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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..9c229d4 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #52434 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/52434) diff --git a/old/52434-0.txt b/old/52434-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 27672ee..0000000 --- a/old/52434-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6695 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Deadly Adulteration and Slow Poisoning -Unmasked, by Anonymous - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Deadly Adulteration and Slow Poisoning Unmasked - Disease and Death in the Pot and Bottle - -Author: Anonymous - -Release Date: June 29, 2016 [EBook #52434] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DEADLY ADULTERATION *** - - - - -Produced by deaurider, Les Galloway and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - -Transcriber’s Note - -The original begins with a 22 page catalogue of “PRACTICAL BOOKS ON -Sporting Subjects”. This has been moved to the end. - - - DEADLY ADULTERATION - - AND - - SLOW POISONING UNMASKED; - - OR, - - Disease and Death - - IN THE POT AND THE BOTTLE; - - IN WHICH - - THE BLOOD-EMPOISONING AND LIFE-DESTROYING - ADULTERATIONS - - OF - -WINES, SPIRITS, BEER, BREAD, FLOUR, TEA, SUGAR, SPICES, CHEESEMONGERY, - PASTRY, CONFECTIONARY MEDICINES, &c. &c. &c. - - ARE LAID OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, - - WITH - - TESTS OR METHODS - - FOR ASCERTAINING AND DETECTING THE - FRAUDULENT AND DELETERIOUS ADULTERATIONS - AND THE GOOD AND BAD QUALITIES - - _OF THOSE ARTICLES_: - - With an Exposé of Medical Empiricism and Imposture, Quacks and - Quackery, Regular and Irregular, Legitimate and Illegitimate: and - The Frauds and Mal-practices of Pawnbrokers and Madhouse-keepers. - - NEW EDITION. - - BY AN ENEMY TO FRAUD AND VILLANY. - -“The Workshop of the Distillery [and of the Wine and Spirit Compounder] -is the Elaboratory of Disease and of Premature Death.”—_Manual for -Invalids._ - -Devoted to disease by baker, butcher, grocer, wine-merchant, -spirit-dealer, cheesemonger, pastry-cook, and confectioner; the -physician is called to our assistance; but here again the pernicious -system of fraud, as it has given the blow, steps in to defeat the -remedy; the unprincipled dealers in drugs and medicines exert the most -diabolical ingenuity in sophisticating the most potent and necessary -drugs, (viz. peruvian bark, rhubarb, ipecacuanha, magnesia, calomel, -castor-oil, spirits of hartshorn, and almost every other medical -commodity in general demand;) and chemical preparations used in -pharmacy. _Literary Gazette._ - - LONDON: - PUBLISHED BY SHERWOOD, GILBERT AND PIPER, - PATERNOSTER ROW. - - - - - LONDON: - MARCHANT, PRINTER, INGRAM-COURT. - - - - - THE AUTHOR’S ADDRESS - - TO - - THE READER. - - -The catalogue of frauds and enormities exhibited in the following pages -will, no doubt, excite the abhorrence and indignation of every honest -heart. Its author is, however, convinced that he will find that he has -undertaken a very unthankful office—that his book will be the dread -and abhorrence of wicked and unprincipled dealers and impostors of -all kinds; and himself exposed to their utmost rancour and bitterest -maledictions. But the die is cast: he has discharged a public duty, and -sincerely hopes that the Public may be benefited by his disclosures. - -It has been justly said, that all attempts to meliorate the condition -of mankind have, in general, been coldly received, while the artful -flatterers of their passions and appetites have met their eager -embraces. And it is no less true, that it has always been the fate of -those who have attempted any great public good, to be obnoxious to such -as have profited by the errors of mankind. The divine Socrates, whose -life was a continued exertion to reprove and correct the overweening -and the vicious, died a victim to the Heathen Mythology, on account of -his maintaining the unity and perfections of the Deity, and exposing -the doctrines and pretensions of the heathen priesthood and the -Sophists, and their mercenary views; and, in later times, Galileo would -have met a similar fate, had he not bowed to error, and renounced a -sublime truth, clear as the glorious orb that was the object of it, -and which, soon after, was universally acknowledged. Even the Divine -Founder of our Faith and Religion was stigmatized as the broacher of -false opinions, and one who misled the people, by his ignorant and -malicious accusers, whose frauds and delusions it was the object of -his mission to confound and overthrow, as well as to free