It is the misfortune of kingdoms to be subject to rebellions, and of monarchs3 to behold4 the advent5 of pretenders, as it is the fate of gold to be imitated in baser metals, and bank notes to be forged. A rule is supposed to be strengthened by an exception, and tried gold to shine in greater splendour beside its counterfeit—
“Than that which hath no foil to set it off.”
So, tobacco, in the midst of all its success and prosperity, has been envied and imitated by duller pretenders to the virtue6 it boasts, from among the meaner denizens7 of the vegetable world. Of course these pretenders have been unsuccessful; for had they been successful, they had no longer been branded with the baser name, but had risen to the rank of benefactors8 and patriots9. Such is the custom of the world.
The following are the substances which are105 stated to be used for the adulteration of tobacco, principally in the form of “cut” and “roll.” Dr. Hassell divides them—
First, into vegetable substances, as the leaves of the dock, rhubarb, coltsfoot, cabbage, potato, chicory, endive, elm, and oak; malt cummings, that is the roots of germinating10 malt; peat, which consists chiefly of decayed moss11; seaweed, roasted chicory root, wheat, oatmeal, bran, catechu or terra japonica, oakum, and logwood dye.
Secondly12, into saccharine13 substances, as cane14-sugar, treacle15, honey, liquorice, and beetroot dregs.
Thirdly, into salts and earths, as nitre, common salt, sal ammoniac, or hydrochlorate of ammonia, nitrate of ammonia, carbonate of ammonia, the alkalies, as potash, soda17, and lime; sulphate of magnesia, sulphate of soda or glauber salts, yellow ochre, umber, fuller’s earth, Venetian red, sand, and sulphate of iron.
And the experience of the excise18, as may be gathered from the evidence of Mr. Phillips before the committee of adulteration, harmonizes with the above list. “With regard to tobacco,” he says, “we have found in cut tobacco, sugar, liquorice, gum catechu, saltpetre, and various nitrates; yellow ochre, Epsom salts, glauber salts, green copperas, red sandstone, wheat, oatmeal, malt cummings, chicory, and the following leaves—coltsfoot, rhubarb, chicory, endive, oak, elm; and in fancy tobacco, I once found lavender, and a wort called mugwort. It is a fragrant19 herb, suggestive rather of the nutmeg. In roll tobacco we have found rhubarb leaves, endive and dock leaves, sugar, liquorice, and a dye made of logwood and sulphate of iron.”
Let consumers of tobacco console themselves, however, in the face of this formidable list, by the assurance of the eminent20 experimenter on articles106 of food, &c., before named, that “not one of the forty samples of manufactured cut tobacco which he examined was adulterated with any foreign leaf, or with any insoluble or organic extraneous21 substance of any description other than with sugar, or some other saccharine matter, which was present in several instances.”
Leaving adulterations to take care of themselves, we find that an article, of very ancient use, is still occasionally smoked instead of the Virginian weed. The plant referred to is coltsfoot (Tussilago farfar, Linn.), a very common weed on chalky and gravelly soils. Pliny refers to it, and directs that the foliage22 should be burned, and the smoke arising from it drawn23 into the mouth through a reed and swallowed. These leaves have long been smoked for chest complaints, and are said to form the chief ingredient in British herb tobacco.
The leaves of milfoil or yarrow (Achill?a millefolium), another plant equally common with the last, have been recommended to smokers24 in lieu of tobacco, and occasionally used for that purpose. Added to beer, they render it heady or more intoxicating26.
Leaves of rhubarb are occasionally smoked by those who are too poor to furnish themselves with a regular supply of tobacco, and those who have used them state, that, although devoid27 of strength, they are not a bad substitute when tobacco is not to be obtained. For the same purpose they are collected and used in Thibet, and on the slopes of the Himalayas.
The leaves of a plant common in marshes28 and boggy29 soils in Europe and North America, called Bogbean (Menyanthes trifoliata, Linn.) are used in the north of Europe when hops30 are scarce, to give a bitter flavour to beer, and have been recommended and adopted as a tobacco substitute.
107
An agricultural labourer near Blois, pretends that the leaves of the beet16 make an excellent tobacco.
Undescribed plants called Akil and Trouna, are used by the Arabs of Algeria to render their tobacco milder.
In some parts of Europe, the leaves of the common garden sage31 has served the same purpose; whilst in some parts of Switzerland, the leaves of mountain tobacco (Arnica montana, Linn.) are collected for use as tobacco, or dried and powdered to be used as snuff. This is no doubt a virulent32 plant, and has the reputation of being a powerful acrid33 narcotic34.
