <div class="verse">And blessing of man’s heart, and brain—</div> - <div class="verse">That draught of sorcery, which brings</div> - <div class="verse">Phantoms of fair forbidden things</div> - <div class="verse">Whose drops, like those of rainbows, smile</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Upon the mists that circle man</div> - <div class="verse">Brightening not only earth, the while</div> - <div class="verse indent2">But grasping heaven, too, in their span.”</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><i>Lalla Rookh.</i></div> -</div></div></div> - - -<p>The Mahometan legend of their prophet’s ascent into heaven, where he -received instructions for the faith and conduct of his followers, is -thus current amongst them.</p> - -<p>As Mahomet was reclining on the sacred stone in the temple of Mecca, -Gabriel came to him, and opened his breast from the breastbone to the -groin, and took out his heart, and washed it in a golden basin, full -of the water of Faith, and then restored it to its place. Afterwards a -white beast was brought to him, less than a mule, and larger than an -ass, called Al-Borak. It had a human face, but the cheeks of a horse, -its eyes were jacinths, and radiant as stars. It had eagle’s wings, -all glittering with rays of light, and its whole form was resplendent -with gems and precious stones. Upon this Mahomet was borne. Gabriel<span class="pagenum" id="Page_150">150</span> -proceeded with him to the first heaven of silver, and knocked at the -door, after some conversation he was welcomed, and the door opened. -Here Mahomet saluted Adam. They then proceeded to the second heaven, -all of polished steel and dazzling splendour, and saluted Noah. They -then entered the third heaven, studded with precious stones, and too -brilliant for mortal eyes. Here was seen Azrael, the Angel of Death, -writing continually in a book the names of those who are to be born, -and blotting out those who are to die. They mounted to the fourth -heaven, of the finest silver, where they saw the Angel of Tears, who -was appointed to weep over the sins of men, and predict the evils -that awaited them. The fifth heaven was of purest gold. Here Mahomet -was received and saluted by Aaron. This heaven was inhabited by the -Avenging Angel. He sat on a throne surrounded by flames, and before -him was a heap of red hot chains. The sixth heaven was composed of -a transparent stone, where dwelt the guardian angel of heaven and -earth. Here Moses wept at the sight of the prophet who was to have -more followers than himself. Mahomet then entered the seventh heaven -of divine light, where he saw many marvellous things, which he related -for the instruction of the faithful. He entered Al Mamour, the house -of Adoration, and as he entered, three vases were offered him, one -containing wine, another milk, and a third honey. He drank of the milk, -“Well hast thou done!” exclaimed Gabriel. “Hadst thou drunk of the -wine, thy people had all gone astray.” The Prophet then returned to -earth, as he had ascended to heaven.</p> - -<p>The Al-Borak of modern Moslems is opium, by means of this most -miraculous of vehicles they mount to the heaven of heavens.</p> - -<p>What are the true effects of opium are best<span class="pagenum" id="Page_151">151</span> described by an eminent -physician, who has studied well the results produced by all such -influences upon the brain. The imagination appears to be acted -upon, independent of the peculiar torpor, accompanied by sensations -of gratification, and the absence of all communication with the -external world. The senses convey no false impressions to the brain; -all that is seen, heard, or felt, is faithfully delineated, but -the imagination clothes each object in its own fanciful garb. It -exaggerates, it multiplies, it colours, it gives fantastic shapes; -there is a new condition arising out of ordinary perception, and the -reason, abandoning itself to the imagination, does not resist the -delight of indulging in visions. If the eyes are closed, and nothing -presented to excite the external senses, a whole train of vivid dreams -are presented. A theatre is lighted up in the brain—graceful dancers -perform the most captivating evolutions—music of an unearthly character -floats along—poesy, whose harmonious numbers, and whose exciting -themes, are far beyond the power of the human mind, is unceasingly -poured forth. Memory is, however, generally asleep—all the passions, -affections, and motions have lost their sway. It is all an exquisite -indolence, during which dreams spontaneously arise, brilliant, -beautiful, and exhilarating. There is order, harmony, tranquillity. -If a single object has been vividly impressed upon the eye, it is -multiplied a thousand times by the imagination—vast processions pass -him in his reveries in mournful pomp.</p> - -<p>That this is the doctrine of the true church on the subject of opium, -we may learn from De Quincey, of which church he acknowledges himself -to be the Pope, and self-appointed <i>legate à latere</i> to all degrees of -latitude and longitude.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_152">152</span></p> - -<p>“I often fell into such reveries after taking opium, and many a time -it has happened to me on a summer night, when I have been seated at -an open window, from which I could overlook the sea at a mile below -me, and could, at the same time, command a view of some great town -standing on a different radius of my circular prospect, but at nearly -the same distance—that from sunset to sunrise, all through the hours of -night, I have continued motionless, as if frozen, without consciousness -of myself as of an object anywise distinct from the multiform scene -which I contemplated from above. Such a scene in all its elements was -not unfrequently realised for me on the gentle eminence of Everton. -Obliquely to the left, lay the many languaged town of Liverpool; -obliquely to the right, the multitudinous sea. The scene itself was -somewhat typical of what took place in such a reverie. The town of -Liverpool represented the earth, with its sorrows and its graves left -behind, yet not out of sight nor wholly forgotten. The ocean, in -everlasting but gentle agitation, yet brooded over by dove-like calm, -might not unfitly typify the mind, and the mood which then swayed -it. For it seemed to me as if then first I stood at a distance aloof -from the uproar of life, as if the tumult, the fever, and the strife -were suspended; a respite were granted from the secret burdens of the -heart, some sabbath of repose, some resting from human labours. Here -were the hopes which blossom in the paths of life, reconciled with the -peace which is in the grave; motions of the intellect as unwearied as -the heavens, yet for all anxieties a halcyon calm; tranquillity that -seemed no product of inertia, but as if resulting from mighty and equal -antagonisms, infinite activities, infinite repose.”</p> - -<p>And now let us follow him to the Opera. “The late Duke of Norfolk used -to say,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_153">153</span> ‘Next Monday, wind and weather permitting, I propose to be -drunk;’ and, in like manner, I used to fix beforehand how often, within -a given time, when, and with what accessory circumstances of festal -joy, I would commit a debauch of opium. This was seldom more than once -in three weeks, for at that time I could not have ventured to call -every day (as afterwards I did) for ‘a glass of laudanum negus, warm, -and without sugar.’</p> - -<p>“No: once in three weeks sufficed; and the time selected was either -a Tuesday or a Saturday night, my reason for which was this—Tuesday -and Saturday were for many years the regular nights of performance -at the opera house, and there in those times Grassini sang, and her -voice was delightful to me beyond all that I had ever heard. Thrilling -was the pleasure with which almost always I heard her. Shivering with -expectation I sat, when the time drew near for her golden epiphany, -shivering I rose from my seat, incapable of rest, when that heavenly -and harp-like voice sang its own victorious welcome in its prelusive -<i>threttanelo—threttanelo</i>. The choruses were divine to hear; and, when -Grassini appeared in some interlude, as she often did, and poured -forth her passionate soul as Andromache at the tomb of Hector, &c., -I question whether any Turk, of all that ever entered the paradise -of opium-eaters, can have had half the pleasure I had. But, indeed, -I honour the barbarians too much, by supposing them capable of any -pleasures approaching to the intellectual ones of an Englishman. A -chorus of elaborate harmony displayed before me, as in a piece of arras -work, the whole of my past life—not as if recalled by an act of memory, -but as if present, and incarnated in the music; no longer painful to -dwell upon, but the detail of its incidents removed, or blended in -some hazy abstraction, and its passions exalted, spiritualized, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_154">154</span> -sublimed. And over and above the music of the stage and the orchestra -I had all around me, in the intervals of the performances, the music -of the Italian language talked by Italian women—for the gallery was -usually crowded with Italians—and I listened with a pleasure, such as -that with which Weld, the traveller, lay and listened in Canada, to the -sweet laughter of Indian women; for the less you understand a language, -the more sensible you are to the melody or harshness of its sounds.”</p> - -<p>Let the reader who seeks to know of his other Saturday evenings’ -experiences, wandering about in the market-places, and threading the -intricate mazes of bye-lanes and alleys, seek it in his “Confessions.”</p> - -<p>An Englishman awaking one morning finds himself at Hong-Kong, in the -midst of opium and opium-smokers. He is astonished that the Chinaman -loves opium as he loves nothing else; he cannot think why his vitiated -taste had not settled upon something nobler, why he does not take a -fancy to British Brandy? But no! he loves opium. And a Parsee takes him -to see the lions, and is so civil as to convey the stranger into his -warehouse and open two chests of opium, that he may see the drug as it -passes into commerce. Of these, the first consisted of balls, which he -describes as of the size of a large apple dumpling, and when cut open -the mass is found to be solid. The other was full of objects which a -commander in the navy ordered his men to return to the owners of a -captured junk, “Ar’nt you ashamed, my lads, to loot a lot of miserable -Dutch cheeses?” The “Dutch cheeses” were Patna opium, worth about £5 -each. Globes of thick dark jelly enclosed in a crust not unlike the -rind of a cheese. The Parsee tapped one with a fragment of an iron -fastening of a chest, and drew forth about a spoonful of the drug. It -was not<span class="pagenum" id="Page_155">155</span> the opium which engaged the traveller’s attention, it was the -effect it produced upon the surrounding coolies. He had never before -seen excitement in a Chinaman’s face. He had seen them tried for their -lives, and condemned to death. He had seen them test the long-suffering -patience of Mr. Tudor Davies in the Hong-Kong police court, where that -gentleman was daily engaged in laborious endeavours to extract truth -out of conflicting lies. He had seen them laugh heartily at a gesture -at a sing-song; and he once saw a witness grin with great delight, as -he unexpectedly saw his most intimate friend, a tradesman of reputed -wealth, among a crowd of prisoners in the dock. But these coolies, when -they saw that opium opened their horizontal, slit-shaped eyes, till -they grew round and starting, their limbs, so lax and limpid, when not -in actual strain of labour, were stiff from excitement, every head -was pressed forward, every hand seemed ready to clutch. There was a -possibility that it would be put down upon the window-sill, near which -the stranger and his Parsee friend were standing—and there could be -seen the shadow of fingers ready to slide in. It was almost certain -that it would be thrown aside—and there was the grand hope of an opium -debauch gratis, and this was the state of mind that hope created. And -oh what raptures, what delights, what dreams! Already, in imagination, -they revelled in scenes such as the wakeful eye of mortal man ne’er -saw, and such as never did the mind of man conceive.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent6">“A paradise of vaulted bowers</div> - <div class="verse indent6">Lit by downward gazing flowers,</div> - <div class="verse indent6">And watery paths that wind between</div> - <div class="verse indent6">Wildernesses calm and green,</div> - <div class="verse">Peopled by shapes too bright to see</div> - <div class="verse">And rest, having beheld; somewhat like thee</div> - <div class="verse">Which walk upon the sea, and chaunt melodiously.”</div> -</div></div></div> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_156">156</span></p> -<p>We cannot understand this fascination in which opium holds its devotee -to its full extent; and yet, in some sort, the lover of tobacco, -deprived of his pipe or quid, can in some sort understand it better -than any other Englishman, the opiophagi excepted. Let the admirer -of his weed be placed in circumstances wherein he cannot indulge in -that luxury, and the inward longings for his cherished companion are -akin to those of the smoker of opium without his drug. Some inveterate -smokers of tobacco have been known to declare that they would rather -forego their accustomed meal than their whiff; this they will sometimes -profess, but this the opium devotee often accomplishes. Instances are -far from rare of opium-smokers dying of starvation, having denied -their bodies the sustenance they required, to procure their much loved -chandu. Martyrs to their love of opium.</p> - -<p>As opium is generally indulged in by the lower classes, in -establishments called Opium Shops, otherwise Papan Mera, a word or -two belongs to them. In Singapore, these shops are limited by the -regulations to forty-five in town and six in the country. Each has a -red board, which the vendor ought to hang up outside his shop, with -the number thereon, as received from the opium farmer. Hence the name -of Papan Mera, or “red board,” and the shops are known by that name -by all classes of natives. They are scattered in all directions over -the island; and wherever a number of Chinese are congregated, there -you have one or more. The farmer is most interested in the sale of -opium, and the extension of shops, and of the trade. A man goes to him -generally, either previously known or recommended, and says he wishes -to open a Papan Mera; of course, the opium farmer wishes that he may do -so, and be successful, and vend<span class="pagenum" id="Page_157">157</span> plenty of opium, all the opium being -purchased of the opium farmer, no one else being allowed to sell opium -in the island, and for which privilege he contracts annually with the -Government in a handsome sum. The man gets the red board, for which he -pays two shillings. If the limited number of forty-five is completed -he does not require a board, but he is not refused the privilege of -opening a shop. In this case, he hangs a mat in the place of the door, -by which an opium shop is known to all, while the fact is announced by -a Chinese inscription. Nothing is paid for a licence, no securities -are entered into, but the new man purchases of the farmer a certain -quantity of chandu, or prepared opium, and according to his facilities -for selling it so is the price. If the shop is to be opened in town, -where there are more customers, and if near to where Chinese artificers -abound, then he pays about eight shillings a tael (1⅓ oz.), or at -the rate of six shillings an ounce. If at a little distance, about -five shillings and sixpence an ounce. Still further from town, five -shillings, then four shillings and sixpence. Nay, it even descends to a -fraction beyond three shillings an ounce. The last is the sum paid by -the Nacodah of a Chinese junk, who takes a large quantity at a time, as -two-thirds of his crew are generally consumers, and the facility for -illicit consumption is great. The proprietors of the Papan Mera are -expected to retail it to their customers at a little above the price -at which they have purchased it. If in town, where they pay tenpence a -cheen or six shillings an ounce, then they charge elevenpence a cheen -or scarcely seven shillings an ounce, to those who come to buy or use -it on the premises. The opium farmer receives nothing from the owner of -the shop, except the money for his opium; the owner receives nothing -from the farmer but the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_158">158</span> opium for his money, and sometimes a discount -of eight per cent. Nor do the opium-smokers pay more at the shops for -their opium than if they purchased it direct from the farmer. How, -then, does the owner of the “red board” manage to live? How does he pay -rent, sometimes to the extent of £2 or £3 per month? How can he keep -his wife, and the little “red boards,” and one or two coolies? Ecce! He -does all this on the refuse of the chandu, the <i>Tye</i> or <i>Tinco</i>, sold -to the poor.</p> - -<p>On the Tinco and Samshing, the owners of many of the opium shops almost -entirely depend for their living. By their sale the rent is paid, the -family supported, and the servants kept. If a man sells three taels, or -three ounces and three-quarters of chandu a day, there will be about -half that quantity of Tinco, or one ounce and three-quarters, this is -the unconsumed refuse left in the pipe after smoking, and which is -the property of the owner of the Papan Mera, and from the consumption -of this he gets a further refuse of little more than three-quarters -of an ounce, which is called <i>Samshing</i>. If he sells his Chandu for -twenty-five shillings, by his Tinco and Samshing he will realize nearly -twelve shillings and sixpence a day, and this is his income. Few, -however, <i>sell</i> so much, and fewer still <i>receive</i> as much.</p> - -<p>The “Papan Mera” is of all kinds, from a hovel to a brick house of two -stories, for which £3 monthly is paid for rent. Generally speaking, -the luxury of the pipe is all that the smoker cares for, and all other -things, such as commodious apartments, elegant furniture, and proper -ventilation are disregarded. In some houses there are apartments beside -those entered from the street. The police regulations ordain that at -nine <span class="smcap lowercase">P.M.</span> all shall give up their pipes. But is the sound of the curfew -always<span class="pagenum" id="Page_159">159</span> heeded? “Sooner would the panting traveller, under a burning -sun, when hours have elapsed, since his parched lips were moistened, -dash from his mouth the goblet before his thirst was half quenched, -than the opium-smoker be the slave of time.” If nine o’clock comes, and -he has not reached his climax, he then retires to an inner chamber, -where, at ease and undisturbed, he may realize that enjoyment, and -consummate that bliss, of which the owner of “blue coat and bright -buttons” would deprive him. Thus he slips into Paradise whilst the Peri -and the “peeler” remain outside disconsolate.</p> - -<p>Our Papan Mera man is a good man, and his wife is a good woman, so we -get a peep indoors, upstairs, behind the scenes, the apartment where -ladies are at home <i>de jure</i>, not being allowed perhaps to smoke at -home <i>de facto</i>. Of course, the general visitor has no admittance. In -the centre stands a large bed, sitting up thereon a female, her back -supported with cushions. She is young, she is fair—yea, passing fair, -and dressed in the habiliments of the flowery land. Near her stands a -table, on which are tea and sweetmeats. She, too, is a votary to the -drug; with dreamy eyes half closed, she draws in the inspiring vapour, -then sinks back upon the cushions, unconscious that we are gazing upon -her, her dark dishevelled tresses hanging over, but scarce concealing -the heaving bosom, the only sign of life.</p> - -<p>Although there are supposed to be but forty-five licensed opium shops -in Singapore town, there are upwards of eighty; wherever there are -Chinese, there may also be found the Papan Mera. Certain trades are -congregated together—you have carpenters in one street, blacksmiths in -another, gold and silver smiths in a third, and so on. Amongst some -trades, the habit of opium-smoking is more<span class="pagenum" id="Page_160">160</span> common than in others, the -principal consumers will be found amongst carpenters, blacksmiths, -barbers, huxsters, coolies, boatmen, gambier planters, and gardeners. -Full eighty-five per cent. of the persons engaged in these callings are -devoted to the drug. Shoemakers, tailors, and bakers, are generally -less addicted to the habit; amongst the two first-named, not more -than twenty per cent. are smokers. Wherever you have carpenters, -blacksmiths, &c., in abundance, there will you have opium shops in -abundance also. In many streets there are six of these shops. In one -street there are twelve. In Canton Street there are eight houses, and -two of them are licensed for opium. At Hong-Kong and at Canton, the -same thing occurs. Certain streets are devoted to certain trades, and -certain trades devoted to opium.</p> - -<p>M. Abbé Huc communicates a few additional facts concerning opium in -China. At present this country purchases annually of the English, -opium to the amount of seven millions sterling; the traffic is -contraband, but it is carried on along the whole coast of the Empire, -and especially in the neighbourhood of the five ports which have been -opened to Europeans. Large fine vessels, armed like ships of war, -serve as depots to the English merchants, and the trade is protected, -not only by the English Government, but also by the mandarins of the -Chinese Empire. The law which forbids the smoking of opium under pain -of death, has, indeed, never been repealed; but everybody smokes away -quite at his ease notwithstanding. Pipes, lamps, and all the apparatus -are sold publicly in every town, and the mandarins themselves are the -first to violate the law, and give this bad example to the people, even -in the courts of justice. During the whole of the Abbé’s long journey -through China, he met with but one tribunal<span class="pagenum" id="Page_161">161</span> where opium was not smoked -openly and with impunity.</p> - -<p>The Chinese prepare and smoke their opium lying down, sometimes on one -side, sometimes on the other, saying that this is the most favourable -position; and the smokers of distinction do not give themselves all the -trouble of the operation, but have their pipes prepared for them.</p> - -<p>For several years past some of the southern provinces have been -actively engaged in the cultivation of the poppy, and the fabrication -of opium. The English merchants confess that the Chinese product is -of excellent quality, though inferior to that of Bengal; but the -English opium suffers so much adulteration before it reaches the pipe -of the smoker, that it is not in reality so good as what the Chinese -themselves prepare. The latter, however, though delivered perfectly -pure, is sold at a low price, and only consumed by smokers of the -lowest class. That of the English, notwithstanding its adulteration, -thus writes Abbé Huc dear and reserved to smokers of distinction; a -caprice which can only be accounted for from the vanity of the rich -Chinese, who would think it beneath them to smoke opium of native -production, and not of a ruinous price; that which comes from a long -way off must evidently be preferable. It is very probable that the -Chinese will soon cultivate the poppy on a large scale, and make at -home all the opium necessary for their consumption. It is certain -that the English cannot offer an equally good article at the same -price; and, should the fashion alter, British India will suffer a -great reverse in her Chinese opium trade. The Abbé makes reference -to the increased consumption of opium in England, both in the liquid -and solid form, the progress of which he characterises as alarming, -and then concludes the subject with the following extraordinary -paragraph:—<span class="pagenum" id="Page_162">162</span>“Curious and instructive would it be, indeed, if we should -one day see the English going to buy opium in the ports of China, and -their ships bringing back from the Celestial Empire this deleterious -stuff, to poison England. Well might we exclaim in such a case, ‘Leave -judgment to God.’”</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_163">163</span></p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII.</a><br /> - -<small>PANDEMONIUM.</small></h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent22">“Sights of woe,</div> - <div class="verse">Regions of sorrow, doleful shades, where peace</div> - <div class="verse">And rest can never dwell, hope never comes,</div> - <div class="verse">That comes to all.”——<span class="smcap">Milton.</span></div> -</div></div></div> - - -<p>The night side of opium-eating and smoking must be seen, as well as -the bright and sunny day, before we lavish upon it encomiums, such -as some of its votaries have indulged in. There may be a paradise to -which the Theriaki can rise, but there is also an abyss into which -he may fall. Lord MacCartney informs us that the Javanese, under an -extraordinary dose of opium, become frantic as well as desperate. They -acquire an artificial courage; and when suffering from misfortune -and disappointment, not only stab the objects of their hate, but -sally forth to attack in like manner every person they meet, till -self-preservation renders it necessary to destroy them. As they run -they shout <i>Amok, amok</i>, which means <i>kill, kill!</i> and hence the phrase -<i>running a muck</i>. The practice of running amok is hardly known at -Pinang or any of the three Straits settlements. Captain Low did not -recollect more than two instances at that place, including Province -Wellesley, within a period<span class="pagenum" id="Page_164">164</span> of seventeen years, and the last he had -heard of, which took place on shore at Singapore, was many years ago. A -man ran <i>amok</i>—or, as the Malays term it, <i>meng amok</i>. He had gambled -deeply, it was said, and had killed one or more individuals of his -family. He next dosed himself with opium and rushed through the streets -with a drawn kris or dagger in his hand, and pursued by the police. -Major Farquhar, the then resident, hearing the uproar, went out of his -house, where the infuriated man, who was just about to pass it, dashed -at him, and wounded him in the shoulder; but a sepoy, who was standing -as sentry at the door, received the desperado on his bayonet at the -same instant, and prevented a second blow.</p> - -<p>Captain Beeckman was told of a Javanese who ran a muck in the -streets of Batavia, and had killed several people, when he was met -by a soldier, who ran him through with his pike. But such was the -desperation of the infuriated man, that he pressed himself forward on -the pike, until he got near enough to stab his adversary with a dagger, -when both expired together.</p> - -<p>But the worst Pandemonium which those who indulge in opium suffer, is -that of the mind. Opium retains at all times its power of exciting -the imagination, provided sufficient doses are taken; but when it has -been continued so long as to bring disease upon the constitution, the -pleasurable feelings wear away, and are succeeded by others of a very -different kind. Instead of disposing the mind to be happy, it acts -upon it like the spell of a demon, and calls up phantoms of horror -and disgust. The fancy, still as powerful, changes its direction. -Formerly it clothed all objects with the light of heaven—now it invests -them with the attributes of hell. Goblins, spectres, and every kind -of distempered vision haunt the mind, peopling<span class="pagenum" id="Page_165">165</span> it with dreary and -revolting imagery. The sleep is no longer cheered with its former -sights of happiness. Frightful dreams usurp their place, till at last -the person becomes the victim of an almost perpetual misery.</p> - -<p>The truth of all this is acknowledged by De Quincey, when writing of -the pains of opium. Almost every circumstance becomes transformed -into the source of terror. Visions of the past are still present in -dreams, but not surrounded by a halo of pleasure any longer. The -outcast Ann and the wandering Malay come back to torment him with their -continued presence. All this is told in language so graphic, that it -would be almost criminal to attempt its description in any other. The -Dream of Piranesi is cited as a type of those he now suffered:——“Many -years ago, as I was looking over Piranesi’s ‘Antiquities of Rome,’ -Coleridge, then standing by, described to me a set of plates from -that artist, called his ‘Dreams,’ and which record the scenery of his -own visions during the delirium of a fever. Some of these represented -vast Gothic halls, on the floor of which stood mighty engines and -machinery—wheels, cables, catapults, &c.—expressive of enormous power -put forth, or resistance overcome. Creeping along the sides of the -walls, you perceived a staircase; and upon this, groping his way -upwards, was Piranesi himself. Follow the stairs a little farther, -and you perceive them reaching an abrupt termination, without any -balustrade, and allowing no step onwards to him who should reach the -extremity, except into the depths below. Whatever is to become of poor -Piranesi! At least, you suppose that his labours must now in some way -terminate. But raise your eyes, and behold a second flight of stairs -still higher, on which again Piranesi is perceived, by this time -standing on the very brink of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_166">166</span> the abyss. Once again elevate your eye, -and a still more aerial flight of stairs is descried; and there again, -is the delirious Piranesi, busy on his aspiring labours; and so on, -until the unfinished stairs and the hopeless Piranesi both are lost -in the upper gloom of the hall. With the same power of endless growth -and self-reproduction did my architecture proceed in dreams. In the -early stage of the malady, the splendours of my dreams were, indeed, -chiefly architectural, and I beheld such pomp of cities and palaces -as never yet was beheld by the waking eye, unless in the clouds. From -a great modern poet, I cite the part of a passage which describes as -an appearance actually beheld in the clouds, what, in many of its -circumstances, I saw frequently in sleep:——</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“‘The appearance, instantaneously disclosed,</div> - <div class="verse">Was of a mighty city—boldly say</div> - <div class="verse">A wilderness of building, sinking far</div> - <div class="verse">And self-withdrawn into a wondrous depth,</div> - <div class="verse">Far sinking into splendour without end!</div> - <div class="verse">Fabric it seem’d of diamond and of gold,</div> - <div class="verse">With alabaster domes and silver spires,</div> - <div class="verse">And blazing terrace upon terrace, high</div> - <div class="verse">Uplifted; here, serene pavilions bright,</div> - <div class="verse">In avenues disposed; there, towers begirt</div> - <div class="verse">With battlements, that on their restless fronts</div> - <div class="verse">Bore stars—illumination of all gems!</div> - <div class="verse">By earthly nature had the effect been wrought</div> - <div class="verse">Upon the dark materials of the storm</div> - <div class="verse">Now pacified; on them, and on the coves</div> - <div class="verse">And mountain-steeps and summits, whereunto</div> - <div class="verse">The vapours had receded—taking there</div> - <div class="verse">Their station under a cerulean sky.’”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>Further confessions describe the characteristics of some of these -opiatic visions in connection with tropical lands.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_167">167</span> “Under the -connecting feeling of tropical heat and vertical sunlights, I brought -together all creatures—birds, beasts, reptiles; all trees and plants, -usages and appearances, that are found in all tropical regions, and -assembled them together in China or Hindostan. From kindred feelings, I -brought Egypt and her gods under the same law. I was stared at, hooted -at, grinned at, chattered at by monkeys, by paroquets, by cockatoos. -I ran into pagodas, and was fixed for centuries at the summit, or in -secret rooms. I was the idol—I was the priest—I was worshipped—I was -sacrificed. I fled from the wrath of Brama through all the forests of -Asia—Vishnu hated me—Seeva lay in wait for me. I came suddenly upon -Isis and Osiris. I had done a deed, they said, which the ibis and the -crocodile trembled at. Thousands of years I lived, and was buried -in stone coffins, with mummies and sphinxes, in narrow chambers, at -the heart of eternal pyramids. I was kissed with cancerous kisses by -crocodiles, and was laid, confounded with all unutterable abortions, -amongst reeds and Nilotic mud.”</p> - -<p>Again he says:<span class="pagenum" id="Page_168">168</span> “The cursed crocodile became to me the object of more -horror than all the rest. I was compelled to live with him, and (as was -always the case in my dreams,) for centuries. Sometimes I escaped, and -found myself in Chinese houses. All the feet of the tables, sofas, &c., -soon became instinct with life; the abominable head of the crocodile, -and his leering eyes, looked out at me, multiplied into ten thousand -repetitions; and I stood loathing and fascinated. So often did this -hideous reptile haunt my dreams, that many times the very same dream -was broken up in the very same way. I heard gentle voices speaking to -me (I hear everything when I am sleeping), and instantly I awoke; it -was broad noon, and my children were standing, hand in hand, at my -bedside, come to show me their coloured shoes, or new frocks, or let -me see them dressed for going out. No experience was so awful to me, -and at the same time so pathetic, as this abrupt translation from the -darkness of the infinite to the gaudy summer air of highest noon, and -from the unutterable abortions of miscreated gigantic vermin, to the -sight of infancy and innocent <i>human</i> creatures.”</p> - -<p>And yet again: “Somewhere, but I knew not where—somehow, but I knew -not how—by some beings, but I knew not by whom—a battle, a strife, -an agony was travelling through all its stages—was evolving itself -like the catastrophe of some mighty drama, with which my sympathy -was the more insupportable, from deepening confusion as to its local -scene, its cause, its nature, and its undecipherable issue. I had -the power, and yet had not the power to decide it. I had the power, -if I could raise myself to will it; and yet again had not the power, -for the weight of twenty Atlantics was upon me, or the oppression of -inexpiable guilt. ‘Deeper than ever plummet sounded,’ I lay inactive. -Then, like a chorus, the passion deepened. Some greater interest was -at stake—some mightier cause than ever yet the sword had pleaded, or -trumpet had proclaimed. Then came sudden alarms, hurryings to and fro, -trepidations of innumerable fugitives, I knew not whether from the good -cause or the bad; darkness and lights; tempest and human faces; and at -last, with the sense that all was lost, female forms, and the features -that were worth all the world to me; and but a moment allowed, and -clasped hands, with heart-breakings, partings, and then—everlasting -farewells! And with a sigh such as the caves of hell sighed when -the incestuous mother uttered the abhorred name of Death, the sound -was reverberated—everlasting farewells! And again and yet again, -reverberated—everlasting farewells!</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_169">169</span></p> - -<p>“And I awoke in struggles and cried aloud, ‘I will sleep no more!’”</p> - -<p>These visions, and those of a like character, in which the Malay and -the outcast girl appear and re-appear, are almost repeated again in -a work of more recent years, the production of another mind and of a -widely different character. Whoever has read Kingsley’s “Alton Locke,” -cannot fail to have been struck with the vivid opium-like dreams which -pass through the brain of the hero when struck down by fever. One -could almost imagine that its author had himself suffered some of the -fearful experiences which De Quincey narrates. In these the place once -occupied by the two persons above named, are usurped by the cousin and -Lillian; change the names, and apart from the intimate connection of -the two with each other, one could almost believe himself reading a -continuation of those dreams which an unfortunate accident prevented -the English opium-eater giving to the world.</p> - -<p>“I was wandering along the lower ridge of the Himalaya. On my right -the line of snow peaks showed like a rosy saw against the clear blue -morning sky. Raspberries and cyclamens were peeping through the snow -around me. As I looked down the abysses I could see far below, through -the thin veils of blue mist that wandered in the glens, the silver -spires of giant deodars, and huge rhododendrons, glowing like trees -of flame. The longing of my life to behold that cradle of mankind was -satisfied. My eyes revelled in vastness, as they swept over the broad -flat jungle at the mountain foot, a desolate sheet of dark gigantic -grasses, furrowed with the paths of the buffalo and rhinoceros, with -barren sandy water courses, desolate pools, and here and there a -single tree, stunted with malaria, shattered by mountain floods; and -far<span class="pagenum" id="Page_170">170</span> beyond the vast plains of Hindostan, enlaced with myriad silver -rivers and canals, tanks and rice fields, cities with their mosques and -minarets, gleaming among the stately palm-groves along the boundless -horizon. Above me was a Hindoo temple, cut out of the yellow sandstone. -I climbed up to the higher tier of pillars among monstrous shapes of -gods and fiends, that mouthed and writhed and mocked at me, struggling -to free themselves from their bed of rock. The bull Nundi rose and -tried to gore me; hundred-handed gods brandished quoits and sabres -around my head; and Kali dropped the skull from her gore-dripping -jaws to clutch me for her prey. Then my mother came, and seizing the -pillars of the portico, bent them like reeds; an earthquake shook the -hills—great sheets of woodland slid roaring and crashing into the -valleys. A tornado swept through the temple halls, which rocked and -tossed like a vessel in a storm: a crash—a cloud of yellow dust which -filled the air—choked me—blinded me—burned me—</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>“And Eleanor came by and took my soul in the palm of her hand, as the -angel did Faust’s, and carried it to a cavern by the sea-side and -dropped it in; and I fell and fell for ages. And all the velvet mosses, -rock flowers, and sparkling spars and ores, fell with me, round me, in -showers of diamonds, whirlwinds of emerald and ruby, and pattered into -the sea that moaned below and were quenched; and the light lessened -above me to one small spark, and vanished; and I was in darkness, and -turned again to my dust.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>“Sand—sand—nothing but sand! The air was full of sand, drifting over -granite temples, and painted kings and triumphs, and the skulls of a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_171">171</span> -former world, and I was an ostrich, flying madly before the simoon -wind, and the giant sand pillars, which stalked across the plain -hunting me down. And Lillian was an Amazon queen, beautiful, and cold, -and cruel; and she rode upon a charmed horse, and carried behind her on -her saddle, a spotted ounce, which was my cousin; and, when I came near -her, she made him leap down and course me. And we ran for miles and for -days through the interminable sand, till he sprang on me, and dragged -me down. And as I lay quivering and dying, she reined in her horse -above me, and looked down at me with beautiful pitiless eyes; and a -wild Arab tore the plumes from my wings, and she took them and wreathed -them in her golden hair. The broad and blood-red sun sank down beneath -the sand, and the horse and the Amazon and the ostrich plumes shone -blood-red in his lurid rays.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_172">172</span></p> -<p>“I was a baby ape in Borneon forests, perched among fragrant trailers -and fantastic orchis flowers; and as I looked down, beneath the green -roof, into the clear waters, paved with unknown water-lilies on -which the sun had never shone, I saw my face reflected in the pool—a -melancholy, thoughtful countenance, with large projecting brows—it -might have been a negro child’s. And I felt stirring in me, germs of a -new and higher consciousness—yearnings of love towards the mother ape, -who fed me, and carried me from tree to tree. But I grew and grew; and -then the weight of my destiny fell upon me. I saw year by year my brow -recede, my neck enlarge, my jaw protrude, my teeth became tusks—skinny -wattles grew from my cheeks—the animal faculties in me were swallowing -up the intellectual. I watched in myself, with stupid self-disgust, -the fearful degradation which goes on from youth to age in all the -monkey race, especially in those which approach nearest to the human -form. Long melancholy mopings, fruitless strugglings to think, were -periodically succeeded by wild frenzies, agonies of lust, and aimless -ferocity. I flew upon my brother apes, and was driven off with wounds. -I rushed howling down into the village gardens, destroying everything -I met. I caught the birds and insects, and tore them to pieces with -savage glee. One day, as I sat among the boughs, I saw Lillian coming -along a flowery path—decked as Eve might have been the day she turned -from Paradise. The skins of gorgeous birds were round her waist; her -hair was wreathed with fragrant tropic flowers. On her bosom lay a -baby—it was my cousin’s. I knew her, and hated her. The madness came -upon me. I longed to leap from the bough and tear her limb from limb; -but brutal terror, the dread of man which is the doom of beasts, kept -me rooted to my place. Then my cousin came, a hunter missionary; and -I heard him talk to her with pride of the new world of civilisation -and Christianity, which he was organising in that tropic wilderness. -I listened with a dim jealous understanding—not of the words, but of -the facts. I saw them instinctively, as in a dream. She pointed up to -me in terror and disgust, as I sat gnashing and gibbering overhead. He -threw up the muzzle of his rifle carelessly and fired—I fell dead, but -conscious still. I knew that my carcase was carried to the settlement; -and I watched while a smirking, chuckling, surgeon dissected me, bone -by bone, and nerve by nerve. And as he was fingering at my heart, and -discoursing sneeringly about Van Helmont’s dreams of the Archæus, and -the animal spirit which dwells within the solar plexus, Eleanor glided -by again like an angel, and drew my soul out of the knot of nerves, -with one velvet finger tip.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_173">173</span></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Here are dreams which, however natural in their realisation to the -opiophagi, are enough to cause a hearty utterance of those lines by -Keats:——</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent6">“O dreams of day and night!</div> - <div class="verse">O monstrous forms! O effigies of pain!</div> - <div class="verse">O spectres busy in a cold, cold gloom!</div> - <div class="verse">O lank-eared Phantoms of black weeded pools!”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>The “dream fugue” of the author of the “confessions” is a day dream—a -splendid one—but the type of many another dream, perhaps, that had -coursed through the mind of its writer while under the influence of -the subtle drug. One might almost venture the assertion that none but -the “opium-eater” could have conceived and written that “fugue.” But -“shadows avaunt,” we have stern realities yet from the Pandemonium of -opium. The mind suffers and it re-acts upon the body. Although pictures -of both the mental and bodily afflictions of indulgers in opium are -likely to be gazed upon with somewhat of scepticism, and justly too, -in these times of prejudice and outcry against opium trading, yet the -stubborn fact stares the scepticism out of countenance, in many of the -details of the excesses of the victims of the insinuating poppy juice. -Some of these facts come to us with so high an authority and are so -often repeated, that the eye and ear refuse to close and be blind and -deaf to the pains which succeed the pleasures of opium.</p> - -<p>A young eagle said to a thoughtful and very studious owl, “It is said -there is a bird called Merops, which, when it rises into the air, flies -with the tail first and the head looking down to the earth. Is it a -fact?”</p> - -<p>“By no means” (said the owl),<span class="pagenum" id="Page_174">174</span> “it is only a silly fiction of mankind. -Man himself is the Merops, for he would willingly soar to heaven, -without losing sight of the world for a single instant.”</p> - -<p>Dr. Medhurst thus describes the opium-smoker of China:——“The outward -appearances are sallowness of the complexion, bloodless cheeks and -lips, sunken eye, with a dark circle round the eyelids, and altogether -a haggard countenance. There is a peculiar appearance of the face -of a smoker not noticed in any other condition; the skin assumes a -pale waxy appearance, as if all the fat were removed from beneath the -skin. The hollows of the countenance, the eyelids, fissure and corners -of the lips, depression at the angle of the jaw, temples, &c., take -on a peculiar dark appearance, not like that resulting from various -chronic diseases, but as if some dark matter were deposited beneath -the skin. There is also a fulness and protrusion of the lips, arising -perhaps from the continued use of the large mouth-piece peculiar to -the opium-pipe. In fine, a confirmed opium-smoker presents a most -melancholy appearance, haggard, dejected, with a lack-lustre eye, and a -slovenly, weakly, and feeble gait.”</p> - -<p>Mustapha Shatoor, an opium-eater of Smyrna, took daily three drachms of -crude opium. The visible effects at the time were the sparkling eyes -and great exhilaration of spirits. He found the desire of increasing -his dose growing upon him. He seemed twenty years older than he really -was—his complexion was very sallow—his legs small—his gums eaten away, -and his teeth laid bare to the sockets. He could not rise without -first swallowing half a drachm of opium. This case is detailed in the -“Philosophical Transactions,” and for its veracity the Philosophers are -responsible.</p> - -<p>Pouqueville says, “Always beside themselves, the Theriakis are -incapable of work, they seem no more to belong to society. Toward the -end of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_175">175</span> their career, they, however, experience violent pains, and are -devoured by constant hunger, nor can their paregoric in any way relieve -their sufferings; they become hideous to behold, deprived of their -teeth, their eyes sunk in their heads, in a constant tremour, they -cease to live long before they cease to exist.</p> - -<p>Heu Naetse, a native Celestial, in his address to the Sacred Emperor, -the brother of the Sun and Moon, informs his imperial majesty, that -“when any one is long habituated to inhaling opium, it becomes -necessary to resort to it at regular intervals, and the habit of using -it, being inveterate, is destruction of time, injurious to property, -and yet dear to one even as life. Of those who use it to great excess, -the breath becomes feeble, the body wasted, the face sallow, and the -teeth black. The individuals themselves clearly see the evil effects of -it, yet cannot refrain from it. It will be found on examination that -the smokers of opium are idle, lazy vagrants, having no useful purpose -before them.”</p> - -<p>Dr. Ball states, “that throughout the districts of China may be seen -walking skeletons—families wretched and beggared by drugged fathers and -husbands—multitudes who have lost house and home dying in the streets, -in the fields, on the banks of the river, without even a stranger to -care for them while alive, and when dead left exposed to view till they -become offensive masses.”</p> - -<p>A Pinang surgeon says,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_176">176</span> “that the hospitals and poorhouses are chiefly -filled with opium-smokers. In one that I had charge of, the inmates -averaged sixty daily, five-sixths of whom were smokers of chandu. The -effects of this habit on the human constitution are conspicuously -displayed by stupor, forgetfulness, general deterioration of all the -mental faculties, emaciation, debility, sallow complexion, lividness -of lips and eyelids, langour and lack lustre of eye; appetite either -destroyed or depraved. In the morning these creatures have a most -wretched appearance, evincing no symptoms of being refreshed or -invigorated by sleep, however profound. There is a remarkable dryness -or burning in the throat, which urges them to repeat the opium-smoking. -If the dose be not taken at the usual time, there is great prostration, -vertigo, torpor, and discharge of water from the eyes. If the -privation be complete, a still more formidable train of phenomena -takes place—coldness is felt all over the body, with aching pains in -all parts, the most horrid feelings of wretchedness comes on, and if -the poison be withheld, death terminates the victim’s sufferings. The -opium-smoker may be known by his inflamed eyes and haggard countenance, -by his lank and shrivelled limbs, tottering gait, sallow visage, feeble -voice, and the death boding glance of his eye. He seems the most -forlorn creature that treads the earth.”</p> - -<p>The Abbé Huc writes, “nothing can stop a smoker who has made much -progress in this habit, incapable of attending to any kind of business, -insensible to every want, the most hideous poverty; and the sight of -a family plunged into despair and misery, cannot rouse him to the -smallest exertion, so complete is the disgusting apathy to which he is -sunk.”</p> - -<p>The evidence of Ho King Shan is, that “it impedes the regular -performance of business; those in places of trust who smoke fail to -attend personally even to their most important offices. Merchants who -smoke fail to keep their appointments, and all their concerns fall -behind hand. For the wasting of time and the destruction of business, -the pipe is unrivalled.”</p> - -<p>Oppenheim declares<span class="pagenum" id="Page_177">177</span> “that when the baneful habit has become confirmed, -it is almost impossible to break it off. His torments, when deprived -of the stimulant, are as dreadful as his bliss is complete when he has -taken it. Night brings the torments of hell, day the bliss of paradise; -and after long indulgence, he becomes subject to nervous pains, to -which opium itself brings no relief. He seldom attains the age of -forty, if he has begun the practice early.”</p> - -<p>Also Dr. Madden:——“The debility, both moral and physical, attendant -on the excitement produced by opium is terrible; the appetite is soon -destroyed, every fibre in the body trembles, the nerves of the neck -become affected, and the muscles get rigid. Several of these I have -seen in this place at various times, who had wry necks and contracted -fingers, but still they cannot abandon the custom; they are miserable -until the hour arrives for taking their daily dose; and when its -delightful influence begins, they are all fire and animation.”</p> - -<p>A native literati of Hong-Kong affirms, “that from the robust who -smoke, flesh is gradually consumed and worn away, and their skin hangs -down like bags; the faces of the weak who smoke are cadaverous and -black, and their bones naked as billets of wood.”</p> - -<p>Also Dr. Oxley of Singapore:—<span class="pagenum" id="Page_178">178</span>—“The inordinate use of the drug most -decidedly does bring on early decrepitude, destructive of certain -powers connected with the increase of the species, and a morbid state -of all the secretions. But I have seen a man who had used the drug for -fifty years in moderation without evil effects, and one I recollect in -Malacca who had so used it was upwards of eighty. Several in the habit -of smoking assured me, that in moderation, it neither impaired the -functions nor shortened life, at the same time they fully admitted the -deleterious effects of too much.”</p> - -<p>Dr. Little visited on one occasion an opium shop, and found there two -women smoking the drug—one had been a smoker for ten years. “In the -morning when she awakes she says, ‘I feel as one dead. I cannot do -anything until the pipe is consumed. My eyelids are glazed so that they -cannot be opened, my nose discharges profusely. I feel a tightness in -the chest, with sense of suffocation. My bones are sore, my head aches -and is giddy, and I loathe the very sight of food.’ Within an hour I -could produce a thousand of those creatures; and if I stood at the door -of an opium shop, and watched those that entered, out of the hundred -would be found at least seventy-five or eighty whose appearance would -not require the confession that their health was destroyed, and their -mind weakened, since the day that they were cursed with the first taste -of an opium-pipe. To finish this subject let me record my opinion, the -result of extensive investigation. That the habitual use of opium not -only renders the life of the man miserable, but is a powerful means of -shortening that life.”</p> - -<p>To the last conclusion there are many objectors; and this subject -has been canvassed as much as any in connection with the habit. Some -years ago a trial took place in consequence of the death of the Earl -of Mar, who was an opiophagi, and the insurance society on this ground -objected to pay the money to his representatives. Dr. Christison, after -detailing the facts, adds, “they would certainly tend on the whole -rather to show that the practice of eating opium is not so injurious, -and an opium-eater’s life not so uninsurable, as is commonly thought.” -The result of the above-named trial was that the money had to be paid.</p> - -<p>Before passing from this Plutonian region, the evidence of a good -authority may be taken to show<span class="pagenum" id="Page_179">179</span> how apt prejudice is to impute even -worse effects to the “subtle drug” than circumstances will warrant. -An opium den is visited; the members of this convivial society are -good-humoured and communicative. “One was a chair-cooly, a second was a -petty tradesman, a third was a runner in a mandarin’s yanum; they were -all of that class of urban population which is just above the lowest. -They were, however, neither emaciated nor infirm. The chair-cooly was -a sturdy fellow, well capable of taking his share in the porterage -of a sixteen-stone mandarin; the runner seemed well able to run, and -the tradesman, who said he was thirty-eight years old, was remembered -by all of us to be a singularly young-looking man of his age. He had -smoked opium for seven years. As we passed from the opium-dens, we went -into a Chinese tea-garden—a dirty paved court, with some small trees -and flowers in flower-pots—and a very emaciated and yawning proprietor -presented himself. ‘The man has destroyed himself by opium-smoking,’ -said an English clergyman who accompanied us. The man being questioned, -declared that he had never smoked an opium-pipe in his life,—a bad -shot, at which no one was more amused than the reverend gentleman who -had fired it.