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to facrifice the lives of innocent perfons to unfeeling 

 avarice, fcems a refinement in villainy at which 

 human nature revolts, and which could hardly be 

 credited in a Chriftian country! The favage tribes 

 of the mod barbarous nations, who attack tlieir de- 

 clared enemies with poifoncd arrows, are never 

 known to difcharge them at their unoffending 

 neighbours and countrymen. 



To fuch an alarming pitch had the dangerous 

 art of adulterating liquors with lead arrived in 

 France, that at length it became neceflfary to make 

 it a capital offence. I am unwilling to believe 

 that any man would prefume to pradtife this in- 

 human fraud, were he fully apprized of the poifon- 

 ous nature of the ingredient. That none of my 

 readers may plead ignorance, I fhall briefly mention 

 its principal effedls. 



This metallick poifon then is powerfully flyptick, 

 and highly injurious to the nerves, hence it fup- 

 preffes the natural inteftinal difcharges, producing 

 obftinate coftivenefs, and a peculiar fpecies of colick 

 terminating in palfy of the extremities, which ge- 

 nerally deprives them of motion, without deftroying 

 their fenfation. Thefe fymptoms, being the genuine 

 effects of lead, feem to mark its fpecifick power, 

 and to diftinguiih it from every other poifon. 



Aa3 It 



