he Indians, who cultivated the plant on the banks of
the James, the Amazon and other rivers of America, now look upon the
plant growing in rare luxuriance upon the same fields where they first
raised it, they could hardly realize them to be the same varieties
that they had previously planted.

CHAPTER II.

TOBACCO. ITS DISCOVERY.

Nearly four hundred years have passed away since the tobacco plant and
its use was introduced to the civilized world. It was in the month of
November, 1492, that the sailors of Columbus in exploring the island
of Cuba first noted the mode of using tobacco. They found the Indians
carrying lighted firebrands (as they at first supposed) and puffed the
smoke inhaled from their mouths and nostrils.

The Spaniards concluded that this was a method common with them of
perfuming themselves; but its frequent use soon taught them that it
was the dried leaves of a plant which they burned inhaling and
exhaling the smoke. It attracted the attention of the Spaniards no
less from its novelty than from the effect produced by the indulgence.

The use of tobacco by the Indians was entirely new to the Spanish
discoverers and when in 1503 they landed in various parts of South
America they found that both chewing and smoking the herb was a common
custom with the natives. But while the Indians and their habits
attracted the attention of the Spanish sailors Columbus was more
deeply interested in the great continent and the luxuriant tropical
growth to be seen on every hand. Columbus himself says of it:--

"Everything invited me to settle here. The beauty of the
streams, the clearness of the water, through which I could
see the sandy bottom; the multitude of palm-trees of
different kinds, the tallest and finest I had ever seen; and
an infinite number of other large and flourishing trees; the
birds, and the verdure of the plains, are so amazingly
beautiful, that this country excelles all others as far as
the day surpasses the night in splendor."

Lowe, gives the following account of the discovery of tobacco and its
uses:--

"The discovery of this plant is supposed to have been made
by Fernando Cortez in Yucatan in the Gulf of Mexico, where
he found it used universally, and held in a species of
veneration by the simple natives. He made himself acquainted
with the uses and supposed virtues of the plant and the
manner of cultivating i