Show LONG FIGHT ON TOBACCO VAIN english kings and the church unable to stop growing of the weed tobacco raising in england has a varied and checkered history first introduced there in 1565 the eliza bethan courtiers soon cultivated a alk ing tor it ere long the common peo pie followed their example and smoking became a universal babi among the english they began tc import large quantities ot the vir finlan weed and soon after learned to grow it for themselves when the british agriculturists had mastered the art of raising tobacco at home anc conquered the climatic difficulties al first encountered in producing it the practice of smoking was denounced IL court james I 1 issued a counterblast tc the weed charles I 1 was no less op posed to it he also adopted strong measures to discourage its use and prevent its cultivation the church likewise took up arms against ing in spite of the royal edicts against tobacco it continued to be grown surreptitiously to a large ex tent charles II 11 imposed such a heavy duty on the native article as it was thought would have the effect of ex eluding it from british crops the increased tax however did not prevent large numbers from being inde pendent of foreign countries for their supply of this commodity in those days it was not as easy tor the boffl dais to make a long tour of inspection as it Is now eventually in 1782 a law was passed making it illegal to row tobacco in any quantity in eng and the same law of course applied to scotland and ireland in the latter country tobacco has traditions its own |