The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-02-05

Ii is generally supposed that the State monopoly |
for the sale and manufacture of tobacco in France
originated in an imp rial decree in lSl0 This Is
mistake; it dates as far back as Louis XIV. This
monarch invented il in 1914. Engaged at the time
in war, with Europe allied against him, he issued
decree forbidding private persons to manufacture
or sell TOBACCO upon pain, for the first offence OF
900 livres fine, and of corporea punishment for
the second. The privilege was reserved to the
king, "who hoped, thereby to ease his people of a
portion OF the extraordinary expenses OF the present
war" Instead ofhaving tobacco manufactured by
his own agents, and sold for his benefit, he
disposed of the monopoly TO certain. persons at
much per annum. This system prevailed for
forty FIVE years. the income derived from it annu
ally increasing, till in l7l5 it had rencscd four
millions of livrcs, 000) In ITO decree
Of the Council Of Regency abolished the monopoly,
and freed the tobacco trade from all shack kles save
an import duty. The cultivation. however, Of
the weed in France continued TO be prohibited.
In l72l the monopoly was resumed in favor Of
the king, and continued without interruption for
| seventy years The last contract entered into
with the farmers general on the part OF the king
for the uscturc and sale Of tobaccoin in 1900,
fof thirty two MILL ms Of vres, So 6,400,O0O) In
1871 the National Assembly again.suppressed the
State monopoly, prohibiting the portaton of
foreign manufactured tobacco, and 1cvying duty
on leaf tobacco from abroad From this time, till
lSl0, the trade continued free, and also the man
ufacture, but under continually increasing taxa
ton and shacklcs. The import duties in
creased on the article; the manufactured arti
Gle was taxed; licenses were required for the man
ufacture and for the rcta and after all the income
from this source in 1909 did not reach the sum Of
S ,000, 900. In 1910 Napoleon, by imperial de-
cree established the State monopoly; but in lieu
of the ancient system he introduced the actual prac
tce of entrustng t. special administration (regie)
the manufacture and salc of tobacco in the name
and for the benefit of the State. Successive laws in
1916 and lSi0 continued and confirmed the system.
Since the of 1910, to the present time, the
State revenues from this source have been steadily
and wonderfully increasing. The total quantity sold
by the reggie from July 1911, to December 81 1914,
was 55,S97 ,975 kilogrammes, U22 $4,000 lbs,)
and the net proceeds of sale going into the State
treasury SIS GIL ,l6S about s 1884 GIT per
annunl. In 1915 the net income from the tobacco
monopoly S6,424 $50. In 1880 it had reached
the sum Of $9356 4Si, with slight retrogradc
movement, in 1923, 1926, 1927. In 1891 there was
small falling off from the last mentioned sum-
Since that dae the income has annually increased
In 1896 II ,l25 90S In ls40 il SIt,-
022, ,23l. In 1913 the net income S17 1854 2l5.
From July |, 1911, to December 81 lS4S, the ad-
minlstraion in behalf of the State effected the
sale Of 5l6 oo2 124 kiogramnles ,l37, ,i40, ,673 lbs
OF tobacco which has thrown into the national trea
sury, all expenses paid, the aggregate sum of
S 1898 3l4 500. The expenses amount to about g.
OF the gross receipts The rsge will not render it's
detailed account Of operations during lSi9 till the
commencement OF 1852, but it is already
tained that the profits will prove to have exceeded
S II 200, 900.
These satisfactory results are attributed to the
superior character Of the French manufacture.
French snuff is universally admitted to be better
than can be procured in any other European State
The French manufacturers employ not only the in
digenous plant, but by judicious mixture of
otic leaves, by more skilfu preparation, by inn
provements in the manufacturing process, they
succeed in giving to French snufS that peculiar
and fine aroma which distinguishes them, and
which foreign manufacturers much envy, but
strive in vain to initiate There ten tobacco
factories in France located in the cities Of Paris
Havre, Morlaix, Lyons, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Ton
nicrs, Marseilles, Strasbourg. and Lille. The indi-
genous tobacco used in the factories, produced in
the six departments OF Lot, Lot ct Garonne, Ille
Vilaine, the Lower Rhine, the North, and Pas de-
Calais. Foreign tobacco is obtained from all quar-
tcrs of the globc-Europe, America, Asia, and Afri
ca. The reggie has its agents for the purchase Of
leaf tobacco in Greece Holland, the United States
III Mexico, Brazil, China, and Algiers.
During the year lS49 its purchases amounted TO
%, ,425 ,939 kilogrannes 537 600 lbs) of which,
nearly nc-balf was produced in France, viz:
1,05I 1926 kilogrammes. OF this amount, 1871 ,645
kilogrammes (42I 69 lbs) grown in tho
French possessions on she thern coast OF Africa
In ls45 this tobacco OF Agers figured to the
Of 2ll ,3S6 kios Ii is said to afford, in
tain cases. excellent Substitute for Grecian to.
bacco. They cutiyaing it this year, in .hgers,
with especial care, and with encouraging pros
poets. II is hoped that it will become one OF the
most profitable and important productions of the
colony CosMoPoLITE.
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