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_180">180</span></p> - -<p>“I only take the experiment for what it is worth. There must be very -many most lamentable specimens of the effects of indulgence in this -vicious practice, although we did not happen to see any of them that -morning. They are not, however, so universal, nor even so common, as -travellers who write in support of some thesis, or who are not above -truckling to popular prejudices in England are pleased to say they are. -But if our visit was a failure in one respect, it was fully instructive -in another. In the first house we visited, no man spent on an average -less than 80 cash a-day on his opium-pipe. One man said he spent 120. -The chair-cooly spends 80, and his average earnings are 100 cash a-day. -English physicians, unconnected with the missionary societies, have -assured me that the cooly opium-smoker dies, not from opium, but from -starvation. If he starves himself for his pipe, we need not ask what -happens to his family.” (<i>Times.</i>)</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_181">181</span></p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII.</a><br /> - -<small>OPIUM MORALS.</small></h2> - -<blockquote> - -<p><i>Fal.</i> No abuse, Hal.</p> - -<p><i>Poins.</i> No abuse!</p> - -<p><i>Fal.</i> No abuse, Ned, in the world; honest Ned, none. I dispraised him -before the wicked, that the wicked might not fall in love with him; -in which doing, I have done the part of a careful friend, and a true -subject. No abuse, Hal; none, Ned, none;—no, boys, none.——<i>King Henry -IV., part II.</i></p></blockquote> - - -<p>Scarce a flower that graces the earth, or a tree waving in the forests, -has had its character assailed so mercilessly as the poppy. Not one of -the simples or compounds of the chemist’s store, even including arsenic -and strychnine, has been so strictly interrogated as to the honourable -and dishonourable of its intentions. It is matter of surprise that -the East India Company has not been obliged, by authority of Act of -Parliament, to imprint the decalogue, at least in the Chinese language, -upon every cake or ball of opium leaving their stores. Take upon credit -all that some men would tell you, and there would not be room for -doubt, were the next informant to state that on the arrival of a cargo -of opium, at such a port, on such a day,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_182">182</span> the entire population cut -each other’s throats, on account of the pestilential miasma diffused -by the said cargo. What are really the moral effects of opium-smoking, -can best be collected from a statement of facts, the reader drawing his -own inferences: they are, at any rate, bad enough without the aid of -exaggeration.</p> - -<p>At Singapore stands a house of correction, in which, during the month -of July, 1847, might be found forty-four Chinese criminals; and of -these, thirty-five were opium-smokers—not moderate smokers, but -indulgers to excess—not confining themselves to what they could obtain -with such money as they could spare from their wages, but in some -instances, swallowing or smoking them all up, and in certain instances, -even more than their wages.<a id="FNanchor_20_20" href="#Footnote_20_20" class="fnanchor">20</a> The aggregate amount of the monthly -wages of seventeen of these men was £16 0s. 10d., or individually -18s. 10½d. The monthly consumption of opium of these men amounted in -value to £20 16s. 3d., or individually to £1 4s. 5½d., so that each of -these men, in addition to spending all his wages, begged, borrowed, or -stole 5s. 7d. monthly, to make up his quantity of opium alone, without -reference to any other necessaries. One of these men, who spent £1 5s. -monthly, and whose wages only reached half of that amount, was asked to -explain how it was to be accounted for. Was there not some error in the -calculation, or was he deceiving the person to whom the circumstances -were being detailed? How was it possible that, with an income of only -12s. 6d., he could spend £1 5s.? The answer was a graphic one and much -to the point:——“What am I in here for?” Of course, the tenants of a -jail can account for such discrepancies in arithmetic. The offences<span class="pagenum" id="Page_183">183</span> -for which these persons were confined were such as would stand in a -calendar under the rank of vagrants, suspicious characters, persons -attempting to steal, and such like—the crimes committed being against -<i>property</i> and not <i>persons</i>. This distinction deserves notice, as it -will serve as the basis of some future suggestions.</p> - -<p>In looking down the column of the table in which the above instances -occur, it will be seen that one planter, whose income was twelve -shillings and sixpence, expended in opium six times that amount; and -another, whose income is not stated, but which would not far exceed -the former, expended twelve times that amount in the drug. Occasional -instances occur in which, where the income reached twelve shillings and -sixpence, the expenditure amounted only to a trifle beyond; and where -the income was sixteen shillings and eightpence, the expenditure was -only eight shillings and fourpence or ten shillings.</p> - -<p>The inspector of the above institution states:<span class="pagenum" id="Page_184">184</span> “During the course -of these investigations, I found some opium-smokers, who declared -that their wages only equalled the value of the opium consumed, and -in the majority of cases but little exceeded their consumption; yea, -I found instances, and these not few, where the value of the opium -consumed monthly, was more than the whole wages received. The idea -then suggested itself to me, that there must be an affinity betwixt -opium-smoking and crime; for when once the habit is formed, it cannot -be broken off, while the desire increases with the consumption. It must -happen that the wages of the individual will at last be inadequate -to supply his desire, even supposing that, after a lengthened career -of indulgence, he was able to earn the same amount of money as when, -strong, vigorous, and unimpaired, he commenced his dissipation. -I, therefore, was not at all surprised when I went to the house -of correction, to find that three-fourths of the prisoners were -opium-smokers.”</p> - -<p>An examination of the prisoners in jail in July of the same year, under -different sentences, showed that out of fifty-one Chinese prisoners, -fifteen only were not opium-smokers. Seventy per cent. were addicted to -the vice, each consuming quantities ranging from twelve to one hundred -and eighty grains per day. The same jail was again visited, and the -prisoners examined a month afterwards, several fresh criminals had -entered, others had been enlarged. At this time, there were sixty-nine -criminals, and of these only thirty-one were opium-smokers, being only -forty-five per cent. against the seventy per cent. of the former visit.</p> - -<p>A quantity of criminals from Pinang under sentence of transportation -showed, on examination, the following results:—Out of twenty-one -criminals, Chinese and Malays, eight did not smoke. The crimes of -these men were murder, stabbing with intent to murder, burglary, and -larceny. Ten of these men were Chinese, all of whom smoked but one. Of -these nine, eight were condemned for offences against property, one -only against the person. Of the nine persons out of the twenty-one who -were convicted for offences against the person, four did not smoke, -three smoked but little. Hence the conclusion is inevitable, that the -criminals of the worst degree, or those committing offences against the -person, are either not smokers at all, or are so only to a moderate -extent. Other statistics show that, for crimes of this character, -highway robbery, and burglary, forty to fifty per cent. only indulge in -opium; whilst for vagrancy, misdemeanour, and petty larceny, seventy to -eighty<span class="pagenum" id="Page_185">185</span> per cent. indulged in the use of the drug, and often to a very -extraordinary extent.</p> - -<p>Why do we find that those charged with the gravest offences are the -least addicted to opium? May it not be that this class of criminal -requires a certain ingenuity, an amount of method and calculation, and -mental vigour and excitement of the passions, greater than the debased -opium-smoker is possessed of, the want of which, therefore, unfits him -for carrying out any such enterprise requiring such adjuncts, leaving -him only capable of being a criminal on a small scale. It is well known -that the Chinese are inveterate gamblers; but it is not in connexion -with the pipe, but with the arrack-cup, that this vice is indulged in. -The influences of opium are sedative and soothing, those of arrack -stimulating and exciting; the latter, therefore, as may be supposed, is -the companion of the gambler, rather than the former. There are other -phases in which the two vices of opium-smoking and intoxication may -be compared. The abuse of ardent spirits leads to crimes against the -person; the abuse of opium leads to crimes against property. The victim -of ardent spirits commits his crimes while under their influence; the -devotee to opium, while under its influence, is at peace with all -mankind, and dreams only of his own happiness. The drunkard, when not -under the influence of liquor, may be a moral member of society, and -often a contrite one; the opium-smoker at that time is often scheming -the violation of moral and social laws, which, when effected, makes him -a criminal, but enables him to gratify his appetite.<a id="FNanchor_21_21" href="#Footnote_21_21" class="fnanchor">21</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_186">186</span></p> - -<p>De Quincey compares the two habits, not so much for the purpose of -showing the tendency of either of them to crime, but for the proving -that opium does not produce intoxication any more than would a rump -steak. “The pleasure given by wine is always rapidly mounting, and -tending to a crisis, after which as rapidly it declines; that from -opium, when once generated, is stationary for eight or ten hours. The -first—to borrow a technical distinction from medicine—is a case of -acute, the second of chronic pleasure; the one is a flickering flame, -the other a steady and equable glow. But the main distinction lies in -this, that whereas wine disorders the mental faculties, opium, on the -contrary (if taken in a proper manner) introduces amongst them the -most exquisite order, legislation, and harmony. Wine robs a man of -self-possession; opium sustains and reinforces it. Wine unsettles the -judgment, and gives a preternatural brightness and a vivid exaltation -to the contempts and the admirations, to the loves and the hatreds -of the drinker; opium, on the contrary, communicates serenity and -equipoise to all the faculties, active or passive, and with respect -to the temper and moral feelings in general, it gives simply that -sort of vital warmth which is approved by the judgment, and which -would probably always accompany a bodily constitution of primeval -or antediluvian health. Wine constantly leads a man to the brink of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_187">187</span> -absurdity and extravagance, and beyond a certain point, it is sure to -volatize and disperse the intellectual energies; whereas opium always -seems to compose what had been agitated, and to concentrate what had -been distracted. In short, to sum up all in one word, a man who is -inebriated, or tending to inebriation is, and feels that he is in a -condition which calls up into supremacy the merely human, too often -the brutal part of his nature; but the opium-eater, simply as such, -assuming that he is in a normal state of health, feels that the divine -part of his nature is paramount, that is, the moral affections are in a -state of cloudless serenity, and high over all, the great light of the -majestic intellect.”</p> - -<p>It is not to be wondered at that the abuse of opium should be a fertile -source of poverty, when so much of the wages of many of its votaries -are devoted to it. This diseased habit is progressive, and the quantity -taken must be daily increased to produce the necessary effects; but the -capability of furnishing the means does not keep pace with the desire -of consumption. The cooly, who, when strong and vigorous, could earn -twenty-five shillings per month, has only to commence opium-smoking, -and in two years he will not receive more than two-thirds of that -amount, whilst he still smokes his quantity of opium; and as years roll -on, he finds that, mainly on account of the vice he has adopted, he -can no longer endure the toil that formerly was to him only as child’s -play, the amount of excitement having still to be kept up under a -decreased income, he has to lessen his expenditure for clothes, and -then for food, and lastly, the quantity of opium itself; until worn -out, exhausted, and diseased, he finds himself the inmate of a jail or -a poorhouse. A sad reflection, truly, but a history repeated over and -over again, with but little<span class="pagenum" id="Page_188">188</span> variation, in the lives of thousands of -Chinamen and Malays.</p> - -<p>Were poverty to be succoured in places where this description of -persons most do congregate, as it is at home, thousands would become -public burdens; but there the hand of charity has been closed, and -the springs of compassion for the poor dried up. In Singapore, it was -not until the horrid spectacle of miserable Chinese daily crawling -in front of their doors, exposing their loathsome sores and leprous -bodies, and polluting the air they breathed; it was not until these -wretched beings, without food or friends, and deprived of the power -of supporting themselves, laid them down to die in the streets, of -disease and starvation, that by the active philanthropy of two or three -individuals a shed was erected to keep these paupers out of sight. When -the novelty passed away, the philanthropy declined, and the monthly -contribution dwindled down to about three pounds, which was the sum -total of the public charity of the European residents in behalf of the -diseased poor of Singapore. In this shed were to be found two classes -of persons, united in the same individuals, the <i>diseased poor</i>. These -are the only kind of poor that excite <i>any</i> sympathy in such places, -and an examination of the inmates of the <i>shed</i> will give some insight -into the propensities of this class. Out of 125 under relief at the -time, 70 were opium-smokers and 55 were not (or would not acknowledge -it). Of these 70, some before their admission, were reduced to the -alternative of <i>Tye</i> or <i>Samshing</i>, or no opium at all. The total -consumption of these paupers before their admission amounted to upwards -of four pounds (2022 grains) daily, giving an average daily consumption -to each smoker of upwards of 28 grains, being nearly the average -consumption of the opium-smoker in general, under more favourable<span class="pagenum" id="Page_189">189</span> -circumstances. The greatest consumption of any one of these individuals -had amounted to 120 grains, but at that rate his finances soon failed -him, and he had to be content with one fourth of that amount shortly -before he became an invalid. Sixty-two of these men consumed opium to -the monthly value of £38 7s. 6d., while their aggregate income amounted -in the same period to but £50 11s. 3d.; or, individually, the value of -each man’s monthly consumption of opium was 12s. 4½d., and his income -was but 16s. 6d., leaving only about 4s. monthly, or 1s. per week to -feed, clothe, and house himself, and in fact, for every other purpose -for which money is required. Some of these did not confine themselves -to this. Fifteen of them (as will be seen from Table XVI.) consuming -all, or more than their income in opium. Surely such men were worthy -not only of a pauper hospital, but also of a jail.</p> - -<p>These paupers at one time all received even more than the average -amount of wages, sufficient to have clothed and fed them and their -families, and kept them comfortable, whilst at that time they were -dependent on a charity which allowed them to exist on the rice which -was supplied to them, and five doits a day or about a shilling per -month. Thousands more, not incapacitated so much by disease as to be -unable to work and not therefore inmates of the hospital, were no -better off, for what they had they spent in chandu.</p> - -<p>The Dutch Commissioners report that,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_190">190</span> “the use of opium is so much -more dangerous, because a person who is once addicted to it can never -leave it off. To satisfy that inclination he will sacrifice everything, -his own welfare—the subsistence of his wife and children, and neglect -his work. Poverty is the natural consequence, and then it becomes -indifferent to him by what means he may content his insatiable desire -after opium; so that at last he no longer respects either the property -or life of his fellow creature.”</p> - -<p>A Chinaman, who himself is a smoker and consumes opium to the monthly -value of £2, says, that in one hundred Chinese about Hong-Kong and -Singapore, seventy of them smoke, and that all the coolies do so -more or less. If a cooly earns £1 monthly, 4s. goes for food, l0d. -for house rent, a small outlay for a jacket and trowsers once in six -months, and all the rest goes in opium. From his own experience, and -what he has seen of others, he would say if a man had been accustomed -to smoke opium for seven or eight years, and gives it up for a day -he is attacked with diarrhœa, while during the time he is smoking -the opposite is the case. And he who uses six grains a day will soon -require twelve.</p> - -<p>To give up opium-smoking, after it has once been commenced, all declare -to be a very difficult achievement. A Malay who was apprehended on some -criminal charge some years ago, when locked up, previous to examination -was, as a matter of course, deprived of opium for some days, he pined -away so rapidly that, although only four or five days in the lock-up -house, he could not leave it when released, but was carried out, having -entered the place as strong and muscular a man as can be met with.</p> - -<p>Dr. Oxley states, “that the lower class of Chinese when deprived of -their allowance, are very liable to become dropsical. The effect of -deprivation at first appears to produce desperation, a heart-rending -despondency, something like the low state of delirium tremens, but -differing in many respects from that malady. Death certainly does occur -from deprivation, and generally by dropsy.”</p> - -<p>A great many women smoke, generally the wives of opium-smokers. A -woman was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_191">191</span> discovered by a surgeon in Singapore in an opium shop up -stairs smoking away, as she had done for three years, at the rate of -thirty-six grains a day. She stated that she had two children, but -that they were very sickly and always crying. And how did she stifle -their cries? She conveyed from her lips to those of the child the fresh -drawn opium vapour, which the babe inspired. This was repeated twice, -when it fell back a senseless mass into its mother’s arms, and allowed -her quietly to finish her unholy repast. This practice she had often -recourse to, as her child was very troublesome, adding that it was no -uncommon thing for mothers to do so.</p> - -<p>Another inveterate opium-smoker makes his “confession,” that after his -quantity is consumed, he feels no desire for sleep until twelve or -two in the morning, when he falls into disturbed slumbers, which last -till eight or nine. When he awakes, his head is giddy, confused, and -painful—his mouth is dry, he has great thirst, he has no appetite, can -neither read nor write, suffers pains in all his bones and muscles, -gasps for breath; he wishes to bathe, but cannot stand the shock. This -state continues till he gets his morning pipe, when he can eat and -drink a little, and after that attend to his business. The force of -example taught him this habit, and he knows no class of people exempt -from it except Europeans. “Look,” says he, appealing to himself, “I -was, ere I gave way to this accursed vice, stout, strong, and able -for anything. I loved my wife and children, attended to my business, -and was happy; but now I am thin, meagre, and wretched. I can receive -enjoyment from nothing but the pipe, my passions are gone, and if I am -railed at, and abused like a dog, I return not an angry word.”</p> - -<p>Although opium-smoking is carried to such an excess among some of the -Chinese coolies, yet there<span class="pagenum" id="Page_192">192</span> is no gambling amongst them at the opium -shops at Singapore. It is true that this vice has been suppressed, -but it is not secretly indulged in; and a gentleman who was formerly -the opium farmer, says, “that the consumption of opium is but little -affected by gambling, from arrack or samshu being the intoxicating -medium used, a much better instrument for raising excitement and -stimulating to excessive play than opium, whose effects are much more -sedative than exciting.”</p> - -<p>The consideration of the morals and influence of these customs leads -us to a remarkable passage in one of M. Quetelet’s works, it refers to -the certainty of natural laws in states as well as individuals:——“All -those things which appear to be left to the free will, the passions, -or the degree of intelligence of men, are regulated by laws as fixed, -immutable, and eternal as those which govern the phenomena of the -natural world. No one knows the day or the hour of his own death; and -nothing appears more entirely accidental than the birth of a boy or of -a girl in any given case. But how many out of a million of men living -together in one country, shall have died in ten, twenty, forty, or -sixty years, how many boys and girls shall be born in a million of -births; all this is as certain, nay, much more certain, than any human -truth.”</p> - -<p>The statistics of courts of justice have disclosed to us the -regular repetition of the same crimes, and have established the -fact—incomprehensive to our understandings, because we do not know the -connecting links—that in every large country, the number of offences, -and of each kind of offence, may be predicted for every coming year, -with the same certainty as the number of the births and of the natural -deaths. Of every 100 persons accused before the supreme tribunal in -France, 61 are condemned; in England, 71. The variations,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_193">193</span> on an -average, amount hardly to 1/100th part of the whole. We can predict -with confidence, for fifteen years to come, the number of suicides -generally—that of the cases of suicide by fire-arms, and that of the -cases of suicide by hanging.</p> - -<p>Every large number of phenomena of the same kind, which rise and -fall periodically, leads to a fixed proportion. This is the law of -large numbers to which all things and all events without exception, -are subject. These laws have nothing to do with the essence of vice -and virtue in the moral world, but with the external causes, and the -effects they produce in human society. No one denies the influence of -education, and of habits of labour and order on the conduct of men, but -no one thinks of regarding this moral conduct as a mere result of those -habits. Good education and improved cultivation diminish the number -of offences, as well as that of the annual deaths in our tables of -mortality.</p> - -<p>The results, therefore, of a collection of statistical information -carefully arranged for Singapore, one of the most inveterate of opium -localities, should, on comparison with the results obtained from -other quarters, show that the per centage of deaths is greater, the -per centage of births less; the per centage of criminals higher, and -of suicides larger, in this population of opium-smokers, than in any -other equally conditioned country in which opium is indulged, or it is -not proven that the habit tends to shorten life, decrease production, -increase crime, and induce suicide, all of which charges have been made -against it.</p> - -<p>With this evidence we are not at present satisfactorily supplied. That -opinion has an influence, though probably only a minor one, on moral -and social development, is not to be denied. Because man is so entirely -a creature of relation, that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_194">194</span> nothing is unimportant to him. “If the -movements of the remotest star that glitters in the heavens affect -those of our earth, assist in determining its position in space, its -climate, its productions, and thus influence the lot of man, who is the -creature of these circumstances; what combinations subsisting upon the -surface of the earth, or developing themselves in the bosom of society, -can be deemed wholly indifferent to his conduct, and without power over -his well being and happiness?”</p> - -<p>If, as Dr. Lyon Playfair recently noticed, it is worthy of observation, -that the character of the nations through which Dr. Livingstone passed -in his recent travels, depended upon the habits of the people, in the -acquisition of their food, as well as upon the food itself, we may -expect to find opium exerting also its influence. If, for instance, -the Kaffirs who lived by hunting, and were flesh-eaters, were wild -and warlike; and the Wampoos, who lived principally on grain, were of -a more quiet and peaceable disposition. Then again, the Bechuanos, -who lived upon grain, were more civilized than the Kaffirs, and the -Macololas, who combined as their food both grain and flesh, did not -lose the warlike character, and made incursions upon their more feeble -neighbours. It was an axiom amongst the latter people, that if it were -not for the gullet (alluding to their appetites) there would be no war -or fighting amongst mankind. In those parts, such as Loando, where the -people lived upon starchy varieties of food, they had become diminutive -in their stature; and this applied not merely to the natives, but -also to the Portuguese settlers there, for they had lost the physical -characters of their ancestors, and had become feminine in their frames -and habits, and this extended even to their handwriting. Where more -nitrogenous food was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_195">195</span> taken, the physical character of the people had -not undergone that very marked change. If food exerts this influence -upon the people of a country or district, we cannot doubt that any -habit, such as smoking tobacco or opium, chewing betel or coca, must -exert some influence upon the nations so indulging, whether that -influence be good or bad.</p> - -<p>Who will say that tobacco has no portion in the formation of the German -character? Yet the subtle and profound Germans exhibit no extraordinary -evidence in their national character of the baneful influences on -their moral and social development, by their indulgence in this habit. -Compare with them the Turks and Chinese, and let the balance be shown -in favour of the most elevated in the ranks of civilization. Yet -the most deficient must claim the influence of other equally potent -circumstances in extenuation, for neither opium nor tobacco moulds the -entire national character, it is only one of many influences. Let the -Papuan stand beside the Chinaman and the Turk, and in spite of opium, -the Papuan standard will exhibit a woeful short-coming. The waters of -the great Amazon river must exert some influence on the currents of the -Atlantic, but none will venture to assert that therefore the influx of -such a body of water, vast in itself, but small in comparison to the -whole, is the cause of the gulf stream. The drinking of tea will bear -just such a relation to the currents in the life of nations who indulge -in that luxury, but who will declare that the Chinese soldiers fly from -the points of the British bayonets, or are expert in the carving of -ivory balls, because they indulge in a beverage admired by other old -ladies who can neither run nor carve. Neither because certain Javanese -or Malays, under the influence of an over<span class="pagenum" id="Page_196">196</span> dose of opium, will “run -amok,” or other Arabs, intoxicated with “haschish,” have made the name -of assassin to become an object of dread, is it to be concluded hence -that all men who indulge in the use of either of these narcotics will -be dangerous members of society, or that they will rush into the jaws -of death without a shudder at the sight of his fangs?</p> - -<p>Is it because the Scot loves whisky that he is generally so cautious -and shrewd in his business transactions as to win himself a name? Is it -because the Cockney imbibes sundry deep potations of London porter or -gin, that the enterprise and commerce of those great citizens of the -world have become the envy of surrounding nations? Or is it because -the Russian persisted in his love of raw turnip and sour quass, that -the Malakoff and Sebastopol passed into the hands of the frog-eating -Frenchman, and the beef-eating Englishman?</p> - -<p>May we not impute to beef and tobacco, gin and opium, porter and hemp, -results infinitely in advance of their power?</p> - -<p>Dr. Eatwell writes, “It has been too much the practice with narrators -who have treated on the subject, to content themselves with drawing -the sad picture of the confirmed opium debauchee, plunged in the last -stage of moral and physical exhaustion, and having formed the premises -of their argument of this exception, to proceed at once to involve -the whole practice in one sweeping condemnation. But this is not the -way in which the subject can be treated; as rational would it be to -paint the horrors of <i>delirium tremens</i>, and upon that evidence, to -condemn at once the entire use of alcoholic liquors. The question for -determination is not what are the effects of opium used to excess, but -what are its effects on the moral and physical constitution of the mass -of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_197">197</span> individuals who use it habitually, and in moderation, either as -a stimulant to sustain the frame under fatigue, or as restorative and -sedative after labour, bodily or mental. Having passed three years in -China, I may be allowed to state the results of my observation, and I -can affirm thus far, that the effects of the abuse of the drug do not -come very frequently under observation; and that when cases do occur, -the habit is frequently found to have been induced by the presence of -some painful chronic disease, to escape from the sufferings of which -the patient has fled to this resource. That this is not always the -case, however, I am perfectly ready to admit, and there are, doubtless, -many who indulge in the habit to a pernicious extent, led by the same -morbid impulses which induce men to become drunkards in even the most -civilized countries; but these cases do not, at all events, come before -the public eye. It requires no laborious search in civilized England to -discover evidences of the pernicious effects of the abuse of alcoholic -liquors: our open and thronged gin-palaces, and our streets, afford -abundant testimony on the subject; but in China this open evidence of -the evil effects of opium is at least wanting. As regards the effects -of the habitual use of the drug on the mass of the people, I must -affirm that no injurious results are visible. The people generally are -a muscular and well-formed race, the labouring portion being capable -of great and prolonged exertion under a fierce sun, in an unhealthy -climate. Their disposition is cheerful and peaceable, and quarrels -and brawls are rarely heard amongst even the lower orders, whilst in -general intelligence, they rank deservedly high amongst orientals.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_198">198</span></p> - -<p>“The proofs are still wanting to show that the moderate use of opium -produces more pernicious effects upon the constitution, than does the -moderate use of spirituous liquors, whilst at the same time, it is -certain, that the consequences of the abuse of the former are less -appalling in their effect upon the victim, and less disastrous to -society at large, than are the consequences of the abuse of the latter. -Compare the furious madman, the subject of <i>delirium tremens</i>, with the -prostrate debauchee, the victim of opium; the violent drunkard, with -the dreaming sensualist intoxicated with opium; the latter is at least -harmless to all except to his wretched self, whilst the former is but -too frequently a dangerous nuisance, and an open bad example to the -community at large.”</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_199">199</span></p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV.</a><br /> - -<small>FALSE PROPHETS.</small></h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent10">“If your wish be rest,</div> - <div class="verse">Lettuce and cowslip wine <i>probatum est</i>.”</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Pope.</span></div> -</div></div></div> - - -<p>Before describing any of the imitations of opium, or substitutes -for it in any form, it will not be out of place to notice briefly -the tinctures in popular use in which that drug forms a prominent -ingredient.<i>Laudanum</i> is the spirituous infusion, and contains the -active ingredients of a twelfth part of its weight of opium. Scotch -<i>paregoric elixir</i> is a solution in ammoniated spirit, and is only -one-fifth of the strength of laudanum, containing, therefore, one -part in sixty of opium. English <i>paregoric</i> is a tincture of opium -and camphor, and is four times weaker still. The <i>black drop</i>, and -<i>Battley’s sedative liquor</i>, are believed to be solutions of opium in -vegetable acids, and to possess, the one of them, four, and the other, -three times the strength of laudanum. Although some good authorities -consider this an exaggerated computation of the strength of the latter -two, and that they are not more than half that strength.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_200">200</span> There are -several other pharmaceutical preparations into which opium enters as -a component, but to which it is unnecessary to refer. Those already -named, as has before been intimated, are used not a little, to still -the sounds of those miniature human organs so distasteful to bachelor -ears. The practice, unfortunately so prevalent, of soothing infants -with preparations of opium, cannot be too strongly deprecated. We are -ready to express our surprise that oriental mothers should transfer -their cigars from their own mouths to those of their infants, that the -helpless little creatures may enjoy the luxury of a suck, while, at the -same time, we are inuring them to the use of a far more insidious and -deadly poison. Rather let us for the future, when inclined to charge -this as a crime upon others, remember that scene which took place -eighteen hundred years ago, and the rebuke with which it closed, in -words written with the finger upon the ground, “Let him that is without -sin amongst you cast the first stone at her.”</p> - -<p>One of the most important of opium substitutes is derived from a plant -in itself not only harmless, but extensively used as an article of -food: it is <i>Lactucarium</i> or Lettuce Opium, and is prepared generally -from the wild lettuce, although similar properties exist to a more -limited extent in the cultivated varieties which find their way to our -tables.</p> - -<p>There is no certainty about the period at which lettuce was introduced -into this country, although the time has been fixed at 1520, when it -is stated to have been brought from Flanders. In the early part of -the reign of Henry VIII., when Queen Katherine wished for a salad, -she despatched a messenger to Holland or Flanders; at that period, -therefore, very few English tables could ever boast<span class="pagenum" id="Page_201">201</span> the honour of a -salad. In the privy purse expenses of Henry VIII., in 1530, an item -occurs from which we learn that the gardener of York Place received a -reward for bringing “lettuze” and cherries to Hampton Court. This was -policy on the part of the King, his royal consort having a liking for -salads, for it was rather expensive as well as tedious, to send for -them to the gardens of Brabant.<a id="FNanchor_22_22" href="#Footnote_22_22" class="fnanchor">22</a> In 1600, peas, beans, and lettuce -were in common use in England; and in 1652, a writer of the time speaks -of lettuce as a plant with which the public generally had been long -familiar. One variety of the cultivated lettuce was doubtless derived -from the island of Cos, inasmuch as it still bears that name.</p> - -<p>Lettuces were known to the ancients. Dioscorides and Theophrastus -speak of them as cultivated by the Greeks, and also used in medicine; -the prickly lettuce is still found wild on the higher hills of -Greece, and was probably one of the species to which the above-named -ancient authors refer. Several varieties of the garden lettuce were -used in salads by both Greeks and Romans. The pride of the garden of -Aristoxenus was his lettuces, and he irrigated them with wine.</p> - -<p>Two species of wild lettuce are found in Britain, the acrid and the -prickly lettuce, both of which possess similar properties, yielding a -juice from which lactucarium may be prepared. Two other wild species -are only occasional. The lactucarium<span class="pagenum" id="Page_202">202</span> of the London Pharmacopœia is -prepared only from the garden lettuce, but the acrid lettuce is stated -to yield a much larger quantity and of superior quality. A single -plant of the garden lettuce will yield only 17 grains of lactucarium, -on an average, while a plant of the acrid lettuce yields no less than -56 grains, or more than three times that quantity; and although the -milkiness of the juice increases till the very close of the time of -flowering, or till the month of October in this climate, the value -of the lactucarium is deteriorated after the middle of the period -of flowering, for subsequently, while the juice becomes thicker, a -material decrease takes place in the proportion of bitter extract -contained in it.</p> - -<p>Lactucarium is a reddish brown substance with a narcotic odour and -bitter taste, having a considerable resemblance to opium. On analysis -it yields a snow white crystalline substance called <i>lactucin</i>, -which is narcotic in its effects. Dr. Duncan recommended the use of -lactucarium as a substitute for opium, the anodyne properties of which -it possesses, without being followed with the same injurious effects. -In France, a water is distilled from lettuce, and used as a mild -sedative. Experiments of the effects of lettuce-opium upon animals are -detailed by Orfila, who states that three drachms introduced into the -stomach of a dog killed it in two days, without causing any remarkable -symptoms; two drachms applied to a wound in the back induced giddiness, -slight sopor, and death in three days; and thirty-six grains injected, -in a state of solution, into the jugular vein caused dulness, weakness, -slight convulsions, and death in 18 minutes.</p> - -<p>In North America the prickly lettuce is more common than with us, and -from it the American lactucarium is extracted. In Guinea a species of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_203">203</span> -lettuce is found wild, possessing precisely similar properties, and -applicable to a like use. This plant is largely used by the negroes as -a salad and also as an opiate.</p> - -<p>The plants cultivated for the sake of the juice are grown in a -rich soil, with a southern aspect. In such a situation they thrive -vigorously, and send up thick, juicy, flower stems. As soon as these -have attained a considerable height, and before the flowers expand, a -portion of the top is cut off. The milky juice quickly exudes from the -wound, while the heat of the sun renders it so viscid that, instead of -flowing down, it concretes on the stem in a brownish flake. After it -has acquired a proper consistence it is removed. As the juice closes -up the vessels of the plant, another slice is taken off lower down the -stem, and the juice again flows freely and another flake is formed. The -same process is repeated as long as the plant affords any juice. To the -crude juice, thus obtained, the name of lactucarium has been given.</p> - -<p>“This,” says Johnston,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_204">204</span> “is one of those narcotics in which many of us -unconsciously indulge. The eater of green lettuce as a salad, takes a -portion of it in the juice of the leaves he swallows; and many of my -readers, after this is pointed out to them, will discover that their -heads are not unaffected after indulging copiously in a lettuce salad. -Eaten at night, the lettuce causes sleep; eaten during the day, it -soothes and calms and allays the tendency to nervous irritability. And -yet the lover of lettuce would take it very much amiss if he were told -that he ate his green leaves, partly at least, for the same reason as -the Turk or the Chinaman takes his whiff from the tiny opium pipe: -that, in short, he was little better than an opium-eater, and his -purveyor than the opium smuggler on the coast of China.”</p> - -<p>Lest this should occasion some alarm in the breasts of those who prefer -their lobsters with a salad, let us strive to administer a little -consolation. We have seen that the cultivated or garden lettuce does -not contain so much as one third the quantity of lactucarium yielded -by the wild species, ten good lettuces must therefore be eaten before -sufficient extract will have been consumed to have killed a dog in two -days. This is upon the presumption that the lettuces eaten as salad -are in precisely the same condition, and capable of affording the same -amount of the extract as when cultivated specially for that purpose; -but this is not the case, it is not until just before flowering that -the full amount of juice is contained in the plant, a per centage only -of which exists in the younger plants as gathered for the table. Nor -is that quantity of the same narcotic quality as in the more matured -plant, which has collected, at that period, all its strength properly -to produce, and bring to perfection, its flowers and fruit.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent10">“Nothing hath got so far,</div> - <div class="verse">But man hath caught and kept it as his prey.</div> - <div class="verse indent4">His eyes dismount the highest star,</div> - <div class="verse">He is in little all the sphere.</div> - <div class="verse">Herbs gladly cure our flesh, because that they</div> - <div class="verse">Find their acquaintance there.</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“More servants wait on man</div> - <div class="verse">Than he’ll take notice of: in every path</div> - <div class="verse">He treads down that which doth befriend him,</div> - <div class="verse">When sickness makes him pale and wan.</div> - <div class="verse">Oh, mighty love! Man is one world, and hath</div> - <div class="verse">Another to attend him.”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>The lacticiferous or milk bearing plants are nearly all of them -connected by very important ties with man and civilization. The -phenomena themselves are well worthy of study, and their<span class="pagenum" id="Page_205">205</span> association -with humanity replete with interest. These plants are by no means -restricted to one genus or family, nor are their properties of the -same character. The one circumstance of their secreting a white juice -resembling milk in appearance is almost all they have in common. In the -poppy it becomes <i>opium</i>, in the lettuce <i>lactucarium</i>. It constitutes -refreshing beverages, obtained in large quantities, in the sunny -climes of Asia, from the cow-tree of South America, the kiriaghuma and -hya-hya of British Guiana, the <i>Euphorbia balsamifera</i> of the Canary -Islands, the juice of which as a sweet milk, or evaporated to a jelly, -is taken as a great delicacy, and the Banyan tree, all of which, to a -certain extent, supply the place of the cow, in places and conditions -wherein cows are not to be found. Similar juices are collected in the -form of India rubber or caoutchouc, a substance so invaluable in the -arts of life. They exude from figs, euphorbiæ, and cacti, in the East -Indies, South America, and Africa, from all of which places a large -quantity of the consolidated juice is exported to the markets of Europe -and North America. The greater quantity of these lactescent juices -are elaborated in the Tropics. Gutta percha and allied substances -are similarly produced, and indeed, numerous plants are possessed of -this kind of secretion, which have not yet been made available for -economical purposes, but which may become equally well known, and -useful, to succeeding generations. Narcotic properties do not appear to -be so common in these juices as the irritant or acrid, which abound in -some euphorbiaceous plants, and the inert, and when coagulated and dry, -elastic properties found in the siphonias, figs, and sapotaceous plants.</p> - -<p>In St. Domingo, a species of <i>Muracuja</i> is believed to possess -qualities very similar to opium,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_206">206</span> from which, and from an allied plant, -Dr. Hamilton believes, that the concentrated sap, collected at a proper -time, strained, evaporated, and properly prepared, would prove an -excellent substitute for the expensive opium, at a cheaper rate. The -species indigenous to Jamaica, is known as bull-hoof or Dutchman’s -laudanum. At a time when opium was scarce, from some accidental cause, -in the island of Jamaica, a Dutch surgeon found in this plant a -successful substitute. The plant is common in Jamaica and some other -of the West Indian islands. It is an elegant climber, bearing bright -scarlet blossoms, somewhat resembling a passion flower. Browne says, -that the flowers are principally employed, and when infused, or mixed -in a state of powder with wine or spirits, are regarded as a safe and -effectual narcotic.</p> - -<p>Dr. Landerer states that the Syrian rue is a highly esteemed plant in -Greece. This plant appears to have been known to the ancients, and -mentioned by Dioscorides. Its properties are narcotic, resembling -those of the Indian hemp. The Turks macerate the seeds in scherbet -or boosa, administering the infusion internally. It also serves in -the preparation of a yellow dye. The seeds are sometimes used by the -Turks as a spice, and the same people also resort to them to produce a -species of intoxication. The Emperor Solyman, it is stated kept himself -in a state of intoxication by their use. The peculiar phenomena of this -intoxication has not, that we are aware, been described, but we are -informed that the property of producing it exists in the husks of the -seeds, from which a chemical principle of a narcotic nature has been -obtained.</p> - -<p>There is another plant, a native of Arabia, and of the nightshade -family, so prolific in narcotics, the seeds of which are used by some -of the Asiatics to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_207">207</span> produce those mental reveries and excitement so -much coveted. These seeds, the produce of a plant known to botanists -under the name of <i>Scopolia mutica</i>, are also roasted and infused to -form a sort of drink, in which the Arabs and some others indulge.</p> - -<p>The seeds of a species of <i>Sterculia</i> are said to be used by the -natives of Silhet as a substitute for opium. The Cola nuts, so highly -esteemed by the negroes of Guinea, are the produce of a Sterculia. -The natives attribute very extraordinary properties to these seeds, -somewhat analogous to those claimed by the Peruvians for the leaf of -the coca, stating, that if chewed, they satisfy hunger, and prevent the -natural craving for food, that for this purpose they carry some with -them when undertaking a long journey. They are also affirmed to improve -the flavour of anything that may be subsequently eaten, if a portion -of one of them is taken before meals. Formerly they were even more -esteemed than at the present day. In those times, fifty of them were -sufficient to purchase a wife. These seeds are flat, and of a brownish -colour and bitter taste. Their tonic properties have been supposed -equal to those of the famed Cedron seeds of Guiana and the more famous -Cinchona bark of the Andes. Probably further and more elaborate -investigation will prove that these wonderful seeds possess slightly -beneficial properties as a tonic, it may be even inferior to those of -the roots of Gentian, or other parts of some of our indigenous plants.</p> - -<p>In the Straits, the leaves of the “Beah” tree are used by the -opium-smokers as a substitute for opium, when that drug is not -procurable. These serrated leaves, the produce of we know not precisely -what tree, except under the above native name, are occasionally sold in -the bazaars or markets at a quarter of a rupee per catty, or at<span class="pagenum" id="Page_208">208</span> the -rate, Anglicised, of fourpence halfpenny per pound.</p> - -<p>In addition to the substances which do duty for opium knowingly and -wittingly, there are others which enter into its composition in the -form of adulteration, to which writers on materia medica have drawn -attention, and ultimately Dr. Hassell. These also deserve, with far -greater appropriateness, the designation of false prophets, since, -promising the glimpses of paradise which opium is believed to give, -they only</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Keep the promise to the lip</div> - <div class="verse">And break it with the heart.</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>The first sophistication, says Pereira, which opium receives, is that -practised by the peasants who collect it, and who lightly scrape the -epidermis from the shells or capsules to augment the weight. This -operation adds about one-twelfth of foreign matters, which are removed -by the Chinese in their method of preparing the opium and forming it -into chandu.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/i_p208b.jpg" alt="Harbour" /> -</div> - - -<p>According to Dr. Eatwell, the grosser impurities usually mixed with -the drug to increase its weight are mud, sand, powdered charcoal, -soot, cow dung, pounded poppy petals, and pounded seeds of various -descriptions. All these substances are readily discoverable in breaking -up the drug in cold water, decanting the lighter portion, and examining -the sediment. Flour is a very favourite article of adulteration, but -is readily detected. Opium so adulterated becomes sour, breaks with -a short ragged fracture, the edges of which are dull, and not pink -and translucent as they should be. The farina of the boiled potato is -not unfrequently made use of; ghee and ghour (an impure treacle) are -also occasionally used, as being articles<span class="pagenum" id="Page_209">209</span> -at the command of most -of the cultivators. Their presence is revealed by the peculiar odour -and consistence which they impart to the drug. In addition to the -above, a variety of vegetable juices, extracts, pulps, and colouring -matters are occasionally fraudulently mixed with the opium, such as -the inspissated juice of the prickly pear, the extracts prepared from -the tobacco plant, the thorn apple, and the Indian hemp. The gummy -exudations from various plants are frequently used; and of pulps, the -most commonly employed are those of the tamarind, and of the Bael -fruit. To impart colour to the drug various substances are employed, as -catechu, turmeric, the powdered flowers of the mowha tree, &c. Here is -a list long enough to satisfy any antiquarian, containing delicacies -of all kinds, the essence of which would improve any soothing syrup or -Godfrey’s cordial, with which, under the name of opium, they may be -incorporated, whether they may consist of tobacco juice, cow dung, or -bad treacle.</p> - -<p>Let us still enlarge the collection from the experience of Dr. -Normandy, eminent in chemical analysis<span class="pagenum" id="Page_210">210</span>—“Opium is often met with in -commerce from which the morphine has been extracted; on the other -hand, this valuable drug is often found adulterated with starch, -water, Spanish liquorice, lactucarium, extract of poppy leaves, of -the sea-side poppy, and other vegetable extracts, mucilage of gum -tragacanth, or other gums, clay, sand, gravel. Often the opium is mixed -in Asia and Egypt, when fresh and soft, with finely bruised grapes, -from which the stones have been removed; sometimes also a mixture, -fabricated by bruising the exterior skins of the capsules and stalks -of the poppy together with the white of eggs, in a stone mortar, is -added in certain proportions to the opium. In fact, this most valuable -drug, certainly one of the most important, and most frequently used in -medicine, is also one of the most extensively adulterated.”</p> - -<p>Dr. Landerer has described an adulteration of a sample of opium -obtained direct from Smyrna; it consisted of salep powder in large -proportions, and he was afterwards informed that this is a very common -adulteration, practised in order to make the opium harder, and to -hasten the process of drying. Dr. Pereira speaks of an opium which -contained a gelatiniform substance, and Mr. Morson met with opium in -which a similar substance was present. Dr. Landerer also states that -the extract obtained by boiling the poppy plants is commonly added to -Smyrna opium.</p> - -<p>Dr. Hassell found “that out of twenty-three samples of opium analysed, -nineteen were adulterated, and four only genuine, many of these as -shown by the microscope, being adulterated to a large extent; the -prevailing adulterations being with poppy capsules and wheat flour,” in -addition to which adulteration two samples of Smyrna opium, and two of -Egyptian opium were adulterated with sand, sugar, and gum.</p> - -<p>From the analysis of forty samples of powdered opium, he found also, -“that thirty-three of the samples were adulterated, and one only -genuine; the principal adulterations, as in the previous case, being -with poppy capsule and wheat flour. That four of the samples were -further adulterated by the addition of powdered wood, introduced, no -doubt, in the process of grinding.”</p> - -<p>Dr. Thomson stated in his evidence before the Parliamentary Committee, -that he had known extract of opium mixed with extract of senna, and -from thirty to sixty per cent. of water.</p> - -<p>Dr. O’Shaughnessy found from 25 to 21 per<span class="pagenum" id="Page_211">211</span> cent. of water in Indian -opium (Behar agency), and 13 per cent. in Patna opium.</p> - -<p>Dr. Eatwell, the opium examiner in the Benares district, finds that the -proportion of water varies from 30 to 24-5 per cent. in the opium of -that district.