2o8 The Soverane Herbe 



years of age. Large quantities of tobacco were even 

 burned, not merely to maintain its price, but to 

 prevent the exportation of inferior tobacco to the 

 ultimate damage of the colony's good name. 



By Charles II. an extra charge of 2s. per hogshead 

 was added to the duty, and retained until the present 

 century. Adam Smith states that before the revolt 

 of the American colonies 96,000 hogsheads of tobacco 

 were imported annually into England. Of these 

 14,000 were required for home consumption, and the 

 remaining 82,000 hogsheads exported again, the 

 colonial trade being then a monopoly. Taking 1,000 

 pounds as the weight of the hogshead, the annual 

 consumption would be 14,000,000 pounds. In con- 

 sequence of the War of Independence the price of 

 tobacco rose from 7|d. to 2s. 6d. a pound. In 1774 

 the revenue from tobacco was ;^2i9,ii7; a year later 

 it rose to ;^298,oo2, the duty being increased. 



The consumption of tobacco in England alone in 

 1791 is stated as having been 9,500,000 pounds. 

 The amount used in the United Kingdom thus 

 would be about 14,000,000 pounds as calculated 

 above. 



During the present century the consumption of 

 tobacco has greatly increased, the average per head 

 having been more than doubled. This is largely 

 due to the reduction of the duty on tobacco, but 

 principally to the reaction in favour of tobacco. In 

 1 82 1 it was 4s. a pound; ten years later it was 

 reduced to 3s.; in 1841 an addition of S per cent, 

 was made, making the duty 3s. 2d. a pound. This 

 remained unaltered until 1878, when Sir Stafford 



