The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1870-06-24

h''''o,i '""' hc hot only re1uSed TO
use it himself but endeavorcd to DIES.
troy and suppress it among his sub
jcots, and would thereby havo robbed
the crown Of what has since proved
| ono Of its noblcst jewels and most
considerable revenue, and tho nation
Of Il very advantageous branch Of
tradc.
Sir Walter Raleigh's tobacco box,
with some of his pipes, where cxtant
aud laid up among tho raritics Of tho
museum Of that curious antiquarian,
the late Ralph Thomasly, Of Leeds,
England.
There arc some Numerous stories
still remembered concerning the first
use Of tobacco, particularly Ralcigh's
wager with tho Queen, that he would
determine exactly tho weight of the
smoke that went off in pipo Of to-
bacco. This he did by first Weighing
the tobacco, and then carefully pre-
serving and weighing the ashes, and
the Queeu readily granted that what
was wanting in prime weight must be
cvaporatcd in smoke, and when sho
said pleasantly that she had heard of
many laborcrs in the fire who had
turned their gold into smoke, but
Raleigh was the first who had turned
his smoke into gold.
1t was also related that a country
servant Of his, bringing him q tank
ard Of ale and nutmeg into his study,
as he was intcntly engaged at his
book, smoking pipe Of tobacco, the
fellow was so frightened at scccing
the smoke como out of his moqth,
that hc threw the ale into his face in
order TO cNtinguishcd tho fire, and
ran down stairs, alarming the family
and crying out tlrat his master was
on fire, and before they could get up
would be burned to ashes.
"Ccrtainly," says Camden, "from
that time forward it began to grow in
great request, and to be sold at n
high rate" 1t is remarkable that, in
all our carly accounts Of tho Amcri-
can aborigints, we find the use of to-
bacco specified. Carter, in 1886,
found it in Canada, and thus dcscrib-
cs it: "Thcrc grows a certain kind
of herb whereof in summer they
mako great provisions for all the year,
making great account of it, and only
men use it. At first they cause it to
be dried in the sun, then wear it
about their necl1s, wrapped in little
beasts skin, mado like little bag,
with a'hollow pieces of stone or wood
like q pipe, when they please they
make powder of it, and putting it in
one end of said corrct or pipe, laying
a coal Of fire upon it, at the other end
suck so long that the y fill their bodies
with smoke, till that it cometh out
Of their mouth and nostrils, even as
out Of the funnel of chimney"
Brcrcton, in his Journal of Cos
nold's Voyages in 1902, and Roster in
his account'of Wcymouth's voyages
to England in 1905, both speak of it's
use among tho Indians in those parts.
But in this case, it was not smoking,
or chewing, or snuffing, but drinking.
''Thcy gave us also," says Brcrcton,
eof their tobacco which they drink
green, but dried with powder, very
strong and pleasant" "Wo drank Of
their excellent tobacco" writes Ro-
zicr, Gas much rs VIC would with
them, but we saw not gny great guam
tity to truck for, and it seemed that
they had not much left of the old, for
they spent a great quantity yearly
by their continued drinkingl'
Lane found it among tho Floridi-
ans, and tho Spaniards among the
Mexicans, "where the natives took it
not only in smoke at tho mouth, but
also in snuff at the nose; and it was
such luxury with them that Lords
Of Mexico composed themselves to
sleep with it," ats name," says An
derson, twas probably given it by
the Spaniards, before this time, from
tho Isle of Tobago, one of tho Car
ribbeas, where it was produced in
abundance"