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402 CHINA MISSION YEAR BOOK.in opium-planting provinces are feeling the economicdisturbance caused by this, and the price of foreignopium has gone up to over treble the former price.Hongkong has been ordered by the government to closeits opium dens, but negotiations are stillproceeding.The British government on its part has, from time totime, made official investigations as to the good faith ofthe Chinese government in the matter of opium prohibition, and is loyally carrying out its agreement aboutthe annual decrease from India, althoughit is to befeared that great quantities of opium are shipped fromIndia to ports outside of China, from which it is reexportedagain to China.The Anti-Opium Society has met with a great lossby the death of Dr. DuBose, its first and only president,on March 22nd. A reconstruction of the society in China,with a view to broaden its basis, is now under discussion.Dr. Arthur H. Smith on pages 11-12 of this YearBook gives his mature opinion of the present position ofthe opium reform, and to this we refer our readers.