Message in a Bottle

OBACCO CAME to China several decades after it reached Europe, but by the 1640s it had a firm foothold that has only grown firmer. The Chinese embraced the New World vice in the powdered form preferred by Europeans, but they relied on a different vessel to transport it. Instead of boxes, they preferred stoppered bottles, which better suited their humid climate (the seal provided by the stopper and the shape of the bottle keeps the snuff loose and free of clumps) and their style of dress (boxes require pockets, but bottles can be carried in the folds of clothing). A tiny