PRODUCTION AND COMMERCE. 



155 



subjects the tobacco to a strong draught of cold air to eli- 

 minate all dust and heat. The tobacco is then packed 

 in well-aired bins, where it remains from four to six 

 weeks, after which it is carefully overhauled by hand to 

 remove the pieces of stems and foreign matter that may 

 have escaped notice in the previous operations. It is then 

 put up in packages, varying in weight from 40 grammes 

 upwards. These packages are surrounded with a paper 

 band, upon which are printed the Government tax stamp, 

 the date of manufacture, the weight, the price, and the 

 letter " H," followed by figures. The last mark signifies 

 the amount of humidity contained in the tobacco at the 

 time it was put into the packets. Consul Scidmore says 

 that in no instance since its inauguration has there been 

 a year without enormous profits to the tobacco monopoly 

 in France, and in a table appended to his report, it appears 

 that from the date of its foundation (1811) to the end of 

 1878, the net total gain to the French Government 

 amounted to 287,703,8812. 



The following table from a recent report shows that the 

 consumption of tobacco in France has been steadily 

 increasing : 



