ADULTERATION'. 



ADULTERY. 



100 



which they can spare from their businea* occupations. Of such a 

 nature arc the classes in various Mechanics' Institutes, the Crosby 

 Hall evening clime* for roung men, at the Working Men's Colleges in 

 Sheffield, at Salford, at Wolverhampton, and In Great Ormond street, 

 London ; by the lectures to working-men given at the Geological Museum 

 in Jermyn- street, the Edinburgh Apprentice Schools, and various other 

 places of a similar character. These are very numerous, and productive 

 no doubt of great advantage, not only to individuals but to 

 there is, however, no record by which we can ascertain the numbers. 

 The evening classes at King's College, London, are of a somewhat 

 higher character, as giving the privilege of an university examination, 

 and they are numerously attended. A great portion of those attending 

 are young men, but not a few are men of middle age. 



But though progress has thu* far been made, there is yet a lamentable 

 deficiency of education among the labouring classes. In 1858, there 

 were 29 per cent, of the men, and 40 per cent, of the women, who 

 could not write their names on their marriage. Still, this is an 

 improvement : in 1841, the per centoge was 33 of the men, and 49 of 

 the women. As the improvements in education are of course among 

 the more youthful, it is to be expected that even the later numbers 

 will now rapidly decrease. The number of persons who could not 

 write their names in the marriage register of 1856, indicates the state 

 of education some twelve or fifteen years earlier. 



ADULTERATION" (from the Latin Aduttcratio) is the use of 

 ingredients, in the production of any article, which are cheaper and 

 uot so good, or which are not considered so desirable by the consumer, 

 a* other or genuine ingredients for which they are substituted. The 

 tense of the Latin word U the same. (Pliny, ' Hist. Nat.' xxi. 6.) 

 The law does not consider adulteration generally as an offence, but 

 relies apparently on an evil of this nature being corrected by the 

 discrimination and good sense of the public. The selling of unwhole- 

 some provisions, as meat or fish, is generally punishable und 

 act*. The 51 Hen. III. st 6 prohibitt-d the sole of unwholesome flesh, 

 or flesh bought of a Jew, under pain of fine and imprisonment. In 

 Paris, malpractices connected with the adulteration of food are investi- 

 gated by the Conaeil de Salubrity, acting under the authority of the 

 prefect of police. In this country, strict regulations have been resorted 

 to in order to prevent adulteration. 



Tobacco-manufacturers are liable to a penalty of 200/. for having in 

 their possession sugar, molasses, honey, roots of malt,ground or unground 

 routed grain, ground or ungrouud chicory, lime, ochre, or other 

 earths, sea- weed, ground or powdered wood, moss or weeds, or any 

 leaves, or any herbs or any substance, syrup, liquid or preparation, 

 capable of being used as a substitute for, or to increase the weight of, 

 tobacco or snuff (5 & 6 Viet. c. 93, 5). Any person engaged in the 

 prcuiration of articles to imitate tobacco or snuff, or who shall sell 

 such articles to any tobacco-manufacturer, is liable to a penalty of 

 2001. (I 8). The penalty for adulterating tobacco or snuff is 300/. ( 1 ) ; 

 and for having such tobacco or snuff' in possession, 200/. ( 8). The 

 t ode in tobacco as to licences, 4c., is regulated by the above-mentioned 

 statute, and the 3 4 4 Viet c. 13. 



The ingredients used in the adulteration of beer are enumerated in 

 the list of articles which brewers or dealers in beer are prohibited from 

 having in their possession under a penalty of 2002. (58 Geo. III. c. 58, 

 S 2). These articles are molasses, honey, liquorice, vitriol, quassia, 

 flocculus Indicus, grains of Paradise, Guinea pepper, and opium. 

 Preparations from these articles are also prohibited. They are used as 

 substitutes for hops, or to give a colour to the liquor in imitation of 

 that which it would receive from the use of genuine ingredients ; 3 

 of the act imposes a penalty of 500?. upon any chemist, or other person, 

 who shall sell the articles mentioned to any brewer or dealer in beer. 

