The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-03-24
THE CIGAR IN ITALY.
Eight Inchcs Long, with Straw Dow
the CcDter-The Popular "Virginia."

Eight Inchcs Long. with II Straw Down
the CcDter--The Popular Virginia"
My first experience of an Italian opera
performed in Italy was, to say the least OF il,
peculiar. This was at the Arena National, OF
Florence, and the opera given was al Due
Foscari.n by Verdi, The house is shaped like
a circus, only the ring, or arena, was filled
with rows of roughly made straw chairs.
Round the sides there are tiers of rising seats,
as at circus, and above one circle of spacious
boxes. A low roof comes down Immediately
over the boxes There is no gallery, no place
where the goods" could perch or peanuts be
thrown. On the floor or pit Of the house, in
the circle, in the boxes--everywhere, in fact,
seething multitude OF people were assidu-
ously occupied smoking long Virginia"
cigars These are the eight-nch long Italian
cigars, with a straw down the center. They
are Oh institution in themselves, the peculi-
arty being that the greatest ingenuity is dis
PLAYED to render il impossible to light such
cigars. Smokers, on the other hand, are
equally patient and clever in overcoming
these difficulties.
The only certain way of lighting this
weed is, first of all, to extract, with a firm,
straight, strong pull the little thin piece Of
grass placed within the straw. Then the
cigar must be held in slanting manner to-
wards a flame, patiently and steadily, till the
one enu of the cigar is sufficiently burned for
the smoke to travel of itself up the straw
and come out at the upper end, just as If it
were a chimney To do this effectively, it is
necessary to burn several wax matches in
succession. 1t was not till | was initiated in
this mystery that | could understand why
such an enormous number of wax matches
were offered for sale i'll the streets; for to
this complication in lighting the cigar must
be added the fact that Italians, in the ex-
citement Ct conversation, allow the cigar to
go out half n dozen times before they have
quite finished smoking it. At the restau-
rants it is customary 10 serve "A candle with
cigars at dessert On the side of the candle
is affixed little silver wire rest on which
the cigar may be placed SO that the end is in
the flame. BY the time the dessert is fin
ished, the cigar is lit and can be smoked
without difficulty. Such is the Italian "Vir-
ginia," the most popular of all smokes in
Italy
In Austria, also, ! found many persons
give it the preference, despite its recalcitrant
characteristics. The "Cavour," another
Italian speciality, is not so long nor so thin,
nor SO black, nor so strong. 1t has no straw
in the center, and it is very easy TO light, but
it is not particularly popular. As for the
cigarettes, they seemed to me dear and not
particularly good. The Italian government
is not, however, so strict as the French;
foreign cigars and cigarettes, after being
duly taxed, can be sold anywhere. In France
these are only to be obtained in one or two
shops and at exorbitant prices In French
towns, unless frequented by the wealthiest
classes, the foreign cigar and cigarette are
not to be obtained at all, and the smoker
must be satisfied with what the government
tobacco factories place on the market.-Cor.
Philadelphia Telegraph.