The tobacco substitutes in North America are more numerous than we should have expected to have found in the native land of the true tobacco. A decoction of the holly-leaves (Ilex vomitoria, Linn.) are drunk by the native Creek35 Indians, under the name of “black drink,” at the opening of their councils, on account of its peculiar36 properties. This shrub37 is also called Cossena by the Indians, and the leaves are used for smoking as a substitute for tobacco. “Often,” says one of the early settlers, “I have smoked a pipe of cossena with their majesties38 Toma Chaci and Senoaki his queen, at their mud-palace, about three miles from Savanacke.”
The Virginian or Stag’s Horn Sumach,18 which is met with almost over the whole of the United States, supplies leaves which are dried and used by some of the native tribes as tobacco.
The Indians of the Mississippi and Missouri use the leaves of another Sumach (Rhus copallina) and Indian tobacco (Lobelia inflata, Linn.) is supposed to be indebted for its name to the fact that it was108 one of the plants smoked by the Indians instead of the genuine “weed.” Under the name of “tombeki,” the leaf of a species of Lobelia is smoked in parts of Asia. It is smoked in a narghilè, and is exceedingly narcotic, so much so, that it is usually steeped in water to weaken it before being used; and it is always smoked whilst damp.
Not many years since, a patent was taken out at Washington for fabricating tobacco from maize-husks, steeped in a solution of cayenne. It was stated to be equal in flavour to true tobacco, and without any of the deleterious properties which have been attributed to that plant.
The Miliceti Indians, New Brunswick, scrape the bark from the young twigs39 of the birch, and when dry, mix it with their tobacco for smoking. They are very partial to the admixture, the odour of which, it is affirmed, is much more agreeable than that of pure tobacco.
Mr. M?lhausen smoked willow-leaves among the Rocky Mountains; and the use of these leaves for the same purpose is mentioned in “Hiawatha.”
The Bearberry (Arctostaphylus uva ursi) common in many parts of North America, is found in the valley of the Oregon, where the leaves are collected by the Chenook Indians, who mix them with their tobacco. The Crees also use them for the same purpose, and with them it is called Tchakashè-pukh. The Chepewyans, who name it Kleh, and the Eskimos north of Churchill (by whom it is termed Attung-ā-wi-at) turn it to a like account. From the custom of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s officers carrying it in bags for the same use, the voyagers gave it the appellation40 of Sac-a-commis.
Latterly a writer in a West Indian paper, called attention to a novel application of the berries of the Pimento (Eugenia pimento), known commercially109 by that name or as Allspice. “I have been,” he says, “a smoker25 for the past twenty years, and have consumed many pounds of honey-dew within that period; but it was only a short time ago that I discovered that Pimento forms by far a more agreeable article for smoking; and any person who knows nothing of the fragrance41 of a Pimento walk when in full bloom, may form some idea of it by a pipe charged and lighted with the dried berry, simply crushed in coarse bits. Every lady has a dislike to the smell of tobacco. While she may be driven by its fumes42 and smell from the drawing-room, the Pimento would, on the contrary, invite her presence. By way of experiment on the taste of other smokers, I may mention that I had the other day two men (great lovers of tobacco) employed in my garden. ‘Joseph,’ I said, ‘where is your pipe to-day?’ ‘Out of tobacco, massa,’ was his reply. ‘Well, here is some very costly43; give me your opinion of it when you have tried it.’ To prevent deception44, I charged his pipe myself, and directed him to light it. He did so, and up ascended45 a graceful46 curl of smoke. Joseph was not a little pleased, and thanking me for this costly tobacco, said it was ‘first-rate,’ and desired I should inform him what per pound it could have cost. I told him it grew pretty near his hut, and on opening my pouch47, and disclosing to him that this ‘first-rate tobacco’ was nothing more than dried pimento, you may imagine his surprise. ‘A man is neber too old to larn,’ he exclaimed, and soon imparted the good news to his fellow-labourer.” With all due deference48 to the opinion of both Joseph and his master, we have experimented on this wonderful pretender, and hold the opinion that it is unworthy of their joint49 encomiums. A friend who has also tested it, thinks it, however, very pleasant, and a fair substitute. It would appear,110 therefore, that there is something to be said on both sides.
