^^^'2 Beer and Spirit Motiopolies. 517 



the Molasses Committee, on the 12th of July last, states, that though 

 It is impossible to detect coculus indicus in beer, by any chemical test, 

 yet that opium may be detected, '^and if I do not deceive myself very 

 much, says the doctor, " I discovered opium in smaU quantity, in 

 genuine London porter. A man had been poisoned in a steam-boat, 

 on the Clyde, by the criminal administration of laudanum in porter, 

 and 1 was employed by the magistrates of Glasgow, to examine the 

 contents of the stomach of the deceased." The doctor, however, acquits 

 t f ^'f/^i^o"don brewers, from any charge of that nature. Being 

 asked it you take into your consideration the price of opium, should 

 you think it is an ingredient, that it would generally be for the interests 

 ot the brewer to use.?" answered, "Yes; so much so, that for one 

 larthmg, you may double the strength of a dozen and a half of porter, 

 oy opium; I mean, you can double the intoxicating power; vou 

 can purshase for one farthing, nine grains of opium, its price being 

 about one shilling for an ounce, that is 437^ grains for 12d. or 48 fart 

 things, and allowing half a grain to a bottle, it will very nearly double 

 the intoxicating power of a dozen and half"— We should like to know, 

 how many persons, of the many thousands, who, in this great metro- 

 polls, have been found dead in their beds in the morning, had indulged 

 to excess, m porter, during the preceding evening.? "Nothing can 

 be more easy," says the doctor, "than to introduce a minute portion of 

 opium into dry malt ; if a man wished to be a knave, he could dif- 

 tuseit in any way; throw it out of his hand in a moment, into dry 

 malt, or into the wort ; he might take it like snuff, and throw it in'; 

 opium may be pulverised in particular modes, mixed up and disguised 

 and thrown in ; and it appears, that subsequent maceration and fermen- 

 tation, would not alter deleterious qualities. Porter drinkers have there- 

 tore no security against these poisonous compositions .'—and, although 

 JJr. Ure expressly acquits the great monopolists of using opium or other 

 drugs, a little copperas (sulphate of iron) perhaps excepted ; yet there is 

 one very objectionable practice, of which most of them are by no means 

 guiltless— namely: that of mixing up, and re-issuing with their fresh 

 beer, the stale or sour beer, bottoms, and other abominable trash, sent 

 back to them by tlieir publicans, under the name of returns; now 

 without any invidious meaning, we would ask, whether, in the event 

 ot improper ingredients being actually used, this custom might not 

 torm a c oak for illegal practices at the brewery ? At all events, where 

 beer adulterated with mull urn or opium, is returned to the brewer he 

 cannot detect such adulteration ; and therefore, this vitiated beer, toge- 

 ther with the filthy dregs of the pewter pots, drippings from the 

 coimters, and all manner of abominations, must of course be re-issued 

 and will, with additional adulteration, go down the throats of the porter 

 drinkers. Indeed, many of the publicans are said to boast, that they 

 increase the quantity of "returns" as much as possible, by sending back 

 all sorts of filthy lu,uor collected in their tap-rooms. 



One of the most re.specta])le and extensive of the licensed victuallers 

 tormerly examnied, complained that the l,eer was not so go„d now as 

 Jt used to be in former times ; that adulteration is more freciuent now 

 and that in consetiuence of this combination of the large brewers' 

 persons wfio buy for ready money are no better off than the smaller 

 <leHlers-all com,,etitio.i being destroyed ; in short, it ai.pears, that 

 unless government encourage the smaller brewers, by puttin<r it in 



