Even among the rudest and poorest of the inhabitants of Scotland, and at
a period when their daily meal must have been always scanty, and
frequently precarious, one luxury seems to have established itself,
which has unaccountably found its way into every part of the world. We
mean tobacco. The inhabitants of Scotland, and especially of the
Highlands, are notorious for their fondness for snuff; and many were the
contrivances by which they formerly reduced the tobacco into powder. Dr.
Jamieson, the etymologist, defines a _mill_ to be the vulgar name for a
snuff-box, one especially of a cylindrical form, or resembling an
inverted cone. "No other name," says he, "was formerly in use. The
reason assigned for this designation is, that when tobacco was
introduced into this country, those who wished to have snuff were wont
to toast the leaves before the fire, and then bruise them with a bit of
wood in the box; which was therefore called a _mill_, from the snuff
being _ground_ in it." This, however, is said to be not quite correct;
the old snuff-machine being like a nutmeg-grater, which made snuff as
often as a pinch was required.
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Estimating the population of London and its environs at 1,200,000, its
proportion of paupers would amount to 100,000!
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