Tobacco 



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in the footsteps of Columbus, realised the importance of the plant and its undoubtedly valuable 

 properties, and in this connection mention must be made of the names of Petrus Martyr and 

 the famous Milanese, Girolamo Benzoni. It fell to the lot of Francisco Fernandez, however, 

 a physician commissioned by Philip II of Spain, to enquire into the economic possibilities 

 of the flora of Mexico, to introduce the plant itself into Europe in 1558. Both plants and 

 seeds were sent to Spain, where it is reported that the plant was much admired on account 

 of its beauty. For some considerable time tobacco was regarded as a medicinal herb only, 

 but its value in this respect was held in the highest esteem, largely owing to the writings of 

 Nicolo Monardes, a famous Spanish physician. The plant was credited with almost miraculous 

 powers, and at this time attained an extraordinary degree of popularity as a medicine ; the 

 most wildly enthusiastic names were ascribed to it, some of the most common being " herba 

 santa," " sana sancta Indorum," " herba panacea," etc. Even in our own country Spenser 

 later describes it as " divine tobacco," and William Lilly as " our "holy herb nicotian." Much 

 of the rapid increase in the popularity of the plant on the Continent was due to the efforts of the 

 French ambassador at the Court of Lisbon, Jean Nicot, and so great were his efforts in this 

 direction that they have been commemorated in the name of the genus Nicotiana. Nicot, 

 on his return to France from Lisbon, took from the Royal Garden at the latter city a plant 

 of tobacco which he presented to Francis II and Catherine de Medicis, recommending it as a 

 drug of great value, and this plant together with others which were forwarded to Nicot from 

 Lisbon soon after his return were the first to be introduced into France. 



While tobacco thus became introduced into Europe through Spain, and the medicinal 

 properties of the plant was clearly recognised by the physicians of that country, it appears 

 that it fellto Englishmen to introduce the habit of smoking the herb to the inhabitants of the 

 New World. When in 1586, Ralph Lane, the first governor of the new English colony of 

 Virginia, and Francis Drake returned from that colony they brought back with them the cured 

 tobacco leaf for smoking, and, in addition, certain pipes and apparatus used in the process. 

 The tobacco and implements were handed over by them to Sir Walter Raleigh. There 

 seems to be some difference of opinion as to who was the first Englishman to seriously adopt 

 the new habit, but the honour is generally ascribed to Ralph Lane himself, and the stories 

 of the first finding of Sir Walter Raleigh smoking by his servant, and the statement that he 

 " tooke a pipe of tobacco a little before he went to the scaffolde " are too well known to need 

 more than passing mention. No sooner had the custom of smoking become seriously 



A TOBACCO FIELD IN SUMATRA 