 The penalties against dealers are extended to beer-retailers under the 

 11 Oeo. IV. and" 1 Wm. IV. c. 64, and 4 & 5 W m . IV. c. 85, which 

 contain special provisions against adulteration applicable to this class 

 of dealers. These provision* are continued aud extended by thu 344 

 Viet c. (Jl. The 546 Viet c. 30, makes regulations for the prepara- 

 tion aud use of routed malt in browing, and the 10 Viet c. 5, 13 4 14 

 Viet c. 67, and 17 St, 18 Viet c. 30 allow sugar to be used, subject to 

 regulation* of the Commissioners of Inland Revenue. 



Selling ' corrupted wine ' is punishable under the 51 Hen. III. st 6. 

 By the 12 Cor. II. c. 25, the adulterating of wine is punishable with a 

 tin* of 10W. on tha merchant, 4U/. on the nd additional 



regulations are made by 1 Wm. t M. st 1. c. 3'.'. 



Ta, another important article of revenue, U protected from adulte- 

 ration by several statutes. The act 11 Oeo. I. c. 80, | 5, renders a tea- 

 deal r liable to a penalty of 100/. who shall counterfeit, adulterate, or 

 manufacture any tea, or mix with tea any leaves other than leaves of 

 tea (f 5). Under 4 Geo. IV. o. 14, tea-dealers who dye, fabricate, or 

 manufacture any nine-leaves, liquprice-lwves, or the leaves of tea that 

 have bwn used, or otbur leave* in imitation of tea ; or use terra j 

 migar, mola****, clay, logwood, or other ingredients, to colour , dye 

 *uob leave* ; or *ell or have in their possession such adulterated tea, 

 arc liable to a penalty of l ...und of such adulterated tea 



found in their pusMMion (| 11). The 17 Geo. III. c. 29, also piohil.i: 

 adulteration of tea (i 1). 



Th adulteration of coffee and cocoa U punishvd under 43 U>~. Ill 

 o. 129. Any person who manufacture*, has in bis possession, or sslls 

 burnt, scorched, or routed psu, beans, grains, nr other grain or 



vegetable substance prepared u substitutes for coffee or cocoa, U liable 

 to a penalty of IjKV. (| 5). The object of of 11 O , I V. ,-. 30, is 

 similar. Chicory it extensively used in the adulteration ..f coffee. 

 This root come into use on the Continent in consequence of Bonaparte's 

 decree* excluding colonial produce, and coffee with which u fourth or a 

 fifth port of chicory has been mixed is by some persons preferred as a 

 beverage to coffee alone. The Excise has for some time permitted the 

 mixture of chicory with coffee. Besides the quantity imported, chicory 

 is also grown in England. 



The manufacturer, possessor, or seller of adulterated pepper is liable 

 to a penalty of 1007. (59 Oeo. III. c. 53, 8 -!.'>. 



The act 9 Geo. IV. c. 44, g 4, extends the various act* relative to the 

 excise on tea, coffee, cocoa, pepper, Ac., to the United Kingdom. 



All penalties prosecuted by the Excise are by J 2 of the same statute 

 to be recovered according to 8 Oeo. IV. c. 53 (see 12 t 13 Viet. c. 1) ; 

 but if they are incurred within the limit- <>f tlu- hu-l' . ;!. 

 Revenue in London, the information may, by the 15 & 10 Viet 

 be determined by justices of the peace. 