mankind from -the bondage of their errors. But without having the presumption or -impiety to compare himself with those benefactors of mankind, or to -put his humble endeavours in competition with their godlike attempts, -or to expect a similar result from them, it will be a great consolation -to the Author of this book, when life is departing the frail tenement -of his body, to reflect that he has brought “deeds of darkness to -light,”—that he has been the humble means of unmasking to public view -the frauds and villanies that are daily and hourly practised on the -Public Health and Welfare; and in that “trying hour” his most grateful -feeling and homage to English Law will be, that it secures to every -man the liberty of expressing his honest indignation and abhorrence of -palpable and disgusting fraud and imposture. - - “Hail to the Press!— - Vast artery of life, through which the stores - That feed the growth of Truth, Opinion pours; - The mighty lens through which she points the rays - That kindle Error’s records into blaze.— - Gigantic engine! power that supersedes - The long prescriptive _Use_ that Folly pleads.— - O happy England! - Land of my fathers! may thy children keep. - E’en as they guard the empire of the deep, - The free, unshackled press, that best secures - Their rights, and liberty to truth assures.” - -MEM.—I have stated at p. 11, on the authority of the author of “_The -Oracle of Health and Long Life_,” that the many sudden deaths that are -daily happening in and about the metropolis, are no doubt assignable -to the unprincipled and diabolical adulterations of food, spirits, -malt liquors, and the other necessaries of life. Since that extract -was printed in the pages of “_Deadly Adulteration and Slow Poisoning -Unmasked_,” I am sorry to say, that I have observed numerous instances -of the sudden deaths of persons in apparently perfect health, detailed -in the London and country newspapers, and even at the very moment that -I am penning this remark, I observe, in the columns of the Herald -newspaper, accounts of two persons in the prime of life and in good -health, whose deaths happened in a similar way. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - Page - - Introduction 3 - - Wines and Spirits, Adulteration of, 12 - - ————————— Tests of, 40 - - Beer and Ale 50 - - Bread and Flour 68 - - Meat and Fish 78 - - Tea, Coffee, Chocolate, and Sugar 83 - - Spices 98 - - Pickles 104 - - Vinegar 105 - - Olive Oil 107 - - Salt and Mustard 108 - - Anchovy Sauce and Mushroom Catsup 109 - - Isinglass 110 - - Blue and Soap 111 - - Candles and Starch 113 - - Bees’ Wax 114 - - Butter 115 - - Cheese, Bacon and Hams 116 - - Milk and Cream 118 - - Potatoes, Fruit, &c. 119 - - Confectionary and Pastry 122 - - Perfumery, Cosmetics, Hair Oils, Bear’s - Grease, &c. 126 - - Medicines, Medical Empiricism, Quacks, and - Quackery 133 - - Coals 170 - - Colours, Hats, Broad Cloths, Laces, - Kerseymeres, Linens, Cambrics, Silks, Jewellery, - Stationery, &c. 176 - - Conclusion 181 - - Appendix 183 - - ——— Gin, “Comfort” or “Blue Ruin” ib. - - ——— Fish ib. - - ——— Tea 184 - - ——— Some more Morning Water and Sir Reverence - Doctors 186 - - ——— Noodle Medical Book-wrights 187 - - ——— The Frauds and Mal-practices of Pawnbrokers - and Madhouse Keepers 187 - - - - -DEADLY ADULTERATION AND SLOW POISONING UNMASKED; with Tests -for Ascertaining and Detecting the Fraudulent and Deleterious -Adulterations, and the good and bad qualities of Wines, Spirits, Beer, -Bread, Flour, Tea, Sugar, Spices, Cheesemongery, Pastry, Confectionary, -Medicines, &c. &c. Price 5_s._ bound in cloth. - - -_Critical Opinions of the Work._ - - “We are always happy to meet with such true-hearted reformers as the - enemies to fraud and villany. Detesting the impositions of every - form and variety to which the simple inhabitants of this metropolis - are daily made victims, our author in a tone of ardent indignation, - and disdaining to mince his expressions at a crisis so full of - peril, denounces in forcible language the scandalous practices of - adulteration, from which no material of food or luxury seems to be - exempted. The style, however, is occasionally diversified, and no - sooner have we been roused into a sympathetic feeling of anger with - the author against this set of impostors, than we are called on - to unite with him in a hearty laugh at the ridiculous plight into - which, by a humourous and amusing term of expression, he puts another - community of base adulterators. We have not met, lately, with a volume - of this compass, which contains more useful information and amusing - matter than the present one.”