Cascarilla bark, the produce of the Croton eleuteria in the Bahamas, was first used to mix with tobacco, on account of the pleasing odour which it diffuses50 in burning. It is supposed also to possess narcotic properties, when used in this way. In South America, Humboldt states that the leaves of Polygonum hispida are used as a tobacco substitute.
The African contributions to our list are also rather extensive, especially from the neighbourhood of the Cape51. The leaves of a certain plant (Tarchonanthus camphoratus, Linn.) possessing a camphorated odour, are chewed by the Mahometans, and smoked by the Hottentots and Bushmen instead of tobacco, and, like the “Dagga,” exhibit slight narcotic symptoms. This may be owing to the camphor which they contain. The common camphor, in quantities a little beyond a medium dose, will produce indistinctness of ideas, incoherence of language, an indescribable uneasiness, shedding of tears, a sensation of fear and dread52; then the body feels lighter53 than usual—an idea exists that flying will not only be easy, but a source of pleasure.
The Wild Dagga (Leonotis leonurus, R. Br.) grows wild on the sandy Cape flats. It has a peculiar scent54, and a nauseous taste, and seems to produce narcotic effects if incautiously used. The Hottentots are particularly fond of it, and smoke it as tobacco. In the eastern districts of the Cape, an allied55 species (Leonotis ovata) has a similar reputation, and is used for a like purpose.
In the Mauritius the leaves of the Culen (Psoralea glandulosa) are dried and smoked, while on the western coast of South America they are used in decoction as a beverage56, instead of tea.
In Asia, tobacco substitutes have but one or two111 representatives. One of these has been already alluded57 to, another consists of the long leaves of a species of Tupistra, called “Purphiok,” which are gathered in Sikkim, chopped up, and mixed with tobacco for the hookah. The leaves of the water-lily are dried, and used in China to mix with tobacco for smoking, to render it milder.
Cigars of stramonium, henbane, and belladonna, may be purchased at the same rate as those made of genuine tobacco, in chemists’ and herbalists’ shops—never having tried them, we have no experience of their flavour.
The majority of the substitutes for tobacco are, after all, very poor pretenders—capable, perhaps, of raising a smoke, but possessed58 of neither aromatic59 nor stimulating60 properties; and those which contain any active properties at all, are of a character so dangerous, as to make their extensive use extremely hazardous61. In the former class, we may rank coltsfoot, sage, milfoil, rhubarb, and bogbean; and in the latter, stramonium, henbane, bella-donna, arnica, and lobelia. Those who have been long accustomed to the use of tobacco, seldom, except in times of scarcity62 or deprivation63 of that plant, resort to the use of any other. This is the case at home. In the Cape Colony, the united testimony64 of travellers proves that the Kaffirs are ready to make any sacrifices for tobacco, and prefer it to any of their own indigenous65 substitutes.
When the tobacco has been found to be too strong, incipient66 smokers have been known to counteract67 its effects, and lessen68 its power, by mixing therewith the flowers of chamomile, which once enjoyed great reputation as a useful medicine. Others, in the absence of tobacco, have resorted to brown paper or tow, which, being smoked through an old or foul69 pipe, is said to carry with its smoke112 some of the tobacco flavour, and to be infinitely70 better than no smoke at all. Juveniles71 will sometimes, with a piece of cane, or a strip of clematis, imitate their elders, and, in imagination, enjoy the luxury of an Havannah cigar.
A curious anecdote72 of a Buckinghamshire parson occurs in “Lilly’s History of his Life and Times,” to which we have before referred. “In this year, also, William Breedon, parson or vicar of Thornton in Bucks73, was living, a profound divine, but absolutely the most polite parson for nativities in that age, strictly74 adhering to Ptolemy, which he well understood; he had a hand in composing Sir Christopher Heydon’s ‘Defence of Judicial75 Astrology,’ being at that time his chaplain; he was so given over to tobacco and drink, that when he had no tobacco (and I suppose too much drink) he would cut the bell-ropes and smoke them.”
Having unmasked the “race of pretenders,” and shown the titles upon which they seek to establish their claims, with Charles Lamb we now bid farewell to Tobacco.
“For I must, (nor let it grieve thee,
Friendliest of plants, that I must) leave thee;
For thy sake, Tobacco, I
Would do anything but die;
And but seek to extend my days
Long enough to sing thy praise.
