obviously useful. In most cases where ignorance
of foreigners that dislike amounts to a feeling of hostility, which takes advantage of the fact that most opium comes from India to revile Englishmen in particular. It is combined with this national bias that the English policy but not Englishmen are criticised.
more travelling inland in South-China, I have also found that the public feeling is infinitely more against France and everything French, everywhere unreasonably hostile mounting to an unreasoning hatred against Englishmen at the appearance of an Englishman long, whilst the appearance of a German (as an opponent of France) does not, in South-China, produce ill-feeling on other grounds but that he is a "foreign devil" and that his objects in coming must, of course, be anti-Chinese. I do not believe that the opium question adds much to the feeling of hostility against Europeans innate in every Chinaman.
None.
Ad 17.
20 December 1873.
Inspector Stanton's replies to Questions on the subject of former 2956
(1). Opium is commonly consumed by Chinese & Malays & to some extent by Indians.
(2). About 70% of the Chinese take opium occasionally, but there are not all regarded as smokers. About 95% of the Chinese & Malay adult males, 2% of the Indian adult males, & 5% of the Chinese & Malay women habitually consume opium. No children consume it.
(3). Opium has no ill effects morally except on the poorest and most besotted smokers; some of these, when the craving for opium is on them, if they have no other way of getting it, will steal that they may have the wherewithal to purchase the drug.
The homes of those who consume opium appear to be benefited by it, while the wives & children of poor opium smokers necessarily suffer deprivation in consequence of money that ought to be applied to family purposes being wasted on opium. Those who take opium to excess become debilitated & incapable of arduous labour;
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