The merschaum or German pipes, in Europe, are celebrated for the virtues of their bowls, which are of a very porous quality. These are composed of a substance thrown upon the shore by the sea in Germany, and being called _Ecume de Mer_ form the origin of the word Merschaum. In Germany they are commonly set in copper, with leather and horn tubes, but in England they are variously formed and ornamented with chains and tassels. _Tubes_, when they are used for cigars (whose flavour we think they greatly tend to spoil) should be short, and composed of amber. _Lights for Smoking._--The advantage of obtaining an instantaneous light, is perhaps seldom more appreciated than by smokers. The articles used until lately for the purpose of igniting cigars, when out, or travelling, were the Amadou, with the flint and steel--the phosphorus box, and pneumatic cylinder:--all of which were, more or less, uncertain or inconvenient, until the ingenious invention of Jones's Prometheans. These may very fairly be said to possess a never-failing facility in producing an instantaneous light. The Promethean is composed of a small bulb of glass, hermetically sealed, containing a small part of sulphuric acid, and surrounded by a composition of chlorate of potash and aromatics. This is enclosed in paper prepared for the purpose. The light is simply effected by giving the promethean a smart tap that breaks the bulb, when the acid, coming in contact with the composition, causes instant ignition. It must be remarked however, the Lucifers or chlorate matches that ignite, by drawing the match through sand paper, introduced by the same inventor, is decidedly bad for a cigar; the fumes arising from the combustion being offensive, are too apt to spoil the flavour of the leaf. In divans, burners called Jos-sticks, are generally used for lighting cigars, as they smoulder in their light, like the promethean. FINIS. London: Printed by Littlewood and Co. Old Bailey. FOOTNOTES: [1] _Memoires Philosophiques, Historiques, Physiques, concernant la Decouverte de l'Amerique, &c. Par Don Ulloa. Traduit avec des observations par M----._ Paris, 1787. Vol. II. p. 58. [2] _M. Valmont de Bomare_, formerly director of the cabinets of Natural History, Medicine, &c. to the prince of Conde. [3] The British Historian. [4] A well-known perfumer in his day who resided in Beaufort's Buildings, London, A. D. 1740. [5] Scrows are the untanned hides of buffaloes, sewed with thongs of the same, and made up into bags or bales for the exportation of several kinds of American produce, as indigo, snuff, tobacco, &c. &c. The fleshy side of the skin is turned outwards, whilst the hairy side, partly scraped, comes into anything but an agreeable contact with the commodity.