mddm 27: coffee,tea...Ooaphium?

[Bandwraith at aol.com]

Is it opium that the narrator (Rev'd?) is referring to in the
last line of p.266: "Chinamen's Drugs"?

Not really a major problem of the Central Kingdom, no? At
least not until its introduction by others- or am I confusing
it with tea. Anyone more familiar with The Company's connection
with the introduction of opium into China, at about this time?

Also, the line above, referring to the apothecary shop, and
ending with: "...rendering it indistinct as to size, legality, or
destiny," referring  to the "warm'd Narcosis" like atmosphere
of the shop- could also be a trope for America yet to come,
couldn't it? Interesting, the suggestion, by juxtaposition, of the
the economics and politics of narcotics, and, the destabilization
of political entities- their physical and cultural boundaries- and
their replacement by new ones, redefined by some other agency.

As if to say, "Here, you can have your moment of purity, just
try a little of this, and while your having your visions, don't
bother about me, I'll just make myself at home..."