282 ADULTERATIONS OF ALIMENTARY SUBSTANCES. 
thing relating to the adulteration of commercial and ali- 
mentary substances, has shown me that the necessity for a 
prompt and. severe repression of these frauds should fix 
your attention. Indeed, the adulteration of commercial 
products is so injurious to our foreign commerce, since, in 
consequence of the succession of frauds which are practised 
in the preparation and manipulation of various products, 
these products are rejected at foreign places of commerce, 
whence it results that our artisans lose their work, and our 
merchants their reputation, and that they do not derive the 
benefit they might hope for from the practice of their pro- 
fession if it were legitimately exercised. 
In the second place, the aliments, drinks and condiments, 
destined to sustain the life of man, and to supply the wants 
of their daily existence, are the subjects of frauds which 
may, in a great number of cases, injure the health of those 
who use them, but which in all cases have for their object 
£he substitution of a cheaper for a more expensive pro- 
duct. 
According to this explanation, commercial frauds, and 
the adulterations of alimentary and condimentary sub- 
stances being in the highest degree injurious to the health 
and interests of the population, and to the prosperity of 
commerce, we think that it becomes indispensable that a 
law be made to prohibit existing frauds, and to prevent 
those which are daily springing up. 
In our opinion, in such a law, the simple adulteration of 
a substance by a product of less value should be considered 
as a daring theft, which we do not notice, and which is 
daily renewed, because we are on our guard against the 
ordinary theft, whilst no precaution is taken against a 
tradesman who may cheat every day. This deception, 
when it is practised on the middle classes, is prejudicial to 
them, but it is much more so to the workmen, since those 
who exercise it deprive them by fraud of part of their labo- 
riously-earned wages. 
