Scarcely anything was known respecting China till the present century, and most of the knowledge which we now possess has been obtained within the last fifteen years. As foreign intercourse continues to grow more frequent and unrestricted with this Empire, the world will undoubtedly become better and better acquainted with its history and the character of its inhabitants. The recent settlements and great increase of trade on our Pacific shores will open a more direct communication with China, and render whatever concerns that people far more interesting and important to our own country. The antiquity of that nation, tracing its history by a direct and connected series of events back almost to the creation of the world, its vast extent of territory and resources, its literature and its arts, its government and its immense population, estimated at 350, 000, 000, constitute objects of exceedingly great interest. But passing by all these topics, we propose to examine a subject which vitally affects the interests of this great nation, viz., the opium trade. The amount of capital invested in this traffic, its present and prospective effects on human happiness, involving the welfare of nearly one half of the race as well as the relations existing between the two greatest empires in the world, render the subject vastly important to the statesman, the philanthropist, and the Christian. China expends for the single article of opium, annually, more money than the W1ien this Essay was commenced, it was intended for the pages of some Review or Magazine, but, after its completion, it was foand too long to appear entire in any periodical, and the writer has been induced by the advice of friends, to present it to the public in pamphlet form.