The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-02-24
COLONIAL VIRGINIA.

81 s Z
INDIAN /
the diary Of Columbus bearing the date of November
1902 Soon after this tobacco cultivation introduced into
the Spanish Peninsula for long time Spain furnished
the tobacco that carried into England In about 1860
it carried over into France by who ambassador
Lisbon named Jean Ncot Hence the origin OF the word
nicotine.
On the return of the settlers out by Lord Raleigh
under Lane 1885, tobacco brought into England
and introduced into conspicuous social centres and early i'll
tic seventeenth century it becoming quite fashionable
smoke Pope Urban VIII thought the innovation serious
and harmful as to demand official expression and
de1nnaon from him. SO he issued .ul against its ue and
King James condemned the Of tobacco that he wrote
his now famous "Counterbast."
The cultivation Of tobacco by English in Virginia be-
ran the intgaon and with the example OF John Rofe
IN 1912 It is said that John Rolfe himself very fond Of
The weed and began its cultivation in small way simply
supply his individual wants. The success with which
he rewarded suggested him the possibility Of the colo
nists finding last product that might be Of commercial
Hitherto the expectations OF the colony had been Of
very indefinite and irregular sort consisting mainly of such
things CEDAR sassafras and capboards But the demand
for things OF this great enough any
Thing like permanent Governor Dale watched
with his sagacous the Of John Rolfe, and
quick perceive the Of the experiment take
advantage oit With remarkable prudence however,
only when man had planted three per-
ntted to set tobacco If such wisdom could have
prevailed in the years that follow in this particular
matter it would have been greatly the advantage the
,olonss When Governor Yeardey in 1916 succeeded Gov
Dale he found the cultivation Of tobacco fairly csab-
Lshed and from this time became the recognized staple
OF the colony Thus Virginia naugurated the first inter
change Of commodities between the old country and the new
that was really entitled to be gnified the name OF COM
MERGE
The cultivation Of tobacco progressed by great leaps
before the Revolution OF 1916 Tn 1919 twenty thousand
pounds exported to England III 1920 the amount Of
expectation doubled and the increase steady until
1923, when it amounted five hundred thousand pounds
Eleven later it had grown enormous proportion
OF million five hundred thousand pounds with slight
fluctuations the expectation continued growth 1745,
when it reached thirtyeg million pounds 1853 it
amounted fifty million pounds These statistics con-
tain not only the story Of the prosperity and
OF depression and disasters but also the story great re-
gous social and political struggles Into these old and dry
figures therefore be read history the toys and sor-
and failures the struggles Of nearly one
hundred years
One Of the interesting marvellous Of history is
the rapdty with Which the OF tobacco spread throughout
England in the seventeenth century, 1t became most VIC
lent and costly lad in all conditions OF English society Rich
and poor old and young male and female gave themselves
with strange avidity to the use Of the weed
Lord Disracl defends the "Counterblast' OF James as
being effort OF seriously -nintled monarch
people from vicious destructive habit He declared