Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-02-15
"OUR LADY NICOTINE
Items in the History of To-
bacco.
Facts orI"terest TO Those who Use II
and Those who DONE. as Wolf ms
TO Those Interested In Our New
POsscssious.
New York SUM-

head of by civilized people until it was
discovered by the Columbian explor-
ers on what is now the Island of Cuba,
by the grace of God and the nerve of
Uncle Sam no longer a Spanish posses
sion. the chroniclers are somewhat un-
decided as to the exact moment of dis
covery. but 1t was sometime within a
week or ten days after the 9th of Oc-
tober. 1892. the day on which the purple
mountain peaks of an unknown coun-
try first broke the level skyline of the
sea which spread its sapphire sheen
before the eagle eye of a Genoese pilot,
When the three-keeed Spanish fleet
had anchored off the coral reefcd
chores Of the new, island which the
italian In command called the Pearl
Of the Antilles" and the natives called
Caobol. meaning the land of the dead,
because the warriors always killed their
prisoners, he sent exploring parties out
into the wild searching for the rich
mines OF gold and silver and that
mystical Cubanacan In the centre OF
the island whose gates were pure gold
and whose walls precious stones, with
stories of which the credulous sailors
had been stuffed by the yellow editors
of that day. OF course the sailors
never found anything as represented,
but they found great novelty, to wit,
people with f1rebrands in their hands
putting clouds OF smoke from their
mouths and noses. At first the sailors
thought they had 'em ag'in," but Cuba
was local option at this time and they
knew that could not be: then they
thought 1t was a wild western way the
people had of pertaining themselves, or
fumigating against the time to come,
and they proceeded to investigate
They soon found 1t was not perfumery
that was being burned nor exactly a
IT1I or INF lNrrf hot
herb. which. wrapped In the husks of
Indian corn, also n novelty, the people
burned and inhaled the smoke. What
It's name or effects were they did not
know Immediately but discoveries are
inQuisitive folks, and these sailors tried
greatly to the upheavel of their entire
inner men. and their utter disgust with
60 vile a compound.
THE MANY NAMES.
Later they ceased to wonder at the
smoking, for wherever they went
they found that the custom,
IN one form or another. pre-
that 1t was not only common in the
West indies, but all over the great
continent that they had happened on
They found. too, that while the herb
was pretty much the same everywhere,
1t had different names in different To-
caiities. being called "kohiha," "pie-
"tobago." while up in Virginia it had
the name OF ''apooke." The name ito
bago" became popular with the dis
coverers because it was more generally
used, being the name OF a peculiar pipe
for smoking the weed, which seemed to
be the proper thing with all classes
everywhere. This pipe was n Y-shaped
affair. the prongs Of which were insert
ed In the nostrils and the main stem
went into the burning tobacco, which
was piled in heap and set on fire, as
many smoking around 1t or as few as
might be. 1t does not appear that the
natives ever made the tobago long
enough in the stem to be filled with the
weed and smoked as q pipe, although
pipes OF other Forms were in use among
some OF the tribes. When the forkcd
stem was not procurable a single reed
stem was used In one nostril. The word
'tobago" was euphoniZed into Tobacco"
which the Spaniards retained. although
other nations for fifty or sixty years
attempted TO adopt other names for the
new American product
Ohief among these titular designers
was Jean Nlcot, ambassador from
France to Portugal in 1859. who bought
come OF the plants from q Flemish
merchant in Lisbon who had them
from Florida He sent them to the
Grand Prior OF France and they were
given the name of the Herbs de Grand
as tobacco at that time was used by
civilized people for medicinal purposes
only When Nicot, who was q gallant
and eourtier of the old school, came
back to France In 1861, he presented
some of the plants to Queen Catherine
de Medicis with his compliments, and
gave them the name of Herbe de In
cine or Herbe Medicee. These lady
like names did not stick. however, and
they gave place to the name Nicotiana,
from which is nicotine, the scientific
designation for the essential oil, or the
soul. Of tobacco. In one part of Italy
1t was known as Erba Santa Croce
Cardinal Prosper Santa Croce having
Drought 1t from Portugal; and in an
other 1t was Tornabona, from n French
envoy Of that name who had received
the plants from Nicot. At last, how
ever. tobago. the name given to 1t semi
officially by Hernandez de Oviedo, be-
came universally recognized and was
adapted to the various languages of
Europe. To-day 1t Is still Tobacco" in
Spain. while 1t is tobacco" in English
speaking countries, "tobac" among the
French. tobacco" among the Italians
and Portuguese: "tabaka" among the
Poles; "tobak" among the Danes and
Scandinavians and "tobak" among Ger
mans. Dutch and Russians. The opin-
lon held by some that the plant receiv-
ed Its name from the Island of Tohago
Is reversal of the facts. The island
received rs name from tobago. the ma
tive pipe. Columbus believing that the
Island when he discovered 1t. was shap-
ed like TOBACCO and SO called Ii.
THE PIPE.
AS the discoveries of America ex-