A PINCH OF SNUFF. 175 



derived from a quarter of a pound of black-rappee per 

 diem, and the butterfly exquisites who inhale a quarter 

 of a pinch of Morton per month, and who prize a snuff 

 box only for the sake of the mirror on its lid : I love 

 a pinch in moderation, that is not much oftener than 

 once or twice in every five minutes, so that its effects 

 may be merely to soothe the mind, to dispose it to placid 

 enjoyment, and to mellow every passion into repose. 

 I love my box as a lark loves the sunny morning as 

 a Naiad loves her silver-speaking fountain as a Swiss, 

 in a foreign land, loves the memory of Chamonix 

 yea, as a bridegroom loves his bride ; and though I have 

 loved it for long years I find the affection is strength- 

 ened by its continuance ; so that it has become a mixed 

 passion, blending the ardour of love and the perma- 

 nency of friendship. I love my box, imprimis, as the 

 depository of my snuff; item, as the memento of a valued 

 friend ; and item, because it is the favorite plaything 

 of my infant daughter. 



In the hands of an experienced or a j udicious oper- 

 ator, a snuff-box is an admirable letter of introduction ; 

 with the proffer of a pinch of bureau, whether accept- 

 able or not, acquaintances may be made ad infinitum, 

 and friends therefrom selected as circumstances may 

 require, and surely this is vastly preferable to some 

 of the modes adopted by acquaintance-scraping 

 people in general, how infinitely more elegant is it than 

 Tom King's plan (for which he was dignified by the 

 title of Toe King) who, having selected his victim, con- 

 trived to inflict the whole weight of his body, through 

 the medium of his toe, on that part of the nether limb 

 where corns most do congregate, thus eliciting an oc- 

 casion for displaying the flexibility of his apologetic 

 bow, and for following up his amende honorable, by 

 wheedling the tortured sufferer into an acquaintance- 

 ship. There is an absolute freemasonry among snuff- 

 takers, they recognise each other as readily as the 

 fraternal order themselves do those of their own body; 

 they institue a mutual fellowship by one interchange 

 of boxes, which, to say the least of it, promotes the 



