Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-04-28

saint had his forge, and being visited one
day by the devil, tweaked the nose of the
unclean spirit between the teeth of a 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 duplicate
Visitors to the custom house are first con-
drcted solem;lly out upon the terrace to
survey the Thames. and then taken into
the long room. where $4,000, 900 a year is
paid in the shape Of duties. more than at
all the other British seaports put together
1t Is In this room that small comedy has
recently been enacted by whole swarm of
impatient importers, who foresaw financial
losses of great magnitude in little clog
cling OF the customs wheel. clogging by
the way. deliberately planned by the gov
eminent for their discontinue.
When Sir Michael Hicks-Beach announced
his plans for meeting the expenses of the
Roer war in the commons and mentioned
an increase in the duty on tea and several
other imported things the importers there
OF were not slow to realize that it 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 uncharttably issued instruc-
tions that no addition should be made to
the force Of clerks ordinarily told Off to
attend to this business. In consequence
the long room was soon the scene of de-
cided activity. so decided that man had
lis leg broken in the scrimmage.
The Queens Pipe.
The famous queens pipe Is buried down
in the catacombs of the custom house.
reached by an uncanny winding staircase
ard generally known as her majesty's ware
house. Here are kept all the confiscated
goods. and those in bond, various ship
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 preparing for the
reception of one hundred cases of French
champagne for her majestys household. AS
for the queens pipe-the furnace which has
burnt UP SO many a hundred weight of the
filthy. but soothing, weed-it is anything
stone oven about four feet high. Long
familiarity with 1t has bred contempt for
the venerable institution in the breast Of
the custom house employees, and 1t is now
uEed 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
1t coming from America, too. Although
England Is generally thought Of as the
home Of the pipe smoker, 1t is stated by a
leading firm of tobacconists that cigars
and cigarettes are in far greater demand
have the call. in spite of efforts at COM
petition. Cigarettes are more popular in
the race for favor, and here, too, the Amer
lean produce leaves its Egyptian and Turk
ish brethren far in the rear In spite of
their gold tips the popularity of the Vir-
ginia coffin nall fs steadily increasing.
The Prince as a Smoker.
The Prince of Wales is an inveterate
smoker. The cigar is his solace-of spe-
cial Havana brand made particularly for
him and costing about dollar each. HIS
royal mother ,abominates tobacco, as did
his father, the Prince Regent and it is re-
lated that. when the heir apparent. as a
boy. first tasted the joys of the weed he
thought 1t discreet to do SO in the seclu-
sion Of the royal stables.
Lord Salisbury Is at one with his soyer-
eign in detesting the smell of tobacco
smoke. A story has been going the round
on the subject Of this antipathy Of the
premier. Almost every one who visits
Lord Salisbury at his home knows that to-
bacco Is tabooed. but 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 cigar
and proceeded to enjoy 1t and others. with
out the remotest idea that he was commit
ting positive sacriege against his hest's
strongest whim. He heard stems eominr
along the hall, light steps, like those of a
woman, and then heavier ones, unmistak-
ably those Of Lord Salisbury. Then he
heard the niece of the marquis say: why.
what is that very curious smefl?'' There
was an ominous silence then the premier
roared out: Nothing at all, my dear.
nothing of importance-only tobacco,"
MARSHALL LORD.