Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-01-29
The nistory Of Tobacco.

From the Baltimore American
| An interesting historical article by DR..
William Bacon Stevens. published 10 the
Magnolia Magazine in 1874, gives an
account of the first introduction oil
tobacco into England. II is an account
of the !" First English Voyage to Vir
/ ginis," made in the year 1884 by Captains
Amadus and Barlow, at the charge and
under the auspices Of Sir Walter r aleigh.
| Anderson, in his History of Com
merce." says they took home with them
some tobacco, the first that was ever seen
in EHglsnd. But this is erroneous, az in
"Stow's Chronicle" it is stated that Sir
John Hawkins carried it thiiher in the
year 1865, but it was then considered as
smere drug, and the "Chronicle tells
us all men wondered what it meant"
This account of Stow is confirmed by
Hakinyt, who, in his narrative of the
voyage of Sir John HawkinS, in 1865,
thus speaks of the article as observed oy
that navigator among theFlorida Indians :
"The Floridians, when they travel, hav g
q kind of herb dried, which, with can e,
and an earthen cup on the end, with fl e,
and the dried herbs put together, do su ok
through the cane the smoke there of,
which smoke satis6eth their hung ,r.''
Hawkins probably carried a specims Of
it to England as curiosity.
Camden and other authorities, how.
ever, assert that tobacco was first AIKEN
to England by Ralph Lane, Govern or of
the Virginia adventurers, in 1886. That
the colonists at that time learned ii g use
of this narcotic is evident from what
Harlot, "a man of science and OBJ serva-
ton" who accompanied Mr.. Lane, says.
"The Indians" he writes, used o take
the fume or smoke thereof, by smo king it
in pipes made of clay. We, on rselves,
during the time we were there, used to
suck it after their fashion, as q lso since
our return" The interest ard example
of Sir Walter Raleigh, o m an of gaiety
and fashion," soon brougb { it into such
vogue at court, says Smi h, that many
great ladies, as we'll "a no biemen, made
no scruple to take pipe.
j We are not inform ed whether the
Queen herself made use of it, but it is
certain that she gave great ountenance
and encouragement to il, as vegetable
of singular strength and DO wer, which
might, therefore, prove of ben eftto man
htuu anu hofouboRc III I1e Z ldLlOus 90
far, as Mr.. Oldys well observe 8, was this
wise Princess from the refine taste of
her successor, who held tobacc in such
abominstion that he not only refused to
use it himself, but endeavored to destroy
and suppress il among his sui jects, and
would thereby have robbed the crown of
what has since proved one of ts noblest
jewels and most considerable revenue,
and the nation of a very adv sntsgeous
branch of trade. Sir Walter Raleigh's
tobacco box, with some Of his pipes,
were extant, and laid up an iong the
rsrities of the museum of that eu rious an
tiquarian, the late Ralph Tho 'msly, of
Leeds, England.
There are some humorous stor les still
remembered concerning the first use of
tobacco, particularly RAleigh's wager
with the Queen, that he would dete rmire
exactly the weight of the smoke that
went off in pipe of tobacco. This he
did BY first weighing the tobacco. and
then carefully preserving and wnie hing
the ashes, and the Queen readily granted
that what was wanting in prime weight
must be evaporsted in smoke, and when
she paid the wager, she said pleaIantly,
that she had heard of many labor ers In
the FIRE who had turned their gold into
smoke, bat Raleigh was the fret who had
turned his smoke into gold
1t was also related that country |
servant of bis, bringing him a tsnkard o.
ale and nutmeg into his study, ss he was
engaged at his book, smoking
pipe of tobacco, the fellow was so fright
al - L. Iro ant nf bta /
mouth, that he threw the ale into his face
in order to extinguish the fire, and ran
down stairs, alarming the family, and
crying out that his msster was on hre,
and, before they could get up, would be
burned to ashes.
Certainly" says Camden, " from
that time forward it began to grow in
great request, and to be sold at high
rate" Ii is remarkable that, in all our
early accounts Of the American sborig-
ines, we find the use Of tobacco specified.
Carter, in l435, found it in Canada, and
thus describes it: There groweth GER
tain kind Of herb whereof in sHmmer
they make great provision for ell the
year, making great account OF 1t, and
onlv meu use il. And first they cause 1t
10 be dried in the sun, then wear 1t about
heir neck, wrapped in a little beasts
skin. made like a little bag, with hollow
piece ofstoue or wood, like q pipe when
hey please they make powder Of 1t, and
put il in one end Of said correct, or pipe,
snd laying q coal of FIRE upon it, at the
,ther end suck 80 long that they fill their
bodies with smoke, till that 1t cometh out
If their mouth aud nostrils, even as out
IF the tunnel Of q chimney"
Brereton, in his journal of Gosnold's
Voyages in 1902, aud Roster, in his &C i
,ouut Of Weymouth's voyages to Eag- '
and in 1905, beth speak Of its use L
Imong the Indians Of those parts. But G
n this case Il was not smoking, or chew 9
ng. or buufiDg, but drinking. : They J
ave Us also says Brere.on, "of their :
obaeco, which they drink green, but 1
ried with powder, very strong and plea 8
ant" I'VE drank Of their excellent to- 2
lseco. writes Bonier "as much IS We 8
aw no, any great quantity TO truck for, 0