</p> - -<p>In 1838, a specimen of opium resembling that of Smyrna was presented -to the Société de Pharmacie of Paris, being part of a considerable -quantity which had been introduced into commerce at Paris and Havre. -It did not exhibit the least trace of morphia. It was in rolls, well -covered with leaves, had a blackish section, and a slightly elastic -consistence. It became milky upon contact with water. Its odour and -taste were analogous to opium, but feebler. It was adulterated with so -much skill, that agglutinated tears appeared even under a magnifier—a -character which had hitherto been regarded as decisive in detecting -pure opium, but which with this occurrence lost its value. The same -article appears to have been met with also in the United States.</p> - -<p>A writer from Singapore states, “I lately saw a Chinaman brought -to the police for fabricating opium balls. The imitation balls were -composed of a skin or husk formed from the leaves of Madras tobacco, -inside was sand, which was evidently intended to form the shape of -the balls till the outer covering had sufficiently set, the whole was -neatly sewed with bandages of calico, which would be removed when the -tobacco was able to retain its proper shape, the sand would then be -abstracted, and a mixture of gambier and opium substituted, while the -outside would be rubbed over with a watery solution of chandu. By these -means the native traders are much and often imposed upon.”</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_212">212</span></p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV.</a><br /> - -<small>NEPENTHES.</small></h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“Bright Helen mixed a mirth-inspiring bowl,</div> - <div class="verse">Tempered with drugs of sovereign use, to assuage</div> - <div class="verse">The boiling bosom of tumultuous rage;</div> - <div class="verse">To clear the cloudy front of wrinkled care,</div> - <div class="verse">And dry the tearful sluices of despair.”</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Pope’s</span> <i>Homer</i>.</div> -</div></div></div> - - -<p>The influence of climate in modifying the characters of plants is -a circumstance known to all botanical students. The same plant, in -temperate regions and under the tropics, exhibits different properties, -or, we should rather say, in one instance developes more highly certain -properties which in the other lie nearly dormant. The newly-introduced -sorghum, from which we have been promised an unfailing supply of -excellent sugar, fails in the North of France to reach that degree of -maturity, or to develope in such manner its saccharine secretions as to -be available for the manufacture of a crystallizable sugar. The sweet -floating grass (<i>Glyceria fluitans</i>) in Poland and Russia supplies -farinaceous seeds, which, under the name of manna croup, are consumed -as food; but no seeds at all available for that purpose are produced at -home from the same plant, although it grows<span class="pagenum" id="Page_213">213</span> freely. The flavour of the -onion, as grown in Egypt, is, we are assured, far milder, and vastly -different from the bulbs cultivated in Britain. The odour of violets -and other flowers grown for perfumery and other purposes at Nice, -have a scent more rich and delicious than when grown in English soil, -subject to our variable climate. But the most extraordinary effect of -all, produced by these influences upon plants, occurs in the case of -hemp, which in Europe developes its fibrous qualities to such an extent -as to produce a material for cordage hitherto unsurpassed; but in -India, while deficient in this respect, developes narcotic secretions -to such an extent as to occupy a prominent position among the chief -narcotics of the world.</p> - -<p>It was for some time supposed that the Indian or narcotic hemp was a -different species to that which is cultivated for textile purposes; and -even now it is often characterised by a different specific name, which -would seem to assume that the species are distinct. This, however, the -most celebrated of our botanists deny. The difference is declared to -be, not one of species, but of climate, and of climate only. The native -home of the hemp plant is assigned by Dr. Lindley to Persia and the -hills in the North of India, whence it has been introduced into other -countries. Burnett says, “Hemp seed is nutritious and not narcotic; it -has the very singular property of changing the plumage of bullfinches -and goldfinches from red and yellow to black, if they are fed on it for -too long a time or in too large a quantity.” Never having tried the -experiment, we have no ground for disputing or authority for verifying -these remarks. If such, however, is the case, hemp seed possesses some -property, if not narcotic, which canary and poppy seeds, we should -presume, do not.</p> - -<p>Johnny Englishman, with his usual genius for<span class="pagenum" id="Page_214">214</span> discovery and invention, -has been discovered filling his pipe on board ship with oakum, when -the stores of tobacco have been exhausted, but not being satisfied -from his own experiments of the superiority of hemp, in that form, to -his brother Jonathan’s tobacco, he therefore adheres to the latter. He -considers hemp an excellent thing when twisted into a good hawser, but -does not like it as “twist” in the masticatory acceptation of the term; -nor does he at all admire the twist of Ben Battle, when</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“Round his melancholy neck</div> - <div class="verse">A rope he did entwine,</div> - <div class="verse">And for his second time in life,</div> - <div class="verse">Enlisted in the line.</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“One end he tied around a beam,</div> - <div class="verse">And then removed his pegs;</div> - <div class="verse">And as his legs were off, of course</div> - <div class="verse">He soon was off his legs.</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“And there he hung till he was dead</div> - <div class="verse">As any nail in town;</div> - <div class="verse">For though distress had cut him up,</div> - <div class="verse">It could not cut him down.”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>Hemp is one of those plants which adapts itself well to any climate: -there is scarce a country in Europe where it cannot, or might not, be -cultivated. From Poland and Russia in the North, to Italy in the South, -the fibre is supplied to our markets. In North America it is grown for -its fibre, and in South America for its narcotic properties. Throughout -Africa, it may be found chiefly as an article for the pipe. In most of -Asia it is known, and it has been cultivated in Australia. Thus, in its -distribution, it may now be considered as almost universal.</p> - -<p>Twenty-five centuries ago, Herodotus wrote of its cultivation by the -Scythians:—<span class="pagenum" id="Page_215">215</span>—“They have a sort of hemp growing in this country very -like flax, except in thickness and height; in this respect the hemp -is far superior—it grows both spontaneously and from cultivation, and -from it the Thracians make garments very like linen, nor would any -one who is not well skilled in such matters distinguish whether they -are made of flax or hemp; but a person who has never seen this hemp, -would think the garment was made of flax.” Then follows a description -of the use of the hemp as a narcotic: “The Scythians, transported with -the vapour, shout aloud.” Antiquity is in favour of this narcotic, and -its use for that purpose before any other, except perhaps the poppy, -was known, or at least of those now in use. The <i>nepenthes</i> of Homer -has been supposed to have been this plant, or one of its products. The -use of hemp had become so general amongst the Romans at the time of -Pliny, that they commonly made ropes and cordage of it. The practice -of chewing the leaves to produce intoxication existed in India in very -early ages, whence it was carried to Persia, and before the middle of -the thirteenth century, this custom was adopted in Egypt, but chiefly -by persons of the lower orders.</p> - -<p>The narcotic properties of hemp become concentrated in a resinous -juice, which in certain seasons and in tropical countries exudes, and -concretes on the leaves, slender stems, and flowers. This constitutes -the base of all the hemp preparations, to which all the powers of -the drug are attributable. In Central India, the hemp resin called -<i>churrus</i>, is collected during the hot season in the following manner. -Men clad in leathern dresses run through the hemp fields, brushing -through the plants with all possible violence; the soft resin adheres -to the leather, and is subsequently scraped off and kneaded into -balls, which sell at from five to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_216">216</span> six rupees the seer, or about five -or six shillings per pound. A still finer kind, the <i>momeca</i> or waxen -churrus, is collected by the hand in Nepaul, and sells for nearly -double the price of the ordinary kind. Dr. McKinnon says—“In Nepaul, -the leathern attire is dispensed with, and the resin is collected -on the skin of naked coolies.” In Persia the churrus is obtained by -pressing the resinous plant on coarse cloths, and then scraping it from -these and melting it in a pot with a little warm water. Mirza considers -the churrus of Herat the most powerful of all the varieties of the -drug. The hemp resin, when pure, is of a blackish grey colour, with a -fragrant narcotic odour, and a slightly warm, bitterish, acrid taste.</p> - -<p>The dried hemp plant which has flowered, and from which the resin has -been removed, is called in India <i>gunjeh</i>. It sells at from twelve -annas to a rupee the seer, or from ninepence to a shilling per pound, -in the Calcutta bazaars. It is sold chiefly for smoking, in bundles two -feet long and three inches in diameter, containing twenty-four plants. -The colour is dusky green, the odour agreeably narcotic, the whole -plant resinous and adhesive to the touch.</p> - -<p>The larger leaves and capsules without the stalks, are called <i>Bang</i>, -<i>Subjee</i>, or <i>Sidhee</i> in India, and have been brought into the -London market under the name of <i>Guaza</i>. They are used for making an -intoxicating drink, for smoking, and in the conserve called <i>Majoon</i>. -Bang is cheaper than Gunjeh, and though less powerful, is sold at -so low a price that for one halfpenny enough can be purchased to -intoxicate an habituated person.</p> - -<p>The Gunjeh consumed in Bengal comes chiefly from Mirzapore and -Ghazeepur, being extensively cultivated near Gwalior and in Tirhoot. -The natives cut the plant when in flower, allow it to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_217">217</span> dry for three -days, and then lay it in bundles averaging two pounds each which are -distributed to the licensed dealers. The best kinds are brought from -Gwalior and Bhurtpore, and it is cultivated of good quality in gardens -around Calcutta.</p> - -<p>The <i>Majoon</i> or hemp confection, is a compound of sugar, butter, flour, -milk, and bang. The mass is divided into small lozenge-shaped pieces; -one dram will intoxicate a beginner, three drams one experienced in its -use. The taste is sweet and odour agreeable. Most carnivorous animals -will eat it greedily, and very soon become ludicrously drunk, but -seldom suffering any worse consequences.</p> - -<p>The confection called <i>el mogen</i> in use amongst the Moors appears to be -similar to, if not identical with, the <i>majoon</i> of India.</p> - -<p>The ancient Saracens and modern Arabs in some parts of Turkey and -generally throughout Syria, use preparations of hemp still known by the -name of <i>haschisch</i> or <i>Hashash</i>. M. Adolph Stuze, the court apothecary -at Bucharest, thus describes the haschisch, by which general name all -intoxicating drugs whose chief constituent is hemp, are well known all -over the East. The tops and all the tender part of the hemp plant are -collected after flowering, dried and kept for use. There are several -methods of using it.</p> - -<p>I. Boiled in fat, butter, or oil, with a little water; the filtered -product is employed in all kinds of pastry.</p> - -<p>II. Powdered for smoking. Five or ten grains of the powder are smoked -from a common pipe with ordinary tobacco, probably the leaf of a -species of Lobelia (Tombuki) possessing strong narcotic properties.</p> - -<p>III. Formed with tragacanth mucilage into pastiles, which are placed -upon a pipe and smoked in similar doses.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_218">218</span></p> - -<p>IV. Made into an electuary with dates or figs and honey. This -preparation is of a dark brown or almost black colour.</p> - -<p>V. Another electuary is prepared of the same ingredients, with the -addition of spices, cloves, cinnamon, pepper, amber, and musk. This -preparation is used as an aphrodisiac.</p> - -<p>The confection most in use among the Arabs is called <i>Dawamese</i>. This -is mingled with other stimulating substances, so as to administer to -the sensual gratifications, which appear to be the <i>summum bonum</i> of -oriental existence.</p> - -<p>The <i>haschisch</i> extract is about the consistence of syrup, and is of a -dark greenish colour, with a narcotic odour, and a bitter, unpleasant -taste.</p> - -<p>A famous heretical sect among the Mahometans bore the name of -Assassins, and settled in Persia in 1090. In Syria they possessed a -large tract of land among the mountains of Lebanon. They assassinated -Lewis of Bavaria in 1213, were conquered by the Tartars in 1257, and -extirpated in 1272. Their chief assumed the title of “Ancient of -the Mountain.” These men, some authorities inform us, were called -<i>Haschischins</i> because the use of the haschish was common among them -in the performance of certain rites, and that the ancient form has -been corrupted into that now in use. M. de Sacy states that the word -“assassin” has been derived from the Arabic name of hemp. It has also -been declared, that during the wars of the Crusades, certain of the -Saracen army while in a state of intoxication from the use of the -drug, rushed madly into the Christian camp, committing great havoc, -without themselves having any fear of death, and that these men were -called <i>Hashasheens</i>, whence has arose our word “assassin.” The term -“hashash,” says Mr. Lane, signifies “a smoker or an eater of hemp,” -and is an appellation of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_219">219</span> obloquy; noisy and riotous people are often -called “hashasheen,” which is the plural of that appellation, and the -origin of our word “assassin.”</p> - -<p>Benjamin of Tudela says, “In the vicinity of Lebanon reside the people -called Assassins, who do not believe in the tenets of Mahommedanism, -but in those of one whom they consider like unto the Prophet Kharmath. -They fulfil whatever he commands them, whether it be a matter of life -or death. He goes by the name of Sheikh-al-Hashishin, or, their old -man, by whose command all the acts of these mountaineers are regulated. -The Assassins are faithful to one another, by the command of their old -man, and make themselves the dread of every one, because their devotion -leads them gladly to risk their lives, and to kill even kings, when -commanded.</p> - -<p>In the centre of the Persian, as well as the Assyrian territory of -the Assassins, that is to say, both at Alamut and Massiat, were -situated, in a space surrounded by walls, splendid gardens—true -eastern paradises—there were flower-beds, and thickets of fruit trees, -intersected by canals; shady walks and verdant glades, where the -sparkling stream bubbles at every step; bowers of roses and vineyards; -luxurious halls, and porcelain kiosks, adorned with Persian carpets and -Grecian stuffs, where drinking vessels of gold, silver, and crystal -glittered on trays of the same costly materials; charming maidens and -handsome boys, black-eyed and seductive as the houris and boys of -Mahommed’s paradise, soft as the cushions on which they reposed, and -intoxicating as the wine which they presented; the music of the harp -was mingled with the songs of birds, and the melodious tones of the -songstress harmonised with the murmur of the brooks—everything breathed -pleasure, rapture, and sensuality.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_220">220</span></p> - -<p>A youth who was deemed worthy, by his strength and resolution, to -be initiated into the Assyrian service, was invited to the table -and conversation of the grand master or grand prior; he was then -intoxicated with henbane (haschish) and carried into the garden, which, -on awakening, he believed to be paradise. Everything around him, the -houris in particular, contributed to confirm his delusion. After he had -experienced as much of the pleasures of paradise—which the prophet has -promised to the blessed—as his strength would admit, after quaffing -enervating delight from the eyes of the houris and intoxicating wine -from the glittering goblets, he sank into the lethargy produced by -debility and the opiate, on awakening from which, after a few hours, he -again found himself by the side of his superior. The latter endeavoured -to convince him that corporeally he had not left his side, but that -spiritually he had been wrapped into paradise, and had then enjoyed -a foretaste of the bliss which awaits the faithful, who devote their -lives to the service of the faith and the obedience of their chief. -Thus did these infatuated youths blindly dedicate themselves as the -tools of murder, and eagerly sought an opportunity to sacrifice their -terrestrial, in order to become the partakers of eternal life.</p> - -<p>To this day, Constantinople and Cairo show what an incredible charm -opium with henbane exerts on the drowsy indolence of the Turk and -the fiery imagination of the Arab, and explains the fury with which -those youths the enjoyment of these rich pastiles (haschish), and -the confidence produced in them, that they are able to undertake -anything or everything. From the use of these pastiles they were called -Hashishin (herb-eaters,) which, in the mouths of Greeks and Crusaders, -has been transformed into the word Assassin, and as<span class="pagenum" id="Page_221">221</span> synonymous with -murder, has immortalized the history of the order in all the languages -of Europe.<a id="FNanchor_23_23" href="#Footnote_23_23" class="fnanchor">23</a></p> - -<p>This is the account given by Marco Polo, as repeated by Von Hammer in -his “History of the Assassins.” To this let us further add M. Sylvestre -de Sacy’s, from a memoir read before the Institute of France:——“I have -no doubt whatever, that denomination was given to the Ismaelites, on -account of their using an intoxicating liquid or preparation, still -known in the East by the name of hashish. Hemp leaves, and some other -parts of the same vegetable, form the basis of this preparation, which -is employed in different ways, either in liquid or in the form of -pastiles, mixed with saccharine substances, or even in fumigation. -The intoxication produced by the haschish, causes an ecstasy similar -to that which the orientals produce by the use of opium; and from -the testimony of a great number of travellers, we may affirm that -those who fall into this state of delirium, imagine they enjoy the -ordinary objects of their desires, and taste felicity at a cheap rate. -It has not been forgotten that when the French army was in Egypt the -General-in-chief Napoleon, was obliged to prohibit, under the severest -penalties, the sale and use of these pernicious substances, the habit -of which has made an imperious want in the inhabitants of Egypt, -particularly the lower orders. Those who indulge in this custom are to -this day called Hashishin, and these two different expressions explain -why the Ismaelites were called by the historians of the Crusades -sometimes Assissini and sometimes Assassini.”</p> - -<p>As an instance of the blind submission of these devoted followers to -the will of their chief, it is narrated that Jelaleddin Melekshah, -Sultan of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_222">222</span> Seljuks, having sent an ambassador to the Sheikh of -the Assassins, to require his obedience and fealty, the son of Sahab -called into his presence several of the initiated. Beckoning to one of -them, he said, “Kill thyself,” and he instantly stabbed himself: to -another, “Throw thyself down from the rampart;” the next instant he lay -a mutilated corpse in the moat. On this the grand master, turning to -the envoy, who was unnerved by terror, said—“In this way am I obeyed by -seventy thousand faithful subjects. Be that my answer to thy master.”</p> - -<p>From comparison of these notes, it will therefore appear that the order -of Hashishans used the haschish, as a means whereby to induce young -men to devote themselves to their cause. That it was used by the chief -for its intoxicating and illusionary properties, probably without the -knowledge of the members of the order, but as a secret, the divulging -of which would have defeated his design, and that it was not indulged -in habitually by the order; but that from its use in these initiatory -rites they came to be called Haschishans, afterwards corrupted into -Assassins. And ultimately, that their murderous acts procured for all -those who in future times imitated them, the honour of their name.</p> - -<p>But to return from this long digression, we still meet with the name of -Haschisch and Hashasheen in Egypt, and also with preparations of hemp, -which are believed as of old to transport those who indulge therein to -scenes such as paradise alone is supposed to furnish.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent4">“Where’er his eye could reach,</div><span class="pagenum" id="Page_223">223</span> - <div class="verse">Fair structures, rainbow-hued, arose;</div> - <div class="verse">And rich pavilions through the opening woods</div> - <div class="verse">Gleamed from their waving curtains sunny gold;</div> - <div class="verse">And winding through the verdant vale,</div> - <div class="verse indent4">Flowed streams of liquid light,</div> - <div class="verse">And fluted cypresses reared up</div> - <div class="verse indent4">Their living obelisks,</div> - <div class="verse">And broad-leaved plane trees in long colonnades,</div> - <div class="verse">O’er arched delightful walks,</div> - <div class="verse">Where round their trunks the thousand-tendril’d vine</div> - <div class="verse">Wound up, and hung the boughs with greener wreaths,</div> - <div class="verse">And clusters not their own.”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>M. Rouyer, of the Egyptian Commission, says, with the leaves and tops, -collected before ripening, the Egyptians prepare a conserve, which -serves as the base of the <i>berch</i>, the <i>diasmouk</i>, and the <i>bernaouy</i>. -Hemp leaves reduced to powder and incorporated with honey or stirred -with water, constitute the <i>berch</i> of the poorer classes.</p> - -<p>Dr. Livingstone found hemp in use among the natives of Southern Africa -under the name of <i>mutokuane</i>.</p> - -<p>With the Hottentots it is known as <i>Dacha</i>, and another plant used for -similar purposes among them is called the <i>wild Dagga</i> or Dacha. The -use of hemp as a narcotic appears to be very general in all parts of -Africa.</p> - -<p>The D’amba possesses numerous native titles, but it is only -understood by those distinctive terms which the negroes give it in -their respective countries. By the people of Ambriz and Musula it is -pronounced as D’yambah, while to the various races in Kaffraria, it -is more generally known under the Hottentot name of Dakka or Dacha. -This plant is extensively cultivated by the Dongós, Damarás, and other -tribes to the southward of Benguela. Among the Ambundas or aborigines -of Angola, the dried plant is duly appreciated, not only for its -narcotic effects, but likewise on account of some medicinal virtues -which it has been reputed to enjoy. The markets of St. Paul de Loanda -are mostly supplied from the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_224">224</span> Dongós, and other adjacent tribes, and -from St. Salvador, and the towns in the vicinity of Upper Kongo.</p> - -<p>The mode in which it is prepared for sale, consists in carefully -separating from the leaves and seeds, the larger stalks, retaining only -the smaller stems, which are compressed into a conical mass, varying -from two to four inches in diameter, and from one to two feet in -length, the whole being covered by some dried vegetable, firmly secured -by thin withes. The substance thus manufactured is ordinarily employed -for the purpose of smoking, and is endowed with powerful stimulant and -intoxicating principles, consequently it is proportionately prized by -those nations who are familiar with those peculiar qualities, and is -probably viewed more in the light of a luxury owing to the absence of -all other sources of excitement, for which, perhaps, it was the only -available substitute.</p> - -<p>The Zulu Kaffirs and Delagoans of the South Eastern Coast use it under -the same or like names. Amongst the former the herb is powdered and -used as snuff. The true tobacco is known amongst them, and is grown to -a certain extent, but the use of hemp both for smoking and snuffing, -is far more common. Perhaps, requiring less cultivation, it suits best -their indolent habits.</p> - -<p>The most eminent of the Persian and Arabian authors refer the origin of -hemp intoxication to the natives of Hindostan. But few traces, however, -of its early use can be found in any part of India.</p> - -<p>In the “Rajniguntu,” a treatise on materia medica, the date of which -is vaguely estimated at about six hundred years ago, there is a clear -account of this drug. The names under which it is there known are, -“<i>Bijoya</i>,” “<i>Ujoya</i>,” and “<i>Joya</i><span class="pagenum" id="Page_225">225</span>,” meaning promoters of success; -“<i>Brijputta</i>,” or the strengthener; “<i>Chapola</i>,” the causer of a -reeling gait; “<i>Ununda</i>,” or the laughter-moving; “<i>Hursini</i>,” the -exciter of sexual desire.</p> - -<p>In another treatise in Sanscrit, of later date, the above is repeated; -and in a religious treatise, called the Hindu Tantra, it is stated that -<i>Sidhee</i> is more intoxicating than wine.</p> - -<p>In the fifth chapter of the Institutes of Menu, Brahmins are prohibited -to use Pabandoo or onions, <i>Gunjara</i> or <i>Gunjah</i>, and such condiments -as have strong and pungent scents.</p> - -<p>Persian and Arabic writers give, however, a fuller and more particular -account of the early use of this substance. Makrisi treats of the hemp -in his description of the ancient pleasure-grounds in the vicinity of -Cairo. This quarter, after many vicissitudes, is now a mass of ruins. -In it was situated a cultivated valley, named Djoneina, which was the -theatre of all conceivable abominations. It was famous, above all, -for the sale of the <i>Hasheesha</i> or Haschisch, which is still consumed -by certain of the populace, and from the consumption of which sprung -those excesses which gave rise to the name of “assassin,” in the time -of the Crusades. This author states that the oldest work in which hemp -is noticed is a treatise by Hassan, who states that in the year of the -Hegira 658, the Sheikh Djafar Shirazi, a monk of the order of Haider, -learned from his master, the history of the discovery of hemp. Haider, -the chief of ascetics and self-chasteners, lived in rigid privation on -a mountain between Nishabor and Rama, where he established a monastery -of Fakirs. Ten years he had spent in this retreat, without leaving it -for a moment, till one burning summer’s day, when he departed alone -to the fields. On his return, an air of joy and gaiety was imprinted -on his countenance;<span class="pagenum" id="Page_226">226</span> he received the visits of his brethren, and -encouraged their conversation. On being questioned, he stated that, -struck by the aspect of a plant which danced in the heat as if with -joy, while all the rest of the vegetable creation was torpid, he had -gathered and eaten of its leaves. He led his companions to the spot—all -ate, and all were similarly excited. A tincture of the hemp-leaf in -wine or spirits, seems to have been the favourite formula in which the -Sheikh Haider indulged himself. An Arab poet sings of Haider’s emerald -cup—an evident allusion to the rich green colour of the tincture of -the drug. The Sheikh survived the discovery ten years, and subsisted -chiefly on this herb, and on his death his disciples, by his desire, -planted an arbour in which it grew about his tomb. From this saintly -sepulchre, the knowledge of the effects of hemp is stated to have -spread into Khorasan. In Chaldea it was unknown until the Mahommedan -year 728, during the reign of the Caliph Mostansir Billah. The kings of -Ormus and Bahrein then introduced it into Chaldea, Syria, Egypt, and -Turkey.</p> - -<p>In Khorasan, it seems that the date of the use of hemp is considered, -notwithstanding the foregoing, to be far prior to Haider’s era. -Biraslan, an Indian pilgrim, contemporary with Cosroes (whoever this -same Cosroes may be, for it is a name often occurring, and applied -as Cæsar or Czar to more than one generation), is stated to have -introduced and diffused the custom through Khorasan and Yemen.</p> - -<p>In 780 <span class="smcap lowercase">M.E.</span> very severe ordinances were passed in Egypt against this -practice of indulging in hemp. The Djoneina garden was rooted up, -and all those convicted of the use of the drug were subjected to the -extraction of their teeth. But in 792 <span class="smcap lowercase">M.E.</span> the custom re-established -itself with more<span class="pagenum" id="Page_227">227</span> than original vigour. A vivid picture is given by -Makrisi of the vice and its victims:——“As a general consequence, great -corruption of sentiments and manners ensued, modesty disappeared, every -base and evil passion was openly indulged in, and nobility of external -form alone remained to those infatuated beings.” In the “Sisters of -Old,” some further memoranda will be found of the early history of this -extraordinary narcotic.</p> - -<p>Not only was its intoxicating power, but many other properties—some -true, some fabulous—were known at the above periods. The contrary -qualities of the plant—its stimulating and sedative effects—are dwelt -on:——“They at first exhilarate the spirits, cause cheerfulness, -give colour to the complexion, bring on intoxication, excite the -imagination into the most rapturous ideas, produce thirst, increase -appetite, excite concupiscence; afterwards, the sedative effects begin -to preside, the spirits sink, the vision darkens and weakens, and -madness, melancholy, fearfulness, dropsy, and such like distempers are -the sequel.” Mirza Abdul Russac says of it: “It produces a ravenous -appetite and constipation, arrests the secretions, except that of the -liver, excites wild imagining, a sensation of ascending, forgetfulness -of all that happens during its use, and such mental exaltation that the -beholders attribute it to supernatural inspiration.” To which he also -adds: “The inexperienced, on first taking it, are often senseless for a -day, some go mad, others are known to die.”</p> - -<p>Whether for the purpose of increasing its power, or for what other -reason we know not, in India the seeds of Datura are mixed with hemp, -in compounding some of the confections, as well as the powder of <i>nux -vomica</i>. This is, however, exceptional, neither of these substances -entering into the composition of the Majoon of Bengal any more<span class="pagenum" id="Page_228">228</span> than -does corrosive sublimate form a proportion of the pills in general use -by the opium-eater of Constantinople.</p> - -<p>It is a custom with some people to blame, without limit, those who -indulge in nervous stimulants of a nature differing from their own, -while serving the same purpose. Thus, one who thinks that Providence -never designed his corporeal frame to become a perambulating -beer-barrel, eschews all alcoholic drinks, but at the same time -eschews not the abuse of those who think fit to indulge in a little -wine for their stomach’s sake, or a draught of porter for their -bodily infirmities. These same abstainers still adhere to their tea -and coffee, and though harmless enough as these dietetics may be, yet -they in part serve the purposes for which others employ alcoholic -stimulants. An eminent chemist states that persons accustomed to -the use of wine, when they take cod liver oil, soon lose the taste -and inclination for wine. The Temperance Societies should therefore -canonise cod liver oil.</p> - -<p>It is true that thousands have lived without a knowledge of tea or -coffee; and daily experience teaches, that under certain circumstances -they may be dispensed with without disadvantage to the merely animal -vital functions. “But it is an error,” writes Liebig,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_229">229</span> “certainly, -to conclude from this that they may be altogether dispensed with in -reference to their effects; and it is a question whether, if we had no -tea and no coffee, the popular instinct would not seek for and discover -the means of replacing them. Science, which accuses us of so much in -these respects, will have, in the first place, to ascertain whether -it depends on the sensual and sinful inclinations merely, that every -people of the globe has appropriated some such means of acting on the -nervous life—from the shore of the Pacific, where the Indian retires -from life for days, in order to enjoy the bliss of intoxication with -coca, to the Arctic regions, where the Kamtschatdale and Koriakes -prepare an intoxicating beverage from a poisonous mushroom. We think -it, on the contrary, highly probable, not to say certain, that -the instinct of man, feeling certain blanks, certain wants of the -intensified life of our times, which cannot be satisfied or filled -up by mere quantity, has discovered, in these products of vegetable -life, the true means of giving to his food the desired and necessary -quality. Every substance, in so far as it has a share in the vital -processes, acts in a certain way on our nervous system, on the sensual -appetites, and the will of man.” So, although some have no tobacco, -they find in the use of hemp or opium a substitute for that vegetable -which nature has denied them. There can be no doubt that had we never -become acquainted with tobacco or gin, we should have discovered and -used some other narcotic in the place of the one, and a no less fiery -and injurious form of alcohol instead of the other. To talk of the -<i>degraded</i> Chinese as <i>barbarians</i>, indulging to an awful extent in -opium, and the <i>ignorant</i> Hindoo and Arab, as in madness revelling -in debauches of hemp confections, is an evidence of the workings of -the same narrow-minded prejudices under which some who abstain from -alcoholic stimulants rail and rave at those whose feelings and habits -lay in an opposite direction, charging upon the enjoyments of the -many the excesses of the few. Friend Brooklove, drink thy tea, and -re-consider thy verdict!</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_230">230</span></p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI.</a><br /> - -<small>GUNJA AT HOME.</small></h2> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“Oh, kind and blissful mockery, when the manacled felon, on his bed -of straw, is transported to the home of his innocent boyhood, and -the pining and forsaken fair, is happy with her fond and faithful -lover—and the poor man hath abundance—and the dying man is in joyous -health—and despair hath hope—and those that want are as though they -wanted not—and they who weep are as though they wept not.—But the -fashion of these things passeth away.”</p></blockquote> - - -<p>“At home” may mean, that quarter-day has passed with all its terrors, -accounts settled, bills filed, tax-collectors satisfied, and the -horizon of finance clear and cloudless. There is no fear of duns or -doctors, and John Thomas announces “at home.” Or it may mean, that -having enrobed oneself in morning gown and slippers, filled and lighted -our pipe, seated ourselves in an easy chair, placed our feet firmly -and contentedly on the hearthrug, and commenced enveloping ourselves -in a cloud like that in which Juno conveyed the vanquished Paris from -the field to the presence of the fairest of the daughters of Greece, -we <i>feel</i>, with reference to ourselves, and in despite of the rest -of the world—“at home.” Or it may mean, that having made the “grand -tour,” crossed the desert on a camel, or seen the lions of Singapore, -Hong-Kong, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_231">231</span> Shanghai, we are once more on our native soil, and -no longer fear Italian banditti or Turkish plague, sandstorms or -crocodiles, Chinese poisoners or bow-wow pie, that we breathe again, -and are “at home”. Or it may mean half-a-dozen things beside. But to -see a man at home, is to see him in all the gradations of light and -shade, of sunlight and shadow, brighter and deeper, than when he covers -his head and walks abroad to look at the sun.</p> - -<p>Gunja is not at home in Europe. Notwithstanding the efforts made in -England and France to introduce the Indian hemp into medical practice, -and the asseverations of medical practitioners in British India, -who have extolled its power as a narcotic and anodyne, it has never -settled upon European soil. The drugs already in use to produce sleep -and alleviate pain, still occupy their old popularity, undisturbed -by the visit of a stranger, who, finding the reception too cold, has -retreated. In France, certain experiments were made, and by leave of -Dr. Moreau, we shall take advantage of them, and of the Journal of -Psychological Medicine, to ascertain the effects of this drug on those -who have used it.</p> - -<p>Since the days of Prosper Albinus, both learned and unlearned have -listened with wonder to the marvellous effects of those “drowsy syrups -of the East,” when—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent4">“Quitting earth’s dull sphere, the soul exulting soars</div> - <div class="verse">To each bright realm by fancy conjured up,</div> - <div class="verse">And clothed in hues of beauty, there to mix</div> - <div class="verse">With laughing spirits on the moonlit green;</div> - <div class="verse">Or rove with angels through the courts of heaven,</div> - <div class="verse">And catch the music flowing from their tongues.”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>In Asia Minor an extract from the Indian hemp has been from time -immemorial swallowed with<span class="pagenum" id="Page_232">232</span> the greatest avidity, as the means of -producing the most ecstatic delight, and affording a gratification even -of a higher character than that which is known there to follow on the -use of opium. A small dose seems only to influence the moral faculties, -giving to the intellectual powers greater vivacity, and momentary -vigour. A larger dose seems to awaken a new sensibility, and call into -action dormant capabilities of enjoyment. Not only is the imagination -excited, but an intensity of energy pervades all the passions and -affections of the mind. Memory not only recurs with facility to the -past, but incorporates delusions with it, for with whatever accuracy -the facts may be remembered, they are painted with glowing colours, -and made sources of pleasure. The senses become instruments also of -deception, the eye and the ear, not only are alive to every impression, -but they delude the reason, and disturb the brain, by the delusions to -which they become subject. Gaiety, or a soothing melancholy, may be -produced, as pleasant or disagreeable sights or sounds are presented.</p> - -<p>So much alive are the swallowers of haschisch to the effect of external -objects upon the perceptive powers, that they generally retire to -the depths of the harem, where the almas, or females educated for -this purpose, add, by the charms of music and the dance, to the false -perceptions which the disordered condition of the brain gives rise to. -Insensibly the reason and the volition are entirely overcome, and yield -themselves up to the fantastic imagery which affords such delight. Can -we wonder at such people producing and admiring all the extravagancies -of the “Arabian Nights’ Entertainments?” Can we be surprised at -their belief in a paradise for the future, which is at best but a -voluptuary’s dream?</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_233">233</span></p> - -<p>At the commencement of the intoxication produced by the hemp, there -is the most perfect consciousness of the state of the disordered -faculties. There exists the power of analyzing the sensations, but the -mind seems unwilling to resume its guiding and controlling power. It is -conscious that all is but a dream, and yet feels a delight in perfect -abandonment to the false enjoyment. It will not attempt to awaken -from the reverie, but rather to indulge in it, to the utmost extent -of which it is capable. There seems an ideal existence, but it is too -pleasurable to shake off—it penetrates into the inmost recesses of the -body—it envelopes it. The dreams and phantoms of the imagination appear -part of the living being; and yet, during all this, there remains the -internal conviction that the real world is abandoned, for a fictitious -and imaginative existence, which has charms too delightful to resist. -To the extreme rapidity with which ideas, sensations, desires, rush -across the brain, may be attributed the singular retardation of time, -which appears to be lengthened out to eternity. Similar effects, -proceeding, doubtless, from the same or similar causes, are noticed -in the “Confessions of an Opium-Eater,” wherein he speaks of minutes -becoming as ages.</p> - -<p>Dr. Moreau gives singular illustrations of this peculiar state. On one -occasion he took a dose of the haschisch previously to his going to the -opera, and he fancied that he was upwards of three hours finding his -way through the passage leading to it. M. de Saulcy partook of a dose -of haschisch, and when he recovered, it appeared to him that he had -been under its influence for a hundred years at least.</p> - -<p>Whilst an indescribable sensation of happiness takes possession of -the individual, and the joy and exultation are felt to be almost too -much to be<span class="pagenum" id="Page_234">234</span> borne, the mind seems totally at a loss to account for -it, or to explain from what particular source it springs. There is a -positive sensation of universal contentment, but it is vain to attempt -to explain the nature of the enjoyment. The peculiar motion appears -to be wholly inexplicable. A sense of something unusual pervades -every fibre, but all attempts to analyze or describe it are declared -to be in vain. After a certain period of time the system appears to -be no longer capable of further happiness, the sensibility seems -thoroughly exhausted, a gentle sense of lassitude, physical and moral, -gradually succeeds—an apathy, a carelessness, an absolute calm, from -which no exterior object can arouse the torpid frame. These are the -great characteristics of this stage. The most alarming or afflicting -intelligence is listened to without exciting any emotion. The mind -is thoroughly absorbed, the perception seems blunted, the senses -scarcely convey any impression to the brain. A re-action has taken -place, yet the collapse is unattended with any disagreeable feeling. -The energies are all prostrate, yet there are none of those depressing -symptoms which attend the last stages of ordinary intoxication. All -that is described is an ineffable tranquillity of soul, during which -it is perfectly inaccessible to sorrow or pain. “The haschisch eater -is happy,” continues Dr. Moreau, “not like the gourmand, or the -famished man when satisfying his appetite, or the voluptuary in the -gratification of his amative desires; but like him who hears tidings -which fill him with joy, or like the miser counting his treasures, -the gambler who is successful at play, or the ambitious man who is -intoxicated with success.”</p> - -<p>All those who have tried the experiment do not speak in such glowing -terms of the results. M. de Saulcey, who tried it at Jerusalem, -says:—<span class="pagenum" id="Page_235">235</span>—“The experiment, to which we had recourse for passing our time, -turned out so utterly disagreeable that I may safely say, not one of us -will ever be tempted to try it again. The haschisch is an abominable -poison which the dregs of the population alone drink and smoke in the -East, and which we were silly enough to take, in too large a dose, on -the eve of New Year’s-day. We fancied we were going to have an evening -of enjoyment, but we nearly died through our imprudence. As I had taken -a larger dose of this pernicious drug than my companions, I remained -almost insensible for more than twenty-four hours, after which I found -myself completely broken down with nervous spasms, and incoherent -dreams.”</p> - -<p>It is not uncommon for illusions and hallucinations to occur during the -early stage, when the senses have lost their power of communicating -faithfully to the brain the impressions they receive.</p> - -<p>Dr. Auber, in his work on the plague, narrates various instances -of delusions occurring in the course of his administering hemp -preparations as a relief in that disease. An officer in the navy saw -puppets dancing on the roof of his cabin—another believed that he was -transformed into the piston of a steam-engine—a young artist imagined -that his body was endowed with such elasticity as to enable him to -enter into a bottle, and remain there at his ease. Other writers speak -of individuals similarly affected: one of a man who believed himself -changed entirely into brittle glass, and in constant fear of being -cracked or broken, or having a finger or toe knocked off; another, of -a youth who believed himself growing and expanding to such an extent, -that he deemed it inevitable that the room in which he was would be -too small to contain him, and that he must, during the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_236">236</span> expansion, -force up the ceiling into the room above. Dr. Moreau, on one occasion, -believed that he was melting away by the heat of the sun, at another, -that his whole body was inflated like a balloon, that he was enabled -to elevate himself, and vanish in the air. The ideas that generally -presented themselves to him of these illusions were, that objects -wore the semblance of phantasmagoric figures, small at first, then -gradually enlarging, then suddenly becoming enormous and vanishing. -Sometimes these figures were subjects of alarm to him. A little hideous -dwarf, clothed in the dress of the thirteenth century, haunted him for -some time. Aware of the delusion, he entreated that the object which -kept up the illusion should be removed—these were a hat and a coat -upon a neighbouring table. An old servant of seventy-one, was, upon -another occasion, represented by his eye to the brain as a young lady, -adorned with all the grace of beauty, and his white hair and wrinkles -transformed into irresistible attractions. A friend who presented him -with a glass of lemonade was pictured to his disordered imagination as -a furnace of hot charcoal. Sometimes the happiness was interrupted by -delusions that affrighted him. Thus, having indulged himself with his -accustomed dose, every object awoke his terror and alarm, which neither -the conviction of his own mind nor the soothing explanations of his -friends could diminish, and he was for a considerable length of time -under the most fearful impressions.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent8">“Through the darkness spread</div> - <div class="verse">Around, the gaping earth then vomited</div> - <div class="verse">Legions of foul and ghastly shapes, which</div> - <div class="verse">Hung upon his flight.”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>These are the immediate effects produced by this most extraordinary -substance. There are others,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_237">237</span> however, still more singular, which -have attracted the attention of travellers, and become the objects of -intense curiosity. These are of a nature unknown in connection with -any other substance, and have formed the basis of numerous marvellous -narrations, that have astonished even the incredulous. Those who have -seen the fearful symptoms betrayed during delirium tremens, and have -heard the sufferers declare that they saw before them genii, fairies, -devils, know how the senses may become the source of delusion, and -hence may judge to <i>what</i> a disordered state of the intellect may -lead. When the brain has once become disordered by the use of the -narcotic hemp, it becomes ever afterwards liable to hallucinations and -delusions, unlike those produced by anything else, save intoxicating -liquours after an attack of delirium tremens. The mind then believes -that it sees visions, and beholds beings with whom it can converse. -The phenomena gradually develop themselves, until illusions take the -place of realities, and hold firm possession of the mind, which would -seem on all other points to be healthy and vigorous, but on this point, -insane. So firm and so fixed becomes the belief, that neither argument -convinces, nor ridicule shakes, the individual from his faith, in which -a prejudiced or too credulous nature confirms him but the more.</p> - -<p>The Arabs, especially those of Egypt, are exceedingly superstitious, -and there is scarce a person, even among the better informed, who does -not believe in the existence of genii. According to their belief there -are three species of intelligent beings, namely, angels, who were -created of light, genii, who were created of fire, and men, created of -earth. The prevailing opinion is that Sheytans (devils) are rebellious -genii. It is said that God created the genii two thousand years before -Adam,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_238">238</span> and that there are believers and infidels among them as among -men. It is held that they are aerial animals with transparent bodies, -which can assume any form. That they are subject to death, but live -many ages. The following are traditions of the Prophet concerning -them. The genii are of various shapes, having the forms of serpents, -scorpions, lions, wolves, jackals, &c. They are of three kinds, one -on the land, one in the sea, one in the air. They consist of forty -troops, each troop consisting of six hundred thousand. They are of -three sorts, one has wings and fly; another, are snakes and dogs; and -the third move about from place to place like men. Domestic snakes on -the same authority, are asserted to be genii. If serpents or scorpions -intrude themselves upon the faithful at prayers, the Prophet orders -that they be killed, but on other occasions, first to admonish them -to depart, and then if they remained to kill them. It is related that -Aisheeh, the prophet’s wife, having killed a serpent in her chamber, -was alarmed by a dream, and fearing that it might have been a Muslim -Jinnee, as it did not enter her chamber when she was undressed, gave -in alms, as an expiation, about three hundred pounds, the price of the -blood of a Muslim. The genii appear to mankind most commonly in the -shapes of serpents, dogs, cats, or human beings. In the last case, they -are sometimes of the stature of men, and sometimes of a size enormously -gigantic. If good, they are generally resplendently handsome, if -evil, horribly hideous. They become invisible at pleasure (by a rapid -extension or rarefaction of the particles which compose them) or -suddenly disappear in the earth or air, or through a solid wall.</p> - -<p>The Sheykh Khaleel El Medabighee related the following anecdote of a -Jinnee. He had, he said, a favourite black cat, which always slept -at the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_239">239</span> foot of his musquito curtain. Once, at midnight, he heard a -knocking at the door of his house, and his cat went and opened the -hanging shutter of the window, and called, “Who is there?” A voice -replied, “I am such a one,” (mentioning a strange name) “the jinnee, -open the door.” “The lock,” said the Sheykh’s cat, “has had the name -pronounced upon it.” It is the custom to say, “In the name of God, the -compassionate, the merciful,” on locking the door, covering bread, -laying down their clothes at night, and on other occasions, and this -they believe protects their property from genii. “Then throw me down,” -said the voice, “two cakes of bread.” “The bread-basket,” answered -the cat at the window, “has had the name pronounced upon it.” “Well,” -said the stranger, “at least give me a draught of water.” But he was -answered that the water-jar had been secured in the same manner, and -asked what he was to do, seeing that he was likely to die of hunger -and thirst. The Sheykh’s cat told him to go to the door of the next -house, and went there also himself, and opened the door, and soon -after returned. Next morning the Sheykh deviated from a habit which he -had constantly observed; he gave to the cat half of the fateereh upon -which he breakfasted instead of a little morsel which he was wont to -give, and afterwards said, “O my cat, thou knowest that I am a poor -man; bring me then a little gold,” upon which words the cat immediately -disappeared, and he saw it no more. Such are the stories which they -believe and narrate of these genii; and there is scarce an indulger in -haschisch whose imagination does not lead him to believe that he has -seen or had communication with some of these beings.</p> - -<p>Mr. Lane, translator of the “Arabian Nights,” had once a humourous -cook addicted to the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_240">240</span> intoxicating haschisch, of whom he relates the -following circumstance:——“Soon after he had entered my service, I -heard him, one evening, muttering, and exclaiming on the stairs as -if surprised at some event, and then politely saying, ‘But why are -you sitting here in the draught? Do me the favour to come up into the -kitchen, and amuse me with your conversation a little!’ The civil -address not being answered, was repeated, and varied several times, -till I called out to the man, and asked him to whom he was speaking. -‘The efreet of a Turkish soldier,’ he replied, ‘is sitting on the -stairs, smoking his pipe, and refuses to move; he came up from the well -below; pray step and see him.’ On my going to the stairs, and telling -the servant that I could see nothing, he only remarked that it was -because I had a clear conscience. My cook professed to see this efreet -frequently after.”</p> - -<p>Dr. Moreau enumerates many instances, from his own immediate followers, -of genii seers among the haschisch eaters. His dragoman, who had -been attached in that capacity to Champollion, the captain of the -vessel, and several sailors, had not only a firm belief in, but had -actually received visits from genii or efreets, and neither argument -nor ridicule could shake their conviction. The captain had, on two -occasions, seen a jinnee, he appeared to him under the form of a sheep. -On returning one evening somewhat late to his house, the captain found -a stray sheep bleating with unusual noise. He took him home, sheared -him for his long fleece, and was about to kill him, when suddenly the -sheep rose up to the height of twenty feet, in the form of a black man, -and in a voice of thunder, announced himself as a jinnee.