Show Raleigh Not Introducer of Tobacco to Europe Authorities have tried to pin the In Introduction Introduction introduction In- In of ot tobacco into Europe on one man or another but the reasonable theory is that it was brought back by Spanish sailors and sea captains names unknown who bought it from Spaniards that cultivated It commercially commercially commercially commer commer- In the West Indies as far back backas as fiS The tobacco of ot the island eland of Trinidad for Instance became famous famous fa fa- all over oyer Europe says the Cleveland Cleeland Cleve e land Plain Dealer I Still In the effort to be specific one writer r of ot records made the claim that thata a R famous physician Francisco Fernandes Fer For who was sent to Mexico by Philip II of Spain in 1555 1553 was the first to take specimens of ot the I plant lant back to Europe But this was several se years year after the Spaniards began exporting exporting ex- ex porting tobacco from their plantations In the tile Wc West t Indies and It was In InH lr H 1560 GO that Jean NIcot of nicotine fame l French rench ambassador to Lisbon found the Mio tobacco seed there that lie he sent to Paris Sir John Ha Hawkins was the first to take toh tobacco cco to T which he be did lid In 1563 and history tells us ua that tobacco was growing there In Irs 1670 However Hon Sir Walter Raleigh was wu a much more romantic figure so it was more moro thrilling to pin the fact tact on him In much the same way that we pin facts and f sayings on those among our own prominent nt contemporaries whom we e wish to credit creditor or or dl discredit |