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curse the British and long for the day on which they can shake off their shackles.
England as Poisoner of the Chinese Nation.
The "Most Honorable East India Company," the activity of which we have just now related, committed many crimes beside those in India. And these are so atrocious that probably no more shocking were ever perpetrated in the history of mankind. Only cold-blooded cupidity, bare of all conscience, could lead the "East India Company" to demoralize and poison a whole nation numbering hundreds of millions. This was done with opium. This narcotic has been known in Asia since the 13th century; in China however, it was only used medically, as a cure against fever and dysenteria. As late as 1750, while the opium trade was in the hands of the Portuguese, the import of opium into China did not exceed 200 chests per year. Things changed when in 1773 the "East India Company" snatched the opium monopoly away from the Portuguese and started the opium-culture in Bengal on a grand scale. As early as 1776 the importation into China had increased to 1,000 chests, and fourteen years later to 4054 chests at 149 ¼ pounds each, as nothing was left undone to induce the Chinese to the ensnaring nature of the poison.—When, with the increasing consumption of opium the Chinese the terrible results of its habitual use began to appear and when the population of whole districts fell into retrogression and lingering disease, the Chinese Government, thoroughly alarmed, forbade the further importation of the drug and punished all opium smokers with severe penalties. When these measures, taken for the protection of the nation, were found to be insufficient, the penalties were made to be banishment and death. In order to remove the evil with the root, the English traders were forbidden to sell the dangerous poison. For those apostles of European civilization the opium trade was however too lucrative to be given up. Instead, they organized an extensive smuggler trade, whereby the opium trade was increased inside of ten years (1820-1830) to 16,877 chests per year (See Encyclop. Brittanica, Art.: Opium).—When all expostulations of the Chinese Government were unavailing, it issued in 1839 a proclamation to the English traders, threatening hostile measures, if the opium ships, serving as depots, were not sent away.
This demand not being complied with, the Chinese Government on April 3rd confiscated 20,291 chests of opium, valued at $2,500,000 and destroyed the same. When, at the same time English sailors killed a Chinaman and the English