—_Monthly Review_ for Nov. 1830. - - “We honestly recommend this eventful volume.”—_New Monthly Magazine_, - Jan. 1831. - - “To go over all the subjects which this admirable volume embraces, - would fill many pages of our work; we must, therefore, refer our - readers to the work itself; and we shall be greatly astonished, - if, after having perused it, they do not thank us for the - advice.”—_Monthly Gazette of Health_, for Oct. 1830. - - “This is a volume of intense and surpassing interest; its use and - excellence should be known to every person who values health and life; - it should form an appendage to every family library.” - - “This interesting book is evidently the production of a man of - considerable talents.”—_Lancet_, Jan. 1831. - - “This is a work of great public utility, and in author, whose honesty - and public spirit have placed him in the foremost rank of benefactors - to the public welfare, is richly entitled to the gratitude of the - community.” - - See also _Imp. Mag._ for Dec. 1830; _Home Missionary_, for Oct. 1830; - _News_, for Jan. 1831; _Atlas_, for Jan. 1831; _United Kingdom_, Jan, - 1831, &c. &c. - - - - - Deadly Adulteration, - - AND - - SLOW POISONING; - - OR, - - DISEASE AND DEATH - - IN - - THE POT AND THE BOTTLE. - - - - -INTRODUCTION. - - -The able and patriotic Editor of the Literary Gazette, No. 156, in -the course of his review of Mr. Accum’s meritorious work on Culinary -Poisons, makes the following just and striking remarks: - -One has laughed at the whimsical description of the cheats in Humphrey -Clinker, but it is too serious for a joke to see that, in almost every -thing which we eat or drink, we are condemned to swallow swindling, if -not poison—that all the items of metropolitan, and many of country, -consumption are deteriorated, deprived of nutritious properties, -or rendered obnoxious to humanity, by the vile arts and merciless -sophistications of their sellers. So general seems the corruption, and -so fatal the tendency, of most of the corrupting materials, that we -can no longer wonder at the prevalence of painful disorders and the -briefness of existence (on an average) in spite of the great increase -of medical knowledge, and the amazing improvement in the healing -science, which distinguish our era. No skill can prevent the effects -of daily poisoning; and no man can prolong his life beyond a short -standard, where every meal ought to have its counteracting medicine. - -Devoted to disease by baker, brewer, grocer, wine-merchant, -spirit-dealer, cheesemonger, pastry-cook, confectioner, &c. the -physician is called to our assistance; but here again the pernicious -system of fraud, as it has given the blow, steps in to defeat the -remedy: even the physician’s prescription is adulterated! - -Mr. Accum’s account of water (i. e. the Companies’ water—the filthy -and unwholesome water supplied from the Thames, of which the delicate -citizens of Westminster fill their tanks and stomachs, at the very -spot where one hundred thousand cloacinæ, containing every species -of filth, and all unutterable things, and strongly impregnated with -gas, the refuse and drainings of hospitals, slaughter houses, colour, -lead, and soap works, drug-mills, manufactories, and dung-hills, daily -disgorge their abominable contents) is so fearful, that we see there is -no wisdom in the well: and if we then fly to wine, we find, from his -analysis, that there is no truth in that liquid; bread turns out to be -a crutch to help us onward to the grave, instead of being the staff -of life; in porter there is no support, in cordials no consolation; in -almost every thing poison, and in scarcely any medicine, cure! - -That this denunciation of fraud and villany is not mere assertion, the -terrific disclosures that I am about to make (some of which are to be -found in Mr. Accum’s book, and in greater detail than the space I have -prescribed myself allows) will fully prove to the contrary, and show -that it is the duty of the government to protect the public by some -legislative provisions, and to prohibit and render penal the nefarious -practices in daily use for the diabolical and deleterious adulteration -of the necessaries of life, practices which are destructively inimical -to the public health and welfare. As Mr. Accum has pointedly said -in the preface to his work, “as the eager and insatiable thirst for -gain is proof against prohibitions and penalties, and the possible -sacrifice of a fellow creature’s life is a secondary consideration -among unprincipled dealers,” nothing short of subjecting the offence to -the operation of the criminal law seems likely to suppress the wicked -and diabolical practices, and