</p> - -<p>One of the sailors, Mansour, a man who had made nearly twenty voyages -with Europeans, recounted his interview with a genius under the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_241">241</span> guise -of a young girl of eight or ten years of age. He met her in the evening -on the banks of the Nile, weeping deplorably because she had lost her -way. Mansour, touched with compassion, took her home with him. In -the morning he mounted her on an ass, to take her to her parents. On -entering a grove of palms, he heard behind him some fearful sighs; on -looking round to ascertain the cause, he saw, to his horror, that the -little girl had dismounted, that her lower extremities had become of an -enormous length, resembling two frightful serpents, which she trailed -after her in the sand. Her arms became lengthened out, her face mounted -up into the skies, black as charcoal, her immense mouth, armed with -crocodile’s teeth, vomited forth flame. Poor Mansour fell suddenly upon -the earth, where, overcome with terror, he passed the night. In the -morning he crawled home, and two months of illness attested the fact of -disorder of the brain.</p> - -<p>Many such tales are recounted, and all told by the sufferers with -the firmest belief, and the most earnest conviction of their truth; -each, by his own delusion, strengthening and confirming others. All -those who had seen visions had their minds diseased through the use -of haschisch, while those who did not indulge in the habit were free -from these extraordinary illusions. These hallucinations seem to be -manifested independently of any then existing affection of the brain, -and the individual appears, under other circumstances, fitted for the -usual avocations of life. They may be only symptoms of a previously -disordered intellect, but they may also be the starting point, -from which insanity is developed. In all instances in which these -hallucinations occur, watchfulness is necessary, since, in the majority -of cases they terminate finally in derangement of the brain to the -extent generally denominated <i>madness</i>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_242">242</span></p> - -<p>Other curious results from the use of this narcotic are detailed by -Dr. O’Shaughnessy, as exhibited by patients in India, to whom he had -prescribed it, in his capacity of medical practitioner, and other -experiments he made.</p> - -<p>A dog, to whom some <i>churrus</i> was given, in half an hour became stupid -and sleepy, dozing at intervals, starting up, wagging his tail as if -extremely contented; he ate food greedily, on being called he staggered -to and fro, and his countenance assumed the appearance of utter and -helpless drunkenness. In six hours these symptoms had passed away, and -he was perfectly well and lively.</p> - -<p>A patient to whom hemp had been administered, on a sudden uttered a -loud peal of laughter, and exclaimed, that four spirits were springing -with his bed into the air. Attempts to pacify him were in vain, his -laughter became momentarily more and more uncontrollable. In a short -time he exhibited symptoms of that peculiar nervous condition, which -mesmerists have of late years made us more acquainted with, under the -name of <i>catalepsy</i>. In whatever imaginable attitude his arms and legs -were placed, they became rigid and remained. A waxen figure could not -be more pliant or stationary in each position, no matter how contrary -to the natural influence of gravity on the part. A strong stimulant -drink was given to him, and his intoxication led to such noisy -exclamations, that he had to be removed to a separate room, where he -soon became tranquil, in less than an hour his limbs had gained their -natural condition, and in two hours he said he was perfectly well, and -very hungry.</p> - -<p>A rheumatic cooly was subjected to the influence of half a grain -of hemp resin. In two hours the old gentleman became talkative and -musical, told several stories, and sang songs to a circle of highly<span class="pagenum" id="Page_243">243</span> -delighted auditors, ate the dinners of two persons, subscribed for him -in the ward, and finally fell soundly asleep, and so continued until -the following morning. At noon he was perfectly free from headache, or -any unpleasant sequel; at his request, the medicine was repeated, and -he was indulged with it for a few days, and then discharged.</p> - -<p>A medical pupil took about a quarter of a grain of the resin in the -form of tincture. A shout of loud and prolonged laughter ushered in the -symptoms, and a state of catalepsy occurred for two or three minutes. -He then enacted the part of a Rajah giving orders to his courtiers; -he could recognize none of his fellow students or acquaintances—all -to his mind seemed as altered as his own condition; he spoke of many -years having passed since his student’s days, described his teachers -and friends with a piquancy which a dramatist would envy, detailed -the adventures of an imaginary series of years, his travels, his -attainment of wealth and power. He entered on discussions on religious, -scientific, and political subjects, with astonishing eloquence, and -disclosed an extent of knowledge, reading, and a ready apposite wit, -which those who knew him best were altogether unprepared for. For three -hours and upwards he maintained the character he at first assumed, -and with a degree of ease and dignity perfectly becoming his high -situation. This scene terminated nearly as abruptly as it commenced, -and no headache, sickness, or other unpleasant symptoms followed the -excess.</p> - -<p>Without detailing instances in which its virtues as a medicinal agent -are set forth, or naming cases of hydrophobia in which it was given -and failed, or of tetanus in which it was resorted to with success, we -can scarce forbear noticing the fact, that to an infant only 60 days -old, 130 drops of the tincture had to be given to produce narcotism,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_244">244</span> -whilst 10 drops produced those effects in the student above named, who -believed himself an important Rajah.</p> - -<p>The most recent information we have of the effects of haschisch is -supplied by Professor K. D. Schroff. It relates to a kind called -“Birmingi,” the laughter producer (“macht keif”) obtained from -Bucharest.</p> - -<p>This preparation was in the form of tablets, hard and difficult to -break, externally almost black and smooth, with but a slight smell. The -taste was neither bitter nor aromatic, but rather insipid. On prolonged -mastication, the very tough mass became gradually pappy, and eventually -dissolved in the saliva, leaving a crumbling solid substance. It -produced irritation in the throat, when chewed for a long time.</p> - -<p>Dr. Heinrich took ten grains of this preparation in May, 1859, at about -half-past five in the afternoon. He chewed this quantity for about an -hour, during which it gradually dissolved and was swallowed; only the -insoluble residue, about two grains, was spit out. Irritation of the -throat, and slight nausea, succeeded. The attempt to smoke a cigar in -the open air had to be given up on account of dryness and roughness -in the throat. Dr. H. walked into town, and looked at the print-shops -without perceiving any change in himself. At the end of an hour and a -half, about seven o’clock, he met an acquaintance, to whom he talked -all kinds of nonsensical trash, and made the most foolish comparisons; -henceforth, everything he looked at seemed to him ridiculous. This -condition of excitement lasted about twenty minutes, during which -his face and eyes grew redder and redder. Suddenly a great degree of -sadness came over him; everything was too narrow for him—he acquired -a disturbed appearance, and became pale. His<span class="pagenum" id="Page_245">245</span> sadness increased to a -feeling of anxiety, accompanied by the sensation as if his blood was -flowing in a boiling state up to his head; the feeling as if his body -was raised aloft, and as if he was about to fly up, was particularly -characteristic. His anxiety and weakness overcame him to such a degree, -that he was obliged to collect all the power of his will, and his -companion had to seize him firmly under the arm, in order to bring him -on, which was done in all haste, as he feared a new attack, and wished, -if possible, to reach a place where he could be taken care of; but in -the course of three minutes, while he was still walking, the attack set -in with increased violence.</p> - -<p>It was only with great difficulty he reached the Institute—here he -immediately drank two pints of cold water, and washed his head, neck, -and arms with fresh water, on which he became somewhat better. The -improvement, however, lasted only about five minutes. He sat down -on a chair and felt his pulse, which he found to be very small and -slow, with very long intervals. He was no longer in a state to take -out his watch to ascertain more exactly the frequency of his pulse, -for the feeling of anxiety came over him again, and with it he traced -the premonitory symptoms of a new and violent attack. He was taken -into the adjoining chamber, stripped himself partly of his clothes, -and gave over his things, directing what was to be done with them -after his death, for he was firmly convinced that his last hour had -struck, and continually cried out, “I am dying; I shall soon be -undergoing dissection in the dead-room.” The new attack was more -violent than the former were, so that the patient retained only an -imperfect degree of consciousness, and at the height of the paroxysm, -even this disappeared. After the fit, too, consciousness returned but -imperfectly: only so much remained<span class="pagenum" id="Page_246">246</span> in his recollection, that the -images which arose within him constantly increased in ghastliness, -until they gave way to the unconscious state, and that gradually, -with returning consciousness, less formidable figures appeared in -their stead. Subsequently he stated that it appeared to him as if he -were transported from the level surface to a hill, thence to a steep -precipice, thence to a bare rock, and lastly to the ridge of a hill, -with an immense abyss before him. From this time, he could no longer -control the current of ideas following one another with impetuous -haste, and he could not avoid speaking uninterruptedly until a fresh -attack came on, which quite deprived him of consciousness for some -minutes. The flow of his ideas had now free course; and notwithstanding -his loquacity, he could only utter a few words of what he imagined. -All his thoughts and deeds from his childhood came into his mind. The -senses of sight and hearing were unimpaired, for when he opened his -eyes, he knew all who were standing about him, and recognized them by -their voices when his eyes were closed. Towards ten o’clock—that is, -four hours and a half after the seizure—the storm was somewhat allayed; -he obtained control over his imagination, ceased to speak incessantly, -and traced where he felt pain. During the night he drank a great deal -of lemonade; nevertheless, sleep fled from him, and his imagination -was constantly at work. Next morning he dressed, and was conveyed -home, but could not set to his daily work, because, notwithstanding -the greatest efforts, he could not collect his scattered thoughts, -and he also felt bodily weak. He was obliged to take to bed, where -he remained till the morning of the third day. During this time, he -drank four pints of lemonade, and took soup only twice, as he had no -appetite. On the third day he was led about,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_247">247</span> supported by a second -person, but was still rather confused and giddy. This day he ate but -little, and drank lemonade. During the second and third nights, his -sleep was tranquil. On the fourth day he felt well again, regained -his appetite, his strength increased, and his appearance became less -unsettled. Nevertheless, walking about for half an hour tired him -much. The depression which came on after the excitement gave way only -gradually.<a id="FNanchor_24_24" href="#Footnote_24_24" class="fnanchor">24</a></p> - -<p>The incautious use of hemp is also noticed as leading to, or ending -in, insanity, especially among young persons, who try it for the first -time. This state may be recognised by the strange balancing gait of -the victim, a constant rubbing of the hands, perpetual giggling, and a -propensity to caress and chafe the feet of all bystanders, of whatever -rank. The eye wears an expression of cunning and merriment which can -scarcely be mistaken. In a few cases, the patients are violent—in all, -voraciously hungry.</p> - -<p>Under the influence of this drug, its devotees exhibited, doubtless, -to the astonished gaze of the early travellers from this, and other -northern countries, strange freaks and antics, which filled them -with wonder, and sent them home brim-full of wonderful legends and -marvellous stories gathered from the lips of the votaries of Hemp. The -ready and active brain of the oriental—always associating places and -people, actions and accidents, men and manners, with the unseen agency -of ghosts and genii—under the influence of haschisch, gave full scope -to their imaginations, letting loose upon the traveller a torrent -of romance, and peopling every corner of his route with legions of -spirits, set him wondering to himself whether he had really escaped -from the common-place world<span class="pagenum" id="Page_248">248</span> of his nativity into another sphere -specially devoted to the occupation of etherial beings. Now listening -to the narrative of a reputed communicant with spirits, he hears of -the concentrated genii, confined in the narrow form of a little dog, -or smaller still, in a little fish, gradually expanding, and towering -higher and higher, till his head reached to the clouds, and then -with a voice of thunder communicating his message to the terrified -and superstitious Arab crouching at his feet. Anon, he hears of the -plague, and his credulous dragoman informs him that once upon a time a -pious Moslem was worshipping at sunrise, when he saw a hideous phantom -approaching him, and the following conversation passed between them.</p> - -<p>“Who art thou?”</p> - -<p>“The Plague.”</p> - -<p>“Whither goest thou?”</p> - -<p>“To Cairo.”</p> - -<p>“Wherefore?”</p> - -<p>“To kill ten thousand.”</p> - -<p>“Go not.”</p> - -<p>“It is destined that I should.”</p> - -<p>“Go then, but slay not more than thou hast said.”</p> - -<p>“To hear is to obey.”</p> - -<p>After the plague was over, at the same hour, and in the same place, the -phantom once more appears to him, and the holy man again addressed him -thus—</p> - -<p>“Whence comest thou?”</p> - -<p>“From Cairo.”</p> - -<p>“How many persons hast thou destroyed?”</p> - -<p>“Ten thousand, according to my orders.”</p> - -<p>“Thou liest, twenty thousand are dead.”</p> - -<p>“’Tis true, I killed ten thousand, <i>fear</i> carried off the remainder.”</p> - -<p>Shortly, and the traveller passes a tree, a mound,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_249">249</span> or a mass of ruins. -The dragoman narrates the story of confined treasures and protecting -genii, and marvels of the days long gone, and of deeds of sin, and -ends with the universal ejaculation, “God is great, and Mahomet is -his prophet.” From these people of mysteries and land of marvels the -traveller returns, and though he only narrates, for fear of shame, -the more credible of the stories he has heard, from that day forth, -poor man, his friends shake their heads, and mutter their fears that a -tropical sun has addled his brains.</p> - -<p>Naturally and nationally superstitious and credulous, the use of the -narcotic assists in adding to his store of legendary lore, and the -Arab or Turk becomes in himself not only a new edition of the “Arabian -Night’s Entertainments,” but it also becomes in him a living belief, -and the narration comes from his lips with all the earnestness of -positive truth, impressing itself upon the auditor as a circumstance -in which the narrator was a principal actor. And father to son, and -generation to generation, tell the tales, recount the marvels, and -swallow the haschisch of their forefathers, and Allah is praised, and -Mahomet is still “the Prophet.”</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_250">250</span></p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII.</a><br /> - -<small>HUBBLE-BUBBLE.</small></h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“This is a strange repose, to be asleep</div> - <div class="verse">With eyes wide open, standing, speaking, moving,</div> - <div class="verse">And yet so fast asleep.”——<i>The Tempest.</i></div> -</div></div></div> - - -<p>The <i>Hubble-bubble proper</i> is a smoking apparatus so contrived that -the smoke, in its passage from the point of consumption to that of -inhalation, shall pass through water, which performs the office of -a cooler. The <i>Hubble-bubble common</i> consists of a cocoa-nut shell, -with two holes perforated in one end, at about an inch apart, through -the germinating eyes of the nut. Through these orifices the kernel -is extracted, and a wooden or bamboo tube, about nine inches long, -surmounted by a bowl, is passed in at one opening to the bottom of -the shell, which is partly filled with water, and the smoke is either -sucked from the other hole, or a tube is inserted into that opening -also, as an improvement on the ruder practice, through which to imbibe -the smoke. The hubble-bubble is used generally for smoking hemp, but in -Siam occasionally for opium.</p> - -<p>Smoking the hemp is indulged in, with some variations, from the course -usually pursued with tobacco. In Africa this mode of indulgence seems<span class="pagenum" id="Page_251">251</span> -to be more universal than that of the Indian weed. The inhabitants -of Ambriz seek with avidity the solace of this preparation; they, -nevertheless, appear to employ it in moderation, and are not so -passionately addicted to its influence as other native tribes—they -therefore suffer less from those pernicious effects which result from -intemperate indulgence in it. The Aboriginal method of smoking this -narcotic consists in fixing the clay bowl of a native pipe into the -centre of a large gourd, and passing it to each individual composing -the community, who in succession take several inhalations of the -smoke, which is succeeded by violent paroxysms of coughing, flushed -face, suffused eyes, and spasmodic gestures, with other symptoms -indicative of its dominant action on the system. Upon the subsidence -of this excitement, the party experience all those soothing sensations -of ease and comfort, with that pleasing languor stated to constitute -the potent charm, that renders it in such universal request. If the -inhaling process is carried beyond this stage, inebriation shortly -supervenes.<a id="FNanchor_25_25" href="#Footnote_25_25" class="fnanchor">25</a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/i_p251.jpg" alt="" /> -<div class="caption">ABORIGINAL DAKKA PIPE OF AMBRIZ.</div> -</div> - -<p>The Hottentots and Bushmen smoke the leaves of this plant, either -alone or mixed with tobacco; and as they generally indulge to excess, -invariably become intoxicated. When the Bushmen were in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_252">252</span> London -exhibiting themselves, they smoked the hemp, from pipes made from the -tusks of animals.</p> - -<p>The Bechuanas have a curious method of smoking the <i>Dacha</i>. Two holes -the size of the bowl of a tobacco-pipe are made in the ground about a -foot apart; between these a small stick is placed, and clay moulded -over it, the stick is then withdrawn, leaving a passage connecting -the two holes, into one of which the requisite material and a light -is introduced, and the smoking commenced by the members of the party, -each in turn lying on his face on the ground, inhaling a deep whiff, -and then drinking some water, apparently to drive the fumes downward. -It is a singular circumstance, that a similar method of smoking is -employed by certain of the tribes of India, as already described, on -the authority of Dr. Forbes Royle.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" > -<img src="images/i_p252.jpg" alt="" /> -<div class="caption">EGOODU, OR SMOKING HORN, OF THE ZOOLUS.</div> -</div> - -<p>Among the Zoolus the <i>dacha</i> is placed at the end of a reed introduced -into the side of an oxhorn, which is filled with water, and the mouth -applied to the upper part of the horn. The quantity of smoke which is -inhaled through so large an opening, unconfined by a mouth-piece, often -affects<span class="pagenum" id="Page_253">253</span> the breath, and produces much coughing, notwithstanding which -the natives are very fond of it; this kind of pipe is called <i>Egoodu</i>. -Tobacco composed of the dried leaf of the wild hemp is in general use, -and has a very stupifying effect, frequently intoxicating, on which -occasions they invariably commence long and loudly to praise the king.</p> - -<p>Though some of the Zoolus indulge in smoking, all, without exception, -are passionately fond of snuff, which is composed of dried “dacca” -leaves mixed with burnt aloes, and powdered. No greater compliment can -be offered than to share the contents of a snuff calabash with your -neighbour. The snuff is shovelled into the palm of the hand, with a -small ivory spoon, whence it is carefully sniffed up. Worse than a Goth -would that barbarian be who would wantonly interrupt a social party -thus engaged.</p> - -<p>The Delagoans of the eastern coast, consider the smoking of the -“hubble-bubble” one of the greatest luxuries of life. A long hollow -reed or cane, with the lower end immersed in a horn of water, and the -upper end capped with a piece of earthenware, shaped like a thimble, -is held in the hand. They cover the top, with the exception of a small -aperture, through which, by a peculiar action of the mouth, they draw -the smoke from the pipe above by the water below; they fill the mouth, -and after having kept it some time there, eject it with violence from -the ears and nostrils. “I have often,” says Mr. Owen,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_254">254</span> “known them -giddy, and apparently half stifled from indulging in this fascinating -luxury—it produces a violent whooping and coughing, accompanied by -a profuse perspiration, and great temporary debility, and yet it is -considered by the natives highly strengthening, and is always resorted -to by them previously to undertaking a long journey, or commencing work -in the field. To the hut of an old man who was thus indulging himself, -I was attracted by the loudness of the cough it had occasioned, and as -I entered I observed that his feeble frame had almost fallen a victim -to the violent effects of the bang or dakka he was smoking. He had -thrown himself back on some faggots, and it was not until I had been -some time there that he appeared at all conscious of my presence; yet, -as soon as the half inebriated wretch had obtained sufficient strength, -he commenced his devotions to the pipe again, and by the time I quitted -the hut was reduced to the same state as that in which I had found him.”</p> - -<p>“I have seen the opium-eaters of Constantinople,” writes the <i>Times’</i> -correspondent, “and the hashish-smokers of Constantine. I recollected -having a taboosh in the bazaars of Smyrna from a young Moslem whose -palsied hand and dotard head could not count the coins I offered him. -I recollect the hashish-smokers of Constantine, who were to be seen -and heard every afternoon at the bottom of the abyss which yawns under -the Adultress Rock—lean, fleshless Arabs—smoking their little pipes -of hemp-seed, chaunting and swaying their skeleton forms to and fro, -shrieking to the wild echoes of the chasm, then sinking exhausted under -the huge cactus—sights and sounds of saturnalia in purgatory.”</p> - -<p>Hemp, of all narcotics, appears to be the most uncertain in its -effects. It is so in the form of haschisch or alcoholic infusion, and -doubtless is so also when smoked. Professor Schroff says of it<span class="pagenum" id="Page_255">255</span>—“I -have seen patients take from one to ten, or, in one case, even so -much as thirty grains of the alcoholic extract in the course of an -evening and night, sometimes within a few hours, without producing -any particular symptoms, except some determination to the head; even -the so much wished for sleep, on account of which the remedy was -taken, was not obtained, while in other cases, one grain of the same -preparation, from the same source, produced violent symptoms, bordering -on poisoning—delirium, very rapid pulse, extreme restlessness, and -subsequently, considerable depression. I must, therefore, repeat, that -Indian hemp, and all its preparations, exhibits the greatest variety -in the degree and mode of action, according to the difference of -individuality, both in the healthy and diseased condition, that they -are, therefore, to be classed among uncertain remedies, to be used with -great caution.”</p> - -<p>In India, <i>Gunjah</i> is used for smoking alone. About 180 grains and a -little dried tobacco are rubbed together in the palm of the hand with a -few drops of water. This suffices for three persons. A little tobacco -is placed in the pipe first, then a layer of the prepared Gunjah, then -more tobacco, and the fire above all. Four or five persons usually join -in this debauch. The hookah is passed round, and each person takes a -single draught. Intoxication ensues almost instantly; from one draught -to the unaccustomed, within half an hour; and after four or five -inspirations to those more practised in the vice. The effects differ -from those occasioned by drinking the <i>Sidhee</i>. Heaviness, laziness, -and agreeable reveries ensues, but the person can be readily roused, -and is able to discharge routine occupations, such as pulling the -punkah, waiting at table, and divers similar employments.</p> - -<p>Young America is beginning to use the “Bang,” so popular among the -Hindoos, though in rather a different manner, for young Jonathan must -in some sort be an original. It is not a “drink,” but a mixture of -bruised hemp tops and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_256">256</span> the powder of the betel, rolled up like a quid -of tobacco. It turns the lips and gums of a deep red, and if indulged -in largely, produces violent intoxication. Lager beer and schnaps will -give way for “bang,” and red lips, instead of red noses, become the -“style.”</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_257">257</span></p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII.</a><br /> - -<small>SIRI AND PINANG.</small></h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“He took and tasted, a new life</div> - <div class="verse">Flowed through his renovated frame;</div> - <div class="verse">His limbs, that late were sore and stiff,</div> - <div class="verse">Felt all the freshness of repose;</div> - <div class="verse">His dizzy brain was calmed,</div> - <div class="verse">The heavy aching of his lids</div> - <div class="verse">At once was taken off;</div> - <div class="verse">For Laila, from the bowers of Paradise,</div> - <div class="verse">Had borne the healing fruit.”——<i>Thalaba.</i></div> -</div></div></div> - - -<p>The widely distributed race of Malays, occupy not only the Malayan -Peninsula, and, though not exclusively, the islands of the Indian -Archipelago, but has penetrated into Madagascar, and spreads itself -through the islands of the Pacific from New Zealand, the Society, the -Friendly Isles, and the Marquesas, to the distant Sandwich and Easter -Isles. Whatever may have been the starting point, it is essentially a -shore-dwelling race, peopling only islands, or such portions of the -continent as border the ocean, and never penetrating into the interior, -or passing the mountains running parallel to the coast. Their energies -are most conspicuous in maritime occupations, and to this predilection -their extensive diffusion may be attributed. These people, supposed by -some to have an affinity to, or alliance with the Hindoo and Chinese -races, whence they have been called Hindoo-Chinese, present as many -points of difference as of resemblance; and while some of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_258">258</span> customs -of the inhabitants of southern or eastern Asia may be found amongst -them, they have also others peculiarly their own. The indulgence -in opium is not unknown to the Malays, but the national indulgence -of the race is the areca or betel nut, a habit characteristic of a -sea-loving people. The use of a pipe, and especially an opium-pipe, -would be a hindrance to the freedom of their motions on board their -vessels, and require a state of inactivity or repose incompatible with -a maritime life, in order to be enjoyed. This may in part account for -the prevalence of chewing tobacco in our navy, and of the “buyo” by the -Malays.</p> - -<p>The areca palm is one of the most beautiful of the palms of India. -It has a remarkably straight trunk, rising forty or fifty feet, with -a diameter of from six to eight inches, of nearly an equal thickness -throughout. Six or seven leaves spring from the top, of about six feet -in length, hanging downwards from a long stalk in a graceful curve. -This palm is cultivated all over India, in Cochin-China, Java, and -Sumatra, and other islands of the Archipelago, for the sake of the -nuts. The fruit is of the size and shape of a hen’s egg, and consists -of an outer, firm, fibrous rind or husk, about half an inch thick, and -an inner kernel, somewhat resembling a nutmeg in size, but more conical -in shape. Internally the resemblance to a nutmeg, with its alternate -white and brown markings, is even greater. When ripe, the fruit is of -a reddish yellow colour, hanging in clusters among the bright green -leaves. If allowed to hang until fully ripe, it falls off and sows -itself in the ground, but this is not allowed. The trees are in blossom -in March and April, and the fruits may be gathered in July and August, -when the sliced nut can be prepared from them, but they do not fully -ripen till September and October.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_259">259</span></p> - -<p>The nuts vary in size, their quality, however, does not at all depend -upon this property, but upon their internal appearance when cut, -intimating the quantity of astringent matter contained in them. If the -white or medullary portion which intersects the red, or the astringent -part be small, has assumed a bluish tinge, and the astringent part is -very red, the nut is considered of good quality, but when the medullary -portion is in large quantity, the nut is considered more mature, and -not possessing so much astringency, is not deemed so valuable.</p> - -<p>This palm is cultivated in gardens and plantations. The latter are -usually close to the villages, and are extremely ornamental. Like the -Malays themselves, the areca palm prefers the neighbourhood of the -sea, which is most conducive to the perfection of the fruit, as the -coca shrub of the Peruvian mountaineers delights in the slopes of the -Andes. It is stated that a fertile palm will produce, on an average, -eight hundred and fifty nuts annually, the average production in the -plantation is about fourteen pounds weight for each palm, or ten -thousand pounds per acre. The price they realize to the grower is about -two shillings the hundredweight.</p> - -<p>The <i>addaca</i>, or betel nut, is a staple product of Travancore. In -1837 the number of trees growing there was stated in the survey to be -10,232,873, which, at the average rate named, would produce 63,000 tons -of nuts. Nearly half a million trees are in cultivation in Prince of -Wales’ Island, which would produce about 3,000 tons more. The Pedir -coast of Sumatra produces annually about 4,700 tons, of which half is -exported. The Chinese import near 3,000 tons annually, exclusive of -their supplies from Cochin-China, the amount of which is not known, -but, without doubt, more than another 3,000 tons. Many ships freighted -solely with these nuts sail<span class="pagenum" id="Page_260">260</span> yearly from the ports of Sumatra, Malacca, -and Siam.</p> - -<p>When there is no immediate demand for the areca nuts they are not -shelled, but preserved in the husk, to save them from the ravages of -insects, which attack them nevertheless, almost as successfully. Of the -nuts produced in Travancore, upwards of 2,000 candies,<a id="FNanchor_26_26" href="#Footnote_26_26" class="fnanchor">26</a> prepared -nuts, are annually exported to Tinnevelly and other parts of the -country, and about 3,000,000 of ripe nuts are shipped to Bombay and -other places, exclusive of the quantity consumed in the country, and -for the inland trade.</p> - -<p>From the report of P. Shungoomry Menowen, we derive the following -account of the preparation of the nuts. There are various kinds in use. -That used by families of rank is collected while the fruit is tender; -the husk, or outer pod, is removed, the kernel, a round fleshy mass, is -boiled in water. In the first boiling of the nut, when properly done, -the water becomes red, thick, and starch like, and this is afterwards -evaporated into a substance like catechu. The boiled nuts being now -removed, sliced, and dried, the catechu-like substance is rubbed -thereto, and dried again in the sun, when they become of a shining -black colour, and are ready for use. Whole nuts, without being sliced, -are also prepared in the same form for use. Ripe nuts, as well as young -nuts in the raw state, are used by all classes of people, and ripe nuts -preserved in water are also used by the higher classes.</p> - -<p>Nuts prepared in Travancore for exportation to Trichinopoly, Madura, -and Coimbatore, are prepared in thin slices, coloured with red catechu -or uncoloured. For Tinnevelly and other parts of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_261">261</span> the country, the nuts -are prepared by merely cutting them into two or three slices and drying -them. For Bombay, and other parts of the Northern Country, the nuts are -exported in the form of whole nuts dried with the pods.</p> - -<p>The nut is chewed by both sexes indiscriminately in Malabar as well -as on the Coromandel coast. In Malabar they mix it with betel leaf, -chunam, and tobacco; but in Tinnevelly and other parts, tobacco is -never added. The three ingredients for the betel, as commonly used, -are, the sliced nut, the leaf of the betel pepper, in which the nut is -rolled, and chunam, or powdered lime, which is smeared over the leaf.</p> - -<p>The areca nut is commonly known by the Malay name of <i>Pinang</i>, but in -the Acheenese language it is called <i>Penu</i>, and the palm producing it -<i>Ba Penu</i>. The ripe nut is called also <i>Penu massa</i>, and the green -<i>Penu mudr</i>. The leaf of the betel pepper is called either <i>Ranu</i> or -<i>Siri</i>, and the lime <i>Chunam</i> or <i>Gapu</i>. Tobacco, when used, is called -<i>Bakun</i>.</p> - -<p>In China, the principal consumption of the nut as a masticatory is -in the provinces of Quangton, Quang-se, and Che-keang; and it may be -seen exposed for sale on little stalls about the suburbs of Canton -with the other additional articles used in its consumption. It is also -used in dyeing. In the central provinces of Hoo-kwang and Kang-si the -nut is, after being bruised and pounded, mixed with the green food of -horses as a preventive against diarrhœa, to which some kinds of food -subjects them. The Chinese state that it is used as a domestic medicine -in the North of China, some pieces being boiled, and the decoction -administered. From them is also prepared a kind of cutch, or catechu, -which is exported in great quantities, and is now used largely in this -country, together with other kinds, as a tanning and dyeing material.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_262">262</span></p> - -<p>In Ceylon these instruments are used: the Girri (No. 1.) for cutting -the areca nut, and the Wanggedi (No. 2) and Moolgah (No. 3), a kind of -mortar and pestle for mincing and intimately mixing the ingredients -together.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/i_p262.jpg" alt="" /> -<div class="caption">No. 1. GIRRI, FOR CUTTING ARECA.<br /> -No. 2. WANGGEDI OR MORTAR and -No. 3. MOOLGAH OR PESTLE<br /> -FOR MIXING THE INGREDIENTS.</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_263">263</span></p> - -<p>In Virginia, tobacco was at one period used as a currency at a fixed -value per pound. In Peru, the labourer is paid in coca, and in the -Philippines, betel rolls have been used in the same manner as a -currency. To the Malay it is as important as meat and drink, and many -would rather forego the latter than their favourite <i>Pinang</i>. The -same thing might also be said of the inveterate quidder of tobacco; -we remember one of this description, who for years used one ounce per -day, and declared often that he had rather be deprived of his dinner -than his quid, although he liked both. Without his leaf, the confirmed -“coquero” is the most miserable of beings, and when deprived of his -customary pipe, the opium-smoker becomes sullen, ill, and utterly -incapacitated for his employment. Habits of indulgence of this kind, -when once commenced, are not so easily thrown off. It has been said -that a “coquero” was never reclaimed from the use of his coca.</p> - -<p>No estimate can be given of the absolute quantity of areca nuts which -are used as a masticatory. Johnston calculates that they are chewed -by not less than fifty millions of people, which, at the rate of ten -pounds per year, or less than half an ounce per day, would amount to -two hundred and twenty thousand tons, or five hundred millions of -pounds, a quantity greater than that of any other narcotic except -tobacco.</p> - -<p>Areca nuts have been strung and made into walking sticks,<a id="FNanchor_27_27" href="#Footnote_27_27" class="fnanchor">27</a> and, in -this country, turned and formed into ornamental bracelets, as well as -burnt into charcoal for tooth powder. We have engirdled the earth with -pig-tail, let us apply the same kind of calculation to the estimated -annual consumption<span class="pagenum" id="Page_264">264</span> of areca nuts, and strung together in the form of a -bracelet, we have a string 505,050 miles in length, enough to go round -the world 21 times; or, supposing these nuts to be arranged side by -side, they would cover a road fourteen feet wide for the distance of -not less than 3,000 miles. If arranged in like manner in the form of a -square, they would occupy at least 5,000 acres of land.</p> - -<p>The areca palm has given its name to the island of Penang, not from -its growing there in larger numbers, or more luxuriant than elsewhere, -but because it was the tree chiefly cultivated by the Malays who first -occupied the island. It now better deserves the title, being the -emporium for the betel nut raised on the east coast of Sumatra.</p> - -<p>In Sumatra many of the common drinking and baking utensils in the -boats, and vessels for holding water, not dissimilar to those made by -the Australian natives from the bark of the gum trees, are made from -the spathe of this palm, it is also nailed upon the bottoms of the -boats, and often small bunches of the abortive fruit may be seen placed -as an ornament at the stem and bows of the native vessels. The male -flowers are deliciously fragrant, and are in request in the island -of Borneo on all festive occasions; they are considered a necessary -ingredient in the medicines and charms employed for healing the sick. -In Malabar an inebriating lozenge is prepared from the sap of this palm.</p> - -<p>Manuel Blanco thinks that the areca might be used for making red ink, -and it is not improbable that it is thus employed in India. With other -combinations it makes black ink of moderate quality. The lower part of -the petiole is used for wrapping instead of paper, for which purpose -it is sold in the Philippines. The heart of the leaves is eaten as a -salad, and has not a bad flavour. The convicts confined in the Andaman -Islands masticate<span class="pagenum" id="Page_265">265</span> the nuts of another species of areca. The Nagas and -Abors of Eastern Bengal, use those of a third species, and the natives -of the mountainous districts of Malabar those of a fourth. There are -about twenty species of the areca genus, of which several are thus used.</p> - -<p>When betel nuts are scarce in the Philippines, the natives substitute -the bark of the Guayabo and the Antipolo.</p> - -<p>It is confidently affirmed to us, that in Ceylon the natives sometimes -masticate the roots of the cocoa-nut palm, instead of, and as a -substitute for, the areca nut, and that it answers the purpose very -well.</p> - -<p>The root of a plant known botanically as <i>Derris pinnata</i>, is also -occasionally used amongst certain Asiatics, in the same manner, in -cases of deficiences in the supply of genuine betel.</p> - -<p>The consumption of the areca-nut being confined to an area of no -very wide extent, and that principally in the neighbourhood of the -producing countries, or <i>in</i> those countries themselves, the necessity -for providing a substitute does not often arise; hence, those of which -we have any knowledge, as having been at all generally used for that -purpose, are confined to two or three substances. Some years, however, -are not so productive as others, and instances have occurred in which -the average price of areca nuts for mastication has been doubled. If -the Yankees persist in their betel and hemp chewing propensities, which -have lately been developed amongst them, probably the Chinese and Malay -will have to pay a higher price for their nuts, or provide something -which shall thenceforth fulfil its duties, and we may hear of other -substitutes.</p> - -<p>Ardent as the admirers of the areca may be in their admiration of the -“buyo,” we have never<span class="pagenum" id="Page_266">266</span> seen more than one translation of a Malayan -poem in which the masticatory was extolled, and this, unfortunately, -we are unable to present to our readers. The gods have either not made -the votaries of betel so poetical as the servants of the pipe, or -the paeans in praise thereof are locked up from us in the cabalistic -characters of their national language. The unmistakable marks left -by the habit on the lips, teeth, and gums, are certainly extolled by -them as marks of beauty. In the poem already referred to, the lover -addresses his mistress in praise of the redness of her teeth and lips, -and the fragrant odour of her breath, produced by the sweet “buyo” -secreted in the hollow of her cheek. White teeth are therefore held in -abomination, and as this is also the opinion of certain African tribes, -who stain theirs with the juice of flowers, ours <i>must</i> be a barbarous -nation to respect such albino masticators.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<blockquote> - -<p>N.B.—The average annual export of areca nuts from Ceylon is 50,000 -cwts., and the price a fraction below 20s. per cwt.</p></blockquote> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_267">267</span></p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIX" id="CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER XIX.</a><br /> - -<small>UNDER THE PALMS.</small></h2> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“A wind blew warm from the east, and it lifted its arms hopelessly; -and when the wind, love-laden with most subtle sweetness, lingered, -loth to fly, the palm stood motionless upon its little green mound, -and the flowers were so fresh and fair, and the leaves of the trees so -deeply hued, and the native fruit so golden and glad upon the boughs, -that the still warm garden air seemed only the silent, voluptuous -sadness of the tree; and had I been a poet my heart would have melted -in song for the proud, pining palm.”——<span class="smcap">G. W. Curtis.</span></p></blockquote> - - -<p>Two species of a kind of pepper vine are extensively cultivated, -with the areca palm, in all the countries of the East where chewing -the betel is indulged in. These belong to the same family of plants -as those producing the common black pepper and the long pepper of -commerce. They are known to botanists as <i>Chavica betle</i> and <i>Chavica -siraboa</i>. They are similar in their habits, being trailing plants, -with some resemblance to the ivy, but more tender and fragile. The -betel palms may be often seen with the pepper, climbing and twining -around their tall, straight, slender trunks, or they are trained about -poles of bamboo in the manner of hops in the hop gardens of Kent. -Almost every one with a piece of land cultivates the pepper for his -own consumption. In the markets incredible quantities of the leaves -are offered for sale, in piles carried about in baskets.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_268">268</span> In Northern -India, sheds are constructed for the growth of the pepper. These are -from twenty to fifty yards in length, and eight or twelve broad, of -bamboo, to shelter the plants from the sun. Great attention is paid to -the cultivation, and the plants are carefully attended to, and cleaned -every morning.</p> - -<p>Betel leaf cannot be preserved in a sound state beyond eight days -without preparation, but by being prepared over a fire, and rolled into -balls, in which state it is called <i>chenai</i>, it will keep a year, only -the quality is much deteriorated. In Penang the old men carry about -with them a sort of metal tube, having a ramrod-looking pestle, with -which they busy themselves in pounding the mixture for chewing. The -young daily make nut-crackers of their jaws, and although the mixture, -perhaps, rather tends to preserve the teeth, still the exercise on -the nut must be a little too violent for them, and the Malays say it -injures the sight. The Chinese are not much addicted to the use of the -betel.</p> - -<p>The consumption of betel by the inhabitants of Penang and Province -Wellesley may be stated at 6,211,440 bundles of 100 leaves each, equal -in value to 31,057 Spanish dollars, which would be the produce of 98 -orlongs of land, or about 130 acres, planted regularly. But allowing -for the various distances given by different cultivators between the -plants 110 orlongs may be assumed, or about 147 acres.</p> - -<p>The Chinese colonists of Singapore used the leaves of the common -pepper, instead of those of the betel pepper in compounding this -masticatory.</p> - -<p>The Ava pepper, or <i>Macropiper methysticum</i>, is even more celebrated -for its narcotic properties than the two just referred to. This plant -has a thick aromatic wood stalk, and a large root, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_269">269</span> cordate or -heart-shaped leaves. It is a native of the Society, Friendly, and -Sandwich Islands, where it is largely consumed. Macerated in water, the -stems and root form an intoxicating beverage, and the leaves are used -with the areca nut and lime, in the same manner as the leaves of the -other peppers.<a id="FNanchor_28_28" href="#Footnote_28_28" class="fnanchor">28</a></p> - -<p>Mariner gives an account, in his “History of the Tonga Islands,” of the -use of this plant. The root is split up with an axe into small pieces, -and after being scraped clean with mussel shells, is handed out to -those in attendance to be chewed. There is then a buzz in the assembly, -contrasting curiously with the silence which reigned before, several -crying out, “Give me some cava! give me cava,” each of those who intend -to chew it crying out for some to be handed to him. No one offers to -chew the cava but young persons who have good teeth, clean mouths, and -no colds. Women frequently assist. It is astonishing how remarkably dry -they preserve the root during the process of mastication. In about two -minutes, each person having chewed his quantity, takes it out of his -mouth with his hand, and puts it on a piece of plantain or banana leaf, -or he raises the leaf to his mouth, and puts it off from his tongue, -in the form of a ball of tolerable consistence. The different portions -of cava being now chewed, which is known by the silence that ensues, a -large wooden bowl is placed on the ground before the man who is to make -the infusion. Each person passes up his portion of the chewed root, -which is placed in the bowl, wherein they are laid in such a manner -that each portion is distinct and separate from the rest, till the -whole<span class="pagenum" id="Page_270">270</span> inside of the bowl becomes studded, from the bottom up to the -rim, on every side. The man, before whom the bowl is placed, now tilts -it up a little towards the chief, that he may see the quantity of its -contents, saying, “This is the cava chewed.” If the chief thinks there -is enough, he says, “Cover it over, and let there come a man here.” The -bowl is covered over with a plantain or banana leaf, if there is not -enough, and a man fetches more root to be chewed. If there is enough, -the chief says “mix.” The two men, who sit on each side of him, who is -to prepare the cava, now come forward a little, and making a half turn, -sit opposite to each other, the bowl being between them, one of these -fans off the flies with a large leaf, while the other sits ready to -pour in the water from cocoa-nut shells, one at a time.</p> - -<p>Before this is done, however, the man who is about to mix, having first -rinsed his hands with a little of the water, kneads together the chewed -root, gathering it up from all sides of the bowl, and compressing it -together. Upon this an attendant says, “Pour in the water,” and the man -on one side of the bowl continues pouring, fresh shells being handed -to him, until the attendant thinks there is sufficient, and says, -“Stop the water.” The mixture is stirred together at the command of -the attendant, who then says, “Put in the fow,” which is the bark of -a tree stripped into small fibres, and has the appearance of willow -shavings. A large quantity of this substance, enough to cover the whole -surface of the infusion, is now put in by one of those seated beside -the bowl, and it floats upon the surface. The man who manages the bowl -now begins his difficult operation. In the first place, he extends his -left hand to the further side of the bowl, with the fingers pointing -downwards and the palm towards<span class="pagenum" id="Page_271">271</span> himself; he sinks that hand carefully -down the side of the bowl, carrying with it the edge of the fow; at the -same time his right hand is performing a similar operation at the side -next to him, the fingers pointing downwards and the palm presenting -outwards. He does this slowly from side to side, gradually descending -deeper and deeper, till his fingers meet each other at the bottom, so -that nearly the whole of the fibres of the root are by these means -enclosed in the fow, forming, as it were, a roll of about two feet in -length, lying along the bottom from side to side, the edges of the -fow meeting each other underneath. He now carefully rolls it over, so -that the edges overlapping each other, or rather intermingling, come -uppermost. He next doubles in the two ends and rolls it carefully over -again, endeavouring to reduce it to a narrower and firmer compass. He -now brings it cautiously out of the fluid, taking firm hold by the two -ends, and raising it breast high, with his arms extended; by a series -of movements the mass is more and more twisted and compacted together, -while the infusion drains from it in a regular decreasing quantity, -till, at length, it denies a single drop. He now gives it to the person -on his left side and receives fresh fow from the one on the right. The -operation is again renewed, with a view to collect what might before -have escaped him, and even a third time till no dregs are left which -this process can remove.</p> - -<p>During the above operation, various people are employed in making -cava cups from the unexpanded leaves of the banana, folded and tied -in a peculiar manner. The infusion being strained, the performance -generally occupying a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes, the man at -the bowl calls out, “The cava is clear.” The infusion is now filled -into the cups by means of a bundle of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_272">272</span> fow which is dipped into the -bowl, and when replete with the liquid, held over the cup, and being -compressed, the liquid runs out till the cup is filled. With certain -other ceremonies the cups are passed round amongst the company.</p> - -<p>From this account it will be seen that the beverage is drank -immediately after it is prepared, without being in any manner -fermented, its intoxicating and narcotic properties must, therefore, be -due to the root. This liquor is indulged in to a large extent in the -islands of Oceanica, where the natives are generally passionately fond -of it.</p> - -<p>Another substance entering into the composition of the “buyo” is the -extract of the leaves of the gambir (<i>Uncaria gambir</i>). There are -different qualities of extract: the first and best is white, brittle, -and has an earthy appearance when rubbed between the fingers, which -earthy appearance gave it the name of Terra Japonica, being supposed, -at first, also, to come from Japan, and is formed into very small round -cakes. This is the most expensive kind, and most refined, but it is -not unfrequently adulterated with sago; this kind is brought in the -greatest quantity from the island of Sumatra. The second quality is of -a brownish yellow colour, is formed into oblong cakes, and when broken -has a light brown earthy appearance; it is also made into a solid cubic -form; it is sold in the bazaars in small packets, each containing five -or six. The third quality contains more impurities than the preceding, -is formed in small circular cakes, and sold, in packages of five or -six, in the bazaars.</p> - -<p>The method employed in making the extract is thus described in the -<i>Singapore Chronicle</i>:—The leaves are collected three or four times a -year; they are thrown into a large cauldron, the bottom of which is -formed of iron, the upper part of bark<span class="pagenum" id="Page_273">273</span> and boiled for five or six -hours, until a strong decoction is inspissated, it is then allowed to -cool, when the extract subsides. The water is drawn off, a soft, soapy -substance remains, which is cut into large masses; these are further -divided by a knife into small cubes, about an inch square, or into -still smaller pieces, which are laid in frames to dry. This catechu -has more of a granular uniform appearance than that of Bengal, it is, -perhaps, also less pure. The younger leaves of the shrub are said to -produce the whitest and best gambir, the older a brown and inferior -sort. The men employed in the gambir plantations generally indulge -freely in the use of opium.