999 



TOBACCO PRODUCTION IN THE UNITED STATES. 



In August, 1734, by an act of the Virginia assembly, the salaries of inspectors were graded from 30 to 00. ; (a) in 

 1730 they were prohibited from serving as burgesses, to be present at elections, or to meddle therewith, (6) and by 

 the act of November, 1738, they were required to attend at the warehouses between November 10 and the last day of 

 August, (c) In 1739 the church wardens of Hcnrico parish, Heurico county, were empowered to sell the parish 

 tobacco at 12s. 6(7. per hundred-weight, (d) In 1740 Maryland exported 30,000 hogsheads of tobacco of 900 pounds 

 each. By act of the Virginia assembly, November 9, 1742, fraudulent delivery of tobacco was made a felony, (e) and 

 in May of that year the several county courts were required to nominate inspectors. (/) In 1745, the weight of 

 a transfer hogshead of tobacuo was fixed at 950 pounds. (</) In 1744-'45-'4G the average annual export from the 

 American colonies was 40,000,000 pounds, of which 7,000,000 pounds were consumed in Great Britain and 33,000,000 

 in other European countries, and in 1745 tobacco appears to have been current in Virginia at 14s. per hundred- 

 weight. (7t) The annual exports of tobacco from Virginia for twelve years, 1745 to 1756, were as follows : (') 



In February, 1752, by an act of the Virginia assembly, no crop notes of an older date than eighteen months were 

 allowed as a legal tender, (j) In 1747 and the. two years previous there were annually exported from the American 

 colonies 40,000,000 pounds of tobacco, of which 7,000,000 were consumed in England, yielding a revenue of 700,000. 



In 1755, under the "option act", the clergy in Princess Anne and Norfolk counties, Virginia, were deprived of 

 their tobacco (the fixed annual salary being 16,000 pounds) and were forced to accept a compensation in money. In 

 those counties which yielded tobacco, the worst and meanest in the country did not sell for more than 8s. or 10s. 

 per hundred-weight, and often under, the land not being suited to its culture, (k) The price in London this year 

 was from lid. to 12%d. per pound. In a communication from the clergy of Virginia to the Bishop of London, dated 

 February 25, 1756, it is stated in complaint that the colonists "value our tobacco at 2d., when 3d. is expected, if not 

 4d., when the market is low, as has generally been the case since 1724". (I) The price in 1755 is stated not to have 

 been under 10s. per hundred-weight. In a communication dated November 20, 1756, it is stated that the common 

 crops are about 50,000 hogsheads, and the price from 12s. to 18s. per hundred- weight, (m) In 1758 the crop was 

 short, only 24,500 hogsheads being made, and it is given in evidence that tobacco was purchased during this year 

 by Humphrey Hill, merchant in King William county, at 50s. per hundred- weight, (n) " In 1757 many thousands 

 of the people of Virginia did not make a pound of tobacco, and all made would not have been 200 pounds per 

 tithable." (o) By an act of the Virginia assembly, passed November, 1759, fees due in tobacco were made payable 

 in money at 16s. 8d. per hundred-weight. Burnaby, an English traveler who visited Virginia in 1759, stated that 

 the annual export of tobacco from the colony was from 50,000 to 60,000 hogsheads of from 800 to 1,000 pounds 

 weight each ; (p) but in 176 L the governor and council of Maryland reported to the board of trade, London, that 

 the annual export from that province was 28,000 hogsheads, valued at 140,000. (q) The price of tobacco in Virginia 

 during the years 1761-'63 ranged from 18s. to 25s. per hundred-weight, the average price being 22s. fid-, (r) According 

 to Mair, who writes in 1765, the yearly export of tobacco from Virginia and Maryland was 80,000 hogsheads, rather 

 more than half of the quantity being from Virginia, the value to the planter being 5 sterling per hogshead, which 

 made their yearly income 400,000, and, allowing the sale price at 9, the amount was 720,000. (s) 



In 1765 a duty of 3s. per hogshead on all exports of tobacco (t) was levied by the Virginia assembly, and the 

 weight of the hogshead was fixed at 950 pounds, that for transfer at 1,000 pounds. (u) The annual exportation 



a Hening, iv, pp. 382-386. 

 b Ibid., v, p. 482. 



Ibid., v, p. 98. 



d Vestry Book of Henrico parish, 1730-1773. 

 e Ibid., v, pp. 10-16. 

 / Ibid., v, pp. 124-160. 



g Ibid., v, pp. 367-369; edition by R. A. Brock, p. 52. 

 h MS. Minutes of the Society of Friends, Henrico county, 

 Virginia, 1698-1756. 



1 The Fairfaxes of England and America, E. D. Neil], p. 225. 

 j Hening, vi, p. 225. 



k Bland, p. 12. 



1 Papers Relating to the History of the Church in Firginia, A. D. 

 1650-1776; edition by W. Stevens Perry, D. D., p. 441. 

 816 



m Ibid., p. 405. 



n Ibid., p. 482. 



o Bland, p. 16. 



p Burnaby's Travels in Virginia, Historical llegigttt); v, p. 87. 



q Scharf, i, p. 520. 



r MS. Account Book of Pettus Raylaud, "Slasher," Hanover 

 county (the weights of hogsheads given being from 1,000 to 1,350 

 pounds), and according to the Diary of Colonel William Cabell, of 

 "Union Hill", the price of tobacco from 1700 to 1776 was from 20. 

 to 22. pet hundred-weight. 



s M air's Bookkeeping, Edinburgh, 1705, p. 336. 



t Hening, viii, p. 73. 



u Ibid., p. 109. 