secure the public from the silent and -unobserved effects of being slowly poisoned: transportation ought to -be the mildest punishment of the iniquitous offender. Is it not, as -the same gentleman justly observes, a reflection on English law, that -“a man who robs a fellow subject of a few shillings on the highway -should be sentenced to death, while he who distributes a slow poison -to a whole community should escape unpunished,” at most with only the -infliction of a trifling fine, which proves to him the inefficiency of -the law to restrain him from a continuance in his iniquitous practices? -The inefficacy of fines, however large, in deterring offenders from a -commission or repetition of the crime is evident, from the inadequacy -of the large penalties to which the adultering brewer, grocer, -coffee-manufacturer, &c. are subject when detected. For, besides the -difficulty of detecting this species of fraud and iniquity, the large -profits, which are often several hundreds per cent. enable the culprits -to meet the trivial loss which attends a detection, and speedily -reimburses them the penalty of a conviction. - -“Plures crapula quam gladius,” says the old adage, which, in a -free translation, may be paraphrased “Cookery depopulates like a -pestilence.” To those versed in the business of disease it is well -known that this is no exaggeration. But, dismal as is the destruction -of human life from this source, it is by no means equal to that -occasioned by the effects of the nefarious traffic in the adulteration -of the necessaries of life; the pernicious and destructive mixtures -and combinations to which they are subject have produced greater -ravages on health, and given a greater empire to death than the united -scourges of famine and the sword in combination with the refinements of -cookery and the increase of gastrophilism:—they occasion the loss of -tens of thousands of human lives every year in the metropolis alone. -It has with truth been said that to so alarming an extent have the -illicit practices of poisonous adulteration arrived, “that it would be -difficult to mention a single article of food which is not to be met -with in an adulterated state; and there are some substances which are -scarcely ever to be procured genuine.” - -These spurious mixtures and counterfeit articles are combined and -manufactured with so much skill and ingenuity, as to elude and baffle -the discrimination of the most experienced judges. And, for the purpose -of ensuring the secrecy of the nefarious traffic, “the processes -are distributed and subdivided among distinct operators, and the -manufactures are carried on in separate establishments.” The tasks -of proportioning the ingredients and that of their composition and -preparation are assigned to distinct persons. In fact, “the traffic -in adulterated commodities finds its way through so many circuitous -channels as to defy the most scrutinizing endeavour of individual -exertion to trace it to its source.” And the frequency of the act -has rendered the conscience of the offenders callous and indifferent -to the consequences. The man who would shudder at the idea of giving -a dose of arsenic to a single individual sleeps soundly in his bed, -though he knows that he administers as fatal, though a slower, poison -to thousands every day. And such a man is the baker, the miller, the -wine-merchant, the brewer, the publican, the druggist, the tea-dealer, -and every dealer who adulterates an article of food. And yet, those -thoughtlessly wicked men suffer their consciences to be seared and -bribed to silence through their self-interest and craving appetite for -unreasonable and unrighteous gain! - -With respect to those “filthy nuisances” the gin-shops and workshops -of the wine and spirit dealers, which have not inaptly been termed -“the elaboratories of disease and of premature death,” the following -remarks, which appeared in the New Monthly Magazine for February, 1828, -are dictated in the justest spirit of criticism and of public duty. It -is to be wished that all journalists were disposed, in like manner, to -denounce fraud and imposture. - -“While there is so much prating and preaching about the morals of -the people; while the increase of crime is grossly exaggerated, and -the necessity of instruction is loudly talked about! when even the -lotteries, which of late years did no harm at all, have been given -up to the prevailing fashion of affected sanctity, it is quite -preposterous that such filthy nuisances as the numerous gin-shops of -London should not merely be tolerated, but sanctioned and encouraged by -the legislature. We do not speak of regular