The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-06-30
EurOpc'S Tobacco Gener-
ally Very Poor Stuff.
What il Costs Great Britain
to Maintain Monarchy.
A Man Who Has Shed His Skin
Annually for Thlrty-Two Years.

According 10 the statement OF one who
knows the smoking American generally
has hard time of it in Europe In several
countries notably France, Spain and
Italy, the entire tobacco trade is In the
hands OF the government or 1t is so enor-
mously taxed that 1t is government
monopoly. Whatever may be tho benefits
to the national exchequer. there are none
TO the consumer. Ppe smokers will find
no plug tobacco abroad. They can get
American brands OF long cut or line cut
at exorbitaDt prices. There tho
monopoly prevails. the common smok-
inc tobacco offered for sale will cure the
habit. IL anything will. Italian cigars are
about the worst ever perpetrated on
suffering SMOKER, and French cigars are
not much better. Bavanas can bo bought
In Latin countries at very nigh rates
The Germanic races come nearer under
standing what is good in the tobacco line;
In Switzerland cigars are cheap. still
cheaper in Germany and dog cheap in
Holland In fact. Holland is the paradise
of smokers There tobacco Is absolutely
free of duty, and partly by reason OF that
and of the further fact that Sumatra Is "a
Dutch possession does tho smoker find
himself in clover In the land of dikes. In
some branches of the tobacco trade Hol-
land leads the world. The discreet smoker,
therefore, brings home from that country
as many cigars as be conveniently can.
In Rotterdam or Amsterdam he can buy
for two cents piece cigars that In many
American cigar stores would retail for ten
cents straight, and for i've ne can get
luxury that "A millionaire would deem ox-
travagant In France, Italy ana spain
the cigarette habit prevails. so that decent
cigarettes can be obtained, but Turkish or
Egyptian cigarettes are not given away.
In Germany and Austria pipe smoking Is
common and in Great Britain IL would
seem that man smokes pipe both in
door and out.
A London newspaper, on the occasion
of the queens diamond Jubilee made
some rather significant comment on the
cost of royalty. The chancellor OF the
exchequer. it says, went out of his way
recently to explain how little the mon
archy costs England. The crown lands,
he said. belong TO the sovereign and pro-
duoe 81 06O, 900 per aDnum. The queen
receives. instead OF this revenue, II, $780,
600 and the rest of the royal family
81. 060 000. Therefore the total cost Of
monarchy to the taxpayer is s925. 600.
The calculation proceeds on the assnmp-
tion that the crown lands are the private
property of the sovereign. This they arc
not They originally formed portion
of the general revenue OF the country.
ont of which came the maintenance of
the sovereign. Lord Bute, wishing to
curry favor with George Ill. inserted in
the civil list act, which was passed on
that monarch s ascension, remuneration
by him Of the crown lands, and this re-
nunciation by sovereign OF what he did
not possess is the basis of tho theory of
these crown lands being the private
property Of the occupant of the throne.
According, therefore s-sto Sir Michael
Hicks Beach's own figures, monarchy
costs England e., 9S5. 900. The real
amount is, however, much higher, for
there are numberless expenses incidental
TO the institution which he does not in
clude
The woodpecker is one of the most
provident of birds. Ss.ring the summer
it prepares storage magazine. In which
to lay UP provisions, and In tho fall IL
collects acorns in mum bers. which it de-
posits in tho places provided for their
reception. The knocking sound of the
woodpecker hammering against the tree
Is quite familiar evon in our cline 1t
was not known, however, that these birds
also select telegraph poles, in which they
bore holes to serve rs receptacles Tor their
stores, and the rather unusual spectacle
OF woodpecKer's magazine at the top of
a tall telegraph polo was seen recently I'm
q German city, when that pole was re-
placed by "a new log.
The top was perforated on all sides by
holes large enough TO hold an acorn AMI
tire presence of some Of these nuts, to-
gether with the shells Of broken ores.
showed that the bird was still using this
pole for a storage house Even while the
work Of removing the pole was going on
the wooduocker came To save his acorns,
flying To little grove of trees near by,
and returning every few minutes for moro
fluttaring around the polo with an evident
sense of despair at beng robbed Of his
convenient magazine, which was inaoces.
sible TO other birds, as they could get no
ioothold on the pole. and therefore could
not prey upon his preserves.
snow. your honor, said lawyer to
Judge Brown. in Santa Rosa Cal. tho
other day, :" / movo dismissal of this case
on the ground that the corpus delicti has
not been established.
Judge Brown rubbed his chin In per
picked way. fixed his gnze on tho ceiling
for moment. ani then clearing his throat.
said "Cf course. it H. an old prinCiple of
law that the probator must correspond
with the alligator, and in this case | am