﻿Tobacco 
  Interests 
  of 
  North 
  Carolina. 
  159 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Cameron,* 
  in 
  his 
  interesting 
  and 
  able 
  "Sketch 
  of 
  the 
  

   Tobacco 
  Interests 
  of 
  North 
  Carolina," 
  says 
  that 
  when 
  the 
  

   sanguine 
  colonists 
  of 
  Jamestown 
  heard 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  their 
  

   first 
  shipment 
  of 
  the 
  golden 
  sands 
  of 
  James 
  river, 
  and 
  learned 
  

   that 
  it 
  was 
  nothing 
  more 
  than 
  worthless 
  mica 
  spangles, 
  they 
  

   may 
  have 
  consoled 
  themselves 
  under 
  their 
  bitter 
  chagrin 
  in 
  

   the 
  oblivious 
  cloud 
  of 
  smoke 
  from 
  the 
  soothing 
  pii^e, 
  and 
  

   learned 
  at 
  length 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  tobacco 
  fields 
  they 
  bad 
  really, 
  

   if 
  unwittingly, 
  found 
  a 
  true 
  El 
  Dorado. 
  For, 
  despairing 
  of 
  

   the 
  discovery 
  of 
  the 
  metalic 
  gold, 
  they 
  sought 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  oul- 
  

   ture 
  and 
  sale 
  of 
  the 
  weed 
  which 
  a 
  new 
  habit 
  had 
  made 
  in- 
  

   dispensable 
  to 
  human 
  luxury 
  and 
  comfort, 
  and 
  which 
  made 
  

   returns 
  that 
  filled 
  the 
  coffers 
  of 
  the 
  planters 
  as 
  effectively 
  

   and 
  substantiall}^ 
  as 
  the 
  metallic 
  representative. 
  Gold 
  was 
  

   found 
  above 
  the 
  soil, 
  not 
  under 
  it; 
  and 
  henceforward 
  the 
  

   southern 
  colonies 
  went 
  on 
  to 
  grow 
  and 
  to 
  prosper, 
  to 
  become 
  

   populous, 
  wealthy 
  and 
  refined, 
  and 
  to 
  reach 
  that 
  social 
  and 
  

   political 
  height 
  which 
  gave 
  them 
  preeminent 
  influence 
  with 
  

   the 
  other 
  colonies, 
  and 
  which 
  has 
  never 
  been 
  lost 
  through 
  

   the 
  lapse 
  of 
  time, 
  the 
  shocks 
  of 
  war 
  or 
  the 
  reverses 
  of 
  for- 
  

   tune. 
  And 
  this 
  is 
  all 
  directly 
  traceable 
  to 
  tobacco. 
  

  

  Tobacco 
  was 
  soon 
  made 
  to 
  perform 
  also 
  the 
  functions 
  of 
  

   gold 
  in 
  another 
  form. 
  Its 
  culture 
  once 
  firmly 
  established, 
  

   and 
  markets 
  opened 
  for 
  its 
  disposal, 
  it 
  became 
  the 
  common 
  

   medium 
  of 
  exchange, 
  the 
  standard 
  of 
  value, 
  and 
  almost 
  the 
  

   sole 
  currency 
  of 
  Virginia 
  at 
  least. 
  It 
  paid 
  the 
  taxes 
  of 
  the 
  

   farmer, 
  it 
  liquidated 
  his 
  debts 
  to 
  the 
  merchant, 
  it 
  satisfied 
  

   the 
  parson 
  for 
  his 
  ministrations, 
  and 
  it 
  measured 
  the 
  dowry 
  

   of 
  the 
  bride. 
  It 
  was 
  made 
  in 
  its 
  earliest 
  colonial 
  daj's, 
  as 
  it 
  

   has 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  do 
  in 
  the 
  maturit}^ 
  of 
  modern 
  common- 
  

   wealths, 
  to 
  bear 
  a 
  most 
  important 
  relation 
  to 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  

   revenue. 
  King 
  James, 
  and 
  his 
  successor, 
  King 
  Charles, 
  

   both 
  strove 
  to 
  obtain 
  a 
  monopoly 
  of 
  the 
  sale 
  of 
  tobacco 
  raised 
  

   in 
  Virginia, 
  which 
  the 
  Governor 
  and 
  Council 
  compromised, 
  

   by 
  agieeing 
  to 
  contract 
  with 
  their 
  sovereign 
  for 
  at 
  least 
  

   500,000 
  pounds, 
  at 
  3s. 
  and 
  Gd. 
  per 
  pound, 
  to 
  be 
  inspected 
  

   and 
  guaranteed 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  uniform 
  good 
  quality, 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  

   origin 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  system 
  of 
  inspection. 
  But 
  this 
  con- 
  

   tract 
  carried 
  with 
  it 
  another 
  burden 
  opposed 
  to 
  the 
  liberties 
  

   of 
  agriculture. 
  That 
  the 
  sovereign 
  might 
  be 
  freed 
  from 
  

   competition, 
  and 
  obtain 
  full 
  prices 
  for 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  tobacco 
  

  

  *We 
  here 
  desire 
  to 
  make 
  our 
  acknowledgments 
  to 
  this 
  geutlemau 
  for 
  much 
  

   important 
  iuformatiou 
  in 
  the 
  preparation 
  of 
  these 
  pages. 
  

  

  