OPIUM

329
of  1753,  which  is  based  on  tariffs  of  1687  and  1733,  then
still  in  force,  opium  is  included  as  paying  Tls.3  a  picul,
which  is  at  the  rate  of  6  per  cent,  (the  then  official  rate
of  levy)  on  a  value  of  Tls.50  ;  and  in  a  valuation  book  of
the  same  date  (1755),  the  values  of  certain  commodities  are
given,  among  them  silk  at  Tls.ioo,  tea  at  lls.8,  rhubarb
Tls.i'50,  musk  Tls.150,  and  opium  Tls.50.  The  inference
is  that  the  Canton  officials  were  quite  honest  in  holding
that  the  prohibitory  edict  of  1729  did  not  apply  to  the
importation  of  the  foreign  drug.  The  trade  went  on  without
restriction  on  the  importation,  and  in  1773  the  English  merchants ­
  made  their  first  imports  from  Calcutta,  with  the
probable  effect  of  increasing  the  amount  introduced.  In
1780  a  new  Viceroy  was  appointed  to  Canton,  who  had
“  the  reputation  of  an  upright,  bold,  and  rigid  minister,”  *
and  who  determined  to  apply  the  Imperial  restriction  to
the  importation  of  the  drug,  as  well  as  to  its  sale  for
smoking  ;  but  the  connection  between  this  and  the  assumption ­
  of  control  of  the  opium  traffic  by  the  East  India
Company  in  the  following  year,  is  a  matter  of  inference.
The  evils  arising  from  the  use  of  opium  became  more
apparent  from  year  to  year,  the  import  in  1790  having
increased  to  4,054  chests  ;  and  in  1796,  on  the  representation ­
  of  the  Viceroy,  an  Imperial  edict  was  issued
absolutely  prohibiting  all  importation.  In  1800  this
prohibitory  edict  was  issued  anew.  From  this  date  the
traffic  became  contraband,  and  about  the  same  time
smuggling  became  organised  by  detailed  arrangements
made  between  the  importers  and  the  officials  at  Canton
and  elsewhere  along  the  coast.
Drain  of  Specie
In  addition  to  the  high  moral  ground  taken  by  the
Imperial  Government  in  their  desire  to  suppress  the  opium
traffic,  they  rest  their  case  upon  their  statement  of  the
fact  that  the  necessity  of  paying  for  the  opium  drained
the  country  of  silver,  giving  as  an  instance  the  “  average
*  “  British  Parliamentary  Papers,”  1783.