National Republican., 1882-08-08
ALL ABOUT TOBACCO.
Its History From Ita Discovery 10 tho
Present Time.

Prepared for TIRE REPUBLICAN:
The Lepsic Gdrtenidube, a prominent periodical
OF Germany, in late Issue contains an interesting
article on the history of tobacco. As tobacco Is
an important production Of the United States, we
publish the following extracts of the article. 1t
says: Tho home Of tobacco Is the New World.
Before the discovery of America tobacco was not
known to the other grand divisions of the earth.
When Columbus landed at the Island Of GUIANA
hani, on the 18th Of October, 1892 the Spaniards
with astonishment saw the natives blowing clouds
of smoke forth from their noses and mouths
The Indians wrapped q dry herb in q corn leaf,
lighted one end of the roll and imbibed the smoke
from the other. Such roll was called by them
tabaco, while the herb itself was called kohoba
THEY GAVE THE NAME OF TABACo
also to two pipes attached TO funnel by means of
which they inhaled through their noses the smoke
OF koliobd leaves placed upon burning Goals. They
used the fresh leaves of the kohobd plant for heal
ing wounds and filled the tents in which sick per-
sons were lying with tobacco smoke to lessen their
pains aud cure them. In Mexico, conquered in
l6lg, the Spaniards found tobacco in general use,
smoking 1t from reeds, mixing rose leaves and
aromatic gums with the dry herb. The Mexicans
also chewed and snufied tobacco. The Spaniards
soon commenced TO smoke themselves. They
took tobacco seed home with them TO Spain, where
the plant was originally raised in gardens and
used for medical purposes. The fresh leaves or
the juice of plant was used against gout head
ache, toothache, aud stomach ache. In this re-
spect the tobacco plant soon became so famous
versal remedy for all diseases of the human body.
In FRANCE TOBACCO BECAME KNOWN
by Jean Nlcot, who was French ambassador at
Lisbon, Portugal, In 1860, aud after him 1t was
called herbd Nicotia',u. An older name of ii is
petuni, derived from Brazilian word In France
tobacco was also first used as medicine, particu-
there. The French clergy zealously used snuff as
preventive against love. The wonderful herb
now became known among all civilized nations.
| IN 1865 AN APoTHEcARY OF AUGSBURG,
drin fro,
| France as new drug. In the course OF the sey
| enteenth century number of books on tobacco
were published in Switzerland and Germany In
Italy, too the clergy became protectors of the
| alive herb Bishop Tornaboni sent the first seed
OF the plant from Paris to Florence, To Rome the
seed was first sent by Cardinal de Santa Croce (oi
the Holy Cross, PapGl nuncio at Lisbon, and after
| him the plant was named the herb of the holy
cross. But at Rome tobacco first met, opposition.
| Pope Urban VIII, because aymen and clergymen
| were snufing during Divine service,
| ExcoMMuNIcATED sNuFFERs IN 1924.
| In Spain, at the convent of San Jago de Compos-
tella, famous for pilgrimages, five monks were
| imnured alive in 1852 b, cause they had smoked
| at the choir in the evening. Yet Pope Benedic ct
Kill, himself passionaje snufer, allowed the
| ments, too, opposed the use of tobacco. King
| James /. of England wrote q lengthy essay in
Latin against It in 1903, Tue University of oxford
held public disputatlon against the smoking of
tobacco in 1905. III France only druggists were
permitted to sell tobacco If prescribed by physi-
phus, smokers had to do penence in church. In
Russia smokers were Numerically whipped,
while their noses were torn open in 1854. About
the same time Sultan Murad ~. went around in
ConsantinoPle during the night time, accom-
panied by executtoners, who had 10 kill those he
| discovered smoking. In Persia
SOLDIERS FOUND SMOKING WERE KILLED.
and, with smashed hands and fee, thrown before
their tents. Also among the Niohammedans the
clergy were bitterly opposed TO the use of tobacco.
| III Germany, where the first smoking of tobacco
was chronicled in 1920 the authorities waged war
against its use, after the tn. rty years war, from
16lS to l64S, was over The city council of Berne,
Switzerland, ordained in 1861. that smoking of
| tobacco should receive the snlne punishment as
adultery. Bnt all that opposition was OF no avail.
Tobacco remained victor. Theryupon the govern
| mehts commenced to tax 1t. The Republic of
Venice first did this in 1867. 1t decreed the sale
and manufacture of tobacco to lie monopoly of
| the State, leased the same and derived a net in
come of 10000 ducats from 1t during the first five
| years. This example was at once followed by the
| papal government at Rome, AID in short time
by the governments of all the Uthyr states Of Italy.
| IN France Colbert, the prime minister, made a
| similar arrangement in 1874; and the government
| of France derived from the sale and manufacture
| OF tobacco
REVENUE OF FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND LIyREs
in that year, which rose TO 100000 lyres during
| the year 1887. III England also tobacco monopoly
OF the State was established, but it lasted only
| about twenty years, when it was abolished, giving
way to tax ON tobacco. In all civilized countries
of Europe tobacco was heavily taxed in the seven
| teenth and eighteenth centuries. The tobacco
| plant is now extensively raised in Europe, too,
! and manufactured there into snuff, smoking, and
| chewing tobacco, all of which are taxed as uXu-
ries. AS to the production of tobacco, the Gorten-
| taube says: The annual amount Of it raised at
present is in the United States, S,400000 hundred
weights; Cuba, 6l000O Brazil, 10000; Iudia,
10000; Austria, 100000 the Netherslatds 81,
Italy, $4,000; Russia, 10000, and Germany, 100,
900,
OF THE SEVERAL STATES
of the latter country, Prussia produces, in round
| numbers, 23O 600 hundredweghts Baden, 2420UO;
| Bayarin, 10000; Akace- Lorraine, 10000, and
| Hessa 81 900. The tobacco raised on the whole
| earth amounts to about 13 00O,000 hundIedweighIs
| annually. The present annual consumption OF
tobacco per head of the total population is in
! pound; Italy, ~ pounds; Cuba, 10 pounds
Austria, Q 2.5 pounds; United states and Germany,
| each pounds; Belgium, 4-5 puuuds, and Hot
land, S.5 pounds. Tobacco, in the shape Of snuff
| and smoking and chewing tobacco, although in
| itself not very attractive thing, has millions OF
deyotees all over the world.