THE FIRST MEERCHAUM PIPE.

Patea Mail, Volume II, Issue 185, 17 January 1877, Page 4

THE FIRST MEERCHAUM PIPE.

ix 172:) there lived in Rcsth, the capital of Rlunyary, Karo! Kuw:ites, a slammaker, whose in ye unity in aittiny and earviuy on wood, Ae., hrouyht him m contact with Count Aiulmssy, ancestor of the present Rrinm iMimster <>i. Austria, with whom lie became a favourite. Tim (Taint on his return from a mission in Turkey, brouyhl: with him a large piece ot whitish clay, which had been presented to him as a curiosity, on account of its extraordinary light specific gravity. It struck the shoemaker Fiat beiuy porous, it must naturally be well adapted lor pipes, as it would absorb tim nicotine, dim experiment was tried, and Karol cut a pipe for the Count am! mm lor himsell. Rut in tim'pursuit of hi:;, trade 1m could not keep his hands clean, and many a piece of shoemaker s wax been me attached to the: pip ", dm clay, however, instead of assuming a dirty appearance, ns was naturally to be expected, when j Carol wiped it oil, receivi d, wlic.rcv.--r tli.: wax had ton.died it. a cl.-ar brown polish, instead of dm dull white it previously had. Attributing this change in the tint to the proper source, he waxed the whole ol the suriace, and polishing the pipe again, smoked it, and noticed how admirably ami beaulifuliy it coloured ; also bow much more sweetly the pipe smoked alter being waxed. .Karol bad struck tiie smoking philosopher's stone ; and other noblemen, hearing of the wonderful properties of tiiis singular species of clay, imported it in considerable cpiantilics for the manufacture of pipes. The natural scarcity of this much esteemed article, and the great cost of importation, in those days of limited facilities for transporation, rendered its use exclusively confined to the richest European noblemen, untill 185)0, when it became a more general article ol trade, Tlie first meerchaum pipe made by Karol Kowates has been preserved in the museum of Pesth.— Fand!;/ Jhrahl.