a poition of the suspected coffee upon the surface of cold water. The 

 particles of chicor}' immediately shik to the bottom, imparting to the 

 water a more or less intense orange bro>\ii colour ; coffee, on the other 

 hand, owing to the essential oil it contains, floats on the surface, and 

 scarcely imparts any colour to the water. But the surest and best 

 means of detectuig adulterations in coffee, is that of the microscope : 

 the tissues are so different, that, when once seen, they can be imme- 

 diately recognised by the experienced observer. 



The unroasted coffee bean consists chiefly of a tough homy albuminous 

 substance, composed of irregularly angular cells, adhering to each other 

 with so much tenacity, that in breaking the tissue up, the cell walls give 

 way before the cells separate. The cell walls are thick, containing within 

 their substance innumerable little pits filled with an oily fluid. Sur- 

 rounding this homy albumen, is a tunic composed of a single layer of 

 elongated lance-shaped cells, with very characteristic blocks, oblique 

 ridges, or markings upon them. These characters are but little altered 

 by roasting, further than the cell walls become dried up and thinner, 

 and the oil globules less plentiful. 



Of chicory the microscopic characters are equally distinct. The sub- 

 stance of the root consists of loose cellular tissue — much smaller than 

 the coffee cells and more regular — and many of these cells contain within 

 them starch. The cell walls are thin and are easily detached from each 

 other. Amongst this loose cellular tissue are found a number of 

 bundles of vascular tissue, dotted ducts, with occasionally one or two 

 spiral vessels. The process of roasting has but very little effect upon 

 these characters. 



Even chicory itself is subject to considerable sophistication, and for 

 this purpose a variety of substances have been used : amongst those of 

 frequent occurrence may be named old coffee grounds, mahogany and 

 other wood saw-dust, burnt sugar, &c. 



Mr. Evans stated, as a general result of the examination he had made, 

 thaX pure ground coffee had seldom been sold, for with but one excep- 

 tion he found chicory in varying proportions (from 4 to 50 per cent.) in 

 all the samples which came under his notice. 



One sample, obtained from a small huxter's shop in a low part of the 

 town, consisted of large quantities of old coffee gi'ounds and bmiit farina, 

 with scarcely sufficient fresh coffee to impart a faintly aromatic odour : 

 it contained no chicory. Many other samples procured in similar loca- 

 lities furnished scarcely better results, excepting that chicory was found 

 in all the others, and in some, saw-dust, and grit, and dirt. Samples 

 obtained from more respectable dealers vvere seldom found to contain any 

 adulteration but chicory, this frequently amounting to 30 per cent. 



