The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-04-29
lXTIT M
lIl!IlI.Z.l|.7;!.'za,IIi]5


great fire and at the top of the hill nearby
| is the little old Church of st. Dunstan's
in the east. marking the spot where it Is
| told, the good saint had his forge, and be-
ing visited one day by the devil, tweaked
the nose of the unclean spirit between the
teeth of noble pair of pinchers, until the
evil one screamed for mercy.
The Custom House was destroyed in the
fire, and the present building is the work
of Sir Christopher Wren himself. The old
building sheltered a kings pipe, and of
this the present Queens pipe Is dupli-
cate. Visitors to the Custom House are
first conducted solemnly out upon the ter
race to survey the Thames, and then TAX
EN- into the long room, where 900
year is paid in the shape of, duties, more
than at all the other British seaports put
together. 1t is In this room that a small
comedy has recently been enacted by
whole swarm of impatient importers, who
foresaw financial losses of great magni-
tude in a little clogging of the customs
Wheel a clogging, by the way, deliberate
ly planned by the government for their
discontinue.
When Sir Michael Hicks-Beach announc-
ed his plans for meeting the expenses of
the Boer war, in the Commons, and men
toned an Increase in the duty on tea and
several other imported things, the import
ers thereof were not slow 90 realize that
1t behooved them to race their respective
wares through the customs before the
new statute went into effect, and they one
and all made a feverish descent upon the
Custom House. Sir Michael, however,
had anticipated their efforts and had I'M
charitably issued instructions that no adj
dition should be made to the force of
clerks ordinarily told off TO attend to this
business. In consequence the long room
| 4 IL "A ftwvfk
so decided that man had his leg broken
in the scrimmage.
The Queens Pipe Described.
| The famous Queens pipe is buried down
| In the catacombs' of the Custom House.
! reached by an uncanny winding stair
| case and generally known as Her Maj
| esty's warehouse. Here are kept all the
| confiscated goods, and those in bond, yari-
Gus shipments addressed to ambassadors,
| all of which come in free, and. what also
| escapes all duty, the Queens wines, for
| use at Windsor When the writer was
| there the other day they were just prepar-
ing for the reception of 100 cases of
| French campagne for Her Majesty's
household AS for the Queens pipe-the
| furnace which has burnt up so many a
| hundredweight of the filthy but soothing
weed-it is anything but imposing in APP
pearance, being a squat stone oven about
| four feet high. Long familiarity with 1t
| has bred contempt for the venerable insti-
| tuition in the breast of the Custom House
employees, and 1t is now used by them for
| burning Old papers and general rubbish.
| Meanwhile the amount OF tobacco I'M
| ported into the United Kingdom every
year is Increasing by leaps and bounds,
| most of it coming from America, too. AL
| though England is generally thought OF
as the home Of the pipe smoker, it is stat
| ed by leading firm OF tobacconists that
| cigars and cigarettes are in far greater
demand than smoking tobacco. Havana
cigars still have the call, in spite of ef-
| forts at competition. Cigarettes are more
popular in the race for favor, and here
| TOO, the American produce leaves It's
| Egyptian and Turkish brethren far in the
| rears in spite of their gold tips, the popu-
| larity of the Virginia "coffin-naiP' is stead
| lily increasing.
| The Prince of Wales is an inveterate
smoker. The cigar is his solace-of a spe-
| cial Havana brand made particularly for
| him and costing about 81 each. His royal
mother abominates tobacco, as did his
father the Prince Regent, and 1t Is related
| that when the heir apparent as a boy,
first tasted the joys of the weed he thought
| it discreet 10 do SO in the seclusion of the
royal stables.
Lord Salisbury is at one with his SOW
| ereign' in detesting the smell of tobacco
| smoke. A story has been going the round
| on the SUBJECT OF tnlS antlpdtny OF the
| Premier. Almost every one who visits
Lord Salisbury at his home knows that
tobacco is tabooed, but-a young man, who
was recently received there for the first
| time did not. While sitting in his room
in the afternoon the visitor lighted a ci-
gar, and proceeded to enjoy IL and others
without the remotest idea that he was
| committing positive sacrilege against his
| hosts strongest within. He heard steps
| coming along the hall. light steps, like
those of a woman, and then heavier ones
Enthusiastically those of Lord Salisbury
| Then he heard the niece of the Marques
say: "Why, what is that curious smell? 2"
There was an ominous silence, then the
Premier roared out: Nothing at all, my
DEAR nothing of importance-ouly tobac-
| cor Marshall Lord.