“After my death I earnestly entreat that a full and unqualified narrative of my wretchedness, and of its guilty cause, may be made public, that at least some little good may be effected by the direful example.”—Coleridge.

A curse that is daily spreading, that is daily rejoicing in an increased number of victims, that entangles in its hideous meshes such great men as Coleridge, De Quincey, William Blair, Robert Hall, John Randolph, and William Wilberforce, besides thousands of others whose vice is unknown, should demand of us a searching and scientific examination.

As an illustration of the enormous increase of the use of opium and morphia in the United States, the following statistics have a painful interest, and it must be remembered that this is no exceptional case. In one of our large cities, containing, twenty-five years ago, a population of 57,000, the sales of opium and morphia reached 350 pounds and 375 ounces, respectively, or about 43 grains of opium and 3 grains of morphia yearly for each individual, if the consumption was averaged. The population is now 91,000, and 3500 pounds of opium and 5500 ounces of morphia are sold annually. While the population has increased 59 per cent., the sale of opium has increased 900 per cent., and morphia 1100, or an average of 206 grains of opium and 24 grains of morphia to every inhabitant. But there are additional sales of from 400,000 to 500,000 pills of morphia, which would give us 170 ounces more of the drug. One-fourth of the opium sold is consumed in its natural state, and three-fourths are made into opiates, the principal one being laudanum.

The following is official from the New York Custom House:—

Imports of opium into the United States for ten fiscal years, ending June 30th:—

1871,315,121lbs.$1,926,915
1872,416,864”2,107,341
1873,319,134”1,978,502
1874,395,909”2,540,228
1875,132,541”939,553
1876,388,311”1,805,906
1877,349,223”1,788,347
1878,430,950”1,874,815
1879,405,957”1,809,696
1880,533,451”2,786,606

Facts like these must, we think, arouse attention. They show a fearful drift. There is a worse form of intemperance than that which comes from bad liquor, although the choice would seem to be between the devil and the deep sea:

“And in the lowest depth, a lower deep,

Still threatening to devour us, opens wide.”