</p> - -<p>Another extract made in India from the wood of <i>Acacia Catechu</i>,<a id="FNanchor_29_29" href="#Footnote_29_29" class="fnanchor">29</a> -and which bears the name of Cutch or “Kutt,” is used in combination -with the betel nut. The trees are cut down, and the heart-wood chopped -and boiled in water, strained off, and evaporated. This is poured into -clay moulds and dried in the sun. Dr. Hooker gives a sketch from the -life of one of the native “Kutt” makers of India:——</p> - -<p>“At half-past eight a.m. it suddenly fell calm, and we proceeded to -Chakuchee, the native carts breaking down in their passage over the -projecting beds of flinty rocks, or as they hurried down the inclined -planes which cut through the precipitous banks of the streams. Near -Chakuchee we passed an alligator, just killed by two men—a foul beast -about nine feet long, and of the Mager kind. More interesting than -its natural history was the painful circumstance of its having just -swallowed a child that was playing in the water, while its mother was -washing her domestic utensils in the river. The brute was hardly<span class="pagenum" id="Page_274">274</span> dead, -much distended by its prey, and the mother standing beside it. A very -touching group was this! the parent with hands clasped in agony, unable -to withdraw her eyes from the cursed reptile, which still clung to life -with that tenacity for which its tribe is so noted, and beside her the -two men leaning on their bloody bamboo staves with which they had all -but despatched the animal.</p> - -<p>“The poor woman who had lost her child earns a scanty maintenance by -making catechu. She inhabits a little cottage, and has no property but -her two oxen to bring wood from the hills, and a very few household -chattels, and how few these are is known only to persons who have -seen the meagre furniture of the Dangha hovels. Her husband cuts the -trees in the forest and drags them to the hut, but he is now sick, and -her only son, her future stay, was he whose end is just related. Her -daily food is rice, with beans from the beautiful flowered dolichos, -trailing round the cottage, and she is in debt to the contractor, who -has advanced her two rupees, to be worked off in three months, by -the preparation of 240 lbs. of catechu. The present was her second -husband, an old man; by him she never had any children, and in this -respect alone did the poor creature think herself very unfortunate, -for her poverty she did not feel. Rent to the Rajah, tax to the -police, and rates to the Brahminee priest, are all paid from an acre -of land, yielding so wretched a crop of barley, that it more resembled -a fallow field than a harvest field. All day long she is boiling down -the catechu-wood cut into chips, and pouring the decoction into large -wooden troughs, where it is inspissated.”</p> - -<p>From the areca nut another kind of catechu is prepared, which is -generally preferred as a masticatory. Heyne thus describes the process -of its manufacture,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_275">275</span> “Areca nuts are taken as they come from the tree, -and boiled for some hours in an iron vessel. They are then taken out -and the remaining water is inspissated by continued boiling. This -process furnishes <i>kassu</i>, or most stringent <i>terra japonica</i>, which is -black, and mixed with paddy husks and other impurities. After the nuts -are dried, they are put in a fresh quantity of water, boiled again, -and the water, being inspissated like the former, yields the best or -dearest kind of catechu, called <i>coury</i>. It is yellowish brown, has an -earthy fracture, and is free from the admixture of foreign bodies.” It -is probable that the flat round cakes, covered with paddy husks, met -with in commerce is the <i>kassu</i> of Heyne.</p> - -<p>The husk which surrounds the nut, and which is of a fibrous nature, -resembling the coir of the cocoa nut is thrown away by tons, and -allowed to rot. This substance has lately been experimented upon for -the manufacture of paper, for which purpose it appears to be available, -and, as there is no want of the raw material, perhaps at some future -time it will become utilized as extensively as the “coir” of Ceylon.</p> - -<p>The Bombay catechu is obtained from <i>Acacia catechu</i>, and the Bengal -catechu from <i>Uncaria Gambir</i>. The Bombay produce is of a dark brownish -red colour, and is stated to be the richer of the two in tannin. The -Bombay variety is commonly called “cutch,” while the Bengal produce -is of a lighter brown colour, and is termed “terra.” Catechu of good -quality is also obtained from Pegu.</p> - -<p>The catechu exported from Madras to England, Bombay, France, and Ceylon -was—</p> - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="right">1853-4— 484</td><td>cwt.</td><td align="right">valued</td><td align="right">at £199 4s.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">1864-5—1,364</td><td>”</td><td>”</td><td align="right">698 8</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">1855-6—2,908</td><td>”</td><td>”</td><td align="right">2,297 2</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">part of 1856-7— 658</td><td>”</td><td>”</td><td align="right">270 8</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">——</td><td></td><td></td><td align="right">——</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">Or in 3½ years—5,414</td><td>”</td><td>”</td><td align="right">£4,265 2</td></tr> -</table></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_276">276</span></p> - -<p>But this is only a small proportion of the catechu consumed in England -alone, since in 1849 we imported 169,140 cwts. of that substance for -tanning purposes, and the quantity has since increased.</p> - -<p>The totals of cutch and gambier imported in</p> - - -<ul><li>1856 was 8,536 tons.</li> -<li>1857 was 11,047 tons.</li> -<li>1858 was 11,205 tons.</li> -<li>1859 was 13,762 tons.</li> -</ul> - -<p>Of this quantity we exported in—</p> - - -<ul><li>1856—1,031 tons.</li> -<li>1857—1,427 tons.</li> -<li>1858— 974 tons.</li> -<li>1859—1,809 tons.</li></ul> - -<p>These articles, therefore, make no insignificant item in our East -Indian trade, which, valued at the intermediate rate of 15s. and 30s. -per cwt., would amount to the sum of £153,375 in 1858.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_277">277</span></p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XX" id="CHAPTER_XX">CHAPTER XX.</a><br /> - -<small>CHEWING THE COON.</small></h2> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“It ascends me into the brain, dries me there all the foolish, and -dull, and crudy vapours which environ it; makes it apprehensive, -quick, forgetive, full of nimble, fiery, and delectable shapes, which, -delivered over to the voice (the tongue), which is the birth, becomes -excellent wit.”——<i>Sir John Falstaff.</i></p></blockquote> - - -<p>“In Burmah,” says Howard Malcolm, “almost every one, male and female, -chews the singular mixture called <i>coon</i>, and the lacquered or gilded -box containing the ingredients is borne about on all occasions. The -quid consists of a slice of areca nut, a small piece of cutch, and -some tobacco rolled up in a leaf of betel pepper, on which has been -smeared a little tempered quicklime. It creates profuse saliva, and so -fills up the mouth that they seem to be chewing food. It colours the -mouth deep red, and the teeth, if not previously blackened, assume the -same colour. From the combination of the three ingredients this colour -seems to proceed, since the leaf and nut, without the lime, fail to -produce it. This hue, communicated to the mouth and lips, is esteemed -ornamental, and an agreeable odour is imparted to the breath. The -juice is usually, though not always, swallowed. A curious circumstance -connected with the expectoration of the red juice is<span class="pagenum" id="Page_278">278</span> related at -Manilla, where it is narrated with strong protestations and firm belief -in its veracity.</p> - -<p>Some years ago a ship from Spain arrived in the port of Manilla. Among -the passengers was a young doctor from Madrid, who had gone to the -Philippines with the design of settling in the colony and pushing his -fortune by means of his profession. On the morning after he had landed, -our doctor sallied forth for a walk on the pasco. He had not proceeded -far when his attention was attracted to a young girl, a native, who was -walking a few paces ahead of him. He observed that every now and then -the girl stooped her head towards the pavement which was straightway -spotted with blood. Alarmed on the girl’s account, our doctor walked -rapidly after her, observing that she still continued to expectorate -blood at intervals as she went. Before he could come up with her the -girl had reached her home, a humble cottage in the suburbs, into which -she entered. The doctor followed close upon her heels, and summoning -her father and mother, directed them to send immediately for the priest -as their daughter had not many hours to live. The distracted parents, -having learned the profession of their visitor, immediately acceded to -his request. The child was put to bed in extreme affright, having been -told what was about to befal her. The nearest padre was brought, and -everything was arranged to smooth the journey of her soul through the -passes of purgatory. The doctor plied his skill to the utmost, but in -vain. In less than twenty-four hours the girl was dead.</p> - -<p>As up to that time the young Indian had always enjoyed excellent -health, the doctor’s prognostication was regarded as an evidence -of great and mysterious skill. The fame of it soon spread<span class="pagenum" id="Page_279">279</span> through -Manilla, and in a few hours the newly-arrived physician was beleagured -with patients, and in a fair way of accumulating a fortune. In the -midst of all this, some one had the curiosity to ask the doctor how he -could possibly have predicted the death of the girl, seeing that she -had been in perfect health a few hours before. “Predict it,” replied -the doctor, “why, sir, I saw her spit blood enough to have killed her -half a dozen times.”</p> - -<p>“Blood! how did you know it was blood?”</p> - -<p>“How! from the colour, how else?”</p> - -<p>“But every one spits red in Manilla.”</p> - -<p>The doctor, who had already observed this fact, and was labouring under -some uneasiness in regard to it, refused to make any further confession -at the time, but he had said enough to elucidate the mystery. The thing -soon spread throughout the city, and it became clear to every one that -what the new <i>medico</i> had taken for blood, was nothing else than the -red juice of the buyo, and that the poor girl had died from the fear -of death caused by his prediction. His patients now fled from him -as speedily as they had congregated; and to avoid the ridicule that -awaited him, as well as the indignation of the friends of the deceased -girl, our doctor was fain to escape from Manilla, and return to Spain -in the same ship that had brought him out.</p> - -<p>The ladies who work in the government cigar factory at Manilla, -all, more or less, chew the betel nut, and any one daring enough to -disregard the warning not to touch anything, when passing as a visitor -through the rooms, must stand the assault from the mouths of a hundred -or two of these dames, in the shape of a deluge of the decoction of -this nut. The captain of an American vessel at Manilla, although warned -of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_280">280</span> consequences, with American impudence, infringed the rule, and -paid the penalty. He was compelled to beat a retreat, and being dressed -in the white garb of the East, resembled a spotted leopard, in the room -of a free and enlightened citizen of the great Republic.</p> - -<p>The mastication of the betel is considered very wholesome by those -who are in the habit of using it, and it may be so, but the black -appearance it gives to the teeth, although it is said to be an -excellent preserver of them, together with the brick red lips and -mouth, cause anything but an agreeable appearance. Its use certainly -does not impart additional beauty to the native females, who habituate -themselves to an extent equal to that of the opposite sex.</p> - -<p>The custom, Marsden states, is universal among the Sumatrans, who -carry the ingredients constantly about them, and serve them to their -guests on all occasions; the prince in a gold stand, and the poor man -in a brass box or mat bag. The betel-stands of the better ranks of -people are usually of silver, embossed with rude figures. The Sultan of -Moco-Moco was presented with one by the India Company with their arms -upon it, and he possesses another besides, of gold filagree. The form -of the stand is the frustum of an hexagonal pyramid, reversed, about -six or eight inches in diameter. It contains many smaller vessels, -fitted to the angles, for holding the nut, leaf, and chunam, with -places for the instruments employed in cutting the first, and spatulas -for spreading the last.</p> - -<p>Captain Wilkes also describes that of the Sultan of Sooloo.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_281">281</span> “On the -left hand of the Sultan sat his two sons, on the right his councillors, -while immediately behind him sate the carrier of his betelnut casket. -The casket was made of filagree silver, about the size of a small -tea-caddy, of oblong shape, and rounded at the top. It had three -divisions, one for the nut, another for the leaf, and a third for the -lime. Next to this official was the pipe-bearer, who did not appear to -be held in equal estimation.”</p> - -<p>A circumstance is also narrated in connection with the son of this same -Sultan, which exhibits the use of betel in another phase. This son, -shortly after taking a few whiffs from the opium-pipe was overcome, and -became stupid and listless. When partially recovered, he called for -his betel nut to revive him by its exciting effects, and counteract -the influence of the opium. The pinang or buyo was carefully chewed by -his attendant to a proper consistency, moulded into a ball, and then -slipped into his mouth. Hence we may learn two things. First, that -chewing the betel counteracts the ill effects of an over-dose of opium. -Secondly, that it is extremely convenient to have an attendant with -a good set of teeth, since he could not only masticate betel nut for -you, and relieve you from a large amount of labour; but in the event of -your joint not being so tender as it should be, the amount of milling -to be expended at dinner could be divided between you, the attendant -masticating the tough dishes, and yourself the tender, and thus, -by division of labour, a good dinner could be procured with little -expenditure of your own muscular strength.</p> - -<p>In Sumatra, when the first salutation is over, which consists in -bending the body, and the inferior putting his joined hands between -those of the superior, and then lifting them to his forehead, the -betel is presented as a token of hospitality and an act of politeness. -To omit it on the one hand, or to reject it on the other would be an -affront, as it would be, likewise, in a man of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_282">282</span> subordinate rank to -address a great man without the precaution of chewing it before he -spoke.</p> - -<p>The Tagali maidens, says Meyen, regard it as a proof of the uprightness -of the intentions of a lover, and of the strength of his affection, if -he takes the buyo from his mouth. In Luçon, a little box or dish is -kept in every house, in which are kept the betel rolls prepared for the -day’s consumption, and there a buyo, or betel roll, is offered to every -one who enters, just as a pinch of snuff or a pipe might be with us. -Making the buyo is a part of the occupation of the females, who may be -seen in the forenoon stretched on the ground rolling them. Enough for -the day’s consumption is generally carried, in a siri box of metal or -japanned ware, by those whose occupations call them from home; every -one who can afford the expense, puts a fresh roll in his mouth every -hour, which he continues to chew and suck for about half an hour or -more.</p> - -<p>Betel holds an important place in the marriage ceremonies of the -Tagals. When once a young man has informed his father and mother that -he has a predilection for a young Indian girl, his parents pay a visit -to the young girl’s parents upon some fine evening, and after some -very ordinary chat, the mamma of the young man offers a piastre to the -mamma of the young lady. Should the future mother-in-law accept, the -young lover is admitted, and then his future mother-in-law is sure to -go and spend the very same piastre in betel and cocoa wine. During the -greater portion of the night, the whole company assembled upon the -occasion, chews betel, drinks cocoa wine, and discusses upon all other -subjects but marriage. The young men never make their appearance till -the piastre has been accepted, because in that case they look upon it -as being the <i>avant-courrier</i>, that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_283">283</span> is, the first and most essential -step towards their marriage.</p> - -<p>During the fast of Ramadan, the Mahometans abstain from the use of the -betel while the sun continues above the horizon, but, except at this -time, it is the constant luxury of both sexes from an early period of -childhood till old age, when, becoming toothless, they are unable to -masticate the nut, and are reduced to the alternative of having all -the ingredients previously reduced to the form of a paste for them, so -that, without effort, they may dissolve in the mouth.</p> - -<p>When Lady Raffles had reached Merambung in Sumatra, being much fatigued -with walking, and the rest of the party having dispersed in various -directions, she lay down under the shade of a tree, when a Malay girl -approached, with great grace of manner, and on being asked if she -wanted anything, replied, “No! but as you were quite alone, I thought -you might like to have a little talk, so I came to offer you some -<i>siri</i> (betel), and sit beside you.”</p> - -<p>The darker the teeth the more beautiful is a Siamese belle considered; -and in order that their gums should be of a brilliant red, to form -a pleasant contrast to the black lips and teeth, they resort to the -pastime of chewing betel from morning till night. The constituents of -the betel being rolled up into something very much like a sailor’s -quid, it is then thrust into the lady’s cheek, and is munched, and -crunched, and chewed so long as the slightest flavour is to be -extracted, and, as they never swallow the juice, the results are very -detrimental to the cleanliness of the floors of the houses, and of -themselves generally. They commonly make use of two such quids during -the day, and this mixture has the effect of dyeing their gums and the -whole of the palate and tongue of a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_284">284</span> blood-red colour. Old crones, and -very ancient <i>chronoses</i> (for both men and women use the betel), who -have no longer any teeth to masticate the mixture with, are attended by -servants, who have a species of small pestle and mortar always about -them, wherein they reduce the betel into a proper form for the delicate -gums of their aged patrons.<a id="FNanchor_30_30" href="#Footnote_30_30" class="fnanchor">30</a></p> - -<p>The betel pepper is cultivated at Zanzibar, where the use of betel -prevails, as it does at the Comoro Islands and at Bombay. But the -custom is not in vogue in Arabia. The betel palm is also grown for the -sake of its fruits in the island of Zanzibar.</p> - -<p>The habit of masticating betel nut in combination with hemp has of late -come into vogue in the United States of America, and doubtless Brother -Jonathan will soon eclipse Malaya in his predilection for the “buyo.”</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_285">285</span></p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXI" id="CHAPTER_XXI">CHAPTER XXI.</a><br /> - -<small>OUR LADY OF YONGAS.</small></h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">And all my days are trances;</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And all my nightly dreams</div> - <div class="verse">Are where thy dark eye glances,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And where thy footstep gleams:</div> - <div class="verse indent4">In what etherial dances,</div> - <div class="verse indent4">By what eternal streams.</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">E. A. Poe.</span></div> -</div></div></div> - - -<p>To the Peruvian the province of Yongas de la Paz in the North-East -of Bolivia is an El Dorado, because <i>there</i> grows in the greatest -profusion and luxuriance his favorite Coca. We may look with delight -towards the island of Ceylon, and, in imagination, snuff the fragrant -breezes that have passed over the cinnamon groves and coffee -plantations; or direct the gaze of our children across the map of the -world to South-Eastern China, and inform them that from thence our -good dames receive their tea; and thence to the United States, and add -that from this place their worthy sires receive the greater part of -their tobacco. But the affections of the Peruvian are not so divided; -they are located upon one spot, and <i>that</i> the province of the “warm -valleys,” or the Yungas de la Paz; there dwells his patron saint, and -from thence <i>he</i> receives the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_286">286</span> “keys of Paradise.”</p> - -<p>At the time of the conquest the Coca was only used by the Incas, and -those of the royal, or rather solar, blood. It was cultivated for the -monarch and for the solemnities of their religion; none might raise it -to his mouth, unless he had rendered himself worthy by his services to -partake of this honour with his sovereign. The plant was looked upon as -an image of divinity, and no one entered the enclosures where it was -cultivated without bending the knee in adoration. The divine sacrifices -made at that period were thought not to be acceptable to Heaven, unless -the victims were crowned with branches of this tree. The oracles -made no reply, and auguries were terrible if the priest did not chew -<i>coca</i> at the time of consulting them. It was an unheard of sacrilege -to invoke the shades of the departed great without wearing the plant -in token of respect, and the Coyas and Mamas who were supposed to -preside over gold and silver, rendered the mines impenetrable unless -propitiated by it. In the course of time its use extended, and -gradually became the companion of the whole Indian population. To this -plant the native recurred for relief in his greatest distress; no -matter whether want or disease oppressed him, or whether he sought the -favours of Fortune or Love, he found consolation in the “divine plant.”</p> - -<p>The word by which this plant is known has been referred, for its -etymology, to the Aymara language, in which <i>Khoka</i> signifies <i>tree</i> or -<i>plant</i>. It is known that the shrub producing the Matè or Paraguay tea, -the favourite beverage of many South American nations, is called <i>la -Yerba</i>, i.e.<i>the plant</i>. As also in Mexico tobacco was called <i>yetl</i>, -and by the Peruvians <i>Sagri</i>, meaning in those languages <i>the herb</i>, so -we, occasionally, are apt to designate the latter article <i>the weed</i>. -Showing,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_287">287</span> that to those persons or nations who have appropriated such -names, trivial in themselves, to the different articles of consumption, -these plants were in themselves pre-eminent in the vegetable creation, -as, in another instance, we have shown our appreciation of one book -above all others, century after century, by the simple designation of -<i>The Book</i>.</p> - -<p>In Europe, the historians of the conquest gave the first information -of the sacred plant of the Peruvians; this was, however, merely -superficial. In 1569, Monardes, and in 1605 Clusius, wrote concerning -it, but the leaves of the plant itself were not seen until brought over -by one of the companions of La Condamine, Joseph de Jussieu, who nearly -lost his life in 1749, while crossing the Cordilleras in search of this -plant. He was compelled to cross the mountains, covered as they were -with snow, on foot, descending by means of paths cut out like ladders, -and overhanging frightful precipices. The intensity of the sun’s -rays, reflected by the snow, caused him the most distressing pains in -the eyes, and almost blinded him, but the success of his expedition -consoled him for the misfortunes that he had endured.</p> - -<p>This shrub rises to the height of from four to eight feet, the stem -covered with whitish tubercles, which appear to be formed of two curved -lines set face to face. The leaves are oblong, and acute at each end, -from an inch and a half to two inches in length. The leaves are the -only parts used, for which purpose they are collected and dried. The -shrub is found wild in Peru, according to Pöppig, in the environs of -Cuchero, and on the stony summit of the Cerro de San Christobal. It is -cultivated extensively in the mild, but very moist climate of the Andes -of Peru, at from 2,000 to 5,000 feet above the sea level; in colder -situations<span class="pagenum" id="Page_288">288</span> it is apt to be killed, and in warmer to lose the flavour -of the leaf.</p> - -<p>The coca plant is propagated from seed sown in nursery beds and -carefully watered. When about sixteen or eighteen inches high they -are transplanted into plantations called <i>cocals</i>, in terraces upon -the sides of the mountains. At the end of a year and a half the plant -affords its first crop, and from this period to the age of forty years -or more it continues to yield a supply. Instances have been noticed -of coca plantations that have existed for near a century; but the -greatest abundance of leaves is obtained from plants between the third -and sixth years. There are four gatherings in the season; the first -takes place at the period of flowering, and consists of the lower -leaves only. These are larger and less finely flavoured than those -afterwards collected, and are mostly consumed at once. The next and -most abundant harvest takes place in March; the third and most scanty, -in June or July, and the last in November. The leaves are collected -similarly to those of tea. Women and children are employed for this -purpose. The gatherer squats down, and holding the branch with one -hand, plucks from it the leaves, one by one, with the other. These -are deposited in a cloth, from which they are afterwards collected -into sacks to be conveyed from the plantation. The sacks of leaves -are carried to the <i>haciendas</i>, where they are spread upon a floor of -black slate to dry in the sun. They are then packed up in bales made -of banana leaf, closely pressed together, each bale containing on an -average twenty-four pounds. The price realised to the cultivator is one -shilling per pound.</p> - -<p>Dr. Weddell endeavoured to obtain reliable information as to the -quantity of coca cultivated and collected in the province of Yongas, -and states,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_289">289</span> as a result, that the annual produce is about 400,000 -bales, or 9,600,000 Spanish pounds. There is also a large cultivation, -not only in other parts of Bolivia, and in Peru, but also in parts -of Brazil, so that this cannot represent more than half the amount -of the annual consumption of coca. It is true that Pöppig estimated -fifteen millions of pounds as the quantity consumed, but this would -be too small. On the other hand, Johnston estimates the consumption -at thirty millions of pounds; this is, probably, erring rather on the -contrary side. Of this quantity he estimates the value at one million -and a half sterling, and concludes that the chewing of coca is indulged -in by about ten millions of the human race. This again is rather a -“long bow;” the use of coca seems to be confined to Peru, Bolivia, and -Brazil—at any rate, it is confined to South America, and there is no -mention of its indulgence in Chili to the South, or in the Columbian -Republics to the North. It would, moreover, confer upon us somewhat -of a personal favour, were some one to convince us that the male -population of South America amounts to the number which the professor -has estimated as that of the indulgers in coca. Our own impression is, -that the entire population has only been estimated at seventeen and a -quarter millions: this is, at least, the mean of four very respectable -authorities. Suppose half of these to be children, and half of the -residue females, and we have only an adult male population of less than -four and a half millions in the southern half of the New World. Ye -shades of Cocker and De Morgan! tell us how from these we can subtract -ten millions who indulge in coca, and yet show a remainder, be it ever -so small, of abstainers. But it has never been affirmed that coca was -indulged in, except in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_290">290</span> Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil. The population of -these three countries amount, according to the higher authorities, only -to ten millions, so that every man, woman, and child, must be a coquero -to reach the estimated number. Viewing this subject in another of its -phases—Johnston states that the average consumption of the coquero -is from one ounce to one ounce and a half per day, or, according to -ordinary computation, twenty-two to thirty-three pounds per year, -whereas the estimated production, which we have presumed to be too -large, is, in fact, too small for the number estimated as indulging -therein, as it only allows each coca masticator three pounds per annum. -In all deference to so high an authority, we will venture to suggest -that were the number indulging in coca limited to two millions, and the -supply to twenty millions of pounds, or ten pounds annually to each -person, some of these difficulties would be removed; but, out of regard -for the patience of our readers, we will forbear detailing any further -calculations, or the bases on which they rest.</p> - -<p>At first the Spaniards strenuously opposed the use of the coca—it -was anathematized by them everywhere, as tobacco was by its zealous -opponents in the old world, but this opposition only seemed to produce -an extension of the habit. Then the Spaniards, appreciating the -advantages which might accrue to them in a monopoly of the plant, took -the culture into their own hands, and by force, enrolled the Indians of -the Cordilleras in their service, much to the discomfort of the latter, -who suffered extremely from the change of climate. Complaints to the -government being so numerous, the Viceroy, Don Francisco de Toledo, -espoused the cause of the Indians, published seventy-one decrees in -their favour, and the speculation was abandoned. It is said, that in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_291">291</span> -1583 the government of Potosi derived a sum not less than £100,000 -from the consumption of 90,000 to 100,000 baskets of this leaf. The -cultivation of coca is therefore an important feature in Peruvian -husbandry, and so lucrative, that a coca plantation, whose original -cost and current expenses amounted to £500 during the first twenty -months, will, at the end of ten months more, bring a clear income of -£340.</p> - -<p>The coca possesses a slightly aromatic and agreeable odour, and when -chewed, dispenses a grateful fragrance, its taste is moderately bitter -and astringent, and somewhat resembles green tea; it tinges the saliva -of a greenish hue. Its effects on the system are stomachic and tonic, -and it is said to be beneficial in preventing intermittents, which have -always prevailed in this country.</p> - -<p>The mode of employing coca is to mix with it in the mouth a small -quantity of lime prepared from shells, much after the manner that -the betel is used in the East. With this, a handful of parched corn, -and a ball of arrow-root, an Indian will travel on foot a hundred -leagues, trotting on ahead of a horse. On the frequented roads, we are -informed, that the Indian guides have certain spots where they throw -out their quids, which have accumulated into little heaps, that now -serve as marks of distance; so that, instead of saying, one place is so -many leagues from another, it is common to call it so many quids. Dr. -Weddell states that the Bolivians are in the habit of using instead of -lime with their leaf, a substance called <i>llipta</i>, which consists of -the ashes of the Quinoa plant; in other parts the ashes of other plants -are used, as on the Amazon, those of the leaves of the trumpet-tree. -These alkaline ashes are made into little cakes, and sold in the -markets.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_292">292</span></p> - -<p>“The Peruvian ordinarily keeps his coca in a little bag called -<i>chuspa</i>, which he carries suspended at his side, and which he places -in front whenever he intends to renew his <i>chique</i>, which he does -at regular intervals, even when travelling. The Indian who prepares -himself to chew, in the first place sets himself as perfectly at ease -as circumstances permit. If he has a burden, he lays it down; he seats -himself, then putting his <i>chuspa</i> on his knees, he draws from it, -one by one, the leaves which are to constitute his fresh ‘quid.’ The -attention which he gives to this operation is worthy of remark. The -complaisance with which the Indian buries his hand in the leaves of a -well-filled <i>chuspa</i>, the regret he seems to experience when the bag -is nearly empty, deserve observation, for these little points prove -that to the Indian the use of coca is a real source of enjoyment, -and not the simple consequence of want.” We remember an elderly -lady<a id="FNanchor_31_31" href="#Footnote_31_31" class="fnanchor">31</a> who was in the habit of taking snuff with the same amount of -ceremony. First, she comfortably seated herself, arranged her dress, -and smoothed her apron. The most important occupations always being -for the time put aside, and apparently forgotten. The next operation -consisted in drawing from some capacious receptacle, the entrance -to which was enveloped in the folds of her outer garment, a large -brown handkerchief, studded with small yellow spots, just visible, we -remember it for years, and never any other; this was laid upon the lap -prepared to receive it. Another step consisted in drawing out from the -same mysterious receptacle, a black japanned box, circular in shape, -and of the diameter of a shaving-box, but scarce an inch in thickness; -this was carefully wiped with the handkerchief<span class="pagenum" id="Page_293">293</span> already named, and -then grasped in the left hand, resting on the palm, and pressed by the -thumb on one side, and the extremities of the fingers on the other. A -slight, but smartly repeated rap or two on the top of the box with the -knuckles of the right hand constituted the commencement of the fourth -operation, which ended by taking hold of the upper portion of the box -with the fingers of the right hand, in the same manner that the lower -was held by the left, and gently raising it obliquely, as it were, -upon a hinge, although it possessed none, and leaving it, when nearly -perpendicular, in charge of the now disengaged fore-finger and thumb of -the left hand, whilst the right hand was entirely free. How radiant was -the smile when the yellow dust filled at least a moiety of the cavity -of the opened box. How disconsolate the expression when this devout -consummation was not attained. Witness next the extended fingers, and -the adroit dexterity with which the finger and thumb collected its -accustomed dole, and conveyed it to the olfactory organs. How carefully -it was carried, first to the right nostril, and then to the left, and -with two hearty inspirations imbibed. The returning fingers now closed -the box, which received another wipe, and was then returned into the -receptacle. The fingers first, and then the nose, underwent the same -purifying process by means of the brown handkerchief. Then, although no -particle of dust could anywhere be seen, the whole frontispiece, from -the chin to the knees, underwent a regular dusting; the handkerchief -was replaced among the folds of the dress, the apron smoothed down with -both hands, a half-uttered exclamation of satisfaction, and the work -which had been temporarily laid aside was now resumed, until another -occasion of a like character should arise to demand its suspension.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_294">294</span></p> - -<p>But to return to coca, the effects of which are described as of the -most extraordinary nature, totally distinct from those produced by any -other known plant in any part of the world. The exciting principle -is said to be so volatile, that leaves, after being kept for twelve -months, entirely lose their power, and are good for nothing.</p> - -<p>Large heaps of the freshly-dried leaves, particularly while the warm -rays of the sun are upon them, diffuse a very strong smell, resembling -that of hay in which there is a quantity of melilot. The natives never -permit strangers to sleep near them, as they would suffer violent -headaches in consequence. When kept in small portions, and after a few -months, the coca loses its scent, and becomes weak in proportion. The -novice thinks that the grassy smell and fresh hue are as perceptible -in the old state as when new. Without the use of lime, which always -excoriates the mouth of a stranger, the natives declare that coca has -not its true taste, a flavour which can only be detected after long -use. It then tinges green the carefully swallowed saliva, and yields -an infusion of the same colour. Of this infusion Pöppig made trial, -and found that it had a flat, grass-like taste, but he experienced the -full power of its stimulating principles. When taken in the evening, -it was followed by great restlessness, loss of sleep, and generally -uncomfortable sensations, while from its exhibition in the morning, -a similar effect, though to a slight degree arose, accompanied -with loss of appetite. Dr. Archibald Smith of Huanaco, when on one -occasion unprovided with Chinese tea, made a trial of the coca as a -substitute for it, but experienced such distressing sensations of -nervous excitement, that he never ventured to use it again. It is not -at all uncommonly used in this way; and the Indians have tea-parties -or <i>tertulias</i>,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_295">295</span> for taking the infusion of the leaves, as well as for -chewing them. Some affirm that in the coca-tea drinkings the effects -are agreeably exhilarating. It is usual to say on such occasions, -“<i>Vamos à coquear y acullicar</i>”——“Let us indulge in coca.”</p> - -<p>Chewing the coca becomes quite a passion in those who indulge in it; -and when the habit is once commenced, it is affirmed that it is never -discontinued, and that an instance of a reclaimed <i>coquero</i> has never -been known. To indulge in the enjoyment of this narcotic, the Peruvian -will expose himself to the greatest dangers. As its stimulus is most -fully developed when the body is exhausted with toil, or the mind with -conversation, “the victim then hastens to some retreat in a gloomy -native wood, and flinging himself under a tree, remains stretched -out there, heedless of night or of storms, unprotected by covering -or by fire, unconscious of the floods of rain, and of the tremendous -winds which sweep the forest, and after yielding himself for two or -three entire days to the occupation of chewing coca, returns home -to his abode, with trembling limbs, and a pallid countenance, the -miserable spectacle of unnatural enjoyment. Whoever accidentally meets -the coquero under such circumstances, and by speaking interrupts the -effects of this intoxication, is sure to draw upon himself the hatred -of the half-maddened creature. The man who is once seized with the -passion for this practice, if placed in circumstances which favour its -indulgence, is a ruined being. Many instances were related to Pöppig -while in Peru, where young people of the best families, by occasionally -visiting the forests, had begun using the coca for the sake of passing -the time away, and acquiring a relish for it, from that period been -lost to civilization; as if seized by some malevolent instinct, they<span class="pagenum" id="Page_296">296</span> -refused to return to their homes, and resisting the entreaties of -their friends, who occasionally discovered the haunts of these unhappy -fugitives, either retired to some distant solitude, or took the first -opportunity of escaping, when they had been brought back to the towns.” -So seductive becomes this habit, for we cannot doubt the veracity of -these statements, that neither home, nor friends, nor family, nor -society, nor fear, nor love, nor respect, nor any other creature, nor -passion, would seem to have the power of winning them back from their -monomania to a rational state of existence.</p> - -<p>The virtues of the coca must be of the most astonishing character. -The Indians, who are addicted to its use, are declared to be thereby -enabled to withstand the toil of the mines amidst noxious metallic -exhalations without rest, food, or protection from the climate. They -run hundreds of leagues over deserts, and plains, and craggy mountains, -sustained only by the coca and a little parched corn; and often too, -acting as mules in bearing loads through passes where animals cannot -go. Some have attributed this frugality and power of endurance to -the effects of habit, and not to the use of coca; but the Indian is -naturally voracious, and it is known that many Spaniards were unable to -perform the Herculean tasks of the Peruvians until they habitually used -the coca; moreover, it is affirmed, that without it, the Indians lose -both their vigour and powers of endurance. During the siege of La Paz -in 1781, when the Spaniards were constantly on the watch, and destitute -of provisions, in the inclemencies of winter, they were saved, as -chroniclers narrate, from disease and death by resorting to this plant. -Some of those who deny many of the effects, said to be produced by -its use, admit that the coca is useful medicinally<span class="pagenum" id="Page_297">297</span> as a preservative -against the fevers which are consequent to a climate like that of Peru.</p> - -<p>Hallucinations result from the use of the coca as from that of the -narcotic hemp, but not, as it would appear, to the same extent. The -inordinate use of this plant, as indeed of all the narcotics, seems to -be attended with fearful results. One description with which we are -acquainted, gives details of no very desirable character. It affirms -that the abuse speedily occasions bodily disease, and detriment to -the moral powers, but that still the custom may be persevered in for -many years, especially if frequently intermitted, and the coquero -sometimes attains the age of fifty with comparatively few complaints. -But the oftener the orgies are celebrated, especially in a warm and -moist climate, the sooner are their destructive effects made evident. -For this reason, the natives of the cold and dry districts of the -Andes are more addicted to the consumption of coca than those of the -close forests, where undoubtedly other stimulants do but take its -place. Weakness in the digestive organs, which, like most incurable -complaints, increases continually in a greater or less degree, first -attacks the unfortunate coquero. This complaint, which is called -“opilacion,” may be trifling at the beginning, but soon attains an -alarming height. Then come bilious obstructions, attended with all -those thousand painful symptoms which are so much aggravated by a -tropical climate, jaundice and derangement of the nervous system -follow, along with pains in the head, and such a prostration of -strength, that the patient speedily loses all appetite. The whites of -the eyes assume a leaden colour, and a total inability to sleep ensues, -which aggravates the mental depression of the unhappy individual, who, -spite of all his ills, cannot relinquish the use of the herb, to which -he owes his<span class="pagenum" id="Page_298">298</span> suffering, but craves brandy in addition. The appetite -becomes quite irregular, sometimes failing altogether, and sometimes -assuming a wolfish voracity, especially for animal food. Thus do years -of misery drag on, succeeded at length by a painful death.</p> - -<p>This property of dispelling sleep, as a result of the inordinate use -of coca, was noticed by Weddell, as the result also of the moderate -indulgence, by way of experiment, in an infusion of the leaves, and -which led him to suppose that the chemical principle of tea, called -theine, would be found present in them. Professor Frémy analyzed them -accordingly, but found no such principle present, although an active -bitter principle was found, peculiar to this plant, the full properties -of which are still unascertained.</p> - -<p>Coca has the reputed power of sustaining strength in the absence of -any other nutriment. The Indians declare, that when using it they -feel neither the pains of hunger nor of thirst, that they are enabled -to perform the most laborious operations with little or no food, -insensible either to cold or weariness; that by its use they can -ascend the steep passes of the Andes, carrying with them heavy loads, -and without lassitude or loss of breath. When Tschuddi was in the -Puna, he drank always before going out to hunt, a strong infusion of -coca-leaves. Then, he states, he could during the whole day climb the -heights, and follow the wild animals without experiencing any greater -difficulty of breathing than he would have felt in similar movements -along the coast. One account states, that a native, who was employed -in laborious digging for five days and nights, tasted no food during -that period, and only slept two hours each night. He regularly chewed -the coca-leaves, to the extent of about half an ounce every two or -three hours, and kept a quid of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_299">299</span> them constantly in his mouth. The work -being finished, he went a two days’ journey of twenty-three leagues -across the level heights, keeping pace with a mule, and only halting -to replenish his quid. At the end of all this labour, he was willing -to engage for the performance of as much more without food, but with a -plentiful allowance of coca. This man was sixty-two years of age, and -was never known to have been ill in his life. For this reason, that it -appears to act as a substitute for food, several learned and ingenious -authors have lamented that it has not been introduced into countries -like our own, where it would be a boon so valuable to the poor in times -of scarcity and distress.</p> - -<p>What says science concerning this extraordinary power? One of two -things is certain: either that the coca contains some nutritive -principle which directly sustains the strength, or it does not contain -it, and, therefore, simply deceives hunger while acting on the system -as an excitement. As to the existence of a nutritive principle in coca, -although it cannot positively be denied, on account of the quantity of -nitrogen, together with assimilable carbonized products, which have -been found to exist in the leaf; yet their proportion is so small -compared with the mass, and especially with the quantity that a coquero -consumes at once, that they can scarcely be taken into consideration. -Moreover, it has also been affirmed that coca, as it is habitually -taken, does not satiate hunger. The Indians who accompany travellers, -will chew the leaves during the day, but, on the arrival of evening, -they will fill their stomachs like fasting men, devouring, at a single -meal, enough to satisfy an ordinary man for two days. The Indian of -the Cordillera is like the vulture of his mountains, when provisions -abound, he gorges himself greedily, when they are scarce, his robust -nature enables<span class="pagenum" id="Page_300">300</span> him to content himself with very little. This is -the evidence—what is the verdict? That the use of the coca assists, -perhaps, to support the abstinence; but that its action is confined -to an excitement of a peculiar kind, very different from that of the -ordinary excitants, and especially alcohol. Brandy gives strength, -but that strength is only a loan, at the expense of strength reserved -for the future. The stimulus produced by coca is slow and sustained, -in part owing to the manner of its employment, as the infusion acts -differently from the leaf as taken in the ordinary way. Tea and coffee -act specially on the brain, on which they produce an anti-soporific -effect; but while coca produces a little of this effect when taken in -large doses, it does not act perceptibly upon the brain in small doses. -To account for the ordinary effects of the leaf, one must suppose -that its action, instead of being localized, as in the case of tea -and coffee, is diffused, and bears upon the nervous system generally, -producing a sustained stimulus, calculated to impart to those under -its influence, that support which has been attributed erroneously to -peculiar nutritive properties.</p> - -<p>Superstition and prejudice combined have, however, ennobled this plant -in the mind of the Peruvian, and he looks upon it as a true “gift -of God.” Its influences and effects are magnified in his own mind -into something miraculous, and, indeed, miraculous powers have been -attributed to it, for in what other light can we regard the belief -current amongst them, that if the miner throws the masticated leaves -upon the hard and impenetrable veins of metal, the ore will thereby -become softened and be more easily worked? or that the leaves when -placed in the mouth of a dead person, ensures it a more favourable -reception into the world of spirits? or that when a mummy is met<span class="pagenum" id="Page_301">301</span> with -disentombed from its narrow home, the presentation of a few leaves -propitiates its disengaged spirit, and is accepted as a pious offering?</p> - -<p>Much of the fidelity of the Indian to his coca, as with the smoker to -his pipe of tobacco, is due to habit, and in this case the influence of -the habit is more powerful, inasmuch as it has been handed down through -a long line of ancestors, and is almost the only one which has been -preserved. Finally, he finds in its use a distraction, and the only -one, which breaks the monotony of his existence. The Peruvian Indians -are of a gloomy temperament, and subject to fits of melancholy. When -not engaged in out-door work, they will sit in their huts chewing coca -and brooding gloomily over their own thoughts; indeed, the combined -testimony of travellers establish the fact, that there is in their -features an expression of concentrated melancholy, which seems to -speak of an undefined but constant suffering; we cannot be astonished -at finding such people seeking for comfort in the best substitute for -opium that their country will furnish.</p> - -<p>Coca appears to enjoy an undisputed reign in the Cordilleras; no other -narcotic starts up to share the throne, and this is almost the only -one which has not been imitated, or for which some substitute has not -either been proposed or used. The antipodes, or nearly so, of this -country possesses a plant, which, had it grown freely in other parts of -the world might have been heard of more extensively as an indulgence. -In Siberia, however, there seems to be little use made of the small -indigenous rhododendron, which claims to be one of the most powerful -narcotics in the world. Steller, the Russian botanist, had a tame deer -which became so intoxicated by browsing on about ten of its leaves, -that, after staggering<span class="pagenum" id="Page_302">302</span> about for some time, it dropped into a deep but -troubled sleep for four hours, after which it awoke, apparently free -from pain, but would never touch the leaves again. Steller’s servants, -after this, took to intoxicating themselves with the leaves without any -evil effects. We have also been informed that certain of the Russians -have been charged with the habit of following the example of these -experimentalists, by getting drunk upon the leaves, which have been -used in infusion, as Pallas states, with good effect in the cure of -chronic rheumatism. The flowers of another species of rhododendron are -eaten as a narcotic by the Hill people of India, but in these instances -the extent of their use is so small, and the persons indulging in them -so few, that no claim can be set up for them, except as minor narcotics -occasionally employed, when the other and more important substances -cannot readily be obtained.</p> - -<p>For the basis of much which this chapter contains, we are indebted -to the Travels in Bolivia and Peru of that worthy trio of doctors, -Pöppig, Weddell, and Tschuddi, besides three times as many more, less -noted and less known, but whose information was not less to be relied -upon on the points concerning which they have spoken. Whether the -votaries of our Lady of Yongas are as numerous as has been asserted, -or only of the number we have suggested—whether the influence of -this plant over the stomachic regions is sufficient to subdue the -pangs of hunger, or allay the cruelties of thirst, or these are only -effects due to the imagination—whether it has the marvellous power of -softening the adamantine rock, or strengthening and supporting the -lungs in the ascent of Andean summits, or whether these, and all of -these, are fictions proceeding from the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_303">303</span> heat-oppressed brain, it is, -nevertheless, certain, that a great amount of interest gathers around -this plant, which associates itself so intimately with the country in -which it flourishes, that, as for centuries past, so for centuries to -come, coca will remain the characteristic plant of the Peruvian nation, -as tea was, and is, of the Chinese.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_304">304</span></p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXII" id="CHAPTER_XXII">CHAPTER XXII.</a><br /> - -<small>WHITEWASH AND CLAY.</small></h2> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“Alexander died. Alexander was buried. Alexander returneth into -dust; the dust is earth: of earth we make loam. And why of that -loam, whereto he was converted, might they not stop a beer -barrel?”——<i>Hamlet.