As regard* the important article of bread, the act 6 & 7 \ v > 

 c. 37 (which repealed the several acts then in force relating to bread 

 sold beyond the city and liberties of London, and ten miles of the 

 Royal Exchange), was also intended to prevent the adulteration of 

 meal, flour, and bread beyond these limits. No other ingredient is to 

 be used in making bread for sale except flour or meal of wheat, barley, 

 rye, oats, buckwheat, Indian corn, peas, beans, rice, or potatoes, n 

 with common salt, pure water, eggs, milk, barm, leaven, potato or 

 other yeast, in such proportions as the bakers think fit ( 2). Adul- 

 terating bread, by mixing other ingredients, is punishable by a fine of 

 not less than 51. nor above 101., or imprisonment not exceeding sU 

 months : and the names of the offenders are to be published in a local 

 newsp per ( 8). Adulterating corn, meal, or flour, or selling flour of 

 one sort of corn as flour of another sort, subjects the offender to a 

 penalty not exceeding 201. and not loss than 51. ( 9). The ]<i . mises of 

 bakers may be searched, and if ingredients for adulterating meal or 

 flour be found, tha penalty for the first offence is 10/, and not less than 

 40*. ; for the second offence 57., and for every subsequent offence, 10/. ; 

 and the names of offenders are to be published in the newspapers 

 ( 12). There are penalties for obstructing search ( 18). Any miller, 

 mealman, or baker acting as a justice under this statute, incurs a 

 penalty of 10W. ( 16). 



The above act did not apply to Ireland, where the baking trade was 

 regulated by an act (2 Wm. IV. c. 31), the first clause of which. 

 relating to the ingredients to be used, was similar to the Eugli 

 just quoted. In 1838 another act was passed (1 Viet c. 28), which 

 repealed all former acts relating to the sale of bread in Ireland. The 

 preamble recited that the act 6 and 7 Wm. IV. c. 37, had been found 

 beneficial in Great Britain ; and the clauses respecting adulteration are 

 similar to the English act. 



The several acts for regulating the making of bread v iih. 

 miles of the Royal Exchange (which district is excludi 

 operation of 6 & 7 Wm. IV.) were consolidated by the aet 3 (.: 

 c. cvi. Under this act any baker who uses alum, or any uti 

 wholesome ingredient, is liable to the penalties rnei 

 647 Wm. IV. c. 87. Any ingredient or mixture found within the 

 house, mill, stall, shop, &c. of any miller, mealman, or baker, and 

 which shall appear to have been placed there for the purpose of adul- 

 teration, renders him liable to similar penalties. 



Other articles beside* those which have been mentioned are adulte- 

 rated to a great extent, and there is scarcely an article, from arrow- 

 root to guano, which escape*. The interference of Oovemmeu 

 thu practice of adulteration, except in the case of broad aud drugs 

 [APOTHECARIES' COMPANY], has hod no other object than the in 

 uieut of the revenue. 



Adulteration and the deceitful nuking up of commodities attracted 

 the attention of the legislature in the ICth century, and several acta 

 were passed for restraining offences of this nature. 



ADULTKRY, the offence of incontinence between two marrii 

 sons, or between two persons, one of whom is married. In tin 

 case it is called '';/'<, in the former, ilnnblc adultery. (Cowel, 4.) 



This crime was punished by the Jewish law with death : l>ut the 

 adultery which by the Mosaic law constituted a capital crime, was uot 

 every violation of chastity of which a married person might be guilty, 

 but only the sexual connection of a w lie w it h ai . m than bar 



husband. This distinction was part of the Jewish marriage-law, by 

 which the husband and wife bad not an equal right to restrain each 

 other from infidelity. The formei i take 



concubine* and (laves to hi* bed, without giving hi right 



to complain of any infringement "i her matrimonial right*. The 

 punishment, however, of incontinence in a married woman 

 stranger, was, by tha Levitiol law, death by stoning, both in tit 

 of the stranger and the adulteress. (Levit. xx In. and Michaelis, 

 ' Mosaischea Kecht') By the Athenian law. tie light kill th 



adult. !!. if ho detected him in the .let of .ii-l,]|,,iu,ni; him. ( Lysias'i 

 M on the Death of Erotostbt 



The Roman corresponds with the Hebrew law. ( 'i\ i, 

 adultery to be the violation of another man's bod (rinlaliv tori alieni) ; 

 so that the infidelity of a husband could not constitute th 

 The more ancient lawn of Rome, extremely severe again*: 



