506 ON THE TOBACCO PIPE MANUFACTURE, ETC. 



of course induced many to bring their tobacco with them, and then they 

 borrowed a pipe. Borrowing led to stealing, and in some cases one half- 

 penny was charged for the pipe, which on its being returned was 

 refunded. 



The introduction of the screw gave rise to several curious laws which 

 were local only, and which varied according to the temper and disposi- 

 tion of the several Bonifaces, and were peculiar to smoking rooms only. 

 One of these is as follows, and was placed over the mantle-piece : — 



Those who bring Tobacco here, 

 Must pay for Pipe3 as well as beer." 



Some wag, however, soon caused the obliteration of these lines, by 

 adding the following — 



" To buy Tobacco here from you, 

 Convinces us that you're the screw." 



This state of things continued for some time, until the respectable 

 tobacconist sold a better article in pennyworths to the publican, but the 

 principles of the trade have from that time to this been questioned ; 

 the " pennyworth of tobacco " is looked at to this day with sus- 

 picion, and the publican is oftimes " roasted " respecting its size. 



Then began the ruin of the pipe-maker's trade, for the answers to 

 the complaning customer was — " Well, you get a pipe and paper of 

 tobacco for a penny," and from this time the landlord's cry was " Make 

 us cheap pipes, do not study their quality." 



Importers of fancy goods, seeing that they could be made for publicans 

 to give away, thought that they would sell pipes, and consequently sought 

 out the little makers who manufactured their goods in garrets and cellars 

 and bought all they could make. These poverty stricken pipe-makers 

 were the discharged employees from respectable manufacturers who re- 

 fused to use a third-class clay, to make an article which would ultimately 

 destroy their credit as good manufacturers. Some of these buyers 

 succeeded in getting a monopoly of the trade by representing themselves 

 as makers, and sold the very worst description of pipe at the highest 

 prices. By this means the English pipe got into bad repute, and the 

 French manufacturers poured their goods into this market for ten years 

 and have made large sums of money. Knowing this, and as an English 

 manufacturer suffering a loss in consequence, I became determined 

 to uphold the merits of English goods ; and owing to my having adopted 

 a method of purifying my own clays in my factories at Bristol and in 

 London, I was soon able to convince the public of the superiority of 

 the English pipe, and thus restored much of the trade to its legitimate 

 channel, reducing the importations from France about 20 per cent. 



As this paper may not be considered complete without allusion being 

 made to the manufacture of meerschaum into tobacco pipes, I will 

 endeavour briefly to describe the properties of this substance w r hich has 

 been much misunderstood. 



