FALSE WEIGHTS AND ADULTERATIONS. 
829 
a remedy for evils such’as have been described, or is it incredulous of the existence 
of those evils ? If the case were believed to be half as bad as it is represented, 
there would be no excuse for further delay in providing adequate punishment 
for offences which admit of no justification. . 
Looking at the startling nature of the statements made, on the one hand, and 
the cool and temperate manner in which, on the other hand, they were met by 
the Secretary of State in a recent debate on the subject, it is obvious that, although 
not directly contradicted, the exciting announcements of Mr. Muntz and others 
are by no means fully credited. Had it been otherwise, a serious inquiry into 
the nature of the evidence by which such accusations are attempted to be justi¬ 
fied, would become the duty of those who are qualified for such investigation. 
Mr. Muntz said, “ With regard to adulteration, it was a far more serious ques¬ 
tion than many hon. members might suppose. It was not a question of cheat¬ 
ing merely, but a question of life and death. He stated on a former occasion 
on bringing in a Bill on the subject, that two-thirds of the people were robbed, 
and one-third poisoned. He understated the case : they were all robbed, and 
two-thirds were poisoned. He did not mean to say that they all died, but 
articles were sold to them which tended very much to injure their health. 
And the poor could not help themselves. They were mostly in debt, and dare 
not leave the shop of the man to whom they were indebted. An examination 
was lately made of articles purchased at shops in London. Taking the article 
of coffee, that purchased at the West-End shops was pure, but out of twenty- 
seven shops at the East-End, twenty-three of the samples contained 25 per cent, 
of chicory, 25 per cent, of beans, 25 per cent, of crust of bread, and 25 per cen.o. 
of brick dust. The French medical men said this mixture would produce gastric 
fever. Then take the article of drugs. When he was a young man a traveller 
from a wholesale druggist called upon him, and he asked what discount was al¬ 
lowed. ‘ Oh,’ said the traveller, ‘ for the London market net, for the country 
market 25 per cent., and for export 50 per cent.’ r lhe purity of the article was 
according to the price, so that a person in a colony would have to take twice t ie 
dose that a person living in London would have to take^ to produce the same 
effect. A friend of his made an aualysis of blue pills. They came into fashion 
with Abernethy. And what did the House think his friend found these blue 
pills were composed of ? Why, slate filings and blue. clay. M ith respect to 
beer, he would mention one fact which was conclusive. The .magistrates or 
Shropshire were struck some time ago with the great increase in the cases Oj. 
drunkenness, and, on the motion of Sir Baldwin Leighton, appointed a com¬ 
mittee to inquire into its cause, and that committee reported that the great 
mass of persons who were brought up and fined for drunkenness and assaults 
were reduced to that state, not from the quantity of beer they dranR, but. from 
the effect of the nauseous poison with which it was adulterated, and that it was 
the sellers of the noxious article who most richly deserved punishment. A o doubt 
there was some of the 42 tons of the coculus indicus which had been referred to 
by the noble lord in that beer. It was well known that verdigris was useu to 
colour pickles, and therefore he would not occupy the time of the House by re¬ 
ferring to any particular cases ; but with respect to wine, it was notew or y 
that in a sample of port submitted to analysis it was found to be composed of 
45 gallons of rough cider, 6 of brandy, and tincture of logwood sufficien to 
colour it, and 3 gallons of a decoction of sloes. That was a pretty specimen o 
port wine. In the case of bread, a baker at Cardiff some tune^ago was nec 
£5 for selling it adulterated, not with alum, but plaster of I ans. 
Mr. Bruce said, “ No doubt there did exist a considerable evil, but what was 
deficient in quality was often compensated for by less cost, and supposing mi 
was supplied more pure the price would be in proportion to the purity. At the 
same time he did not in any way defend adulteration, but on the contrary looked 
