AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 487 



meal in large proportions, while others contained the refuse musk, 

 termed rubble. 



Many pauper children were taken ill at one time in the estab- 

 lishment at Tooting, and in the course of the coroner-s inquiry, it 

 was found that the oatmeal was very largely adulterated with 

 barley meal; and as the children were all sufl'ering with nearly 

 the same symptoms, being reduced by diarrhoea, and barley pos- 

 sessing an aperient property, and having been in daily use, was 

 considered the cause of the diarrhoea. 



I now proceed to the conclusions arrived at by the committee, 

 from the analyses of different samples of black and green tea, both 

 as imported, and as purchased of dealers in the country. The 

 chief points ascertained with regard to black tea vrere, that the 

 priacipal black teas (viz : the Congous and Souchongs) arrive in 

 England for the most part in a genuine state; that certain descrip- 

 tions of black tea, as scented orange, pekoe, and caper, are in- 

 variably adulterated; the adulteration in general consisting of the 

 glazing of the leaves with plumbago or black lead; the caper 

 likewise being subject to the admixture with other substances, as 

 paddy pusk, lie tea, and the leaves other than those of tea; that 

 several varieties of a spurious caper or black gun powder, are pre- 

 pared, which consist of tea dust and sometimes the dust of other 

 leaves, and sand, made up into little masses with gum, and faced 

 or glazed with pliunbago, Prussian blue, and turmeric powder. 

 (Turmeric is the root of the cm-cuma longa, and yields a fine 

 yellow powder, and forms one of the ingredients of curry; paper 

 stained with turmeric is often used in the chemical laboratory as 

 a test of the presence of free alkalies and their carbonates, by 

 which its yellow color is turned into brown.) In some cases 

 these imitations are sold separately, but most frequently they are 

 used to mix with and adulterate the better qualities of caper, viz: 

 those which are made of tea faced with plunil)ago only. 



With respect to green tea the principal conclusions were, that 

 these teas, with the exception of a few of Eritish groAvth and 

 manufacture, from Assam, are invariably adulterated; that is to 

 say, are glazed with coloring matter of different kinds. The 

 coloring matter used in general are Prussian blue, turmeric pow- 

 der and China clay, other ingredients being sometimes but not 

 frequently employed. Of these coloring matters, Prussian blue, 

 or ferro-cyanide of iron, possesses properties calculated to alfect 

 health injuriously. And you may rest assured gentlemen of the 

 Club, that there really is no such thing as a green tea ; that is a 



