Carnduff for 4 pund of Tobacco L1. 0. 0.
It. to Robert Hamilton Chapman for Tobacco 0. 18. 0.
It. 9 June to my wife to give for sax trenchers
and tobacco 1. 13. 4.
It. 10 June, The sd day for tobacco and stuffes 0. 14. 4.
28 June, It. for tobacco 0. 13. 9.

It may perhaps be interesting to compare with these prices, from
which, apparently, it may be inferred that near Glasgow tobacco could
be bought for some 5d. a pound, which seems incredibly cheap, the
occasional expenditure upon tobacco of a worthy citizen of Exeter some
few years earlier. Extracts from the "Financial Diary" of this good
man, whose name was John Hayne, and who was an extensive dealer in
serges and woollen goods generally, as well as in a smaller degree of
cotton goods also, were printed some years ago, with copious
annotations, by the late Dr. Brushfield.

In this "Diary," covering the years 1631-43, there are some forty
entries concerning the purchase of what is always, save in one case,
called "tobacka." These entries give valuable information as to the
prices of the two chief kinds of tobacco. One was imported from
Spanish America, which up to 1639 Hayne calls "Varinaes," and after
that date "Spanish"; the other was imported from English
colonies--chiefly from Virginia. The "Varinaes" kind, Dr. Brushfield
suggests, was obtained from Varina, near the foot of the range of
mountains forming the west boundary of Venezuela, and watered by a
branch of the Orinoco River. Hayne also notes the purchase of
"Tertudoes" tobacco, but what that may have been I cannot say. From
the various entries relating respectively to Varinaes or Spanish
tobacco, and to Virginia tobacco, it is clear that the former ranged
in price from 8s. to 13s. per lb., while the latter was from 1s. 6d.
to 4s. per lb. There is one entry of "perfumed Tobacka," 10 oz. of
which were bought at the very high price of 15s. 6d.

The variations in price of both Spanish and Virginia tobacco were
largely due to the frequent changes in the amount of the duty thereon.
In 1604 King James I, newly come to the throne, and full of
iconoclastic fervour against the weed, raised the duty to 6s. 8d. per
lb. in addition to the original duty of 2d. On March 29, 1615, there
was a grant to a licensed importer "of the late imposition of 2s. per
lb. on tobacco"--which shows that there must