Nicotiana 287 



resolution, while leaving an ample margin for enjoy- 

 ment. 



The smoker is not ambitious to distinguish him- 

 self as a great tobacco-taker ; all he desires is to 

 enjoy his pipe in peace and comfort. Tobacco- 

 burning competitions have been few but curious. 

 Hearne, in his ' Reliquiae,' records that on Sep- 

 tember 4, 1723, ' At two o'clock was a smoaking 

 match over against the Theatre at Oxford, a scaffold 

 being built up for it just at Finmore's, an alehouse. 

 The conditions were that anyone (man or woman) 

 that could smoake out three ounces of tobacco first 

 without drinking or going off the stage should have 

 twelve shillings. Many tryed, and it was thought 

 that a journeyman taylour of St. Peter's in the East 

 would have been the victor, he smoaking faster than 

 and being many pipes before the rest ; but at last 

 he was so sick that it was thought he would have 

 dyed ; and an old man that had been a builder and 

 smoaked gently came off the conqueror, smoaking 

 the three ounces quite out ; and he told me that 

 after it he smoaked four or five pipes the same 

 evening.' 



In i860 a sporting gentleman agreed for a wager 

 to smoke a pound of strong regalias in twelve hours. 

 The cigars ran lOO to the pound, so that eight 

 had to. be smoked every hour. The match was 

 decided on a Thames steamer plying between London 

 and Chelsea, the smoker standing well forward in 

 the bows,^ where he caught the force of all the wind 

 that was blowing. He lit his first cigar at lo a.m. 

 In the first hour he smoked ten, and his second hour 



