TOBACCO AND COMMERCE. 45 



to the nations who fostered its growth, and increased 

 the commerce of both England and Spain, doing much to 

 make the latter what it once was, one of the most powerful 

 nations of Europe and possessor of the largest and richest 

 colonies, while it greatly helped the former, already unsur- 

 passed in intelligence and civilization, to reach its present 

 position at the commercial head of the nations of the world. 



As Spain, however, has fallen from the high place she once 

 held, her colonial system has also gone down. And while 

 England, thanks to her more liberal policy, still retains a 

 large share of the territory which she possessed at first,. 

 Spain, which once held sway over a vast portion of America,, 

 has been deprived of nearly all of her colonies, and ere long 

 may lose control of the island on which the discoverer of 

 America first saw the plant.* 



It is an historical fact that wherever in the English and 

 Spanish colonies civilization has taken the deepest root, so 

 has also the plant which has become as famous as any of the 

 great tropical products of the earth. The relation existing 

 between the balmy plant and the commerce of the world is 

 of the strongest kind. Fairholt has well said, that "the 

 revenue brought to our present Sovereign Lady from this 

 source alone is greater than that Queen Elizabeth received 

 from the entire customs of the country." 



The narrow view of commercial policy held by her 

 successors, the Stuarts, induced them to hamper the colonists 

 of America with restrictions; because they were alarmed 

 lest the ground should be entirely devoted to tobacco. Had 

 not this Indian plant been discovered, the whole history 

 of some portions of America would have been far different. 

 In the West Indies three great products Coffee, Sugar- 

 Cane, and Tobacco, have proved sources of the greatest 

 wealth and wherever introduced, have developed to a great 

 extent the resources of the islands. Thus it may be seen 

 that while the Spaniards by the discovery and colonization 



"Spain has doubtless conquered more of the Earth's surface than any other modern 

 nation ; and her peculiar national character has also caused her to make the worst use of 

 them. It was always easier for the Moor to conquer than to make a good use of his con- 

 quests ; and so it has always been with Spain." 



