“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 white133 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 life134 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 applied135 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. he136 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 now137 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 large138 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 of139 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,140 “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 victims141 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. so142 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.
143
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 with144 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 question145 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 drinking146 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,147 “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 the148 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!”
