

CHAPTER II. 



TOBACCO. ITS DISCOVERY. 



EARLY four hundred years have passed away 

 since the tobacco plant and its use was introduced 

 to the civilized world. It was in the month of 

 November, 1492, that the sailors of Columbus in 

 exploring the island of Cuba first noted the mode of using 

 tobacco. They found the Indians carrying lighted firebrands 

 (as they at first supposed) and puffed the smoke inhaled from 

 their mouths and nostrils. 



The Spaniards concluded that this was a method common 

 with them of perfuming themselves ; but its frequent use soon 

 taught them that it was the dried leaves of a plant which 

 they burned inhaling and exhaling the smoke. It attracted 

 the attention of the Spaniards no less from its novelty than 

 from the effect produced by the indulgence. 



The use of tobacco by the Indians was entirely new to the 

 Spanish discoverers and when in 1503 they landed in various 

 parts of South America they found that both chewing and 

 smoking the herb was a common custom with the natives. 

 But while the Indians and their habits attracted the attention 

 of the Spanish sailors Columbus was more deeply interested 

 in the great continent and the luxuriant tropical growth to 

 be seen on every hand. Columbus himself says of it : 



"Everything invited me to settle here. The beauty of 

 the streams, the clearness of the water, through which I 

 could see the sandy bottom ; the multitude of palm-trees of 

 different kinds, the tallest and finest I had ever seen ; and 

 an infinite number of other large and flourishing trees ; the 



