III.—Scraps from American Factories Worked up in Europe.

When Miss Phely spoke of visiting the kitchen to inspect things, and to ascertain what Aunt Chloe was doing, St. Clair dissuaded her, by saying that she might find the ancient goddess washing the dishes with the foot of one of her old stockings. The thought of things being done on such a gigantic footing, I have no doubt, often interfered with Miss Phely's dinner in that house. What I am about to state, relative to American Tobacco Scraps, may also spoil many dinners, by interfering with a number of after-dinner smokes, and the flourish of not a few smooth, fine-looking weeds, whose inner parts have been resurrected from the spittoon and floor. However, if facts will induce consumers to go in for more, expensive and cleaner locally-grown and manufactured smokes, I am content. Cigar makers, in the States generally operate in large rooms. A spittoon is placed between each pair. The greater portion of the operatives chew tobacco, all smoke, and many take snuff. The result of all this is copious expectoration—old quids and cigar stumps. Sometimes these things find there way into the receptacles placed to receive them, oftener they reach the floor. In the early morning, prior to the arrival of the operatives, striper boys remove the shorts, empty the spittoons, and sweep the floor. All the sweepings are put into barrels, old quids, stumps of cigars, and other things, until large quantities of this scavanage is collected. Then it is purchased by a cousin of the scavenger man, he consigns this "Araby the blessed"to European manufacturers, and they cover it with a decent-looking wrapper, but of very indifferent quality. If light colored cigars are the fashion, they are made light; if dark are leading, they are dyed. They are then dried in heated rooms (which improves bad cigars by making them worse). When dried they are packed in Honduras cedar boxes, stamped, and covered with spurious Havana labels, shipped foreign, and sold in bond in the Colonies at from 30s to £6 per 1000. Even at the above quotations shippers realise large profits, which is not to be wondered at, when they can purchase sufficient of those second innings for $50, to make two hundered thousand (gutter gems^*). In pulling the gems asunder you will often find hairs, chips, paper, matches, lumps of dried paste, rags, nails, and leather, in fact a regular marine shop stock. The inside of the gems are page 10 rolled by machinery, and the operatives, men and women, are so poorly paid, that they cannot spare the time to remove any of the above mentioned substances. Now, observe the difference. Savellanos or good Renas are made of tobacco worth from 12s 6d to 15s per lb, and they cannot be landed here for less than £16 10s per 1000. But then they are made by operatives who earn from £2 15s to £4 per week, and they are particulary careful not to allow any substance to get into the fillers that would injure the flavor of the cigars. Many lavender kidded exquisites twirl their sticks, flourish their resurrections and exclaim—"By Jove, George, splendid cigar, by Jove.""I have no doubt they pay sixpence for them, and have them out of the right box. That only proves the Good Samaritan quality of the seller, and lavender kid's deficiency in smoke lore—

Where ignorance is folly,
"Tis bliss to be wise.