TOBACCO AND ITS HISTORY. 11 



Tlic original discovery of this rer owned plant shall probably 

 remain a mystery forever. Some have thought that th(; herb 

 discovered on the plains of Jericho, which called forth Elisha's 

 miracle, recorded in II Kings 4th chapter, was Tobacco. The 

 platisibility of this ide^a rests on the similarity of the effects of 

 that plant to those of Tobacco. At the dearth at Gilgal, a 

 youthful novice it appears, was induced to pluck a ])rofnsion of 

 laige inviting leaves to cook for dinner, that he and his com- 

 })anions might have "a good square meal" for once. The 

 experience of those who partook of that " mess of pottage " has 

 doubtless been the exi)erience of every juvenile who has indulged 

 too freely in his first cigar. If language did not testify " there 

 is death in the pot " his looks portrayed his feelings. 



If this theory could be established the whole mystery would 

 be solved, as it might easily be shown that if this plant tvas 

 Tobacco it would not only satisfy the mental ci-avings of a degene- 

 rate Israelite, but eventually become to him a "Hyssop" plant 

 of the most endearing character, the burnt offering of which 

 he would consider well calculated to please his idol deities. 

 But apart from this, as they were a nation of drunkaids, it is 

 unreasonabhi to suppose th(!y would depart leaving the weed 

 behind. (Jne argument in favour of this theory is that the dis- 

 coviM-y referred to was made 175 years previous to the disjiersion 

 of the lost ten tribes. 



How(!ver, it is perhaps better that the matter should remain 

 in obscurity for some wise and good purpose that we cannot 

 now comprehend. 



TOBACCO WAS FIRST INTRODUCED TO EUROPE IN 1518, 



through the seed having been sent to Spain from Mexico, by 

 Uonzalo Fernandez De Oviedo, a historian of some note, who 

 was brought up at the Spanish court as one of the pages 

 cf Prince John, and sent out to San Domingo in 1511 as 

 supervisor of gold-snieltings. It reached France in 15G0 from 



