COMMITTEES ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT 265 
a corps of employees, known as examiners, whose duty it was 
to test samples of sugar by means of the polariscope and report 
their findings to the chemist in charge. This system continued 
in practice for a few years, but always against protest of the 
importers, and in 1882 the Supreme Court decided that the 
customs officers were bound under the law to accept the color 
as it appeared and levy duties accordingly, although they might 
be entirely certain that the coloration was artificial.” 
It is not quite clear from the records of the Academy at what 
point in the development of the matter its advice was sought by 
the Government, or what the exact relationships were between 
the different committees, but apparently the main questions re- 
lated to the natural colors of different grades of sugar, and the 
use of the polariscope in determining saccharine strength. 
The first committees were probably appointed in 1876 but 
their membership is not a matter of record. They were styled 
in the Annual Report of 1879 committees on “ Artificial coloring 
of sugars designed to simulate a lower grade according to the 
standard on which duties are levied” and in the same place the 
remark is made: “This subject was repeatedly considered by 
committees of the academy in 1876 and 1877, and reports were 
made to the [Treasury] department, which for obvious reasons 
have not been published.” °° From various statements contained 
in the reports of the Secretary of the Treasury it seems allowable 
to suppose that the Academy suggested the use of the polariscope, 
or even made experiments demonstrating that certain sugars 
were artificially colored, and that the fact could be determined 
by means of that instrument. The President of the Academy, 
Joseph Henry, acted as a separate committee on the use of the 
polariscope or polarimeter, for determining the value of sugars, 
and reported in 1877. In the same year a third committee, 
Frederick A. Genth, reported to the Treasury Department on 
“ Demarara sugars,” but the nature of his report is not a matter 
of record. 
Rep. Secr. Treas. for 1882, pp. xxii, xxiii. 
Rep. Nat. Acad. Sci. for 1879, p. 11. 