public-houses, but of those -places which are devoted only to the sale of spirits by retail. They -cannot be necessary for the purpose of refreshments, and can only, as -they do in fact, serve to produce evils of the most lamentable nature.” -Who, that has a spark of feeling and integrity in his nature, does -not coincide in opinion with the ingenious and accomplished editor of -the distinguished periodical, from which this spirited and sensible -passage is extracted? - -But the truth is, as has been well observed by the author of “The -Manual for Invalids,” that it would be difficult to discover any thing -in social life that is more virtually neglected than Public Health, -which ought to be an object of the greatest concern to all wise and -paternal governments, as well as to every influential and well-disposed -individual in the nation. “The Public Health and the Public Morals,” as -the same excellent writer sagaciously observes, “should be the object -of the greatest solicitude on the part of every government, instead of -extracting a profit from deception and villany, ignorance and vice. -Were the various descriptions of liquors in which alcohol bears so -predominant a part taxed to prohibition, there would be less of felony, -less of moral degradation, less employment for police magistrates -and judges, and less occasion for the executioner. There would be a -counterpoise in the reduction of the parochial burthens, and a greater -value given to the moral character of the people; but, unfortunately, -the produce to the revenue is such as—while it does not prevent the -injurious use of spirituous liquors, it enriches the coffers of the -nation; and the sacra auri fames has, as well in government matters as -in those of the quack, the adulterator, and the impostor, the power of -making that appear relatively right which is absolutely wrong.” - -Nor is the general and immoderate use of ardent spirits only -destructive to the body, but it acts eminently as powerful incentives -to vice of every kind. Does the robber pause in his vocation? Does -the murderer hesitate to deprive his fellow-creatures of life? They -are presently wound up to a reckless sense of their crimes at the -gin-shop.—Has the seducer tried all his arts in vain to despoil his -unsuspecting victim of peace and innocence? The seductive liquor offers -him an easy prey, and leaves his immolated victim polluted, disgraced, -and lost to society. The brothel is more indebted to this source than -to all the lures of seduction. In fact, the seductive productions of -the distillery and the winepress impair the physical strength of the -country, and induce incorrigible habits of vice and intemperance. - -A reflecting writer has expressed an opinion that the life of man would -generally be extended to a hundred years were it not for his excesses -and the adulteration of his food; and when we consider how many attain -even a greater age, under every disadvantage, we must allow that there -is probability in this opinion. When we observe the early disfigurement -of the human form, the swollen or shrunk body, the bloated and -self-caricatured face, with the signs of imbecility and decrepitude -which we continually see, at an age when life should be in its fullest -vigour;—when, at every turn we meet the doctor’s carriage; in every -street, behold a rivalry of medical attraction; it is impossible not -to feel a conviction that something must be essentially wrong in our -way of living. This is principally assignable to our improper and -unwholesome diet, but more especially to the vile adulterations to -which every article of diet is now impudently and wickedly subjected. -As the author of the “Oracle of Health and Long Life” observes, in a -note to page 31, “it is no doubt to the unprincipled adulterations of -food, spirits, malt liquors, &c. that a great number of the sudden -deaths, which are constantly happening in and about the metropolis, is -assignable. The adulteration, it is true, is not sufficient to cause -instant death, but it operates slowly, and silently, and imperceptibly; -so as not to excite sufficient suspicion and inquiry respecting the -cause. This is not an idle or a random remark, but one founded on -much observation and on very probable grounds. It is hoped that it -will awaken public attention and inquiry respecting these nefarious -transactions.” Following this valuable advice, I will exert myself to -the utmost to promote and call into action this necessary duty, and -with this intent the following pages were composed, for the collection -of the materials of which I have had singular opportunities afforded -me. - - - - -PART I. - -WINES AND SPIRITS. - - -I shall divide this interesting portion of my work into two sections; -first, the Adulteration of Wines and Spirits, and the Tricks of Wine -and Spirit Dealers; and, secondly, the Tests or Methods of ascertaining -the Good and Bad Qualities of Wines and Spirits. - - -SECTION I.