Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1860-05-03
4opular Rela0nilg

ToBAoooo-1Ts HIsToRY.-ILLUsTRI-
GUS SMoKERs.-A new volume has just
appeared in London, to be added to the
numberless treatises devoted to the history
of tobacco and to anecdotes connected with
it. Mr.. Fairholt, the author of the work,
goes gossiping through the story of tobacco
and the three centuries of possession which
it has held ever since certain Europeans
first behelda few American savages "en-
Toying apipe." Here is Whit or two from
Mr.. rFairholG's well filed pipe:
"0f,literary men, Goethe hated tobacco,
very extraordinary thing for a German to
do. Heinrich Heine had the same dislike.
OF French literateurs Balzac, Victor Hugo
and Dumas did not smoke; but the smokers
are Alfred de Musset, Eugene Sue, Meri.
NEE, Paul de St. Victor, and Madame Du-
devant, better known by her soubriquet of
George Sand, who often INDUCES in cigar
between the intervals of literary labor, as
the ladies of Spain and Mexico delight in
doing at all other intervals. Charles Lamb,
sthe gentle Elia,' was once a great smoker.
In letter to Wordsworth he says: Tobac.
co has been my evening comfort and my
morning curse for these last FIVE years. I
have had in my head to write this poem for
these two years Farewell Tobacco j but
tobacco stood in its own light, when it gave
me headaches that prevented my singing its
praises Lamb once, in the height of his
smoking days, was putting the coarsest
weed from long clay pipe in company with
Parr, who was careful in obtaining finer
sorts, and the Doctor, in astonishmept, ask
ed him how he acquired this 'prodigious
power Lamb answered, 'by toiling after
it as some men toll after virtue 70.
"Of other literary smokers in England
We may note Sir Walter Scott, who at one
time carried the habit very far. So did
Bloomfield. Campbell, More and Byron,
delighted in its temperate enjoyment, as
does our present laureate, Tennyson, who has
echoed its praise with Byron in immortal
verse. Robert Hall, when at Cambridge,
acquired the habit of smoking from being
in PARIS company; and being asked why.
he had commenced, lam qualifying my
self for the society of a Doctor of Divinity
was the reply, 'and this (holding up the
pipe) is the test Of my admission When
presented with Clark's pamphlet on the
ssuse and abuse of smoking" he said Il
can't refute his arguments, but can't give
up smoking The 'learned in the law as.
well as the dignitaries in the church have
smoked. Lords Eldon and Stowell, and
Lord Brougham in-early life, indulged1thus.
The late Duke of Sussex and the Duke of
Dovonshire gave it taristooratic sanction and
George ". royalty patronized it.
II, Thus, from the throne to the cottage the
pipe has been solace it has aided soldier
and sailor in bearing many hard priyation.
Many would rather 60 without their ratiops
than their pipe, and endure any hardship
with it. Here is a modern instance from
the late Crimean war: A lady told me q
story of a man, NJ, in her division,
which shows how much some of them will
venture for smoke. He had just had one
[of his toes taken of, under the influence of
chloroform. 1t bled profusely; and the
surgeon, after. binding it up, went away,
giving his strict injunctions not to allow
him to move, and ordered him some medi
cine, which he would send presently. She
was called away to another patient for few
minutes, and went, leaving NJ with
strict orders not to put his foot down. On
her return to his bedside, to her astonish-
ment, he was gone; and after some search;
ing, she discovered him, by the traces of
blood on the stairs and corridor, sitting
down in the yard smoking his pipe with the
greatest sang troid. She spoke to him Sc
riously about disobeying orders and doing
himself an injury but he was perfectly
callous on the subject Of his toe. She sue
ceeded, however, in working on his feelings
at thaving disfgured the corridor with blood,
and he came. back saying, Indeed, ma'am,
I could not help going to have pipe, for
that was the nastiest stuff I ever got drunk
on in my life -alluding to the chloroform.