Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. 3, No. 15, August, 1851Various
General
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. 3, No. 15, August, 1851
Various
American literature -- Periodicals; Civilization -- Periodicals; Culture -- Periodicals
This is the most immense establishment of the kind in Spain, and is
devoted exclusively to the manufacture of snuff and cigars. "Chewing" is
a habit to which the Spaniards are not addicted. Tobacco, being a
government monopoly, yields an enormous revenue to the crown; the
factories being the most extensive in the world, and the demand for the
weed even greater than the supply. The Fabrica of Seville, though
utterly devoid of architectural merit, is only surpassed in size by the
famous monastery of the Escurial. It is six hundred and sixty-two feet
in length, by five hundred and twenty-four in width: having been erected
by a fat Dutchman about the middle of the last century, its slight
claims to symmetry and elegance are in no degree to be wondered at. Its
substantiality, however, and excellent adaptation to the purposes for
which it was intended, render it well worthy of a careful examination,
either by the fastidious cigar-smoker or indefatigable snuff-taker. For
the edification of such in particular have we undertaken this brief
description of the edifice.
Within its walls it has twenty-eight courts, while externally the
building is encompassed by a deep moat, in order to guard against the
possibility of smuggling on the part of the operatives. The number of
persons usually employed, ranges from five to six thousand, though
several thousand additional hands are sometimes called into requisition
in years of extraordinary demand. By far the greater proportion of these
are females, perhaps even four-fifths. Our application for admission was
readily granted, and such was the politeness of the managers, that they
put us immediately under the charge of a young Spaniard connected with
the building, with instructions to him to show us every part of the
establishment which we might desire to see. This mission he performed to
our entire satisfaction. We soon dispatched the snuff department which
occupies the ground floor, and which gave us such a terrible fit of
sneezing, that we were somewhat fearful our nasal organs would never
recover from the severe shock they had experienced. None but males were
employed in the snuff rooms, and more wretched-looking objects I think I
never saw.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account