TOBACCO COMMERCE. 319 



been repeatedly capricously employed ; but space for- 

 bids any further enumeration, nor indeed, would any 

 profit result at all commensurate with the time which 

 must have been spent in the investigation." 



Let us now consider the rise and growth of that vast 

 commerce in the plant, with which the world has 

 heavily, but willingly, taxed itself, from the days of 

 Elizabeth to those of Victoria. The revenue brought 

 to our present Sovereign Lady, from this source alone, 

 is greater than that Queen Elizabeth received from the 

 entire customs of the country. The narrow view of 

 commercial policy held by her successors, the Stuarts, 

 induced them to hamper the colonists of America 

 with restrictions ; because they were alarmed lest the 

 ground should be entirely devoted to tobacco, and no 

 corn grown, as the latter was much less profitable 

 than the former. In p. 105 we have given Sir Edwin 

 Sandys' view of the dangerous state of the English reve- 

 nue in 1620, in consequence of the dealing with Spain 

 for tobacco. Nineteen years after this, the Virginians 

 agreed to restrict the growth of their tobaccos, and limit 

 the produce of the district in 1639, to 1,500,000 lbs., 

 and to 1,200,000 lbs. in the two years next ensuing. 

 This was agreed to at an assembly with the Governor, 

 Sir Francis Wiatt, and the principal men of the 

 country ; and it was done that the market should not 

 be overstocked by an inferior article, grown anywhere, 

 and anyhow, to meet the demand; and which they 

 feared would affect the high character which Vir- 

 ginian leaf held. Imposts and taxes were imposed on 



