“Opium Fleet Descending the Ganges on the Way to Calcutta”

“An Opium Fleet of native boats, conveying the drug to Calcutta. The fleet is passing the Monghyr Hills, and is preceded by small canoes, the crews of which sound the depth of water, and warn all boats out of the Channel by beat of drum, as the Government boats claim precedence over all other craft. The timber raft shown in the sketch has been floated down from the Nepal Forests, and will be used in making packing-cases for the opium.”

- The Truth about Opium Smoking, 1882

Image:
Illustrations of the mode of preparing the Indian opium intended for the Chinese market from drawings by Captain Walter S. Sherwill.

Source: Cornell University Library