MANUFACTURE. 67 



to pieces, and then put into the pipe, so peculiar, that they 

 could not possibly derive all this from America by way of 

 Europe, especially as India, where the practice of smok- 

 ing is not so general, intervenes between Persia and 

 China." 



This opinion of Pallas has since been supported 



by high botanical authorities. Thus, Meyen 



says,— 



" It has long been the opinion that the use of tobacco, 

 as well as its culture, was peculiar to the people of 

 America ; but this is now proved to be incorrect, by our 

 present more exact acquaintance with China and India. 

 The consumption of tobacco in the Chinese empire is of 

 immense extent, and the practice seems to be of great 

 antiquity ; for on very old sculptures I have observed the 

 very same tobacco-pipes which are still used. Besides, 

 we know the plant which furnishes the Chinese tobacco : 

 it is even said to grow wild in the East Indies. It is 

 certain that this tobacco-plant of eastern Asia is quite 

 different from the American species." 



Other late writers dissent from this opinion, 

 and consider that there can hardly be a doubt 

 but that tobacco was introduced into the dif- 

 ferent countries of the East from Europe and by 

 Europeans. The truth may possibly be, that 

 species of the tobacco-plant are native to Europe 

 and Asia as well as to America, and that only the 

 custom of using them as narcotics was intro- 



F 2 



