48 ST NICOTINE 



indulgence almost as much money as it does on the time- 

 honoured staff of life, our daily bread. Certainly this 

 aspect of the subject is somewhat startling. If the 

 consumption of tobacco has grown to such a magnitude 

 that it threatens to exceed that of wheat, then, clearly its 

 consideration has become a question of national importance. 

 It is the purpose of this chapter to lay before the reader 

 some facts, statistical, botanical, and chemical, relating to this 

 Indian weed which has done more to set good people by 

 the ears than the whole world of Flora besides. To this 

 end it will be necessary to ponder for a brief space on the 

 skeleton forms and figures embalmed in State Blue Books. 



Board of Trade returns are not what may be called 

 recreative reading for leisure hours, but looked at good- 

 naturedly we soon come to regard them as we should 

 sure-footed sumpter mules carrying the account books of 

 commerce. A little searching and sifting among their 

 packs, brings us upon figures which plainly tell the story of 

 a steady, constant growth of the smoking habit, and that it 

 has, within the last half-century, increased in strength more 

 than two-fold. The ratio per head of the population, briefly 

 stated, is as follows: In 1841, when the population of 

 Great Britain, and approximately of Ireland, was 26,700,000, 

 the quantity of tobacco cleared through the Custom-house 

 for consumption in this kingdom was 23,096,281 lbs., 

 or 13I ounces for each inhabitant. In 1861, with a 

 population of 28,887,000, the quantity of tobacco imported 

 for home consumption amounted to 35,413,846 lbs., 

 showing that its use had increased to 19^ ounces per head. 

 Ten years later (187 1) the proportion was 23 ounces for 

 each person. And in 1891 the ratio per head had risen to 

 26 ounces ; the quantity imported being 60,927,915 lbs. 

 for a population of 38,000,000. Put plainly, this increase 



