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So far as this country is concerned,
the sale of Opium and Morphia is regulated
by the Pharmacy Act 1868, copy of which is
annexed to this despatch.
There are no
regulations in force in this country apply-
ing to opium dens which indeed can hard-
ly be said to exist and as far as can be
ascertained, the practice of opium smoking
in Chinese boarding houses in the East
end of London is rather on the decrease
than otherwise.
The position of His Majesty's Govern-
ment towards British municipalities in the
Far East is not generally understood in
this country. They are not, as you are
aware, subject to the control of the
Foreign Office.
As regards the action of the Shanghai
Municipality in respect of the abolition
of opium dens which has been criticized,
it
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