</i></p></blockquote> - - -<p>The fact, at one time doubted, but now established beyond dispute, -that some tribes indulge in the habit of dirt-eating, is one which, -from its singularity, claims notice. The Malayan uses lime as an -ingredient in compounding his favourite masticatory, and the coquero -of the Andes mixes it with his leaves of coca. The Nubians mingle the -saline natron with their quid of tobacco, and the blacks of Gesira -the same material to compound their “bucca.” The Ottamacs and Omaguas -avail themselves of the assistance of shell lime to give pungency to -their intoxicating snuffs. The tribes on the coast of Paria, according -to Gomara, stimulated the organs of taste by caustic lime, as other -races employ tobacco, coca, or betel. In our own days this practice -exists among the Guajiros at the mouth of the Rio de la Hacha. Here the -still uncivilized Indians carry small shells, calcined and powdered, -in a box made from the husk of a fruit. This box is suspended from -their girdle, and serves<span class="pagenum" id="Page_305">305</span> -a variety of purposes. The powder used by -the Guajiros is an article of commerce, as formerly was that of the -Indians of Paria. What could first have induced these people to use by -itself, or other races to mingle with vegetable substances, a mineral -only known to us as a whitewash, or for somewhat similar vulgar uses, -and to metamorphose it into a luxury, is difficult to understand. -We comprehend the value of lime when stirred about in a pail, with -sufficiency of water to reduce it to the consistence of cream, and -then by the aid of a broad flat brush transferred to the ceilings of -our dwellings. We cannot so well comprehend or appreciate the luxury -of rolling it into a pellet, and transferring it to our mouths, as a -whitewash for regions where the curious eye of man does not penetrate.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/i_p304b.jpg" alt="River scene" /> -</div> - -<p>The residents at the fur-posts on the Mackenzie River, have a mineral -in use among them, known by the appellation of <i>white mud</i>, which -is used for whitewashing, and, when soap is scarce, it supplies the -place of that article for washing clothes. It resembles pipe-clay, -and exists in beds from six to twelve inches in thickness. It is of -a yellowish white colour, sometimes with a reddish tinge. On the -Arkansas also a similar substance has been met with, called <i>pink -clay</i>. The clay of the Mackenzie is smooth, and, when masticated, has -a flavour, we are told, resembling the kernel of a hazel nut. Sir -John Richardson obtained some of this clay in his journey to Prince -Rupert’s Land, and had it examined, but could not discover in it any -nutritious properties, or detect the remains of infusorial animalculæ, -such as are found in other edible clays. The natives of the locality -in which this substance is found, eat it in times of scarcity, and -suppose that by its use they prolong their lives. There are certain<span class="pagenum" id="Page_306">306</span> -physiological reasons known to us whereby we account for fowls, and -other winged bipeds indulging in the singular propensity of swallowing -small pebbles, fragments of lime or mortar, sand and clay; but as -we cannot apply these same arguments to the cases of other “bipeds -without feathers” who indulge in the same propensity, we naturally seek -for some signs of nutritious value in the substance itself. In this -instance the remote probability of its containing decayed animal matter -does not apparently exist, for the microscope detects no infusoria. And -unless we argue, as did Hamlet with his friend Horatio, that in this -clay are the remains of a previous generation, we can scarce account -for its being a good article of food.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“Imperial Cæsar, dead and turned to clay,</div> - <div class="verse">Might stop a hole to keep the wind away;”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>or dead Indians turned to clay to appease the hunger of their living -descendants. Thus, if the imagination may trace the noble dust of -Alexander, till we find it stopping a bunghole, may it not also follow -this same clay from the bunghole into the veins of a new Alexander?</p> - -<p>Richardson states that the above is a kind of pipe-clay. If made into -pipes for smoking, Hamlet might argue still further, “may we not trace -the dust of the dead Indian, till we find a man smoking his weed from -the leg or arm of his great grandfather.”</p> - -<p>Clay eating exists in South America, among the Guamos, and by the -tribes between the Meta and the Apure. The natives here speak of the -custom as one of great antiquity. The Ottomacs are, however, great -clay-eaters. Humboldt found amongst them heaps of earth-balls, piled up -in pyramid three or four feet high, and these balls<span class="pagenum" id="Page_307">307</span> five or six inches -in diameter. This clay was of a yellowish grey colour, and did not -contain magnesia, but silex and alumina, and three or four per cent. of -lime, no trace of organic substance, either oily or farinaceous, could -be found mixed with it. If the Ottomac is asked what he lives upon -during the two months of the inundation of the rivers, he shows you his -balls of clayey earth. It is asserted that far from becoming lean at -that season, they are, on the contrary, extremely robust.</p> - -<p>At the village of Banco, on the Rio Magdalena, the same traveller found -Indian women making pottery, who continually swallowed great pieces of -clay.</p> - -<p>On the coast of Guinea, the negroes eat a yellowish earth, which they -call <i>caouac</i>, the taste of which is said to be agreeable, and to cause -no inconvenience. When these Africans are carried to the West Indies, -they still indulge in the custom, for which purpose Chanvalon states -that it is sold in the markets, but that the West-Indian clay does not -agree with them so well as that of their native country.</p> - -<p>Labillardière saw between Surabaya and Samarang little square reddish -cakes, called <i>tanaampo</i>, exposed for sale, which were slightly baked, -and eaten with relish.</p> - -<p>Leschenault states that the reddish clay (<i>ampo</i>) which the Javanese -are fond of eating occasionally, is spread on a plate of iron and -baked, after being rolled into little cylinders in the form of cinnamon -bark. In this state it is sold in the markets. It has a peculiar taste, -which is owing to the baking, is very absorbent, and adheres to the -tongue. The Javanese women eat the <i>ampo</i> in order to grow thin, the -absence of plumpness being there regarded as a kind of beauty.</p> - -<p>In times of hunger or scarcity, the savages of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_308">308</span> New Caledonia eat great -pieces of a friable stone, which contains magnesia and silex, with a -little oxide of copper.</p> - -<p>The African negroes of Bunck and Los Idoles eat a kind of white and -friable steatite, or soapstone, from which custom they are said to -suffer no inconvenience.</p> - -<p>At Popayan and several of the mountainous parts of Peru, -finely-powdered lime is sold in the public markets with other articles -of food. This powder is, however, generally mixed with the leaves of -the coca, and used as a masticatory. In other parts of South America, -lime is swallowed alone, the Indians carrying with them a little box of -lime, as other people carry their tobacco-box, snuff-box, or siri-box.</p> - -<p>In the kingdom of Quito, the Tigua natives eat from choice, and without -any ill consequences, a very fine clay mixed with sand. This clay, -mixed with water, renders it milky. Large vessels filled with this -mixture, called <i>agua de llanka</i>, water of clay, or <i>leche de llanka</i>, -milk of clay, may be seen in most of their huts, where it serves as a -beverage.</p> - -<p>On the banks of the river Kamen-da-Maslo, there is produced a fossil, -or an earthy substance, called in Russian <i>kamennoye maslo</i>, stone -butter, which is eaten in various ways, as well by the Russians as the -Tongousi, it is of a yellowish cream colour, and not unpleasant in -taste, but it is forbidden as pernicious in its effects. This earthy -matter is stated to be a fossil, or salt oozing out of rocks, in many -parts of Siberia, but chiefly from those near the river Irtish and -Yenissei. When it is exposed to the air in dry weather it hardens, but -in wet weather it again becomes soft or liquid. The Russian hunters use -it also as a bait. The animals scent it from afar, and are fond of the -smell.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_309">309</span></p> - -<p>In Germany, the workmen employed in the quarries of sandstone at -Kiffhauser, spread a fine clay upon their bread instead of butter, -which they call <i>steinbutter</i> (stone butter). There is another -substance, called <i>bergbutter</i>, or mountain butter, which is a saline -substance produced by the decomposition of aluminous schists.</p> - -<p>On the shores of a lake near Urania, in Sweden, is found a deposit, -called by the peasants “mountain meal” (<i>bergmehl</i>) which they use, -mixed up with flour, as an article of food. This deposit consists -chiefly of fossil infusoria.</p> - -<p>In Finland also, a similar kind of earth is mixed with bread stuff, as -also in parts of Northern Germany in cases of scarcity or necessity. -In Lapland also, this fossil farina has been found, and applied to a -like use. The Tripoli or rotten stone of commerce is an infusorial -earth of this description, composed of fossils of extraordinary minute -dimensions.</p> - -<p>A poor man, in the neighbourhood of Dejufors, Sweden, some years since, -found an earth of this description, which had much the appearance of -meal. The people being at that time in a state of privation, and living -upon bark bread, this man took some home, mixed it with rye meal, baked -it into bread, and found it palatable, hereupon there was a general run -upon this earth, and some of it found its way to Stockholm. On analysis -it was found to contain flint and feldspar, finely pulverized with -lime, clay, oxide of iron, and some organic substance resembling animal -matter, and yielding ammonia, and an oil.</p> - -<p>Ehrenberg found that a hill in Bohemia was one mass of the siliceous -fossil shells of these minute creatures, and that in a stratum -fourteen feet in thickness, one cubic inch contained the remains of -41,000,000,000 of individuals.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_310">310</span></p> - -<p>These kind of deposits are continually accumulating, and producing -important changes, in the bed of the Nile, at Dongola, and in the Elbe, -at Cuxhaven, and even choking up some of the harbours in the Baltic Sea.</p> - -<p>Dr. Trail analyzed a bergmehl from the North of Sweden, and found it to -be composed of the minute shields of infusoria, about one thousandth -of an inch in size, consisting chiefly of siliceous earth and alumina. -A small quantity of this curious substance was found in County Down, -Ireland, by Dr. Drummond, twenty years ago, while sinking a pit near -Newcastle.</p> - -<p>MM. Cloquet and Breschet ate experimentally as much as five ounces of a -silvery green laminar talc. Their hunger was completely satisfied, and -they felt no inconvenience from the use of a kind of food to which they -had not been accustomed. In parts of the East, use is still made of the -Bole earths of Lemnos, which are clay mixed with oxide of iron.</p> - -<p>In Portugal and Spain, <i>bucaro</i> clays are made into vessels, from which -many are fond of drinking on account of the smell of the clay; and the -women of the province of Alentejo acquire a habit of masticating the -bucaro earth, and feel it a great privation when unable to indulge in -this vitiated taste.</p> - -<p>In the Bolivian markets, Dr. Weddell saw a grey-coloured clay which was -offered for sale. It is called <i>pahsa</i>, and the Indians of La Paz eat -it with the bitter potato of the country. It is steeped in water, made -into a kind of gruel, and seasoned with salt.</p> - -<p>At Chiquisaca a kind of earth called <i>chaco</i> is made into little pots, -and eaten like chocolate. Although their moderate use is not calculated -to injure the system, their contribution to the nourishment of the body -must be but small.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_311">311</span></p> - -<p>In the valleys of the Sikkim Himalayas, a kind of red earth is chewed -as a cure for the goître, but it is not stated to be regularly indulged -in as an article of food either there or in any other part of India.</p> - -<p>Mr. Wallace relates that a little Indian boy died from the habit of -dirt-eating—a very common and destructive habit among Indians and half -breeds in the houses of the whites in the Amazon valley. All means had -been tried to cure the lad of the habit. He had been physicked and -whipped, and confined in doors; but when no other opportunity offered, -he would find a plentiful supply in the mud walls of the house. The -whole body, face, and limbs swelled, so that he could with difficulty -walk, and not having so much care taken of him, he ate his fill and -died.</p> - -<p>Those who have had much to do with children, will have noticed amongst -some of them the germs of this propensity, which will occasionally -develop itself in chewing pieces of pipe, slate pencil, chalk, and -other substances of a like nature. Although not carried to so great an -extent as to become injurious, cases of this kind are far from being, -among school children, either exceptional or uncommon.</p> - -<p>In the mission of San Borja, Humboldt found the child of an Indian -woman, which, according to the statement of its mother, would hardly -eat anything but earth. It was very thin and emaciated.</p> - -<p>These instances are not, after all, so singular as those of habitual, -national dirt-eating which we find amongst the tribes of South America -and the negroes of Africa. Children are not always the most particular -in the choice of their articles of food, or we should not read of such -instances as occur in tropical America of these youngsters drawing -immense centipedes out of their holes and eating them; or, as related -by Captain<span class="pagenum" id="Page_312">312</span> Cochrane, of a child devouring several pieces of tallow -candle, which was succeeded by a large lump of yellow soap, all of -which he seemed to enjoy.</p> - -<p>Chroniclers often make mention of the employment, during times of -war, of kinds of infusorial earth as food, under the general term of -mountain meal. This was the case in the Thirty Years War, at Camin in -Pomerania, Muskau in the Lausitz, and Kleiken in the Dessau territory; -and subsequently in 1719 and 1733 at the fortress of Wittenberg. But in -times of war and scarcity, one is prepared to hear of men satisfying -their hunger by every legitimate means.</p> - -<p>M. S. Julien sent to the Academy of Sciences at Paris some few years -since, specimens of a peculiar mineral substance from the province -of Kiang-si in China, on which, in times of famine, the inhabitants -have been said to be able to support themselves as a nutriment. It -has a disagreeable taste, and produces dryness in the mouth. It is -nevertheless used by the natives mixed with flour, and is even esteemed -by them.</p> - -<p>It may appear somewhat singular to refer to these dirt-eating customs, -in connection with those relating to narcotics. The connection is, -however, more intimate than at the first glance might appear. Two kinds -of substances are mostly resorted to, either to gratify these depraved -tastes, or satisfy the cravings of hunger—lime and clay, or, as we -have designated them—<i>clay</i> and <i>whitewash</i>. It is, or has been matter -of dispute, whether the stimulating properties of the betel and coca, -and the intoxicating snuffs of the Orinoco, are to be attributed to -the vegetable substances themselves, or to the lime used with them, or -both in conjunction; hence the introduction of lime is not considered -inappropriate. As for the clay, it is not<span class="pagenum" id="Page_313">313</span> only intimately associated -with the other, from the similarity of the use to which it is thus -strangely applied, but the connection of it in some of its forms with -the consumption of one or two of the narcotics, as the means whereby -they are indulged in, must serve as an apology, if such be needed.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_314">314</span></p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIII" id="CHAPTER_XXIII">CHAPTER XXIII.</a><br /> - -<small>PRECIOUS METALS.</small></h2> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“The virtues of the noble metals are, moreover, of such a nature that -they inspire respect even in those who do not seek these qualities in -higher spheres, but ask after the common and every-day usefulness of a -thing.”——<span class="smcap">Von Kobell.</span></p></blockquote> - - -<p>Some consider those metals most precious which, like gold and -silver, have earned that reputation by acting in the capacity of -representatives of wealth, as the current coins of civilized nations. -To some men these have been esteemed more precious than health, or even -than life itself; others, calculating on the grounds of utility, have -considered iron and copper, so universally applicable to the wants of -civilized life, such mighty agents in the cause of civilization, as the -most precious of metals; and these may be right in their calculations, -for although we might manage to get on without the former, we can -hardly imagine for ourselves the condition occasioned by the loss of -the latter. There are yet a few to whom it would seem, however strange -the fact may appear, that two metals are the most precious which the -rest of the world have no idea of considering as of but a very low -rate of value, and without which they can readily conceive of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_315">315</span> -world moving on without any very great sense of their loss. These two -are Arsenic and Mercury. The very names are almost sufficient to send -a shudder of horror through us as we write or repeat them; and to -elect them into the highest place in our affections is the last act we -should, in a state of sanity, deem ourselves likely to perform. The -one suggests images of Aqua Tophana and the Middle Ages, and our teeth -loosen in our gums with unpleasant reminiscences of black draught and -blue pill as associated with the other. For one we can think of no -better employment than the extirpation of rats, or the preservation -of mummies; and for the other no more exalted an occupation than to -coat the backs of our mirrors, or inform us of the conditions of -the atmosphere. That any one could indulge in them as luxuries, or, -by their habitual use, elevate them to a companionship with tobacco -and opium, with haschish and coca, would appear to be a gross libel -upon the “Seven Sisters of Sleep,” and a satire upon the cherished -companions of millions of the human race.</p> - -<p>Medical men, foremost amongst whom is Dr. Christison, consider that -these minerals cannot be indulged in without exercising a deleterious -effect upon the system. The cumulative action of mineral poisons is a -great point of difference between them and those of vegetable origin, -for although the same eminent physician is of opinion that tobacco may -be indulged in without injury, he does not believe such a possibility -to exist with regard to mercury and arsenic.<a id="FNanchor_32_32" href="#Footnote_32_32" class="fnanchor">32</a></p> - -<p>The use of corrosive sublimate, the bichloride of mercury, is certainly -restricted within very<span class="pagenum" id="Page_316">316</span> confined limits, and even within those limits, -the information we have is very meagre. At Constantinople, the -opium-eater, who finds his daily dose insufficient in time to produce -those results which at first accrued from its use, resorts to the -expedient of mixing therewith a small quantity of corrosive sublimate, -to increase the potency of the drug. By itself, it is never indulged -in as a passion in the same manner as vegetable narcotics, nor can the -same pleas be urged in favour of its use, or in extenuation of its -abuse. An opium-eater at Broussa is stated to have been accustomed -to swallow daily with his opium, forty grains of corrosive sublimate -without any apparently injurious effects. In South America its use is -affirmed to be very extensive.</p> - -<p>Arsenious acid, or white arsenic, is a more popular irritant than -mercury. The arsenic-eaters of Styria are now historical individuals, -and the custom there and in the neighbouring districts appears to be -a common one among the labouring population. Itinerant pedlars vend -it for this purpose, and it becomes a necessary of life to those who -commence the practice. It is taken every morning as regularly as the -Turk consumes his opium.</p> - -<p>One of the benefits said to accrue from its use is, that it gives -a plumpness to the figure, softness to the skin, freshness to the -complexion, and brilliancy to the eye. For this purpose, young men and -maidens resort to it, to increase their charms, and render themselves -acceptable and fascinating to each other. A friend, recently returned -from Canada and the United States, informs us, positively, that it is -largely consumed by the young ladies, in those regions of the civilized -world, for the same purposes above described, to which it is resorted -by the Austrian damsels. He declares that the custom is so common that -no<span class="pagenum" id="Page_317">317</span> surprise is excited on discovering any one addicted to its use, and -that amongst the fairer sex it is the rule rather than the exception.</p> - -<p>The principal authority for its use in the European districts, is -the celebrated traveller Von Tschuddi, who has published an account -of several cases which have come to his knowledge. In one instance, -a pale, thin damsel, anxious to attach herself to her lover, by -presenting a more prepossessing exterior, took the “precious metal,” -in the form of its oxide, several times a week, and soon became stout, -rosy, and captivating; but in her over-anxiety to heighten her charms, -and rival the fabled beauties of old, and having experienced the -benefit of small doses of the poison, ventured upon a larger quantity, -and died from its effects, the victim of her vanity. The habit is -generally commenced with small doses, starting with about half a grain -or less, each day, and gradually increasing it to two or three grains. -The case of a hale old peasant is mentioned, whose morning whet of -arsenic reached the incredible quantity of four grains.</p> - -<p>Another singular benefit is supposed to arise from the use of this -substance, similar to that claimed by the Peruvians for their coca, -namely, that of rendering the breathing easier in toiling uphill, so -that steep heights may be climbed without difficulty or exhaustion. -It is curious that the mountaineers of the Andes and the Alps, at -distances so remote, should deem themselves possessed of the means of -assisting nature in surmounting difficulties, by preventing exhaustion -in climbing the mountain side: in one instance, by chewing a quid of -leaves which grow plentifully on the mountain slopes, and in the other, -by swallowing a small fragment of a mineral obtained from the mines at -the mountain side.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_318">318</span></p> - -<p>Whilst the practice of arsenic eating is continued, no evil effects -would seem to be experienced, everything connected with the body of -the eater seems to be in a flourishing condition, the appearance is -healthy, plump, and fresh, no symptoms of poisoning are manifested -until the regular dose is discontinued, when a great feeling of -discomfort arises, the digestion becomes deranged, burning sensations -and spasms are present in the throat, pains in the bowels commence, -and the breathing becomes oppressed. From these unpleasant sensations -there is no relief but by an immediate return to the habit of arsenic -eating, and hence, when once commenced, the use of this article becomes -a necessity of life, and the poisonous mineral a “precious metal.”</p> - -<p>Dr. Macgowan of Ningpo, says, “We are told that Mongolian hunters, -beyond the wall, eat arsenic to enable them to endure cold when -patiently lying on the snow to entrap martins. In this part of China -arsenic is taken by divers, who in cold weather plunge into still water -in pursuit of fish, which are then found hybernating among stones at -the piers of bridges. We perceive with regret, that the modern Chinese -have added arsenic to their habitual stimulants. The red sulphuret in -powder is mixed with tobacco, and their joint fumes are smoked in the -ordinary manner. We have met with no habitual smokers of this compound -of mineral and vegetable poisons; but persons who have made trial state -that dizziness and sickness attend first attempts. After a few trials, -arseniated tobacco may be taken without any apparent inconvenience. -From reports given of it, we infer that its effects on the Chinese are -analogous to what is observed among the arsenic-eating peasants of -Austria.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_319">319</span></p> - -<p>“At Peking, where arseniated tobacco is most in use, it costs no more -than the unmixed article; it may be known by the red colour imparted -to the vegetable by the powdered proto-sulphuret. Its introduction -is attributed to Cantonese from Chauchau. If this be correct, it is -probable that these southerners, unable at the north to procure the -masticatory to which they are addicted, sought to appease a craving -for the pungent but harmless lime and betel nut, by substituting the -deleterious mineral gas. Many of the miserable victims of opium, to -whom that narcotic is a necessity, and not a pleasure, have eagerly -employed the new stimulant to prop and exhilarate their exhausted -bodies, and, perhaps, have thereby meliorated and prolonged their -existence. We would fain hope that the use of arsenical stimulants -will not become general; yet that pernicious custom is extending, and -we know our race too well not to entertain fears on that subject. It -is even stated that, for a time at least, the reigning Emperor in his -boyhood preferred tobacco thus mineralized. In domestic economy, the -red sulphuret is employed for making away with rats and husbands.”<a id="FNanchor_33_33" href="#Footnote_33_33" class="fnanchor">33</a></p> - -<p>One of the best things that Hahnemann ever did was to write a treatise -on arsenic. This he did well, and therefore deserves to be remembered; -but for this he is often forgotten, and is only extolled for a less -important labour—the introduction of homœopathy. Chemists deserve well -of mankind for the assiduity with which they have studied this subtle -poison, so that now it may be detected in the minutest quantities. One -point, however, seems to be hardly clear, and on this, perhaps, the -Styrian peasant could enlighten us, namely, the taste of arsenic, some -declaring that it has no<span class="pagenum" id="Page_320">320</span> distinguishable taste, others, that it is -sweetish, and others saline. The only means of arriving at the truth is -rather too hazardous a one to be ventured upon.</p> - -<p>The effects of arsenic upon the human frame, were illustrated in a -curious case which occurred a few years since in the northern part of -France. A domestic at a country seat wished to cause the death of his -mistress, and mixed arsenic in small quantities with her food, hoping -that the slow operation of the poison would prevent any suspicion of -murder. To his great astonishment, she gained rapidly in health, flesh, -and spirits. At length he gave her a larger quantity, which occasioned -serious illness, and led to the discovery and punishment of the crime.</p> - -<p>We have as yet applied arsenic only to some of the purposes for which -it is applicable. The roses of England possess enough of bloom without -resorting to the bloom of the smelting furnace. Although we use it -to preserve with all the appearances of life the deceased zoological -curiosities of our museums, we do not seek its aid to enhance the -charms of those living specimens of beauty which are the glory and the -pride of our hearths and homes. Fortunately, we have no Andes to climb, -and no Alps to scale, and the summits we have to gain are arrived at by -dint of perseverance, and no small amount of puffing, in which latter -circumstance it seems to be our nature to glory as much as the Peruvian -or the Austrian in its absence. Now and then we become suspicious of -its presence in our green paper hangings, and in that menial office are -almost content to dispense with its services. Or anon, we are treated -to a scramble of Bradford drops, which, finding the temperature of the -climate uncongenial, melt away to a stray ghost or two that haunt the -stoppered<span class="pagenum" id="Page_321">321</span> bottles of our chemical museums. Grumble as we may at <i>our</i> -precious metals, we—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“Rather bear those ills we have,</div> - <div class="verse">Than fly to others that we know not of.”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>Animals have not escaped arsenic-eating, for the Austrians, having -discovered its property of plumping up, and putting into good -condition the human animal, have resorted to it, as an improver of -their ill-conditioned horses. Gentlemen’s grooms bestow it upon the -animals in their charge, and pronounce its effects as certain and -as marvellous, as upon thin and sickly-looking damsels. A pinch of -the white powder is sprinkled like pepper over the “feed of corn,” -or tied up in a piece of rag and fastened to the “bit,” before that -instrument is introduced into the animal’s mouth. The same two -properties are said to be exhibited in the case of the horses, as are -affirmed to take place in man. The body is plumped out, and rounded -into fair proportions, the skin rendered sleek and glossy, and the -breath is improved, so that long journeys, steep and rugged ascents, -and heavy loads, are readily overcome by its potency. If this secret -were communicated to some of our London omnibus and cabmen, it would -probably be of advantage to the appearance of some of the poor animals -doomed for a certain time to <i>walk</i> this earth, and increase their -facility for moving through a space of three or four miles in less time -than a pedestrian could accomplish the feat.</p> - -<p>The teamsters in mountainous countries frequently add a dose of arsenic -to the fodder, which they give their horses, before a laborious ascent. -The practice of giving arsenic to horses may continue for years without -accident, but as soon as the animal passes into the hands of a master -who does not use arsenic, he becomes thin, loses his spirits,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_322">322</span> and, -in spite of the most abundant nourishment, never recovers his former -appearance.</p> - -<p>The use of arsenic for horned cattle is less frequent; it is only given -to oxen and calves intended for fattening. In Austria, hogs and other -animals are also fattened by a careful use of arsenic.</p> - -<p>Precious metals, like precious stones, are subject to misfortunes. As -of the latter, a learned professor saith, “Patents of nobility are -distributed here in the most arbitrary manner, and outward aspect and -character, weigh heaviest in the scales by which they are determined. -To such an extent is this the case, that the stones which have -literally and truly fallen from the skies, are not reckoned among -the precious stones, although they have been in all times objects of -curiosity to the most cultivated minds, and certainly are of <i>very -high descent</i>, since they came, at least, from the moon, and are even -imagined to be young worlds, little princes, which would in time have -come to reign as planets. And whence this injustice? Because these -little strangers, which, perhaps, are pleased to travel <i>incognito</i>, -have an inconspicuous exterior, are enveloped in a dark weather-proof -cloak, because from under this cloak, only a greyish suit, without gold -lace, with merely a little iron scattered about it, comes to light; -because this aspect does not show from afar off that they have fallen -from the skies, and because they do not say to everybody, ‘My mother -lives in the mountains of the moon.’”</p> - -<p>And although Mercury, not only in name, but also in its volatile and -skyward tendencies, claims kindred with the planetary system, which -tendencies are likewise shown in the behaviour of the other metallic -substance, of which this chapter discourses. Yet their <i>high</i> claims -are disregarded, and, like the aerolites, they are condemned by the -majority of men to a plebeian rank and menial offices.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_323">323</span></p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIV" id="CHAPTER_XXIV">CHAPTER XXIV.</a><br /> - -<small>DATURA AND CO.</small></h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“That skulk in the depths of the measureless wood</div> - <div class="verse">’Mid the Dark’s creeping whispers that curdle the blood.</div> - <div class="verse">Where the wolf howls aloof, and the wavering glare</div> - <div class="verse">Flashes out from the blackness the eyes of the bear.”</div> -</div></div></div> - - -<p>The thorn-apple and nightshade are types of a class of narcotics, -which, though not largely employed either for their intoxicating -effects or their medicinal virtues, are, notwithstanding, extremely -powerful in their effects, and, when used, exercise a wonderful -influence upon the brain. The majority of them belong to that family -of plants, of which, not only tobacco, but the potato, are members; -so that, if only from their family connections, independently of any -other right, they have a claim upon our attention and respect. Beyond -this, even, we shall find them insinuating themselves into the good -graces of that portion of the creation who have taken the two members -of the family already named under its protection, and adopted them as -companions, the one to soothe and console after the hours of labour are -past, the other to aid in giving strength to perform that labour, or -satisfy the cravings of hunger.</p> - -<p>The solanaceous plants have, in general, narcotic qualities. In some -species these are developed in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_324">324</span> a great degree, so as to render them -extremely poisonous; in others, they are obscured by the prevalence -of starchy matter. In some instances parts of the plant have narcotic -properties, whilst other parts are used as articles of food. The Bitter -Sweet (<i>Solanum dulcamara</i>) has slightly narcotic properties, and -the scarlet berries are considered poisonous. The Common Nightshade -(<i>Solanum nigrum</i>) has more active narcotic properties. The Potato -(<i>Solanum tuberosum</i>) has slight narcotic qualities in its leaves -and fruit, but its tubers are edible and nutritious. The Deadly -Nightshade (<i>Atropa belladonna</i>) is a highly poisonous plant, narcotic -in all its parts. Henbane (<i>Hyoscyamus niger</i>) contains also similar -properties. Many species of Thorn Apple are powerfully narcotic, -especially the seeds or fruit; this is especially the case with our -common thorn-apple (<i>Datura stramonium</i>), with the thorn-apple of the -Andes (<i>Datura sanguinea</i>), and of North America (<i>Datura tatula</i>), the -thorn-apples of India (<i>Datura metel</i>, <i>D. ferox</i>, and <i>D. fatuosa</i>). -Several species of <i>Nicotiana</i> furnish tobacco. The fruit of different -species and varieties of <i>Capsicum</i>, which are used as pepper, possess -irritant properties which obscure the narcotic action. Other species -are used as narcotics, or as poisons, and some, as the Tomato and other -Lycopersicums, as articles of food; but the majority give evidence, in -some of their parts, of the existence of a narcotic principle.<a id="FNanchor_34_34" href="#Footnote_34_34" class="fnanchor">34</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_325">325</span></p> - -<p>The Kala dhatoora (<i>Datura fatuosa</i>) and Sada dhatoora (<i>Datura alba</i>) -are very common species of thorn-apple over the peninsula of India, -where they are also called <i>mazil</i> or <i>methel</i>. For the purpose of -facilitating theft and other criminal designs, the seeds are very -commonly given in Bengal, with sweetmeats, to stupify merely, but not -with the intention of killing. Intoxication or delirium is seldom -produced. The individual sinks into a profound lethargy, with dilated -pupils, but natural respiration. These symptoms have been known to -continue for two days. The vision often becomes obscured long after -the general recovery takes place. Graham says that the seeds are often -fatally used for these purposes in Bombay. The narcotic action is more -speedy and powerful on an empty stomach than after a meal; hence death -often ensues from the effects when the intention was only to produce -narcotism.</p> - -<p>In some parts of South America, especially in Peru, where a species of -thorn-apple (<i>Datura sanguinea</i>) grows wild, the natives, in certain -cases, drink a decoction of the leaves or seeds, which produces such -violent effects as to cause them to fall into a state nearly resembling -death, and lasting frequently two or three days. Every malady is there -ascribed to enchantment, and this very singular plan is resorted to -to discover by whom the mischief may have been wrought. In cases of -extreme illness the decoction is given, not to the sick person, but to -the nearest relative, who devotes himself for this purpose, to discover -during his sleep the sorcerer or Mohari who has inflicted the disease. -The medicine soon causes the relative to fall under its influence, and -he is placed in a fit position to prevent suffocation. On returning -to his senses he describes the sorcerer he has seen in his dreams, -and the whole family set out to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_326">326</span> discover the Mohari who bears the -nearest resemblance to the description, who, when found, they compel -to undertake the cure of the sick person. When no sorcerer has been -seen in the vision, or no one is found resembling the one which has -been seen, the first Mohari they meet with is obliged to undertake the -office of physician. Should the patient die during the vision of the -relative, the sorcerer whose image is then supposed to be presented is -subjected to the same fate.</p> - -<p>This plant, which is called “Florispondio” in tropical America, appears -always to have played, and still continues to play, a prominent part -in the superstitions of the natives. The Indians of Darien, as well -as those of Choco, according to Seemann, prepare from its seeds -a decoction, which is given to their children to produce a state -of excitement, in which they are supposed to possess the power of -discovering gold. In any place where the unhappy patients happen to -fall down, digging is commenced; and as the soil nearly everywhere -abounds with gold dust, an amount of more or less value is obtained. In -order to counteract the bad effects of the poison, some sour <i>chica</i>, a -beer made of Indian corn, is administered.</p> - -<p>It is this same thorn-apple which is used amongst the Andes of New -Granada, and even as far south as Peru, for the purpose of preparing -therefrom a drink, with very strong narcotic properties, which they -call “Tonga.” Dr. Von Tschuddi has given a description of the effects -of this narcotic upon an old Indian.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_327">327</span> “Shortly after swallowing the -beverage he fell into a heavy stupor. He sat with his eyes vacantly -fixed on the ground, his mouth convulsively closed, and his nostrils -dilated. In the course of about a quarter of an hour his eyes began -to roll, foam issued from his half-opened lips, and his whole body -was agitated by frightful convulsions. These violent symptoms having -subsided, a profound sleep of several hours succeeded. In the evening, -when I saw him again, he was relating to a circle of attentive -listeners the particulars of his vision, during which he alleged he had -held communication with the spirits of his forefathers. He appeared -very weak and exhausted.”</p> - -<p>By means of this plant they believe that they can hold communication -with their ancestors, and obtain a clue to the treasures concealed in -their <i>huacas</i> or graves—hence it is called huaca-cacha or grave plant. -It has been supposed that the frenzied ravings, called prophecies, of -the Delphic oracles were produced by this plant, which has been used, -as Dr. Lindley asserts, in the temple of the sun at Sogamossa, near -Bogota, in New Granada, for the same purpose. Already we have alluded -to the Delphic oracles more fully, when writing of the “Sisters of Old.”</p> - -<p>The cunning few acquainted with some of the extraordinary properties of -certain plants, which were unknown to the superstitious and barbarous -multitude in days gone by, had ample means at their disposal for -imposing on their credulity, by the performance of wonderful cures, -working apparent miracles, and gulling the less informed into the -belief that they were either in direct communication with the spiritual -world, or had received a divine commission by which to govern. Most -of the marvels of ancient times were no greater than the little -experiments which the schoolboy now performs for his amusement and that -of his companions, with a few crystals and powders, contained in as -many pill-boxes.</p> - -<p>The pots or gourds, in which cocoa-nut sap to make arrack is drawn off -in Ceylon, are sometimes visited and the contents carried off during -the night. To detect the thief, the leaves of a species<span class="pagenum" id="Page_328">328</span> of datura or -thorn-apple are occasionally put into some of the pots. By means of -the highly intoxicating effect of this compound the marauder is often -discovered. On the Coromandel coast the retailers of toddy sometimes -rub the inside of the pots with the seed-vessel or leaves of this -highly poisonous plant, to increase the intoxicating influence of the -toddy.</p> - -<p>The phrase “pariah-arrack” is often used to designate a spirit -distilled in the peninsula of India, which is said to be rendered -unwholesome by an admixture of Gunja, and a species of Datura, with -the intention of increasing its intoxicating quality. It is not clear -whether the term pariah-arrack be colloquially employed to designate an -inferior spirit or an adulterated compound. It is curious that a system -of “doctoring” beverages, to make them heady, should obtain abroad, as -it does at home, and in both cases perhaps independently: for it does -not seem probable either that we borrowed the system from the Hindoos, -or that they copied it from us.</p> - -<p>While under the influence of these narcotics the mind seems to be -subjected to a troubled dream, and the person suffering from it -indulges in fits of uncontrollable laughter. Beverley, the historian -of Jamaica, quaintly describes the effects of the thorn-apple. Some -soldiers, who were sent to quell the rebellion in the island, ate of -it:<span class="pagenum" id="Page_329">329</span> “the effect was a very pleasant comedy, for they turned natural -fools upon it for several days. One would blow up a feather in the air, -another would dart straws at it with much fury. Another, stark naked, -was sitting up in a corner grinning like a monkey, and making mouths at -them. A fourth would fondly kiss and paw his companions, and sneer in -their faces with a countenance more antic than a Dutch doll. In this -frantic condition they were confined, lest in their folly they should -destroy themselves. A thousand simple tricks they played; and, after -eleven days, returning to themselves again, not remembering anything -that had occurred.”</p> - -<p>The extract of Stramonium or common thorn-apple has occasionally, -when injudiciously administered, produced similar effects upon -the individual to whom it has been given, affecting the senses, -particularly that of sight. “Imaginary objects are seen to play before -the eyes, at which the victim strikes, as they seem to terrify him. -And similar results have occurred from the use of the seeds.” Fowler -relates a case of a child who supposed that cats, dogs, and rabbits -were running along the tops and sides of the room. Dr. Winslow says -“that when inhaled, the smoke conveys a sense of gentle tranquillity, -the muscles of the thorax, and those which have been called into -action to assist them, in the paroxysms of asthma which the smoking is -resorted to to relieve, are rendered less irritable and the fibre is -relaxed, sleep is induced, but there is rarely any disturbance of the -imagination.”</p> - -<p>In France and Germany, this plant has been resorted to for the basest -of purposes, and many unhappy victims have been consigned to hopeless -insanity by its means, details of which would be far more horrible than -interesting. Faber also speaks of its use by the ladies of the Turkish -harems; but there is doubt whether this is not one of those marvels, -of which many may be met with in connection with medicinal agents, -containing more of romance than reality. Dr. Ainslie states that the -seeds form one of the ingredients of the confection of hemp and opium -known under the name of <i>madjoun</i> in India; as henbane is asserted -to enter into the composition of that in use under the same, or a -similar name, in Egypt. The<span class="pagenum" id="Page_330">330</span> proportion of either of these when used is -doubtless small, and is in most cases dispensed with.</p> - -<p>Etymologists declare that the name of belladonna, which has been given -to the deadly nightshade (<i>Atropa belladonna</i>) was so given because -those to whom it was administered fancied they saw beautiful females -before them.<a id="FNanchor_35_35" href="#Footnote_35_35" class="fnanchor">35</a> There is no doubt that it produces illusions of a -singular character, and cases of impulsive insanity have resulted from -its use in repeated doses. The effect of belladonna upon the brain -is more extraordinary than those usually attendant upon the use of -other narcotics. Persons who have been poisoned by the berries of the -plant have become restless and delirious, complained of dimness of -vision, and subsequently loss of sight. There were observed frequent -spasmodic contractions of the muscles of the eyeballs and the throat, -with strong symptoms of mania. Six soldiers who were poisoned by the -plant exhibited delirium the most extravagant, and commonly of the most -pleasing kind, accompanied with immoderate and uncontrollable paroxysms -of laughter, sometimes with constant talking, but occasionally with -complete loss of speech. Buchanan relates that the Scots mixed a -quantity of the juice of belladonna with the bread and drink which, by -their truce, they were to supply the Danes with, which so intoxicated -them, that the Scots killed the greater part of Sweno’s army while -asleep.</p> - -<p>The effects of belladonna on the brain are well described by Dr. -Winslow, than whom no better authority can be desired.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_331">331</span> “One of the -marvellous effects of continued doses is the production of a singular -psychological phenomenon. A delirium supervenes, unaccompanied by -any fantasia, or imaginary illusion, whose marked characteristic is -somnambulism. An individual who has taken it in several doses seems -to be perfectly alive to surrounding objects, his senses conveying -faithfully to the brain the impressions that they receive; he goes -through his usual avocations without exhibiting any unwonted feeling, -yet is he quite unconscious of his existence, and performs mechanically -all that he is accustomed to do, answers questions correctly, without -knowing from whom or from whence they proceed, looks at objects -vacantly, moves his lips as if conversing yet utters not a sound, -there is no unusual state of the respiratory organs, no alteration -of the pulse, nothing that can bespeak excitement. When this state -of somnambulism passes away, the individual has not the slightest -recollection of what has occurred to him; he reverts to that which -immediately preceded the attack, nor can any allusion to his apparent -reverie induce him to believe that he has excited any attention. The -case of the tailor who remained on his shopboard for fifteen hours, -performing all his usual avocations, sewing with great apparent -earnestness, using all the gestures which his business requires, -moving his lips as if speaking, yet the whole of the time perfectly -insensible, has been frequently quoted. It was produced by belladonna.”</p> - -<p>The use of this plant has been recommended as a preventive of -scarlatina. An instance is recorded of a family consisting of eleven -persons who took it for this purpose, in small quantities, twice a day. -Five of these persons were domestics. On the fourth day, almost all -of them became under the influence of the drug, two or three of them -very slightly, simply complaining of having<span class="pagenum" id="Page_332">332</span> the vision disturbed by -objects which they in vain attempted to remove, for they were fully -persuaded that they existed. Two had singular fits of laughter which -nothing could control. All complained of being in an unusual state. -The servants were all of them able to go through their work, but all -seemed to act mechanically, each independent of the other. Of this -the most ludicrous example was in the course of the fourth evening. -A carriage arrived at the street door, and the street bell was rung -with considerable violence. They all immediately left their business, -quietly walked up stairs as if they had not the slightest idea that -they were all upon the same errand. They went to the door; two of them, -however, only opened it; one of these walked away without waiting to -know what was the reason of the ringing, and the other seemed not -disposed to trouble himself with anything beyond the opening and -shutting of the door. On the discontinuance of the medicine, they all -soon returned to their usual state, and two of them had scarlatina, -though only in a mild form.</p> - -<p>From this descriptive account of the action of belladonna, and its -singular effects upon the mind, approaching to a form of insanity, -it will appear strange that this drug should be recommended by -Hahnemann and his followers for the cure of insanity. But this is the -very principle upon which that school operates.<a id="FNanchor_36_36" href="#Footnote_36_36" class="fnanchor">36</a> That drug which -produces, in its effects the worst forms of mania, is the best adapted -for its cure. We are not, however, either apologists, exponents, or -opponents of homœopathy, and will leave its supporters to champion -their own cause.</p> - -<p>Henbane (<i>Hyoscyamus niger</i>) is another of these powerful narcotic -agents, educing symptoms<span class="pagenum" id="Page_333">333</span> analogous to insanity. In small doses, its -effect is to produce a pleasant sleep and soothe pain. In larger -doses, the effects are extremely deleterious. Two soldiers who ate the -young shoots dressed with olive oil, became giddy and stupid, lost -their speech, had a dull and haggard look. The limbs were cold and -palsied, and a singular combination of delirium and coma manifested -itself. As the palsy and somnolency decreased, the delirium became -extravagant. Others who partook of the same species of plant by mistake -were affected in a similar manner. Several were delirious and danced -about the room like maniacs, and one appeared as if he had got drunk. -A French physician gives an account of nine persons who were nearly -poisoned by eating the roots of henbane. The effects of this poison -were horrible in the extreme; in five, out of the nine, it produced -raving madness. The madness of all these was so complete, and their -agitation so violent, that in order to give one of them an antidote, -six strong men had to be employed to hold him down, while his teeth -were being separated to pour down the remedy. For two or three days -after their recovery, every object appeared to them as red as scarlet.</p> - -<p>Henbane, which is often administered as a substitute for opium, and -in the East occasionally mixed with it, has the extraordinary faculty -of producing jealousy. Many authenticated cases are recorded of the -power of the leaves, and the fumes of the seeds, over the more intense -passions. A disposition to quarrel and fight is decidedly produced. One -case is that of a young couple, who had married from affection, had -lived upon terms of the most perfect mutual regard—indeed, had been -noticed for the warmth and strength of their attachment; but suddenly, -to the surprise of the surrounding neighbours, their harmony was not<span class="pagenum" id="Page_334">334</span> -only interrupted, but they became bitter antagonists, fighting and -beating each other most unmercifully. What seemed most surprising was, -that in one particular room appeared to spring their most determined -quarrels, and that they soon subsided elsewhere. This mystery was -at length explained, and their days of happiness restored, by the -discovery that to the effects of a considerable quantity of henbane, -stored up for drying, their miseries were owing, and on the removal of -this, the source of their feuds appeared to vanish. Hahnemann, as might -be expected, considers this as one of the most potent medicines for the -cure of jealousy, since it is so effective in causing it.</p> - -<p>The leaves of the three plants lately noticed—namely, thorn-apple -or stramonium, belladonna, and henbane—are made up in the form of -cigarettes; and the first of these also as cigars, to be smoked by -asthmatic persons, for their soothing and sedative effects. These are -all made and consumed extensively on the continent, and may be procured -in many parts of London. They have also been recommended to those <i>not</i> -asthmatical, as pleasant, harmless, and containing all the narcotising -influences of a good cigar. They may be considered as truly narcotic -substitutes for tobacco; but at the present rate at which they are -sold, although not subject to either customs or excise, there is but -little fear of their interfering prejudicially with the sale of the -genuine article. In face of the facts already detailed, a good amount -of courage seems necessary to make the attempt, lest they should prove -cumulative in their action. Dr. Christison says, when writing of -these narcotics,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_335">335</span> “The action of such poisons is not always, however, -entirely thrown away; they still produce some immediate effect; and -further, by being frequently taken, they may slowly bring on certain -diseases, or engender a predisposition to disease. A very singular -exception to this rule prevails in the instance of tobacco, which, -under the influence of habit, may be smoked daily to a considerable -amount, and, so far as appears, without any cumulative effect on the -constitution, like that of opium-eating or drinking spirits.”</p> - -<p>It does not appear that hitherto the leaves of the purple foxglove -(<i>Digitalis purpurea</i>) have been used in the same form, or for any -other than purely medicinal purposes; but it possesses narcotic powers -equal to the others, and, in excess, produces equally fatal results, -such as delirium, convulsions, and insensibility. A fatal case which -occurred in 1826 became the ground of a criminal trial, in which death -took place in twenty-two hours, having been preceded by convulsions and -insensibility.</p> - -<p>An enumeration of the various other narcotics which enter into -combination with other substances in the production of beverages, such -as the hop and its substitutes, forming no part of the plan of this -work, would be uninteresting without further details. Nor would a -list of such narcotics as are used merely in <i>materia medica</i> answer -any useful end. Fuller particulars would only convert this into a -toxicological treatise, interesting to none but medical students, for -whom ample information is provided in the libraries to which they have -access.