CHAPTER XVI 



NICOTIANA 



Tobacco and government — Germany formed in smoke — The 

 pipe of peace — Smoking in church — And snuff — Tobacco 

 and justice — The enemy of tyranny — Capacity for tobacco — 

 The king of smokers — Smoking matches — Culottier des 

 pipes — Cigar-stump Exchange — Juvenile smoking — The pipe 

 in war — The kapnometer. 



To the influence of tobacco upon government and its 

 enmity to tyranny we have already incidentally 

 referred. The greatest Sovereigns and wisest states- 

 men of the last 300 years have been smokers. Under 

 the tobacco-hating Stuarts England was ill-at-ease. 

 William the Silent was carried to England in a cloud 

 of tobacco-smoke, and set the kingdom to rights. 

 The cost of his expedition to England was defrayed 

 by an increased duty on tobacco, imposed by the 

 Dutch States-General. 



The House of Commons smoked during the reign 

 of William HI., when the increase of this practice 

 led to its prohibition. Carlyle declared the Tabaks 

 Collegium of Frederick the Great to be ' a Parliament 

 reduced to its simplest expression with smoke instead 

 of speech.' How the weed influenced these Cabinet 

 Councils and the affairs of Europe can never be 



