TOBACCO. 



planters were compelled to "accept and re- 

 ceive 40 Ibs. of tobacco so stripped and 

 smoothed, in full satisfaction of every 100 Ibs. 

 now due them." It is not important to ascer- 

 tain whether this law was re-enacted at the 

 end of the 3 years named in it ; for we find in 

 an official report to the commissioners, that the 

 yearly exports of tobacco for ten years end- 

 ing in 1709, were 28,868,666 Ibs., of which 

 11,260,659 Ibs. were annually consumed in 

 Great Britain, and 17,598,007 Ibs. in other 

 countries of Europe. In 1744 1776, the ave- 

 rage annual exportation was 40,000,000 Ibs., 

 of which 7,000,000 Ibs. were consumed in 

 Great Britain, and 33,000,000 Ibs. in other Eu- 

 ropean countries. The annual average ex- 

 portation from 1768 to 1770, both inclusive, 

 was 67,780 hhds. of about 100 Ibs. each, or 

 67,780,000 Ibs. As we have now approached 

 the period when the exportation of tobacco ar- 

 rived at a point from which it has vibrated, 

 (sometimes a little above or below it,) we sub- 

 join a statement of the exportation for the 

 years 1772 1775, inclusive, which will fur- 

 nish the remarkable fact that (compared with 

 any succeeding four years since that period) 

 the annual exportation of tobacco just before 

 the Revolution, was about the same that it has 

 been at any time since, in our most prosperous 

 periods. For although 1790 1792 were three 

 years of very heavy exportations, they fell off 

 in 1793 nearly one-half, making the annual 

 average exportation not materially different 

 from 17721775: 



Statement showing the quantity of tobacco export- 

 ed from the United Colonies from 1772 to 1775, 

 inclusive. 



Total exportation for the 4 years, 397,497,139 

 Ibs., or an annual average of 99,374,785 Ibs. 

 This brings up to the period of the Revolution. 

 The following will exhibit the exportation of 

 the article during that period. 



Statement showing the quantity of tobacco exported 

 from the United Colonies, from 1776 to 1782, 

 inclusive. 



* This year Great Britain exported to the Continent 

 nearly 26,000,000 Ibs. of old stock. 



t Great Britain exported this year to the Continent 

 6,000,000 Ibs. of former stock. 



TOBACCO. 



Total exportation for the 7 years, 86,649,533" 

 Ibs., or an annual average of 12,378,504 Ibs. 

 Of the total 7 years' exportation, 33,974,949 Ibs. 

 were captured by the British during the war. 



The following table exhibits the exports of 

 tobacco from the United States, for the years 

 1787, 1788, 1789, immediately preceding the 

 adoption of the present Constitution. 



Statement showing the quantity of tobacco exported 

 from the United States, from'l7S7 to 1789, in- 

 clusive. 



It may be proper to remark, that the weight 

 of a hogshead of tobacco is much greater now 

 than formerly. Originally, tobacco being less 

 compactly pressed, the hogsheads averaged 

 only 600 Ibs., but they gradually increased, and 

 in 1770, reached 1000 Ibs. average. At this 

 time Kentucky averages about 1300 Ibs. per 

 hogshead, and the average of all kinds (Ken- 

 tucky, Virginia, Maryland, and Ohio) we have 

 estimated at 1200 Ibs. per hogshead, wHich we 

 believe to be very nearly right. The annual 

 average exportation for the last 21 years, from 

 1815 to 1835, inclusive, is within a fraction of 

 82,760 hogsheads. Taking our estimate of 

 1200 Ibs. per hogshead to be the true weight, 

 we shall thus have 99,313,000 Ibs. as the an- 

 nual average for the last 21 years; and we 

 have seen that the annual average exportation 

 for the four years ending in and including 

 1775, was 99,374,785 Ibs., which establishes 

 the remarkable fact, that the exportation of 

 leaf tobacco has remained stationary for a 

 period of 60 years. 



On a careful examination of the foregoing 

 statements, it appears, that when our exports 

 of leaf tobacco, for two or three successive 

 years, much exceed 100,000,000 Ibs.; for some 

 succeeding years they are proportionally re- 

 duced below that standard. It is also evident 

 that the revolutionary war gave a check to the 

 exportation of leaf tobacco from which it has 

 never recovered ; for until that period, as may 

 be seen by reference to the preceding state- 

 ments, the annual average exportation increased 

 regularly and steadily. It was 37,780,000 Ibs. 

 greater for the years 1763 to 1770, than for the 

 years 1744 to 1746; and for the years 1772 to 

 1775, it was 31,594,785 Ibs. more than the an- 

 nual average for the years 1763 to 1770. In 

 other words, for the 31 years immediately pre- 

 ceding the revolution, our exports of leaf to- 

 bacco annually increased very nearly 2,328,000 

 Ibs., and for the 60 years since that period, it 

 has remained stationary, except when inter- 

 rupted by wars or other commercial embar- 

 rassments. The reason is apparent. Before 

 the revolution, all Europe depended on us for 

 supplies of the article ; but, being cut off from 

 the supplies by the war, Europeans turned 

 their attention to growing it for themselves, and 

 4 T 1045 



