The fine powder, which is the best part of the snuff as it comes from
abroad, is sifted from the bale snuff; and the course and stalky part
left, is ground down, previously mixed with strong cheap tobacco
powder, or dust, along with savine, brick-dust, yellow sand, the
sweepings of tobacco, old rotten wood, and with many other filthy
vegetable substances, both dry and green, to pass as the real flavour
of tobacco. All or most of these ingredients being mixed into one
body. This is nothing more than colouring the filthy compound with
red ochre, or umber, or other noxious red or brown colour, mixed with
water and molasses!
The whole, when properly incorporated, is now passed through a hair
sieve, to mix it more intimately; and is then left for some time to
sweat, or become equally moist. This moistness is intended to imitate
the oiliness which is peculiar to the real genuine rancia from
Havannah.
This snuff is packed in barrels, tin canisters, and stone jars, so
that it may come out in lumps, like the Spanish snuffs. This is done
to deceive the purchaser, on whom this bad compound is imposed for
real Spanish snuff. Such is the composition of a very great part of
what is made and sold in this town for common Spanish snuff.