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_336">336</span></p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXV" id="CHAPTER_XXV">CHAPTER XXV.</a><br /> - -<small>THE EXILE OF SIBERIA.</small></h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“Vilibus ancipites fungi ponentur amicis;</div> - <div class="verse">Boletus domino.”——<span class="smcap">Juvenal.</span></div> -</div></div></div> - - -<p>The rage for scampering half over the world in search of the -picturesque has scarcely got far enough to tempt any, except a stray -traveller or two, into the chilly regions of Siberia and Kamtschatka, -and in these exceptional cases, perhaps, more from force than choice. -These are regions, therefore, concerning which our information is -remarkably limited. It is true that Captain Cochrane informs us that -he married a wife from Kamtschatka—a virtuous maiden, who knew more of -that region, perhaps, than he or she cared to tell; for the one tells -us very little, and the other nothing, of yon strange land, with an -almost unpronounceable name. We are told, moreover, that the capital -is called by the names of St. Peter and St. Paul. Fearing lest one -patron saint should not be sufficient to immortalize the metropolis -of all the Kamtschatkas, the founders and inhabitants have wisely -adopted two. This city also is stated to contain forty-two dwellings, -besides fifteen edifices belonging to the government, an old church, -and the foundation of a new one. The<span class="pagenum" id="Page_337">337</span> winters are declared to be mild, -compared with those of Siberia; but even these are not very inviting, -as the snow lies on the ground seven or eight months, and the soil, -at the depth of twenty-four to thirty inches, being frozen at all -seasons. Potatoes never ripen, cabbages never come to a head, and -peas only flower. But the gallant captain adds: “I am certainly the -first Englishman that ever married a Kamtschatdale, and my wife is -undoubtedly the first native of that peninsula that ever visited happy -Britain.”</p> - -<p>In such a land, there is little hope of cultivating poppy, tobacco, -betel, coca, hemp, or thorn-apple; and the poor native would have been -compelled to have glided into his grave without a glimpse of Paradise -beforehand, if, on the one hand, the kindly Russian pedlar had not -found a way to smuggle a little bad spirits into the country, to the -great annoyance of all quietly-disposed persons, or, on the other, -nature had not promptly supplied an indigenous narcotic, in the form of -an unpretending-looking fungus or toadstool, to stimulate the dormant -energies of the dwellers in this region of ice and snow.</p> - -<p>That some kinds of mushrooms are poisonous is a truth of which every -farm labourer seems aware. But that some of those which have been -reputed poisonous are inert, is beyond their philosophy, and only -receives at present the sanction of some of the more scientific, who -have directed their studies thitherward. The fly agaric is one of those -justly-reputed poisonous species, occasionally found in this country, -but which grows plentifully in Kamtschatka and Siberia. A recent author -of an account of Russia states,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_338">338</span> “that mushrooms virulently poisonous -in one country are eaten with safety in another, is well known in -other cases, as, for instance, in that of the fly mushroom (<i>Amanita -muscaria</i>), which is common in England, and always poisonous there, -while in Kamtschatka it is used as a frequent article of food.” Then -he inquires into the reasons wherefore this should be the case:——“It -is not enough to say that difference of soil and climate explain the -mystery; for though we know that culture changes the properties of -plants, converting what is poisonous in the wild state into a wholesome -esculent when raised in the garden—as in the case of the common celery, -for example—yet throughout the whole of the vegetable kingdom we find -almost no other instance of a plant which is poisonous in one country -becoming wholesome, without culture, when transplanted to another, and -left entirely to itself, and in both placed in apparently the same -circumstances as to soil, &c. After all, a great part of the secret may -lie, not in the plant, but in the mode of preparing it for the table. -So far as we can judge, the Russian cook, on first cutting up these -spoils of the forest, makes a much more copious use of salt than is -done with us; and the efficacy of this agent in deadening the poisonous -quality, is sufficiently proved by the melancholy case recorded in -medical treatises, of a French officer and his wife, both of whom died -in thirty-two hours after eating certain mushrooms, while the person -who supplied them, and his whole family, made a hearty and wholesome -meal from the same gathering.” In this case, it appears that while -the former took them without addition, the latter first salted them -strongly, and then squeezed them well before using them. M. Roques says -distinctly that this plant has not its poisonous properties modified -by any climate. The Czar Alexis lost his life by eating this mushroom. -The details of its effects upon the Kamtschatkans by Krascheminikow, -in his natural history of that country are explicit, respecting the -delirious intoxication induced by it,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_339">339</span> Gmelin and Pallas also equally -certifying its intoxicating powers. Roques reports seven different sets -of observations respecting its deleterious effects on man.</p> - -<p>Unless we accept some such explanation of the phenomena as this, how -can we reconcile the fact of their being eaten by the Russians without -injury, whilst, on the authority of Dr. Christison, we have such a -fatal case as the following, from eating the same kind of fungus, the -growth of the same country and climate. Several French soldiers in -Russia ate a large quantity of <i>Amanita muscaria</i>, some were not taken -ill for six hours and upwards. Four of them who were very powerful men -thought themselves safe, because, while their companions were already -suffering, they themselves felt perfectly well and refused to take -emetics. In the evening they began to complain of anxiety, a sense of -suffocation, frequent fainting, burning thirst, and violent gripes. The -pulse became small and irregular, and the body bedewed with cold sweat, -the lineaments of the countenance were singularly changed, the nose and -lips acquiring a violet tint, they trembled much, the belly swelled, -and a profuse diarrhœa followed. The extremities soon became livid and -cold, and the pain of the abdomen intense, delirium ensued, and all the -four died. Two of the others suffered coma for twenty-four hours.</p> - -<p>This proves that the mushroom in question is possessed of undoubtedly -poisonous properties, which are fatal in their effects, unless -counteracted or dispelled by the method of preparing them for the -table. That this method is known to the Russians and to some other -nations, and is believed to consist in well saturating the fungi with -salt before cooking them. The Muscovite seems to have no greater dread -of ill effects from<span class="pagenum" id="Page_340">340</span> the fly agaric than has the Brazilian from his -cassava or mandioca flour, which is prepared from the equally poisonous -root of the mandioca plant, the deleterious qualities of which are -destroyed by the heat used in its preparation. Dr. Pouchet of Rouen -seems to have clearly proved that the poisonous property of the fly -agaric and <i>a venenata</i> may be entirely removed by boiling them in -water. A quart of water in which five plants had been boiled for -fifteen minutes, killed a dog in eight hours; and, again, another in a -day; but the boiled fungi themselves had no effect at all on two other -dogs; and a third which had been fed for two months on little else than -boiled amanitas, not only sustained no harm, but actually got fat on -the fare.<a id="FNanchor_37_37" href="#Footnote_37_37" class="fnanchor">37</a> Pouchet is inclined to think that the whole poisonous -plants of the family are similarly circumstanced.</p> - -<p>The most singular circumstance connected with the history of this -fungus, is the place it occupies as a substitute for those narcotics -known in other parts of the world, and which an ungenial northern -climate fails to produce. What the coca is to the Bolivian, and opium -to the Chinese—the areca to the Malay, and haschisch to the African—the -tobacco to the inhabitants of Europe and America, and the thorn-apple -to those of the Andes—is the fly agaric to the natives of Siberia and -Kamtschatka. Why it has been called by this name has arisen from its -use as a fly poison. Never having seen those dipterous insects while -under its influence, we cannot detail the symptoms it produces.</p> - -<p>This poisonous fungus has some resemblance to the one generally eaten -in this country, yet there are also striking points of difference. As, -for instance,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_341">341</span> the gills are white instead of pinkish red, inclining to -brown, and the cap or pileus, which is rather flat, is generally of a -livid red colour, sprinkled with angular lighter coloured worts. These -are distinctions broad enough to prevent any one having the use of his -eyes, and who has ever seen the edible mushroom being deceived into the -belief that the fungus thus briefly described is identical with the -delicacy of our English tables.</p> - -<p>These fungi are collected by those who indulge in them narcotically, -during the hot, or rather summer months, and afterwards hung up to -dry in the open air. Or they may be left to ripen and dry in the -ground, and are afterwards collected. When left standing until they -are dried, they are said to possess more powerful narcotic properties -than when dried artificially. The juice of the whortleberry in which -this substance has been steeped, acquires thereby the intoxicating -properties of strong wine.</p> - -<p>The method of using this singular substance is to roll it up in the -form of a bolus and swallow it without any mastication, as one would -swallow a large pill. It is swallowed thus on principle, not that -its flavour would be unpleasant, as compound colocynth might be when -masticated, but because it is stated to agree ill with the stomach when -that operation is performed. Nature is jealous of her rights, and it -would appear from experience, that the gastronomic regions expect to -receive all other supplies well triturated, except these—amanita and -pill colocynth—which are both expected equally alike to arrive at the -regions below without mutilation.</p> - -<p>A day’s intoxication may thus be procured at the expense of one good -sized bolus, compounded of one large or two small toadstools; and -this intoxication is affirmed to be, not only cheap,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_342">342</span> which is a -consideration, but also remarkably pleasant. It commences an hour or so -after the bolus has been swallowed.</p> - -<p>The effects which this singular narcotic produces are, some of them, -similar to that produced by intoxicating liquors; others resemble the -effects of haschisch. At first, it generally produces cheerfulness, -afterwards giddiness and drunkenness, ending occasionally in the entire -loss of consciousness. The natural inclinations of the individual -become stimulated. The dancer executes a <i>pas d’extravagance</i>, the -musical indulge in a song, the chatterer divulges all his secrets, -the oratorical delivers himself of a philippic, and the mimic -indulges in caricature. Erroneous impressions of size and distance -are common occurrences, equally with the swallower of amanita and -hemp. The experiences of M. Moreau with haschisch are repeated with -the fungus-eaters of Siberia; a straw lying in the road becomes a -formidable object, to overcome which, a leap is taken sufficient to -clear a barrel of ale, or the prostrate trunk of a British oak.</p> - -<p>But this is not the only extraordinary circumstance connected -therewith. There is the property imparted to the fluid excretions, of -rendering it intoxicating, which property it retains for a considerable -time. A man having been intoxicated on one day, and slept himself sober -by the next, will, by drinking this liquor, to the extent of about a -cupfull, become as intoxicated thereby as he was before. Confirmed -drunkards in Siberia preserve their excretionary fluid as a precious -liquor, to be used in case a scarcity of the fungus should occur. This -intoxicating property may be again communicated to every person who -partakes of the disgusting draught, and thus, also, with the third, -and fourth, and even the fifth<span class="pagenum" id="Page_343">343</span> distillation. By this means, with a -few boluses to commence with, a party may shut themselves in their -room, and indulge in a week’s debauch at a very economical rate. This -species of “sucking the monkey” is one that Mungo never contemplated. -Persons who are fond of getting liquor at the expense of others take -every opportunity of “sucking the monkey,” which process has been -thus explained. It consists in boring a hole with a gimlet in a keg -or barrel, and putting a straw therein, to suck out any quantity, at -any given time. Persons who are accustomed to receive real Devonshire -cider, or genuine Wiltshire ale, or the pure Geneva, in London, -experience the liberties those take who “suck the monkey,” by either -liberally diminishing the quantity, or diluting it with water on the -road, so as to make the quantity what the quality should be. It is -said that the origin of the term “sucking the monkey” is derived from -the prolific invention of a black, who, in order to find an excuse -to the captain for his being caught lying with a favourite monkey so -often near the rum puncheons on board, from which he daily drank, -said—“Massa, you ask what Mungo do here?—do here, massa? You say monkey -hab de milk ob human kindness, massa. Mungo like dat milk, massa, and -Mungo suck de monkey, massa. Dat’s all.”</p> - -<p>Chemical investigations have not yet been directed into the channel -leading towards the elucidation of the mysteries of these poisonous -fungi, and hitherto we know of no experiments having been made with a -view to ascertain whether any of our indigenous fungi, other than the -one already referred to, can be used in the same way, and with the same -results, as we have described. Doubtless such experiments would be -successful, so far as realizing the results, since one of the effects<span class="pagenum" id="Page_344">344</span> -produced by eating poisonous fungi is narcotic in its character. M. -Letellier found in certain of these fungi a chemical principle which is -fixed, and resists drying, and which he calls Amanitine. Its effects -on animals appear to resemble considerably those of opium.<a id="FNanchor_38_38" href="#Footnote_38_38" class="fnanchor">38</a> Dr. -Christison states that “the symptoms produced by them in man are -endless in variety, and fully substantiate the propriety of arranging -them in the class of narcotico-acrid poisons. Sometimes they produce -narcotic symptoms alone, sometimes only symptoms of irritation, but -much more commonly, both together.” A person gathered in Hyde Park a -considerable number of mushrooms; which he mistook for the species -commonly eaten, stewed them, and proceeded to eat them; but before -ending his repast, and not more than ten minutes after he began it, -he was suddenly attacked with dimness of vision, giddiness, debility, -trembling, and loss of recollection. In a short time he recovered so -far as to be able to go in search of assistance. But he had hardly -walked 250 yards when his memory again failed him, and he lost his way. -His countenance expressed anxiety, he reeled about, and could hardly -articulate. He soon became so drowsy, that he could be kept awake only -by constant dragging. Vomiting was produced; the drowsiness gradually -went off, and next day he complained merely of languor and weakness.</p> - -<p>The smoke of the common puff-ball when burnt, has been used to -stupify bees when their hive was about to be robbed; and similar -narcotic effects have been observed in other animals when subjected -to its fumes. The action bears a resemblance to that of chloroform by -producing insensibility to pain. If future generations do<span class="pagenum" id="Page_345">345</span> not deem -it desirable to indulge in a narcotic of this kind for the purpose of -producing pleasurable sensations, or to smother the carking cares of -life, yet they may learn more than we at present know of the peculiar -characteristics which distinguish this from all the others of the -“Seven Sisters of Sleep.”</p> - -<p>Night draws on apace; let us gather together all the straggling members -of the family, sweep up the crumbs, call in the cat, bar the door, wind -up the clock, and go to bed—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“To sleep, perchance to dream.”</div> -</div></div></div> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_346">346</span></p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXVI" id="CHAPTER_XXVI">CHAPTER XXVI.</a><br /> - -<small>ODDS AND ENDS.</small></h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“And our poor dream of happiness</div> - <div class="verse indent8">Vanisheth, so</div> - <div class="verse indent22">Farewell.”——<span class="smcap">Motherwell.</span></div> -</div></div></div> - - -<p>After a feast, the prudent and thrifty housewife will gather up the -fragments that remain, if for no other purpose than to distribute them -amongst the poor.</p> - -<p>It was the constant habit of a certain elderly man of business, so long -as he could stoop for the purpose, to pick up and stow away every pin -and scrap of paper, or end of string, which he saw lying about on his -premises. And when he could bend no longer to perform the operation -himself, he would stand by the truant fragment, and vociferate loudly -for one of his apprentices to come and “gather up the cord and string,” -adding “’tis a pity they should spile.”</p> - -<p>Approaching to the conclusion of our task, we have followed the old -gentleman’s advice, and collected the odd pieces that have fallen -to the ground in the course of our work, convinced that thrift is -praiseworthy, and although only “Odds and Ends,” there may be enough -of interest in them to warrant you in adding<span class="pagenum" id="Page_347">347</span> “’tis a pity they should -spile.”</p> - -<p>Tobacco ends in smoke. We began with the former, it is but a natural -consequence that we should end with the latter. Somewhere we have -read a “smoke vision of life.” Some people have but a smoky or foggy -vision of life—they have sad eyes, poor travellers, and can see nothing -for the fog that surrounds them—they live in a mist, and die without -being missed. Forgive the transgression, good friend, the obscurity -of the subject is to blame, and the pun was written before we had -made ourselves aware of its presence. Let it pass on, it will soon -be lost in the smoke. An old piper believes that there is generally -something racy, decided, and original in the man who both smokes and -snuffs. Outwardly, he may have a kippered appearance, and his voice -may grate on the ear like a scrannel pipe of straw, but think of the -strong or beautiful soul that body enshrines! Do you imagine, oh, -lean-hearted member of the Anti-Snuff and Tobacco Club, that the dark -apostle standing before us will preach with less power, less unction, -less persuasive eloquence, because he snuffs over the psalm book, and -smokes in the vestry between the forenoon and afternoon service? Does -his piety ooze through his pipe, or his earnestness end in smoke? -Was Robert Hall less eloquent than Massillon or Chalmers, because he -could scarcely refrain from lighting his hookah in the pulpit? Answer -us at your leisure—could Tennyson have brought down so magnificently -the Arabian heaven upon his nights; dreamed so divinely of Cleopatra, -Iphigenia, and Rosamond; pictured so richly the charmed sleep of the -Eastern princess in her enchanted palace, with her “full black ringlets -downward rolled;” or painted so soothingly the languid picture of the -Lotos-eaters, if he had never experienced the mystic inspiration of -tobacco? Could John Wilson—peace<span class="pagenum" id="Page_348">348</span> to his princely shade—have filled -his inimitable papers with so much fine sentiment, radiant imagery, -pathos, piquancy, and point, without the aid of his silver snuff-box? -Deprive the Grants and Macgregors of their mulls and nose spoons of -bone, and you cut the sinews of their strength—you destroy the flower -of the British army. Pluck the calumet of peace from the lips of the -red Indian, and in the twinkling of an eye your beautiful scalp will be -dangling at his girdle. Tear his “gem adorned chibouque” from the mouth -of the Turk, and the Great Bear by to-morrow’s dawn will be grinning -on his haunches in Constantinople. Clear Germany of tobacco smoke, and -Goethe would groan in his grave, Richter would revisit the glimpses of -the moon, philology would fall down in a fatal fit of apoplexy over -the folios of her fame, and poetry would shriek her death-shriek to -see the transcendental philosophy expire. Shake the quids from the -mouths of the merry mariners of England—cast their pig-tail upon the -waters, and commerce would become stagnant in all our ports—our gallant -war-fleet would rot at its stations, and Britain would never boast the -glories of another Trafalgar. Tell Yankeedom that smoking is no more -to be permitted all over the world, under penalty of death, and soon -the melancholy pine forests would wave over the dust of an extinguished -race. In fine, were the club to which you belong to succeed in its -attempt, which it cannot, the earth would stand still, like the sun of -old upon Gibeon, and the moon in the valley of Ajalon, and the planets -would clothe themselves with sackcloth for the sudden death of their -sister sphere!</p> - -<p>There is extant, in an old work written three centuries since, a -curious paragraph which we had well nigh forgotten. It refers to -Canada.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_349">349</span> “There groweth a certain kind of herbe, whereof in summer they -make great provision for all the yeere, and only the men use of it; -and first they cause it to be dried in the sunne, then wear it about -their neckes, wrapped in a little beaste’s skinne, made like a little -bagge, with a hollow peece of stone or wood like a pipe; then, when -they please, they make poudre of it, and then put it in one of the -ends of the said cornet or pipe, and laying a coal of fire upon it, at -the other end suck so long, that they fill their bodies full of smoke, -till that it cometh out of their mouth and nostrils, even as out of the -tonnell of a chimney.”</p> - -<p>Methinks it had been well had every Canadian been also favoured with -a Saint Betsy, as a companion in life, otherwise there had been fire -as well as smoke. It is now some time since the inimitable <i>Punch</i> -introduced Saint Betsy to the world, and that she may not altogether be -excluded from our future “fireside saints,” we will give her legend a -place in our “Odds and Ends.”</p> - -<p>“St. Betsy was wedded to a knight who sailed with Raleigh, and had -brought home tobacco, and the knight smoked. But he thought that -St. Betsy, like other fine ladies of the Court, would fain that he -should smoke out of doors, nor taint with tobacco smoke the tapestry, -whereupon the knight would seek his garden, his orchard, and, in any -weather, smoke <i>sub Jove</i>. Now it chanced, as the knight smoked, St. -Betsy came to him and said, ‘My lord, pray ye come into the house;’ and -the knight went with St. Betsy, who took him into a newly cedared room, -and said, ‘I pray my lord henceforth smoke here, for is it not a shame -that you, who are the foundation and prop of your house, should have -no place to put your head into and smoke?’ And St. Betsy led him to a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_350">350</span> -chair, and with her own fingers filled him a pipe; and from that time -the knight sat in the cedar chamber and smoked his weed.”</p> - -<p>No pipe, no smoke, no dreams! Never again, on a beautiful summer’s day -would two young Ottoman swains sit smoking under a tree, by the side -of a purling stream, hearing the birds sing, and seeing the flowers -in bloom, to become the actors in a scene like that described in one -of their own songs. By and bye came a young damsel, her eyes like two -stars in the nights of the Ramazan. One of the swains takes his pipe -from his mouth, and “sighing smoke,” gazes at her with delight. The -other demands why his wrapt soul is sitting in his eyes, and he avows -himself the adorer of the veiled fair. “Her eyes,” says he, “are black, -but they shine like the polished steel, nor is the wound they inflict -less fatal to the heart.” The other swain ridicules his passion, and -bids him re-fill his pipe. “Ah, no!” cries the lover, “I enjoy it no -more; my heart is as a fig thrown into a thick leafy tree, and a bird -with bright eyes has caught it and holds it fast.”</p> - -<p>Hearken to the story of Abou Gallioun, the father of the pipe-bowl, -and then laugh if you will at the votaries of the marvellous weed. A -mountaineer of Lebanon, a man young and tall, and apparently well to -do, for his oriental costume was rich and elegant, established himself -at Tripoli, in Syria. He resided at an hotel, and astonished every -one with a bowl at the end of his pipe stem of enormous dimensions. -Some days after his arrival he was seen to seat himself at the corner -of a street, to rest the bowl of his pipe on the ground, and to take -from his pocket a little tripod and a coffee-pot. Having filled his -coffee-pot, he put the tripod upon the bowl of his pipe, and stood his -coffee-pot thereon. He then proceeded to smoke, and at the same time<span class="pagenum" id="Page_351">351</span> -to boil the water for his coffee. This sight caused the passers-by -to stop, and a crowd collected in the street so as to obstruct the -thoroughfare. The police came to clear the passage, and, at the same -time, the Pacha was informed of the circumstance, and consulted as to -what should be done. The Pacha gave instructions that as the stranger -did harm to no one, he was to be allowed to make his coffee in the -street, for the street was open to all, hoping that when it rained he -would certainly go away. The police were, therefore, ordered to prevent -any crowding around the mountaineer, and to take especial care that he -received no insult, lest he should then complain to the Emir of the -mountain of his ill-treatment. The mountaineer having heard of the -instructions of the Pacha, continued to drink his coffee and smoke his -pipe as before, in the presence of numbers of curious spectators. This -exhibition continued daily, till the news penetrated into the harems, -and the women came to see a man make his coffee upon the bowl of his -pipe—a thing they had never before heard of, and which, till now, had -never occurred.</p> - -<p>The mountaineer loved to converse with the passers-by, when he told -them that his pipe served him also at home for his baking oven, and -that he had no other chafing dish in winter; that he filled the bowl -twice a day, in the morning on rising, and in the evening on going to -rest, to last him through the night; that he stopped very little, and -during the night drank five or six cups of coffee. This stranger was -surnamed Abou Gallioun, “father of the pipe-bowl,” and is still known -by that name in Tripoli when they speak of him and his extravagance.</p> - -<p>In general, the pipe bowls are of a certain size, so that they may last -at least a quarter of an hour, and with slow smoking they will last -half an hour,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_352">352</span> The tobacco does not burn rapidly if the smoker does not -pull hard—this quiet kind of smoking generally characterizes the grave -orientals. Their pipes are seldom extinguished of themselves unless -laid down, because the tobaccos of the East have more body than other -tobaccos. Abou Gallioun might then always rest assured that his pipe -would never go out, although he held long conversations by day, and -rose occasionally at night to take his coffee.</p> - -<p>Tobacco is stated to have been imported into the Celestial empire by -the Mantchoos; and the Chinese were much astonished when they first -saw their conquerors inhaling fire through long tubes and “eating -smoke.” By a curious coincidence this plant is called by the Mantchoos -<i>tambakou</i>; but the Chinese designate it simply by the word meaning -“smoke.” Thus they say they cultivate in their fields the “smoke-leaf,” -they “chew smoke,” and they name their pipe the “smoke-funnel.”</p> - -<p>The old proverb that “smoke doth follow the fairest,” is thus commented -upon:——“Whereof Sir Thomas Brown says, although there seems no natural -ground, yet it is the continuation of a very ancient opinion, as Petrus -Victorius and Casaubon have observed from a passage in Athenæus, -wherein a Parasite thus describes himself—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">‘To every table first I come,</div> - <div class="verse">Whence Porridge I am called by some;</div> - <div class="verse">Like whips and thongs to all I ply,</div> - <div class="verse">Like smoak unto the fair I fly.’”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>There is extant in the East, an Arabian tale concerning the Broken Pipe -of Saladin, which is taken from an author named Ali-el-Fakir, who lived -in the times of Saladin, a tale which is often repeated among smokers -in Syria. The Sultan, Salah-el-Din (called by us Saladin), was a great -warrior, a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_353">353</span> lover of the harem, and at the same time pleasant. His -court abounded with officers, servants, and slaves. Among his servants, -who could best amuse him in his leisure moments, was a simple man to -whom he had confided the care of his pipes, and whom he had made his -pipe-bearer. All the Sultan’s pipes were of great value, owing to -the oriental luxury which prevails in everything, and especially in -everything belonging to the Sultan, who is considered the master of the -world.</p> - -<p>Saladin, in consequence of the climate of the south of Syria, generally -passed his time in the gardens of Damascus, luxuriously seated upon -rich Persian carpets and soft cushions, under a tree surrounded by -his guards, and a numerous band of servants, who promptly obeyed his -commands.</p> - -<p>Under another tree, not far off, was the coffee-maker, ready to serve -his master on the instant, for, like all other orientals, he was fond -of this beverage; and Ramadan, the pipe-bearer, was commanded to be at -hand, that he might execute his sovereign’s orders.</p> - -<p>Between the tree under which the Sultan was reposing, and that under -which was the stove of the coffee-maker, stood another tree, to which -was tied a watch-dog, who was only let loose at night.</p> - -<p>Saladin said to Ramadan—“Take my pipe, fill it, and bring it to me -directly.” At that time tobacco was not smoked in the East, instead -thereof they used Tè bégh. Ramadan hastened to obey his master, but -the dog, not well knowing him, set to barking at him as he passed on -his way to the coffee-maker’s stove for the purpose of preparing there -the Sultan’s pipe, and in return Ramadan shook his fist at him. When -the pipe-bearer came back, the dog, recognizing in him the man who -had lately menaced him, not being securely tied, loosened himself and -sprang at him. Ramadan<span class="pagenum" id="Page_354">354</span> used the pipe to defend himself, the dog was -beaten back, but the bowl, the stem, and the rich mouth-piece of the -pipe were all broken in the encounter.</p> - -<p>The facts were related to Saladin, who immediately ordered the dog -to be summoned before him. The animal said nothing while Ramadan -was continually charging him with the blame. “Thou seest,” said the -Sultan, “that the dog appears docile. If thou hadst not threatened or -frightened him he would have said nothing to thee. Thou shalt be tied -up as the dog was, and the dog shall dwell with me.”</p> - -<p>The guards chained up poor Ramadan to the tree where the dog had been -fastened, and his appearance was very disconsolate. The dog became the -favourite of the Prince, whom he recognized by his natural instinct, -and for ever afterwards the Sultan swore by his dog.</p> - -<p>The Mussulman delights in comparing the wisdom of this decision with -the judgment of Solomon.</p> - -<p>The recent remarks of one high in clerical authority, which came to -light but too lately to have a more honourable position assigned them, -must accordingly be scattered among the fragments. “Heaven forbid,” -writes the reverend gentleman,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_355">355</span> “that I should ever see in England -what I have more than once seen in France—a fine and gorgeously -arrayed lady, with lavender coloured kid gloves, and a delicate little -cigarette between her lips, expectorating in the most refined manner -into a polished spittoon, and accompanying her male friends in inhaling -the fumes of this noxious weed! No, our ladies have not countenanced -the custom by example, but they have fostered it, cherished it, -promoted it by their too much good nature, and allowed their husbands, -brothers, and sons, and perhaps, their intended husbands, to enjoy -their cigars in their presence, and even in their houses.”</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“Oh horrible, most horrible!”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>Hearken still further. “I don’t scruple to confess that I sat down to -the consideration of this subject strongly prejudiced, personally and -socially, against this evil practice; but I rise from the examination -of the facts of the case surprised at the magnitude of the abomination -to which it gives rise. I cordially throw any influence I possess into -the scale of those who are labouring to promote the total abolition of -the custom among us, and I earnestly entreat all who think with me to -exert their utmost efforts to stay the plague.”</p> - -<p>King James is dead, poor man, otherwise this worthy Dean, most -assuredly, would soon have become a Bishop. How unfortunate a -circumstance it is that wise men <i>will</i> be born at a time when the -generation who would have appreciated them most, is either extinct or -in embryo.</p> - -<p>We remember to have once heard an equally estimable clerical gentleman -declare that he thought those words of Longfellow’s very descriptive of -the effects of his customary “whiff:”——</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“And the night shall be filled with music,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And the cares that infest the day,</div> - <div class="verse">Shall fold their tents like the Arabs,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And as silently steal away.”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>With a fable of Krummacher’s, let this basket of fragments be filled, -and finished—</p> - -<p>“The angel of sleep and the angel of death, fraternally embracing each -other, wandered over the earth. It was eventide. They laid themselves -down beside a hill not far from the habitations of men. A melancholy -silence reigned around, and the evening bell of the distant hamlet had -ceased.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_356">356</span></p> - -<p>“Silently and quietly, as is their wont, the two kindly genii of the -human race lay in confidential embrace, and night began to steal on.</p> - -<p>“Then the angel of sleep rose from his mossy couch, and threw around, -with careful hand, the unseen grains of slumber. The evening wind bare -them to the quiet dwellings of the wearied husbandmen. Now the feet -of sleep embraced the inhabitants of the rural cots, from the hoary -headed old man who supported himself on his staff, to the infants in -the cradle. The sick forgot their pains, the mourners their griefs, and -poverty its cares. All eyes were closed.</p> - -<p>“And now, after his task was done, the beautiful angel of sleep lay -down again by the side of his sterner brother. When the morning dawn -arose, he exclaimed in joyous innocency—‘Men praise me as their friend -and benefactor. Oh what a bliss it is, unseen and secretly to befriend -them! How happy are we, the invisible messengers of the good God! How -lovely is our quiet vocation!’</p> - -<p>“Thus spake the friendly angel of sleep. And the angel of death sighed -in silent grief; and a tear, such as the immortals shed, trembled in -his great dark eye. ‘Alas!’ said he, ‘that I cannot as thou, delight -myself with cheerful thanks. Men call me their enemy and pleasure -spoiler.’</p> - -<p>“‘Oh, my brother,’ rejoined the angel of sleep,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_357">357</span> ‘will not the good -also, when awaking, recognize in thee a friend and benefactor, and -thankfully bless thee? Are not we brothers and messengers of one -Father?’</p> - -<p>“Thus spake he, and the eyes of the angel of death sparkled, and more -tenderly did the brotherly genii embrace each other.”</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - - -<h2 id="APPENDIX">APPENDIX.</h2> - - -<h3>TABLE I.<br /> - -CHRONOLOGY OF TOBACCO.</h3> - - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr> - <td><span class="smcap">A.D.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1496</td> - <td class="tdh">Romanus Paine published the first account of tobacco, under the -name <i>cohoba</i>.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1519</td> - <td class="tdh">Tobacco discovered by the Spaniards near Tabasco.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1535</td> - <td class="tdh">Negroes cultivated it on the plantations of their masters.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts"> ”</td> - <td class="tdh">It was used at this time in Canada.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1559</td> - <td class="tdh">Tobacco introduced into Europe by Hernandez de Toledo.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1565</td> - <td class="tdh">Conrad Gesner became acquainted with tobacco.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts"> ”</td> - <td class="tdh">Sir John Hawkins brought tobacco from Florida.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1570</td> - <td class="tdh">Tobacco smoked in Holland out of tubes of palm-leaves.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1574</td> - <td class="tdh">Tobacco cultivated in Tuscany.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1575</td> - <td class="tdh">First figure of plant in André Thevot’s Cosmographie.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1585</td> - <td class="tdh">Clay pipes noticed by the English in Virginia.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts"> ”</td> - <td class="tdh">First clay pipes made in Europe.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1590</td> - <td class="tdh">Schah Abbas, of Persia, prohibited the use of tobacco in his -empire.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1601</td> - <td class="tdh">Tobacco introduced into Java. Smoking commenced in Egypt about -this time.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1604</td> - <td class="tdh">James I. laid heavy imposts on tobacco.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1610</td> - <td class="tdh">Tobacco-smoking known at Constantinople.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1615</td> - <td class="tdh">Tobacco first grown about Amersfort, in Holland.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1616</td> - <td class="tdh">The colonists cultivated tobacco in Virginia.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1619</td> - <td class="tdh">James I. wrote his “Counterblast.”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts"> ”</td> - <td class="tdh">Sale of tobacco prohibited in England till the custom should be paid, -and the royal seal affixed.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1620</td> - <td class="tdh">Ninety young women sent from England to America, and sold to the -planters for tobacco at 120 lbs. each.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1622</td> - <td class="tdh">Annual import of tobacco into England from America, 142,085 lbs.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1624</td> - <td class="tdh">The Pope excommunicated all who should take snuff in church. King -James restricted the culture of tobacco to Virginia and the Somer Isles.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1631</td> - <td class="tdh">Tobacco-smoking introduced into Misnia.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1634</td> - <td class="tdh">A tribunal formed at Moscow to punish smoking.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1639</td> - <td class="tdh">The Assembly of Virginia ordered that all tobacco planted in that -and the succeeding two years should be destroyed.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1653</td> - <td class="tdh">Smoking commenced at Appenzell (canton) in Switzerland.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1661</td> - <td class="tdh">The police regulations of Berne made, and divided according to -the ten commandments, in which tobacco was prohibited.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_358">358</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1669</td> - <td class="tdh">Adultery and fornication punished in Virginia by a fine of 500 to -1000 lbs. of tobacco.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1670</td> - <td class="tdh">Smoking tobacco punished in the canton of Glarus by fines.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1676</td> - <td class="tdh">Customs on tobacco from Virginia collected in England, £120,000.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts"> ”</td> - <td class="tdh">Two Jews attempt the cultivation of tobacco in Brandenburg.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1689</td> - <td class="tdh">Dr. J. F. Vicarius invented tubes containing pieces of sponge for -smoking tobacco.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1691</td> - <td class="tdh">Pope Innocent XII. excommunicated all who used tobacco in St. -Peter’s Church at Rome.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1697</td> - <td class="tdh">Large quantities of tobacco produced in the palatinate of Hesse.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1709</td> - <td class="tdh">Exports of tobacco from America, 28,858,666 lbs.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1719</td> - <td class="tdh">Senate of Strasburg prohibited the culture of tobacco.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1724</td> - <td class="tdh">Pope Benedict XIV. revoked Pope Innocent’s Bull of -excommunication.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1732</td> - <td class="tdh">Tobacco made a legal tender in Maryland, at one penny per lb.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1747</td> - <td class="tdh">Annual exports of tobacco to England from the American colonies, -40,000,000 lbs.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1753</td> - <td class="tdh">The King of Portugal farmed out the tobacco trade for about -£500,000.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts"> ”</td> - <td class="tdh">The revenue of the King of Spain from tobacco, £1,250,000.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1759</td> - <td class="tdh">Duties on tobacco in Denmark amounted to £8,000.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1770</td> - <td class="tdh">Empress of Austria derived an income of £160,000 from tobacco.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1773</td> - <td class="tdh">Duties on tobacco in the two Sicilies, £80,000.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1775</td> - <td class="tdh">Annual export of tobacco from the United States 1,000,000 lbs.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1780</td> - <td class="tdh">King of France derived an income of £1,500,000 from tobacco.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1782</td> - <td class="tdh">Annual export of tobacco during the seven years revolutionary -war, 12,378,504 lbs.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1787</td> - <td class="tdh">Tobacco imported into Ireland, 1,877,579 lbs.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1789</td> - <td class="tdh">Exports of tobacco from the United States, 90,000,000 lbs.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts"> ”</td> - <td class="tdh">Tobacco first put under the excise in England.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1820</td> - <td class="tdh">Quantity of tobacco grown in France, 32,887,500 lbs.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1828</td> - <td class="tdh">Tobacco revenue in the State of Maryland, £5,400.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1830</td> - <td class="tdh">Revenue from tobacco and snuff in Great Britain was 2¼ millions -of pounds.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1834</td> - <td class="tdh">Value of tobacco used in the United States estimated at -£3,000,000.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1838</td> - <td class="tdh">Annual consumption of tobacco in the United States estimated at -100,000,000 lbs.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdlts">1840</td> - <td class="tdh">It was ascertained that 1,500,000 persons were engaged in the -cultivation and manufacture of tobacco in the United States.</td> -</tr> -</table></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_359">359</span></p> - -<h3>TABLE II.<br /> - -CONSUMPTION OF TOBACCO.</h3> - - -<div class="center small"> -<table class="colbord" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<col width="35%" /><col width="32%" /><col width="32%" /> -<tr> - <th> COUNTRIES.</th> - <th>Average consump.<br /> of male population<br />per head, over 18 years of age.<br />lbs.</th> - <th>Nett Revenue<br />from Tobacco.<br />£</th></tr> -<tr> - <td align="left"> Austria</td> - <td class="tdrs">6·75</td> - <td class="tdrs">1,212,530</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left"> Zollverein</td> - <td class="tdrs">9·75</td> - <td class="tdrs">296,560</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left"> Steurverein, including Hanover and Oldenburg</td> - <td class="tdrs">12·50</td> - <td class="tdrs">12,420</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left"> France</td> - <td class="tdrs">5·50</td> - <td class="tdrs">3,058,356</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left"> Russia</td> - <td class="tdrs">2·50</td> - <td class="tdrs">284,280</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left"> Portugal</td> - <td class="tdrs">3·50</td> - <td class="tdrs">304,140</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left"> Spain</td> - <td class="tdrs">4·75</td> - <td class="tdrs">1,268,082</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left"> Sardinia</td> - <td class="tdrs">2·75</td> - <td class="tdrs">246,192</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left"> Tuscany</td> - <td class="tdrs">2·50</td> - <td class="tdrs">84,860</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left"> Papal States</td> - <td class="tdrs">2·00</td> - <td class="tdrs">297,252</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left"> Two Sicilies</td> - <td class="tdrs">...</td> - <td class="tdrs">168,422</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left"> Britain</td> - <td class="tdrs">4·10</td> - <td class="tdrs">5,272,471</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left"> Holland</td> - <td class="tdrs">8·25</td> - <td class="tdrs">6,210</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left"> Belgium</td> - <td class="tdrs">9·00</td> - <td class="tdrs">28,014</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left"> Denmark</td> - <td class="tdrs">8·00</td> - <td class="tdrs">10,488</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left"> Sweden</td> - <td class="tdrs">4·37</td> - <td class="tdrs">14,766</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left"> Norway</td> - <td class="tdrs">6·40</td> - <td class="tdrs">23,322</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left"> United States</td> - <td class="tdrs">7·60</td> - <td class="tdrs">...</td> -</tr> -</table></div> - -<h3>TABLE III.<br /> - -DUTIES ON IMPORTATION OF TOBACCO.</h3> - - -<div class="center small"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr> - <td align="left"></td> - <td>per cent.<br />ad valorem.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">United States</td> - <td class="tdr">30· </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Belgium</td> - <td class="tdr">13·9</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Great Britain</td> - <td class="tdr">933·3</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Hanover</td> - <td class="tdr">9·6</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Holstein</td> - <td class="tdr">10· </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Holland</td> - <td class="tdr">3·5</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Russia</td> - <td class="tdr">161· </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Switzerland</td> - <td class="tdr">3· </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Zollverein</td> - <td class="tdr">45· </td> -</tr> -</table></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_360">360</span></p> - - -<h3>TABLE IV.</h3> - - - -<p class="hang">Nett Profits of the French Regie on Tobacco, after paying all expenses -of purchase, transportation, manufacture, and sale. Showing the -increased consumption, in decennial periods, from 1811 to 1851.</p> - - -<div class="center small"> -<table class="colbord" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><th align="left">Years.</th><th>Francs.</th></tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">1811</td> - <td class="tdr">26,000,000</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">1821</td> - <td class="tdr">42,219,604</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">1831</td> - <td class="tdr">45,920,930</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">1841</td> - <td class="tdr">71,989,095</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">1851</td> - <td class="tdr">92,233,729</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Total gross<br />revenue in 1857</td> - <td class="tdr">185,000,000</td> -</tr> -</table></div> - -<h3>TABLE V.</h3> - -<p>Consumption of Tobacco in Britain, with rate of Duty and Revenue -therefrom.</p> - - -<div class="center small"> -<table class="colbord" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><th>Years.</th><th>Consumption.<br />lbs.</th><th>Duty.<br />per lb.</th><th>Revenue.</th><th>Population.</th></tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">1821</td> - <td align="left">15,598,152</td> - <td align="left">4s.</td> - <td align="left">£3,122,583</td> - <td align="left">21,282,903</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">1831</td> - <td align="left">19,533,841</td> - <td align="left">3s.</td> - <td align="left">2,964,592</td> - <td align="left">24,410,459</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">1841</td> - <td align="left">22,309,360</td> - <td align="left">3s.</td> - <td align="left">3,580,163</td> - <td align="left">27,019,672</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">1851</td> - <td align="left">28,062,978</td> - <td align="left">3s.</td> - <td align="left">4,485,768</td> - <td align="left">27,452,262</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">1856</td> - <td align="left">32,579,166</td> - <td align="left">3s.</td> - <td align="left">5,216,770</td> - <td align="left"> - <a id="FNanchor_39_39" href="#Footnote_39_39" class="fnanchor">39</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">1857</td> - <td align="left">32,677,059</td> - <td align="left">3s.</td> - <td align="left">5,231,455</td> - <td align="left">[39]</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">1858</td> - <td align="left">34,110,850</td> - <td align="left">3s.</td> - <td align="left">5,272,471</td> - <td align="left"> [39]</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left" colspan="7"><a id="Footnote_39_39" href="#FNanchor_39_39">39</a> -Owing to extensive emigration, especially from Ireland, the population -must be considered as but little above that of 1851.</td> -</tr> - - -</table></div> - -<h3>TABLE VI.</h3> - -<p>Consumption of Tobacco in the Austrian Empire.</p> - - -<div class="center small"> -<table class="colbord" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><th>Years.</th><th>Quantity consumed.<br />per lb.</th></tr> -<tr> - <td>1850</td> - <td>34,457,513</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1851</td> - <td>54,217,578</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1852</td> - <td>61,805,697</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1853</td> - <td>57,926,925</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1854</td> - <td>62,020,333</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1856</td> - <td>85,161,030</td> -</tr> -</table></div> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_361">361</span></p> - - -<h3>TABLE VII.</h3> - -<p class="hang">Statement exhibiting the quantities of Tobacco exported from the United -States into the countries named, during 1855.</p> - - -<div class="center small"> -<table class="colbord" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><th>Countries.</th><th>Quantities.<br />lbs.</th></tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Bremen</td> - <td>38,058,000</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Great Britain</td> - <td>24,203,000</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">France</td> - <td>40,866,000</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Holland</td> - <td class="td1s">17,124,000</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Spain</td> - <td class="td1s">7,524,000</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Belgium</td> - <td class="td1s">4,010,000</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Sardinia</td> - <td class="td1s">3,314,000</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Austria</td> - <td class="td1s">2,945,000</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Sweden and Norway</td> - <td class="td1s">1,713,000</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Portugal</td> - <td class="td2s">336,000</td> -</tr> -</table></div> - -<h3>TABLE VIII.</h3> - -<p class="hang">Disposition of Tobacco the growth of the United States in 1840 and in -1850, with the Home Consumption at each period.</p> - - -<div class="center small"> -<table class="colbord" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><th>Years.</th><th>Growth.lbs.</th><th>Exports.lbs.</th><th>Consumption.lbs.</th><th>Rate pr.Head. oz.