consideration all poisonous substances
other than those herein after mentioned which have been the cause of death or harm to individuals by
misadventure, as many cases have
been and
as not
to justify
are
of
Justify
so rare occurrence
my
opinion.
recourse to legislation. Opium, the
drug
suicides
usually employ,
is
also excluded for the reason that
its almost
general employment by
the Chinese would seem to render it
a
well nigh impossible task to
devise means to prevent its
use by
intending suicides. Moreover I am
unable to point to a single case
of murder or attempted murder in which opium has been employed.
My remarks will therefore be confined to those substances which are used as
agents in criminal
poisoning in its strictest sense,
of
which the experience of past years
would
appear to limit to parts or preparations of the following:
Arsenic
Sahura Alba
Gelsemium Elegans
Of these three poisons
Arsenic is
known to
require more than
passing
notice. The Chinese are not only
acquainted with the tersulphide of Arsenium – the white Arsenic of English commerce_ but also with the yellow (Orpiment) and red
(Realgar) sulphides. There is,
moreover, a native mineral
named hung-
sin which consists,
according to Stanbury of the red
sulphide and white oxide of arsenium. I have had no experience in this Colony of
a
case
of arsenical
poisoning. My predecessor, Mr.
Callum, has placed on record
a
case the particulars of which
will