The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-05-18
A Dissertation on the Origin of Smoking
and the Use of Tobacco.

A Dissertation on the Origin of Smoking
and the Use of Tobacco.
At what period the use of the tobacco plant
was first known to the aboriginal inhabitants OF
America we know not; but It is certain that
when Christopher Columb landed on the 18th
OF October, 1892, on the island of Guanhtni, one
of the western Lucca or Bahamq Islands, to
which he gave the name OF San Salvador, he and
his crew beheld, TO their intense astonlshmen
number OF the natives peaceably collected on
the shore putting clouds of smoke from their
mouths and nostrils. On closer inspection lt
was found that portions OF some kind OF dried
herb ere wrapped up in the leaves of the maize
plants, and formed into cylindrical rolls, one
end OF which was placed into the mouth, and
the other being kndled the smoke was drawn
up and pulled forth. They we're, in point of
TACT what we should call cigarettes, but the
name given to them by the natives was Tobacco,
which Is clearly the origin of the name we give
to the plant, and not, as has been asserted, the
island Toba9o, one of the Southern Antilles,
winch was not discovered till l496. Still less is
the word derivable from TabascO, Mexican
province, which was not visited until the year
1913. The first regular description OF the to-
bacco plant was given by the hermit F-lar Ro-
mano Pane, whom Columbus left behind, after
his second voyage, to convert the Indians to
Christianity. He calls it herbinebrans, and
says it was called cohoba.
The prevalence of the custom of smoking
among the inhabitants of the West India Islands
at the period of their discovery is attested by
plorers, and the excellence OF the tobacco grown
III some OF them, particularly Cuba and Trini-
dad is the subject of remark. When the An.
titles came into the possession Of the French in
the middle Of the seventeenth century, tobacco
was extensively cultivated in them, and Du
Terre, in his account OF these Islands, describes
tour kinds of the tobacco plant:-First the
large green tobacco, OF petum, with leaves two
feet in length and one broad; second, tongue
tobacco, with tongue-shaped leaves third
Amazon tobacco, brought from the borders OF
the Amazon river, the leaves of which are very
round and rounded at the end; fourth Varinas
tobacco, brought from the province of Varinas.
The West Indies, particularly the island of
Cuba, to the present day affords the best tobacco
that possessing the hneht aroma. According to
Humboldt, the regions which produce the best
quality lie westward OF the city of Havana, in
the Vueta de Abajo.
At the time OF the conquest of Mexico by
Cortez in 1919, tobacco smoking was an esta-
blIshed custom among the natives; and Fran
cisco Lopez de Gonara, who was chaplain to
CorteZ, relates that they used either the leaves
rolled up into cylinder, or pipes made from
reeds and beautifully ornamented. The pipes
and the whole practice OF smoking are minutely
described in a curious manuscript recently
brought TO light, composed by the celebrated
Franciscan Bernardino Sahagan, who went
over to Mexico as preacher in 1929. The same
kind of pipes are still in use in Mexico, though
no longer for smoking tobacco, but for the
purpose of perfuming the altars in churches
with incense on fast days. Montezuma, accord
ing to the account of Bernal Dlaz was accus,
toned to take his pipe after dinner; it was
brought in on the removal of the cloth by
beautiful maldens and handed to HIM after he
had washed his mouth with scented water.
Long before the discovery and conquest of
Mexico, by the Spaniards, the Aztecs, and pro.
badly the Taltecs also, made use OF tobacco
pipes MADE OF baked clay. A great number of
such pipes have been dug up from the earth in
the vicinity OF the City of Mexico, and almost
all are blackened by frequent use. These CLAY
pinps GREATLY ragpO1hlp IN nj I,s
covered in the excavations on the shores of
Lake Erie, on the banks of the Ohio and Wa
bash, and in the valley OF the Mississippi. The
AzteCs were acquainted with the use OF tobacco
III the loIm OF snuh, and appear also to have
cheWed the leaves when mixed up with GER
tain quantity OF chalk.
AT the time of The discovery and conquest of
Central America smoking was practlsed by the
natives OF Chiapa, Hondu. as, Guatemala, aud
Nical ag ua-the clciques, no less than the COM
mon people, being passionately addicted to it.
Hernandez de OVledo, in the account OF his
voyage to Panama and Nicaragua in 1926, states
that tobacco was carefully guilty ated there and
the leaves prepared into rolls six inches long
and the thickness of finger, which we're called
III the language OF the country ympaQueUe. The
English surgeon Water, who crossed the Isthmus
OF Darlen with company OF buccaneers in 1851
and lived some time among the Indians, relates
tnat boys pulled the SMOKE from long rolls of
tobacco from two or three feet in length, into
the nostrils OF the lnotans as they lay stretched
side OF their noses to retain the precious incense
In short throughout the whole of Mexico and
Central America the native tribes, at the time Of
the hrst appearance OF the Europeans among
them, appear to have practised smoking.
The Spanlards soon took to it, and at the present
day tie habit prevails among the whole popula-
ton OF these regions, male and feInale OF Spanish
or mixed origin The old Mexican smoking
pipe, however, has long given place to the
modern puros-the simple leaf rolled up-aud
cigarTos, or papeletos, made oil tobacco wrapped
up in thin paper Large manufactures of these
were soon established and rapidly became
an important branch of industry. Father
Joseph Odis, who visited Mexico towards the
middle OF the last century, states that ne saw
ten thousand girls and i've thousand boys en-
gagged in preparing little rolls of tobacco
OF about u fingers length. From all the accounts
OF modern travellers in Mexico and the pro-
vinces OF Central America, we learn how
universally the habit is induged in by all classes
men and women. AT all hours and IN all places,
smoking goes on IN the offices, the drawing
room, AT the dnner-table, and even at balls ana
| theatres. The Spanish Government did not lail
| to take advantage OF the great consumption of
tobacco as a source of revenue. ln l764 mo-
nopOly in The trade OF tobacco was established
under the name OF Estanco Real de Tabaco; a
incense was required Tor its cultivation, and the
| produce was delil cred to the Government at a
hAeo price. For The better supervision OF the
plantations the Growth OF tobacco was restricted
within certain boundaries. In the time OF Hum
| boldts VISIT it vas confined to the valley oil
| Uragua and Cumanacta, and the only sort cul-
| hyated was that with broad upright leaves The
| tobacco monopoly brought large sums of money
| to the Span sh Government.
AS regards Sou,h America, except in Brazil
| and in the provinces of Guyana, none of the
| natives mhabllmg It's various regions appear TO
have been acquainted with the use of tobacco
until it was introduced by the Spanards. In
Guyana however at the time of Sir Walter
Raleiah's voyage to the 0Tinoco in search OF the