236 ON THE ADULTERATION OF ISINGLASS. 
being submitted to me, had been, to a certain extent, inves- 
tigated by Mr. Warrington, of Apothecaries' Hall, whose 
report to Messrs. Banks and Eland, of Bridge Street, West- 
minster, on two specimens, one of which was suspected, is 
as follows: 
" Apothecaries' Hall, April Sth } 1850. 
" Messrs. Banks and Eland, 
" Gentlemen, — I have submitted the two samples of 
isinglass forwarded me on the 27th ultimo to a careful ex- 
amination, and beg to report as follows ; 
"No. 1. — Hand cut, marked Simpson and Humphrey, 
appears to be a perfectly pure and genuine isinglass, yield- 
ing a very firm jelly of good color and quite free from any 
unpleasant flavor or odor. 
"No. 2. — Hand cut, marked Dawson and Morris, on the 
contrary, is, in my opinion, a very inferior article. It has a 
great deal of acid adhering to it, which, I consider, must 
arise either from acid having been used for the purpose of 
improving the color and appearance of an inferior isinglass 
so as to render it saleable, or from its admixture with a 
gelatine which had been prepared by means of an acid; in 
either case imposing both on the dealer and the consumer. 
The jelly from this is firm and pretty good in color, but it is 
acid, has a faint sickly odor, as though the material from 
which it was made had become slightly putrescent, and the 
flavor partakes of the same sickly character, which is very 
disagreeable. Trusting these results will prove satisfactory, 
" I remain, yours respectfully, 
"Robert Warrington." 
The suspicion which had been entertained having been 
thus strengthened, and the nature of the adulteration indi- 
cated, it appeared very desirable to have more direct evi- 
dence upon the subject, not only with the view of proving 
a fraud which there was reason to believe was extensively 
practised, but, at the same time, to enable the dealers in 
