By occasionally visiting the Hercules, one of the receiving ships for opium, I was able to observe, through the kindness of Mr. Parry, her chief officer, how this extensive and lucrative trade is conducted. The sales are effected in Canton by the European merchants, and orders sent down with the smuggling boats for the delivery of the opium from the different ships; the boats engaged in this occupation are armed with spears, shields, and even fire-arms, to repel any attack that may be made upon them by the mandarin guard-boats. They are also manned by a very brave and athletic crew; indeed Chinese fight very well one against the other, but cannot bring forward sufficient courage to face Europeans, except the advantages are overpowering on their side. These boats are provided with sails, in addition to a number of oars and rowers, and they pass through the water with inconceivable rapidity. The mandarin boats, having a weaker and less choice crew, can seldom or ever overtake them; this, however, may in part be explained from the fact of the guard-boats, (the revenue cutters,) sent by the Chinese government to cruize against smugglers, coming alongside for a supply of the prohibited drug, to smuggle it themselves into the heart of the Chinese empire. Any thing can be done by bribery in this country, and these boats are often employed for smuggling cassia, treasure, &c. on board European ships at Lintin, &c.; indeed every smuggling boat that takes opium from an opium ship, leaves a payment of one dollar on each chest for the mandarins, and on the opium returns being made up, the sum is regularly paid to them; each boat leaves also a kum, shaw, or present for the ship, of five dollars. The chests of the drug are opened on board; the balls or cakes are taken out, and immediately deposited in small mat bags, brought by them for the purpose, and sown up; being in that way more convenient to smuggle than in large heavy chests. There are three kinds of opium usually sold in the English ships—the Malwa, Benares, and Patna; a fourth, the Turkey opium, is confined to American and other foreign vessels. The Patna opium is in balls, packed in partitioned cases, each chest containing forty balls. Old opium fetches a higher price than new; the former being solid, the latter soft and more liable to run. The old chests, so termed, are usually two years old when they come under that denomination. The Malwa opium is in rather flattened cakes. The prices of this drug of course fluctuate very much: the consumption in the Chinese Empire must be enormous, and is entirely—not the least extraordinary part of the affair—carried on by an illicit trade.[12]