</th></tr> -<tr> - <td>1840</td> - <td>219,163,319</td> - <td>184,965,797</td> - <td>34,543,557</td> - <td>32½</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1850</td> - <td>199,532,494</td> - <td>122,408,780</td> - <td>81,933,571</td> - <td>56 </td> -</tr> -</table></div> - -<h3>TABLE IX.</h3> - -<p class="hang">Statement showing the Exports of Tobacco from America (United States) -in decennial periods, from 1820 to 1850, and in 1855.</p> - - -<div class="center small"> -<table class="colbord" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><th>Years.</th><th>Quantity exported.<br />hogsheads</th></tr> -<tr> - <td>1820</td> - <td> 66,000</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1830</td> - <td> 83,810</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1840</td> - <td>119,484</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1850</td> - <td>145,729</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1855</td> - <td>150,213</td> -</tr> -</table></div> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_362">362</span></p> - - -<h3>TABLE X.<br /> - -ANALYSIS OF TOBACCO BY POSSELT & REINMANN.</h3> - - - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr> - <td align="left">Nicotina</td> - <td class="tdl">0·06 </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Concrete vegetable oil</td> - <td class="tdl">0·01 </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Bitter extractive</td> - <td class="tdl">2·87 </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Gum, with malate of lime</td> - <td class="tdl">1·74 </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Chlorophylle</td> - <td class="tdl">0·267</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Albumen and gluten</td> - <td class="tdl">1·308</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Malic acid</td> - <td class="tdl">0·51 </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Lignin and a trace of starch</td> - <td class="tdl">4·969</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Salts (sulphate, nitrate, and malate of -potash, chloride of potassium, phosphate -and malate of lime, and malate of ammonia)</td> - <td class="tdl">0·734</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Silica</td> - <td class="tdl">0·088</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Water</td> - <td class="tdl">88·280</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Fresh leaves of tobacco</td> - <td class="tdl">100·836</td> -</tr> -</table></div> - -<h3>TABLE XI.</h3> - -<p class="hang">Return showing the quantity of Chests of Opium exported by the East -India Company between 1846 and 1858.</p> - - -<div class="center small"> -<table class="colbord" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><th>Years.</th><th>No. of Chests.<a id="FNanchor_40_40" href="#Footnote_40_40" class="fnanchor">40</a></th></tr> -<tr> - <td>1846-47</td> - <td>22,468</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1847-48</td> - <td>22,879</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1848-49</td> - <td>33,073</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1849-50</td> - <td>35,919</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1850-51</td> - <td>32,033</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1851-52</td> - <td>31,259</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1852-53</td> - <td>35,521</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1853-54</td> - <td>42,403</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1854-55</td> - <td>49,979</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1855-56</td> - <td>49,399</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1856-57</td> - <td>66,305</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1857-58</td> - <td>68,004</td> -</tr> -</table></div> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_363">363</span></p> - - -<h3>TABLE XII.</h3> - -<p class="hang">Amount of Income derived by the East India Company from the Opium -Monopoly.</p> - - - -<div class="center small"> -<table class="colbord" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr> - <td>Years.</td> - <td>Amount.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1840-41</td> - <td>£874,277</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1841-42</td> - <td>1,018,765</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1842-43</td> - <td>1,577,581</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1843-44</td> - <td>2,024,826</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1844-45</td> - <td>2,181,288</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1845-46</td> - <td>2,803,350</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1846-47</td> - <td>2,886,201</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1847-48</td> - <td>1,698,252</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1848-49</td> - <td>2,845,762</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1849-50</td> - <td>3,309,637</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1850-51</td> - <td>3,043,135</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1851-52</td> - <td>3,139,247</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1852-53</td> - <td>3,717,932</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1853-54</td> - <td>3,359,019</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1854-55</td> - <td>3,333,601</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1855-56</td> - <td>3,961,975</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1856-57</td> - <td>3,860,390</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1857-58</td> - <td>5,918,375</td> -</tr> -</table></div> - -<h3>TABLE XIII.<br /> - -OPIUM STATISTICS OF GREAT BRITAIN.</h3> - -<div class="center small"> -<table class="colbord" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><th>Years.</th><th>Imports.<br />lbs.</th><th>Consumption.<br />lbs.</th></tr> -<tr> - <td>1826</td> - <td class="tdr2s"> 79,829</td> - <td class="tdr2s"> 28,329</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1827</td> - <td class="tdr2s">113,140</td> - <td class="tdr2s">17,322</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1830</td> - <td class="tdr2s">209,076</td> - <td class="tdr2s">22,668</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1833</td> - <td class="tdr2s">106,846</td> - <td class="tdr2s">35,407</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1836</td> - <td class="tdr2s">130,794</td> - <td class="tdr2s">38,943</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1839</td> - <td class="tdr2s">196,247</td> - <td class="tdr2s">41,632</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1842</td> - <td class="tdr2s">72,373</td> - <td class="tdr2s">47,432</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1845</td> - <td class="tdr2s">259,644</td> - <td class="tdr2s">38,229</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1848</td> - <td class="tdr2s">200,019</td> - <td class="tdr2s">61,055</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1849</td> - <td class="tdr2s">105,724</td> - <td class="tdr2s">44,177</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1850</td> - <td class="tdr2s">126,318</td> - <td class="tdr2s">42,324</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1851</td> - <td class="tdr2s">118,024</td> - <td class="tdr2s">50,682</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1852</td> - <td class="tdr2s">205,780</td> - <td class="tdr2s">62,521</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1853</td> - <td class="tdr2s">159,312</td> - <td class="tdr2s">67,038</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1854</td> - <td class="tdr2s">97,427</td> - <td class="tdr2s">61,432</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1855</td> - <td class="tdr2s">50,143</td> - <td class="tdr2s">34,473</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1856</td> - <td class="tdr2s">51,479</td> - <td class="tdr2s">38,609</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1857</td> - <td class="tdr2s">136,423</td> - <td class="tdr2s">56,174</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1858</td> - <td class="tdr2s">82,085</td> - <td class="tdr2s">77,639</td> -</tr> -</table></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_364">364</span></p> - - -<h3>TABLE XIV.<br /> - -ANALYSIS OF OPIUM, BY MULDER.</h3> - -<div class="center small"> -<table cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr> - <td align="left">Morphia</td> - <td class="tdr"> 10·842</td> - <td class="tdr"> 4·106</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Narcotina</td> - <td class="tdr">6·808</td> - <td class="tdr">8·150</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Codeia</td> - <td class="tdr">0·678</td> - <td class="tdr">0·834</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Narceine</td> - <td class="tdr">6·662</td> - <td class="tdr">7·506</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Meconine</td> - <td class="tdr">0·804</td> - <td class="tdr">0·846</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Meconic acid</td> - <td class="tdr">5·124</td> - <td class="tdr">3·968</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Fat</td> - <td class="tdr">2·166</td> - <td class="tdr">1·350</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Caoutchouc</td> - <td class="tdr">6·012</td> - <td class="tdr">5·026</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Resin</td> - <td class="tdr">3·582</td> - <td class="tdr">2·028</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Gummy extractive</td> - <td class="tdr">25·200</td> - <td class="tdr">31·470</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Gum</td> - <td class="tdr">1·042</td> - <td class="tdr">2·896</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Mucus</td> - <td class="tdr">19·086</td> - <td class="tdr">17·098</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Water</td> - <td class="tdr">9·846</td> - <td class="tdr">12·226</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Loss</td> - <td class="tdr">2·148</td> - <td class="tdr">2·496</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Total</td> - <td class="tdr">100·000</td> - <td class="tdr">100·000</td> -</tr> -</table></div> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_365">365</span></p> - - -<h3>TABLE XV.<br /> - -PRISONERS SENTENCED BY THE POLICE TO THE HOUSE OF CORRECTION AT -SINGAPORE.</h3> - -<div class="center small"> -<table class="colbord" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><th>Class.<br /> all Chinamen</th> - <th>Quantity of Opium consumed daily.</th> - <th>Number of years habituated.</th> - <th>Trade.</th> - <th>Monthly Wages.</th> - <th>Value of Opium smoked monthly.</th> - <th>Appearances.</th> -</tr> -<tr> - <td></td> - <td>Grains.</td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - <td>s. d.</td> - <td>£ s. d.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>1</td> - <td>60</td> - <td>10</td> - <td>Cooly</td> - <td>16 0</td> - <td>1 4 0</td> - <td class="tdl">Heavy, listless, but not sleepy.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>2</td> - <td colspan="3">Does not smoke.</td> - <td>...</td> - <td>...</td> - <td class="tdl">Looks well and fat.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>3</td> - <td colspan="3">Does not smoke.</td> - <td>...</td> - <td>...</td> - <td class="tdl">Looks well, but not stout.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>4</td> - <td colspan="3">Does not smoke.</td> - <td>...</td> - <td>...</td> - <td>Looks well.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>5</td> - <td>180</td> - <td>10</td> - <td>Planter</td> - <td>...</td> - <td>3 12 0</td> - <td class="tdl">Looks well; given up smoking; drinks Tinco in arrack.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>6</td> - <td>90</td> - <td>12</td> - <td>...</td> - <td>...</td> - <td>1 10 0</td> - <td class="tdl">Sickly, with cough.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>7</td> - <td>60</td> - <td>20</td> - <td>Cooly</td> - <td>16 0</td> - <td>1 4 0</td> - <td class="tdl">Sickly, thin, and miserable looking.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>8</td> - <td>180</td> - <td>7</td> - <td>Planter</td> - <td>12 0</td> - <td>3 12 0</td> - <td class="tdl">Sick and herpetic.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>9</td> - <td>90</td> - <td>6</td> - <td>...</td> - <td>20 0</td> - <td>1 10 0</td> - <td class="tdl">Sickly looking, and complains.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>10</td> - <td>60</td> - <td>20</td> - <td>Cooly</td> - <td>16 0</td> - <td>1 4 0</td> - <td class="tdl">Thin, sickly; complains of pain in the stomach.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>11</td> - <td>48</td> - <td>4</td> - <td>Cooly</td> - <td>16 0</td> - <td>0 16 4</td> - <td class="tdl">Yellow, sickly; pain in the abdomen.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>12</td> - <td>300 to 350</td> - <td>16</td> - <td>Planter</td> - <td>...</td> - <td>£6 to £7</td> - <td class="tdl">Thin, sickly; complains of cough.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>13</td> - <td>30</td> - <td>10</td> - <td>Cooly</td> - <td>16 0</td> - <td>0 12 0</td> - <td class="tdl">Complains of pain in abdomen.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>14</td> - <td>90</td> - <td>6</td> - <td>...</td> - <td>16 0</td> - <td>1 10 0</td> - <td class="tdl">Thin, but not sickly.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>15</td> - <td>60</td> - <td>16</td> - <td>Cooly</td> - <td>16 0</td> - <td>1 4 0</td> - <td class="tdl">Thin, cough, and sickly.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>16</td> - <td colspan="3">Does not smoke.</td> - <td>...</td> - <td>...</td> - <td></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>17</td> - <td>24</td> - <td>9</td> - <td>Cooly</td> - <td>16 0</td> - <td>0 10 0</td> - <td class="tdl">Complains of pain in abdomen; does not look sickly.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>18</td> - <td>60 to 180</td> - <td>30</td> - <td>...</td> - <td>20 0</td> - <td>24s. to £3 12 0</td> - <td class="tdl">Sickly looking; does not complain.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>19</td> - <td>36</td> - <td>5</td> - <td>...</td> - <td>24s. to 30s.</td> - <td>0 12 0</td> - <td class="tdl">Diarrhœa, and complains.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>20</td> - <td>30</td> - <td>5</td> - <td>...</td> - <td>16 0</td> - <td>0 8 0</td> - <td class="tdl">Complains, but does not look sickly.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>21</td> - <td>60</td> - <td>12</td> - <td>...</td> - <td>16 0</td> - <td>1 4 0</td> - <td class="tdl">Complains, but does not look sickly.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>22</td> - <td>48</td> - <td>5</td> - <td>Cooly</td> - <td>12 0</td> - <td>1 0 0</td> - <td class="tdl">Looks sickly, and complains.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>23</td> - <td colspan="3">Does not smoke.</td> - <td>...</td> - <td>...</td> - <td class="tdl">Looks sickly.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>24</td> - <td colspan="3">Does not smoke.</td> - <td>...</td> - <td>...</td> - <td class="tdl">Looks well.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>25</td> - <td colspan="3">Does not smoke.</td> - <td>...</td> - <td>...</td> - <td class="tdl">Looks well.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>26</td> - <td>60</td> - <td>15</td> - <td>...</td> - <td>16 0</td> - <td>1 4 0</td> - <td class="tdl">Complains much, being without chandu.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>27</td> - <td colspan="3">Does not smoke.</td> - <td>...</td> - <td>...</td> - <td class="tdl">Looks well.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>28</td> - <td>36</td> - <td>6</td> - <td>...</td> - <td>12 0</td> - <td>0 15 0</td> - <td class="tdl">Pale, sickly looking; complains much.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>29</td> - <td>48</td> - <td>5</td> - <td>Shopkeeper</td> - <td>...</td> - <td>1 0 0</td> - <td class="tdl">Thin and sickly.</td> -</tr> -</table></div> -<p>Besides which, there were 15 men in the hospital, of whom all smoked -but one.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_366">366</span></p> - - -<h3>TABLE XVI.<br /> - -OPIUM CONSUMED BY FIFTEEN PERSONS FROM THE PAUPER HOSPITAL, SINGAPORE.</h3> - -<div class="center small"> -<table class="colbord" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><th></th> - <th>Quantity of Opium consumed daily.</th> - <th>Years habituated.</th> - <th>Monthly Wages.</th> - <th>Excess of expenditure over income.</th> -</tr> -<tr> - <td></td> - <td>Grains.</td> - <td></td> - <td>s. d.</td> - <td>s. d.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr2s">1</td> - <td class="tdr2s">36</td> - <td class="tdr2s">7</td> - <td class="tdr2s">11 6</td> - <td>5 8 excess</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr2s">2</td> - <td class="tdr2s">36</td> - <td class="tdr2s">3</td> - <td class="tdr2s">8 0</td> - <td>6 6”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr2s">3</td> - <td class="tdr2s">24</td> - <td class="tdr2s">5</td> - <td class="tdr2s">8 0</td> - <td>1 8 ”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr2s">4</td> - <td class="tdr2s">36</td> - <td class="tdr2s">8</td> - <td class="tdr2s">12 0</td> - <td>2 6 ”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr2s">5</td> - <td class="tdr2s">42</td> - <td class="tdr2s">20</td> - <td class="tdr2s">16 0</td> - <td>0 10 ”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr2s">6</td> - <td class="tdr2s">30</td> - <td class="tdr2s">10</td> - <td class="tdr2s">10 0</td> - <td>2 1 ”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr2s">7</td> - <td class="tdr2s">24</td> - <td class="tdr2s">7</td> - <td class="tdr2s">8 0</td> - <td>1 8 ”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr2s">8</td> - <td class="tdr2s">30</td> - <td class="tdr2s">10</td> - <td class="tdr2s">12 0</td> - <td>Income and expenditure equal</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr2s">9</td> - <td class="tdr2s">24</td> - <td class="tdr2s">5</td> - <td class="tdr2s">8 0</td> - <td>1 8 excess</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr2s">10</td> - <td class="tdr2s">30</td> - <td class="tdr2s">10</td> - <td class="tdr2s">8 0</td> - <td>4 0 ”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr2s">11</td> - <td class="tdr2s">30</td> - <td class="tdr2s">8</td> - <td class="tdr2s">12 0</td> - <td>Income and expenditure equal</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr2s">12</td> - <td class="tdr2s">36</td> - <td class="tdr2s">10</td> - <td class="tdr2s">12 0</td> - <td>2 6 excess</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr2s">13</td> - <td class="tdr2s">30</td> - <td class="tdr2s">15</td> - <td class="tdr2s">12 0</td> - <td>Income and expenditure equal</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr2s">14</td> - <td class="tdr2s">30</td> - <td class="tdr2s">25</td> - <td class="tdr2s">12 0</td> - <td>Income and expenditure equal</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr2s">15</td> - <td class="tdr2s">42</td> - <td class="tdr2s">22</td> - <td class="tdr2s">12 0</td> - <td>4 10 excess</td> -</tr> -</table></div> - - -<h3>TABLE XVII.<br /> - -REPORTS OF OPIUM-SMOKING IN CHINA.</h3> - -<p>In the Chung-wan (centre bazaar) there are about 5,800 inhabitants.</p> - -<p>The number that smoke opium merely because they like it are upwards of -2,600.</p> - -<p>The number that smoke opium are upwards of 300.</p> - -<p>In the Hah-wan (Canton bazaar) there are upwards of 1,200 inhabitants.</p> - -<p>The number that smoke opium merely because they like it are upwards of -600.</p> - -<p>The number that smoke opium are upwards of 100.</p> - -<p>The number that died for cause of smoking opium very few.</p> - -<p class="right"> -(Signed) <span class="smcap">Chung-wan & Hah-wan Teapoa’s Report.</span></p> - -<p><small><i>Dated Yuet-man year, 11th month, 20th day</i><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">(<i>December 29th, 1855</i>).</span></small> -</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_367">367</span></p> - -<p>The number of male residents at Sheong-wan are estimated as following:——</p> - -<p>This year have ascertained the number of male residents are 13,000.</p> - -<p>There are 3,000 opium-smokers; 300 smoke 8 mace a-day; 700 smoke 5 -mace each day; 1,000 smoke 3 mace each day; the rest smoke 1 mace, -more or less.</p> - -<p>The number that smoke opium merely because they like it are upwards of -4,000.</p> - -<p>The number that got sick for cause of opium-smoking went home, and did -not die here.</p> - -<p class="right"> -(Signed) <span class="smcap">Teapoa of Sheong-wan Tong Chew’s Report.</span></p> - -<p><small><i>Dated December 29th, 1855.</i></small></p> - -<hr class="small" /> - -<p>By order, have ascertained the number of inhabitants of Tai-ping-Shan.</p> - -<p>There are upwards of 5,300 men.</p> - -<p>The number that smoke opium because they like it are upwards of 1,200.</p> - -<p>The number that smoke opium are upwards of 600.</p> - -<p>The number that died for cause of opium-smoking very few.</p> - -<p class="right"> -(Signed) <span class="smcap">Tai-ping-Shan Teapoa’s Report.</span></p> -<p><small><i>Dated Yuet-man year, 11th month, 20th day<br /> -<span class="gap2">(December 29th, 1855).</span></i></small> -</p> - -<hr class="small" /> - -<p>By order, have ascertained that in Wan-tsai there are upwards of 1,600 -inhabitants.</p> - -<p>Those that smoke opium merely because they like it are upwards of 500 -men.</p> - -<p>Those that smoke opium are upwards of 200 men.</p> - -<p>Those that died for cause of smoking opium, none.</p> - -<p class="right"> -(Signed) <span class="smcap">Wan-tsai Teapoa’s Report.</span></p> -<p> -<small><i>Dated Yuet-man year, 11th month, 20th day<br /> -<span class="gap2">(December 29th, 1855)</span></i>.</small> -</p> - -<hr class="small" /> - -<p>By order, have ascertained that in Wang-nai-choon there are upwards of -200 men.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_368">368</span></p> - -<p>The number that smoke opium are upwards of 10 men.</p> - -<p>The number that smoke opium merely because they like it are few only.</p> - -<p>The number that died for cause of smoking opium, very few.</p> - -<p class="right"> -(Signed) <span class="smcap">Wang-nai-choon Teapoa’s Report.</span></p> -<p> -<small><i>Dated Yuet-man year, 11th month, 20th day<br /> -<span class="gap2">(December 29th, 1855).</span></i></small> -</p> - -<hr class="small" /> - -<p>By order, have ascertained the number of inhabitants of Ting-loong-chow -(east point).</p> - -<p>There are upwards of 2,500 inhabitants.</p> - -<p>The number that smoke opium merely because they like it are upwards of -300.</p> - -<p>The number that smoke opium are upwards of 100.</p> - -<p class="right"> -(Signed) <span class="smcap">Ting-loong-chow Teapoa’s Report.</span></p> -<p> -<small><i>Dated Yuet-man year, 11th month, 20th day<br /> -<span class="gap2">(December 29th, 1855)</span></i>.</small> -</p> - <hr /> - -<h3>TABLE XVIII.</h3> - -<p>Professor Johnston’s estimate of the number of persons indulging in the -Seven principal Narcotics of the world.</p> - - - -<div class="center small"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr> - <td align="left">Tobacco</td> - <td align="left">800,000,000</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Opium</td> - <td align="left">400,000,000</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Hemp</td> - <td align="left">200,000,000 to 300,000,000</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Betel</td> - <td align="left">100,000,000</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Coca</td> - <td align="left">10,000,000</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Thorn-Apple (no estimate)</td> - <td align="left">Less than Coca.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Amanita (no estimate)</td> - <td align="left">Less than Coca.</td> -</tr> -</table></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_369">369</span></p> - - -<h3>TABLE XIX.<br /> - -SYNOPSIS OF NARCOTICS, WITH THEIR SUBSTITUTES.</h3> - - -<div class="center small"> -<table class="colbord" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr> - <th colspan="4">I.——<span class="smcap">Tobacco.</span></th> -</tr> -<tr><th>Vulgar Name.</th><th>Botanical Name.</th><th>Where used<br />or cultivated.</th><th>How used.</th></tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Virginian tobacco</td> - <td align="left">Nicotiana tabacum</td> - <td align="left">U. States</td> - <td align="left">Smoked & chewed</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Orinoko<span class="gap2">”</span></td> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span>macrophylla</td> - <td>...</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">European<span class="gap2">”</span></td> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span>rustica</td> - <td align="left">Europe</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Javanese<span class="gap2">”</span></td> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span>” var</td> - <td align="left">Java</td> - <td align="left">Smoked.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Billah<span class="gap2">”</span></td> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span>” var Asiatica</td> - <td align="left">Malwa</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Guzerat<span class="gap2">”</span></td> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span>” var</td> - <td align="left">Guzerat</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Chinese<span class="gap2">”</span></td> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span>” var Chinensis</td> - <td align="left">China</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Thibetian<span class="gap2">”</span></td> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span>” var</td> - <td align="left">Thibet</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Persian<span class="gap2">”</span></td> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span>Persica</td> - <td align="left">Persia</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Latakia<span class="gap2">”</span></td> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span>” var</td> - <td align="left">Syria</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Djiddar<span class="gap2">”</span></td> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span>crispa</td> - <td>”</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Indian<span class="gap2">”</span></td> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span>quadrivalvis</td> - <td align="left">N. America</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Indian<span class="gap2">”</span></td> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span>multivalvis</td> - <td>”</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Indian<span class="gap2">”</span></td> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span>nana</td> - <td align="left">Rocky Mts.</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Cuban<span class="gap2">”</span></td> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span>repanda</td> - <td align="left">Cuba</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Columbian<span class="gap2">”</span></td> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span>loxensis</td> - <td align="left">America</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Brazilian<span class="gap2">”</span></td> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span>glauca</td> - <td align="left">Brazil</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Peruvian<span class="gap2">”</span></td> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span>andicola</td> - <td align="left">Andes</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Coltsfoot leaves</td> - <td align="left">Tussilago farfar</td> - <td align="left">Europe</td> - <td align="left">Smok’d for tobacco</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Yarrow<span class="gap2">”</span></td> - <td align="left">Achillœa millefolium</td> - <td>”</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Rhubarb<span class="gap2">”</span></td> - <td align="left">Rheum emodi, &c.</td> - <td align="left">Himalayas</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Bogbean<span class="gap2">”</span></td> - <td align="left">Menyanthes trifoliata</td> - <td align="left">Britain</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Sage<span class="gap2">”</span></td> - <td align="left">Salvia officinalis</td> - <td align="left">Europe</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Mountain tobacco</td> - <td align="left">Arnica montana</td> - <td align="left">Switzerland</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Black holly</td> - <td align="left">Ilex vomitoria</td> - <td align="left">N. America</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Stag’s horn sumach</td> - <td align="left">Rhus typhina</td> - <td align="left">Mississippi</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Copal sumach</td> - <td align="left">Rhus copallina</td> - <td>”</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Water lily leaves</td> - <td align="left">Nelumbium speciosum</td> - <td align="left">China</td> - <td align="left">Mix’d with tobacco</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Pucha-pat</td> - <td align="left">Marrubium odoratissimum</td> - <td align="left">India</td> - <td align="left">Mix’d with tobacco</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Tombeki</td> - <td align="left">Lobelia sp.</td> - <td align="left">E. Asia</td> - <td align="left">Smoked as tobacco</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Indian tobacco</td> - <td align="left">Lobelia inflata</td> - <td align="left">N. America</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Maize husks</td> - <td align="left">Zea Mays</td> - <td align="left">U. States</td> - <td align="left">Patented for cigars</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Birch bark</td> - <td align="left">Betula excelsa</td> - <td align="left">N. Brunswck</td> - <td align="left">Mix’d with tobacco</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Willow leaves</td> - <td align="left">Salix sp.</td> - <td align="left">N. America</td> - <td align="left">Smoked as tobacco</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Bearberry leaves</td> - <td align="left">Arctostasphylus uva-ursi</td> - <td align="left">Chenook Ind.</td> - <td align="left">Mix’d with tobacco</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Pimento berries</td> - <td align="left">Eugenia pimento</td> - <td align="left">W. Indies</td> - <td align="left">Smoked</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Cascarilla bark</td> - <td align="left">Croton eleuteria</td> - <td>”</td> - <td align="left">Mix’d with tobacco</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Polygonum leaves</td> - <td align="left">Polygonum hispida</td> - <td align="left">S. America</td> - <td align="left">Smoked</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Camphor leaves</td> - <td align="left">Tarchonanthus camphoratus</td> - <td align="left">Cape</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Wild dagga</td> - <td align="left">Leonotis leonurus</td> - <td>”</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>...</td> - <td align="left">Leonotis ovata</td> - <td>”</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Culen</td> - <td align="left">Psoralea glandulosa</td> - <td align="left">Mauritius</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Purphiok</td> - <td align="left">Tupistra sp.</td> - <td align="left">Sikkim</td> - <td align="left">Mix’d with tobacco</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Camomile flowers</td> - <td align="left">Anthemis nobilis</td> - <td align="left">Britain</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Beet leaves</td> - <td align="left">Beta vulgaris</td> - <td align="left">France</td> - <td align="left">{Recommended as substitute</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Akel</td> - <td>...</td> - <td align="left">Algeria</td> - <td align="left">Mix’d with tobacco</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Trouna</td> - <td>...</td> - <td>”</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Kauw goed</td> - <td align="left">Mesembryanthemum tortuosum</td> - <td align="left">Cape</td> - <td align="left">Chewed</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Angelica root</td> - <td align="left">Archangelica officinalis</td> - <td align="left">Lapland</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Monkey bread leaves</td> - <td align="left">Adansonia digitata</td> - <td align="left">W. Africa</td> - <td align="left">Snuffed.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Rhododendron leaves</td> - <td align="left">Rhododendron campanulatum</td> - <td align="left">India</td> - <td align="left">Snuffed.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Brown dust of}</td> - <td align="left">Kalmia sp.</td> - <td align="left">}N. America</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">petioles of}</td> - <td align="left">Rhododendron sp.</td> - <td align="left">}</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Asarabacca</td> - <td align="left">Asarum Europœum</td> - <td align="left">Europe</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Grimstone’s eye snuff</td> - <td align="left">Various plants</td> - <td align="left">Britain</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Various indigenous plants</td> - <td align="left">Erzegebirge</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Woodruff</td> - <td align="left">Asperula odorata</td> - <td align="left">Britain</td> - <td align="left">Mixed with snuff.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Amadou ashes</td> - <td align="left">Polyporus igniarius</td> - <td align="left">Kamtschatka</td> - <td align="left">Snuffed.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <th colspan="4">II.——<span class="smcap">Opium.</span></th> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Smyrna opium</td> - <td align="left">Papaver somniferum.</td> - <td align="left">Levant</td> - <td align="left">Smoked, &c.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Constantinople do.</td> - <td>”</td> - <td align="left">Turkey</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Egyptian do.</td> - <td>”</td> - <td align="left">Egypt</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Trebizond do.</td> - <td>”</td> - <td align="left">Persia</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Bengal do.</td> - <td>”</td> - <td align="left">India</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Garden Patna do.</td> - <td>”</td> - <td>”</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Malwa do.</td> - <td>”</td> - <td>”</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Cutch do.</td> - <td>”</td> - <td>”</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Kandeish do.</td> - <td>”</td> - <td>”</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">English do.</td> - <td>”</td> - <td align="left">England</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">French do.</td> - <td>”</td> - <td align="left">France</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">German do.</td> - <td>”</td> - <td align="left">Germany</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Lactucarium</td> - <td align="left">Lactuca sativa</td> - <td align="left">Britain</td> - <td align="left">Subs. for opium.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>”</td> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span>virosa</td> - <td>”</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>”</td> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span>scariola</td> - <td>”</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>”</td> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span>altissima</td> - <td>”</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>”</td> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span>sylvestris</td> - <td>”</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>”</td> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span>elongata</td> - <td>”</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>”</td> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span>taraxacifolia</td> - <td align="left">Guiana</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Dutchman’s laudanum</td> - <td align="left">Murucuja ocellata</td> - <td align="left">Jamaica</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Ditto</td> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span>orbiculata</td> - <td align="left">Barbadoes</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Syrian rue seeds</td> - <td align="left">Peganum harmala</td> - <td align="left">Turkey</td> - <td align="left">To produce intoxication.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Seeds of</td> - <td align="left">Sterculia alata</td> - <td align="left">Silhet</td> - <td align="left">Subs. for opium.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Seeds of</td> - <td align="left">Scopolia mutica</td> - <td align="left">Arabia</td> - <td align="left">To produce intoxication.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Juice of</td> - <td align="left">Chondrilla juncea</td> - <td align="left">Lemnos</td> - <td align="left">Subs. for opium.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <th colspan="4">III.——<span class="smcap">Hemp.</span></th> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Gunjah and Bang</td> - <td align="left">Cannabis indica</td> - <td align="left">India, Africa</td> - <td align="left">Smoked, &c.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Churrus (resin)</td> - <td>”</td> - <td align="left">Nepaul, &c.</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Powdered dacca and aloes</td> - <td>”</td> - <td align="left">S. W. Africa.</td> - <td align="left">Snuffed.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">IV.——<span class="smcap">Betel.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Betel nuts</td> - <td align="left">Areca catechu</td> - <td align="left">Malay Penin.</td> - <td align="left">Chewed.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>”</td> - <td align="left">Areca laxa</td> - <td align="left">Andaman Is.</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>”</td> - <td align="left">Areca Nagonsis</td> - <td align="left">E. Bengal</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>”</td> - <td align="left">Areca Dicksoni</td> - <td align="left">Malabar</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Kassu (extract)</td> - <td align="left">Areca catechu</td> - <td align="left">India</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Cowry (extract)</td> - <td align="left">Areca catechu</td> - <td align="left">Mysore</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Kutt or catechu</td> - <td align="left">Acacia catechu</td> - <td align="left">India</td> - <td>”<span class="pagenum" id="Page_371">371</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Gambir</td> - <td align="left">Uncaria gambir</td> - <td align="left">Singapore &c.</td> - <td align="left">Chewed.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>”</td> - <td align="left">Uncaria sp.</td> - <td>”</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Betel pepper leaves</td> - <td align="left">Chavica betle</td> - <td align="left">Malay Penin.</td> - <td align="left">Chewed with betel leaves</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>”</td> - <td align="left">Chavica siraboa</td> - <td>”</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Blk. pepper leaves</td> - <td align="left">Piper nigrum</td> - <td align="left">Singapore</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Ava pepper</td> - <td align="left">Macropiper methysticum</td> - <td align="left">S. Seas</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Roots of</td> - <td align="left">Derris pinnata</td> - <td>”</td> - <td align="left">Subs. for betel</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Roots of</td> - <td align="left">Cocos nucifera</td> - <td align="left">Ceylon</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Guayabo bark</td> - <td align="left">Psidium guayaba</td> - <td align="left">Phillippines</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Antipolo bark</td> - <td>”</td> - <td>”</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <th colspan="4">V.——<span class="smcap">Coca.</span></th> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Coca leaves</td> - <td align="left">Erythroxylon coca</td> - <td align="left">Peru</td> - <td align="left">Masticatory</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <th colspan="4">VI.——<span class="smcap">Thorn-Apple.</span></th> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Florispondio seeds</td> - <td align="left">Datura sanguinea</td> - <td align="left">N. Granada.</td> - <td align="left">Drank in infusion.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span></td> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span>stramonium</td> - <td align="left">Europe</td> - <td align="left">Smoked.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span>seeds</td> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span>arborea</td> - <td align="left">Peru</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>”</td> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span>fatuosa</td> - <td align="left">Egypt</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>”</td> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span>ferox</td> - <td align="left">China</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>”</td> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span>tatula</td> - <td align="left">Asia</td> - <td align="left">{By the Delphic oracle.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>”</td> - <td align="left"><span class="gap2b">”</span>metel</td> - <td align="left">W. Asia</td> - <td align="left">As an opiate.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Belladonna leaves</td> - <td align="left">Atropa belladonna</td> - <td align="left">Europe</td> - <td align="left">Smoked.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Henbane leaves</td> - <td align="left">Hyoscyamus niger</td> - <td align="left">India</td> - <td align="left">Mixed with haschish.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Leaves of</td> - <td align="left">Rhododendron chrysanthum</td> - <td align="left">Siberia</td> - <td align="left">Chewed.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Flowers of</td> - <td align="left">Rhododendron arboreum</td> - <td align="left">India</td> - <td>”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Foxglove leaves</td> - <td align="left">Digitalis purpurea</td> - <td>”</td> - <td align="left">Mixed with haschisch.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <th colspan="4">VII.——<span class="smcap">Amanita.</span></th> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Fly agaric</td> - <td align="left">Amanita muscaria</td> - <td align="left">Siberia</td> - <td align="left">Swallowed.</td> -</tr> -</table></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p>M’CORQUODALE & CO., PRINTERS, LONDON—WORKS, NEWTON.</p> - -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<div class="footnotes"><h2>FOOTNOTES:</h2> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_1_1" href="#FNanchor_1_1" class="label">1</a> -The learned in the lore of ancient Rome may charge us, if -they will, with a grievous wrong in considering Sleep as one -of the softer sex, inasmuch as Somnus was one of the elder of -the “<i>lords</i> of the creation.” We confess to an inclination -towards the “<i>ladies</i> of the creation;” and in this matter -especially -</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“We have a vision of our own,</div> - <div class="verse">And why should we undo it?”</div> -</div></div></div> -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_2_2" href="#FNanchor_2_2" class="label">2</a> -A correspondent of the <i>Medical Times</i> having asked for -authentic instances of the hair becoming grey within the space -of one night, Mr. D. F. Parry, Staff-Surgeon at Aldershott, -transmitted the following account, of which he made memorandum -shortly after its occurrence. “On February 19, 1858, -the column under General Franks, in the south of Oude, was -engaged with a rebel force at the village of Chamda, and several -prisoners were taken. One of them, a sepoy of the Bengal -army, was brought before the authorities for examination, and I, -being present, had an opportunity of watching from the commencement -the fact I am about to record. Divested of his -uniform, and stripped completely naked, he was surrounded by -the soldiers, and then first apparently became alive to the -danger of his position; he trembled violently, intense horror -and despair were depicted in his countenance, and although he -answered all the questions addressed to him, he seemed almost -stupified with fear; while actually under observation, within -the space of half-an-hour, his hair became grey on every portion -of his head, it having been, when first seen by me, the -glossy jet black of the Bengalee, aged about twenty-four. The -attention of the bystanders was first attracted by the serjeant, -whose prisoner he was, exclaiming, ‘He is turning grey;’ and -I, with several other persons, watched its progress. Gradually, -but decidedly, the change went on, and a uniform greyish -colour was completed within the period above named.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_3_3" href="#FNanchor_3_3" class="label">3</a> -Herod., lib. iv. cap. 74-75.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_4_4" href="#FNanchor_4_4" class="label">4</a> -Ib., lib. i. cap. 202.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_5_5" href="#FNanchor_5_5" class="label">5</a> -The Ansayrii and the Assassins, by the Hon. F. Walpole.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_6_6" href="#FNanchor_6_6" class="label">6</a> -“Ex illo sane tempore [tabacum] usu cepit esse creberrimo -in Angliâ, et magno pretio dum quam plurimi graveolentem illius -fumum per tubulum testaceum hauriunt et mox e naribus -effiant; adeo ut Anglorum corporum in barbarorum naturam -degenerasse videantur quum iidem ac barbari delectentur.”——<span class="smcap">Camden</span>, -<i>Annal. Elizab.</i>, p. 143. (1585.)</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_7_7" href="#FNanchor_7_7" class="label">7</a> -Squier’s “Nicaragua.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_8_8" href="#FNanchor_8_8" class="label">8</a> -Edwards’ “Voyage up the Amazon.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_9_9" href="#FNanchor_9_9" class="label">9</a> -Bentley’s Magazine.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_10_10" href="#FNanchor_10_10" class="label">10</a> -For the art of making tobacco pipes of clay, the Dutch are -indebted to this country, in proof of which, Mr. Hollis, who -passed through the Netherlands in 1748, states that the master -of the Gouda Pipe Works informed him, that, to that day, the -principal working tools bore English names.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_11_11" href="#FNanchor_11_11" class="label">11</a> -Catlin’s North American Indians, vol. ii., p. 160.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_12_12" href="#FNanchor_12_12" class="label">12</a> -Tooke says “<span class="smcap">Snuff</span> is the past participle of to <i>sniff</i>, that -which is <i>sniffed</i>.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_13_13" href="#FNanchor_13_13" class="label">13</a> -Lord Stanhope makes the following curious estimate:——“Every -professed, inveterate, and incurable snuff-taker, at a -moderate computation, takes one pinch in ten minutes. Every -pinch, with the agreeable ceremony of blowing and wiping the -nose, and other incidental circumstances, consumes a minute -and a half. One minute and a half out of every ten, allowing -sixteen hours to a snuff-taking day, amounts to two hours and -twenty minutes out of every natural day, or one day out of -every ten. One day out of every ten amounts to thirty-six -days and a half in the year; hence, if we suppose the practice -to be persisted in for forty years, two entire years of the snuff-taker’s -life will be dedicated to tickling his nose, and two more -to blowing it.” The expense of snuff, snuff-boxes, and -handkerchiefs, is also alluded to; and it is calculated that “by a -proper application of the time and money thus lost to the public, -a fund might be constituted for the discharge of the national -debt.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_14_14" href="#FNanchor_14_14" class="label">14</a> -Curiosities of Food, by P. L. Simmonds. Bentley, 1859.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_15_15" href="#FNanchor_15_15" class="label">15</a> -Tobacco entered for home consumption— -</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 2em;">1856 1857 1858</span><br /> -32,579,166 lbs. 32,851,365 lbs. 34,110,850 lbs.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">Total 99,541,381 lbs.—or 44,438 tons.</span><br /> -</p> -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_16_16" href="#FNanchor_16_16" class="label">16</a> -Tea entered for home consumption in— -</p> -<p> - -<span style="margin-left: 2em;">1856 1857 1858</span><br /> -63,295,643 lbs. 69,159,640 lbs. 73,217,483 lbs.<br /> -</p> -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_17_17" href="#FNanchor_17_17" class="label">17</a> -<i>Mesembryanthemum tortuosum</i>, Linn.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_18_18" href="#FNanchor_18_18" class="label">18</a> -<i>Rhus typhina.</i></p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_19_19" href="#FNanchor_19_19" class="label">19</a> -“The tree Tooba that stands in Paradise, in the palace of -Mahomet.”——<i>Sale.</i> “Tooba signifies beatitude or eternal -happiness.”——<i>D’Herbelot.</i></p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_20_20" href="#FNanchor_20_20" class="label">20</a> -See Table XV. in the Appendix.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_21_21" href="#FNanchor_21_21" class="label">21</a> -Dr. Hobson states, in an official communication to the -Government, “I do not know of any mortal disease from opium -corresponding to <i>delirium tremens</i> from alcohol. I have never -been called to attend to any accidents resulting from opium -similar to those occurring so frequently from habits of intoxication -from liquor. The opium-smoker, when under the full -influence of his delicious drug, brawls and swaggers not in the -public streets, like a drunkard, to the annoyance of bystanders, -but reposes quietly on his couch, without molesting those -around him.” -</p> -<p> -Also Dr. Traill, of Singapore, from his own experience, has -not found opium-smoking in any way so powerful a promoter of -disease as the habitual use of intoxicating liquors.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_22_22" href="#FNanchor_22_22" class="label">22</a> -Dr. Doran says that a salad was so scarce an article during -the early part of the last century, that George I. was obliged -also to send to Holland to procure a lettuce for his queen. -These vegetables must, therefore, have become unpopular -before that time, or the cultivation had been for some cause -discontinued, otherwise we cannot reconcile this with the fact -that lettuces were common enough a century before a George -sate upon the English throne.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_23_23" href="#FNanchor_23_23" class="label">23</a> -Von Hammer’s History of the Assassins.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_24_24" href="#FNanchor_24_24" class="label">24</a> -“Dublin Quarterly Journal of Medical Science.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_25_25" href="#FNanchor_25_25" class="label">25</a> -Dr. Daniell in “Pharmaceutical Journal.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_26_26" id="Footnote_26_26"></a><a href="#FNanchor_26_26"><span class="label">[26]</span></a> -</p> -<p> - -1850—1,734 candies.<br /> -1851—1,983 candies.<br /> -1852—2,953 candies.<br /> -1853—2,073 candies.<br /> -1854—1,954 candies.<br /> -The candy is 433½ lbs.<br /> -</p> -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_27_27" href="#FNanchor_27_27" class="label">27</a> -There is a stick of this kind in the Museum of Economic -Botany at Kew Gardens.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_28_28" href="#FNanchor_28_28" class="label">28</a> -The stem and roots of long pepper, cut in pieces and dried -under the name of <i>Pipula moola</i>, are exposed for sale in all the -bazaars of India, but these are not used with the areca nut, nor -are the leaves applied to that purpose.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_29_29" href="#FNanchor_29_29" class="label">29</a> -From <i>cate</i> a tree, and <i>chu</i> juice.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_30_30" href="#FNanchor_30_30" class="label">30</a> -Neale’s Residence in Siam.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_31_31" href="#FNanchor_31_31" class="label">31</a> -Why are ladies who indulge in this habit universally described -as <i>elderly</i> ladies?</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_32_32" href="#FNanchor_32_32" class="label">32</a> -This name, derived from the Greek, indicates <i>strong</i>, -<i>powerful</i>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_33_33" href="#FNanchor_33_33" class="label">33</a> -“Edinburgh Medical Journal,” 1857.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_34_34" href="#FNanchor_34_34" class="label">34</a> -The potato, the tomato, and egg plant possess, when -uncooked, in a mild degree, the properties of the nightshade, -the stramonium, and the henbane, confirming the remark of De -Candolle “that all our aliments contain a small proportion of -an exciting principle, which, should it occur in a much greater -quantity, might become injurious, but which is necessary as -a natural condiment.” In fact, when food does not contain -some stimulating principle, we add it in the form of spices.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_35_35" href="#FNanchor_35_35" class="label">35</a> -Another fanciful origin for the name, which signifies -“beautiful woman,” is, that it was bestowed in consequence of -the use once made of its berries by the Italian ladies as a -cosmetic.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_36_36" href="#FNanchor_36_36" class="label">36</a> -“Similia similibus curantur.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_37_37" href="#FNanchor_37_37" class="label">37</a> -“Journ. de Chim. Méd.,” 1839, p. 322.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_38_38" href="#FNanchor_38_38" class="label">38</a> -“Archives Gén. de Méd.,” t. xi., p. 94.</p></div> - - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_40_40" href="#FNanchor_40_40" class="label">40</a> -Each Chest of Opium contains about 140 lbs.</p></div></div> - - - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Seven Sisters of Sleep, by -Mordecai Cubitt Cooke - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SEVEN SISTERS OF SLEEP *** - -***** This file should be named 60805-h.htm or 60805-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/0/8/0/60805/ - -Produced by deaurider, Les Galloway and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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