But as she, who once hath been
Any tittle of her state,
Though a widow, or divorced,
The old name and style retain,
A right Katherine of Spain;
And a seat, too, ’mongst the joys
Of the blest Tobacco boys;
Where, though I, by sour physician,
Am debarred the full fruition113
Of thy favours, I may catch
Some collateral79 sweets, and snatch
Sidelong odours, that give life,
Like glances from a neighbour’s wife;
And still live in the by-places,
And the suburbs of thy graces;
And in thy borders take delight,
An unconquered Canaanite.”
Mountain Scenery
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1
knave
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| n.流氓；（纸牌中的）杰克 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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monarchs
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| 君主，帝王( monarch的名词复数 ) | |
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behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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advent
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| n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临 | |
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virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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denizens
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| n.居民，住户( denizen的名词复数 ) | |
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benefactors
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| n.捐助者，施主( benefactor的名词复数 )；恩人 | |
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patriots
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| 爱国者，爱国主义者( patriot的名词复数 ) | |
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germinating
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| n.& adj.发芽（的）v.（使）发芽( germinate的现在分词 ) | |
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moss
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| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
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secondly
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| adv.第二，其次 | |
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saccharine
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| adj.奉承的，讨好的 | |
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cane
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| n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的 | |
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treacle
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| n.糖蜜 | |
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beet
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| n.甜菜；甜菜根 | |
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soda
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| n.苏打水；汽水 | |
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excise
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| n.(国产)货物税；vt.切除，删去 | |
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fragrant
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| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
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eminent
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| adj.显赫的，杰出的，有名的，优良的 | |
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extraneous
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| adj.体外的；外来的；外部的 | |
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foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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smokers
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| 吸烟者( smoker的名词复数 ) | |
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smoker
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| n.吸烟者，吸烟车厢，吸烟室 | |
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intoxicating
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| a. 醉人的,使人兴奋的 | |
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devoid
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| adj.全无的，缺乏的 | |
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marshes
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| n.沼泽，湿地( marsh的名词复数 ) | |
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boggy
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| adj.沼泽多的 | |
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hops
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| 跳上[下]( hop的第三人称单数 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花 | |
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sage
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| n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的 | |
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virulent
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| adj.有毒的，有恶意的，充满敌意的 | |
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acrid
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| adj.辛辣的，尖刻的，刻薄的 | |
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narcotic
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| n.麻醉药，镇静剂；adj.麻醉的，催眠的 | |
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creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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shrub
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| n.灌木，灌木丛 | |
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majesties
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| n.雄伟( majesty的名词复数 )；庄严；陛下；王权 | |
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twigs
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| 细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 ) | |
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appellation
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| n.名称，称呼 | |
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fragrance
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| n.芬芳，香味，香气 | |
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fumes
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| n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体 | |
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costly
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| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
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deception
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| n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计 | |
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ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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pouch
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| n.小袋，小包，囊状袋；vt.装...入袋中，用袋运输；vi.用袋送信件 | |
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deference
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| n.尊重，顺从；敬意 | |
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joint
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| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 | |
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diffuses
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| （使光）模糊，漫射，漫散( diffuse的第三人称单数 )； （使）扩散； （使）弥漫； （使）传播 | |
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cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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53
lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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55
allied
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| adj.协约国的；同盟国的 | |
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beverage
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| n.(水，酒等之外的)饮料 | |
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alluded
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| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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aromatic
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| adj.芳香的，有香味的 | |
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stimulating
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| adj.有启发性的，能激发人思考的 | |
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hazardous
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| adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的 | |
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scarcity
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| n.缺乏，不足，萧条 | |
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deprivation
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| n.匮乏；丧失；夺去，贫困 | |
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testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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indigenous
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| adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的 | |
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incipient
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| adj.起初的，发端的，初期的 | |
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counteract
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| vt.对…起反作用，对抗，抵消 | |
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68
lessen
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| vt.减少，减轻；缩小 | |
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69
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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71
juveniles
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| n.青少年( juvenile的名词复数 )；扮演少年角色的演员；未成年人 | |
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anecdote
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| n.轶事，趣闻，短故事 | |
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bucks
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| n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 )；钱；（英国十九世纪初的）花花公子；（用于某些表达方式）责任v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃 | |
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74
strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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75
judicial
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| adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的 | |
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76
consort
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| v.相伴；结交 | |
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77
bate
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| v.压制；减弱；n.（制革用的）软化剂 | |
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78
converse
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| vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反 | |
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79
collateral
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| adj.平行的；旁系的；n.担保品 | |
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