The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1860-01-06
The Use of Tobacco.

The Dean of Charlsle, in recent lee-
ture on tobacco, at Charlisle, England.
gave the following statistics:
In 1856, 33,O0O,OOO pounps of tobacco
were consumed here, at an expense of
100000 money; $4,000 pounds Of
which went iii duty to the Government,
to saw nothing of vast Quantities sumggled
into the country. There is steady in
crease upon this consumption, far exceed
ing the cotemporaneous increase of pop
ulation. In 1891, the average was ll.70
ounces per head per annum; in 1851, it
had risen to 1886; and in 1853, to 10
ounces, or at least at the rate of one fourth
increase in ten years We hear of 900
hogsheads of tobacco in the bonding hous-
es in London at one time. There are II
city brokers in London expressly devoted
to tobacco sales; 90 manufacturers l.
500 tobacco shops in London 50 clay
pipe makers; 1880 workmen engaged in
the different branches of the business
and no less than 252, ,04o tobacco shops in
the United Kingdom. And if we turn to
the continent the consumption and ex-
penditure assume proportions perfectly
gigantic. In France much more is con-
sumed in proportion to the population
than in England. The Emperor clears
l00,000,0O0 francs annually by the Gov
ernment monopoly. At st. Omcr l,000
tons of clay are used in making As, ,000, 900
tobacco pipes. In the city of Hamburg
10000 cigars are consumed daily, although
the population is not much over 10000;
10000 persons, many of them women and
children, are engaged in their manuiac-
ture; l5O,O00,OOO cigars are supplied an
nually; printing press is entirely occu-
pied in printing labels for the boxes of
cigars, &C., and the business represents
G4,000,000! In Denmark the annual
consumption reaches the enormous ave-
rage Of 20 ounces per head of the whole
population and in Belgium even more
to 73 ounces, A pounds and 3-5 per
head. In America the avarage is vastly
higher. 1t is calculated that the entire
world of smokers, snufiers, and chewers
consume 1000, 900 tons of tobacco annu-
ally, or 4,4S0, ,000,0 600 pounds weight-as
much in tonnage as the corn consumed by
l0,0O0,000 Englsnmen, and actually at a
cost sufficient to pay for all the bread
corn eaten in Great Britain. Five mil.
lion and a half of acres are occupied in
its growth, chiefly cultivated by slave
labor, the product of which at two pence
per pound, would yield G37 900, ,000-
Ihe time would lall TO tell OF the vast
amount of smoking in Turkey and Per-
sia-in India all classes and both sexes in
dulge in this practice; the Siammese
both chew and smoke-in Burmah all
ages practice it; children of three years
old, and of both seXes-China equally
contributes to the general mainland
| the advocates of the habit boast that
about one fourth of the human race are
their clients, or that there are certainly
| 100000 smokers Are not these sta
tistcs perfectly astounding? Is not this
II wanton waste of money upon an idle
custom, admitted by its warmest advo-
Gates to be only luxury, seldom bene-
fetal, always dangerous? This financial
view of the question ought to arrest our
attention. Every working man, who con-
sumes only one ounce of "shag," "re-
turns" or birds eye" per week, or the
very moderate quantity Of four pounds
per annum, pays out of the fruits of his
labors twelve shillings and eight pence to
the Government in the shape Of tax on
his luxury!