—_The Adulteration of Wines and Spirits, and the Tricks of -Wine and Spirit Dealers._ - - -1. WINES. - -The frauds and malpractices in use among the wine and spirit brewers -and compounders of the metropolis, and the noxious and deleterious -ingredients with which those unprincipled men “make up” the poisonous -compounds, that they are daily vending to the public, under the names -of wines and spirits, exceed the devices, and are, if possible, -of a more deadly operation than the sophistications and vitiated -manufactures palmed upon the public by the wicked and avaricious -cozeners of all other adulterating trades. - -The art or mystery of manufacturing spurious and counterfeit wines and -liquors forms a regular trade of great extent in this metropolis, and -is carried on with so much skill and ingenuity, and has attained so -great perfection, as to render the irony of the witty author of the -Tatler no longer figurative; namely, that “the transmutation of liquors -under the streets of London was so perfect, that the operators by the -power of magical drugs could convert a plantation of northern hedges -into a vineyard; could raise the choicest products of the hills and -valleys of France under the streets of London; could squeeze Bourdeaux -out of the sloe, and Champagne from the apple.” - -Nor has the reprobation of the contaminations of wines and spirits -with substances deleterious to health been confined to former times; -they have been stigmatised on account of their alarming and deadly -increase in numerous recent publications. I quote the following artless -lines, in which an honest country lad is represented as expressing his -abhorrence of his relative, a London wine-merchant’s sophistications, -not for the elegance of the poetry, but as conveying an important truth -in a plain garb; perhaps its unaffected satire is not ill adapted to -awaken attention: - - “So I buss’d Luke and mother, and, vastly concern’d, - Off I set, with my father’s kind blessing, - To our cousin, the wine merchant, where I soon learn’d - About mixing, and brewing, and pressing; - But the sloe-juice and rat’s bane, and all that fine joke, - Was soon in my stomach a-rising, - Why, dang it! cried I, would you kill the poor folk? - I thought you sold wine, and not poison!” - -But the particular histories of the corruptions of wines and spirits -will be more acceptable to those who are desirous of preserving their -health and enjoying their existence comfortably, than quotation; for, -were wine and spirit bibbers aware of the abominable and fraudulent -processes of adulteration in use among wine and spirit dealers and -gin-shop keepers, they would not only heartily join in the exclamation -of the “poet of Nature,” “Oh! that men should put an enemy in their -mouths to steal away their brains!” but they would be convinced that it -is not only high time that the fraud and villany of their selfish and -secret poisoners should be unmasked, but also punished and suppressed. -For this purpose I shall detail some of the noxious compositions of the -wine and spirit dealers of newspaper notoriety, and of the placarding -gin-shop keepers, whose gaudy premises, as well as those of other -puffers at cheap prices, are designed to catch the eye and arrest the -attention of the heedless and unwary. And thus I am inclined to believe -that my readers will heartily agree with one who has materially and -honourably contributed to expose the villany of adulterators of all -kinds, that, in the deterioration and pernicious sophistication of the -necessaries and comforts of existence, it may with truth be said, in a -civil as well as in a religious sense, that “in the midst of life we -are in death.” - -Factitious wines are generally, in the slang phraseology of the -adulteration trade, “doctored” or “cooked,” in order to give them -particular flavours, and render them similar to the wines they are -intended to represent. Thus bitter almonds (or the leaves of cherry -laurel, which are cheaper) are added to give a nutty flavour; sweet -briar, orris-root, clary, cherry-laurel-water, and elder-flowers to -form the bouquet of high-flavoured wines; alum to render young and -meagre red wines bright; cake of pressed elderberries and bilberries to -render pale faint coloured port [or red sumach, &c. to tinge spoiled -white wines red] of a deep rich purple colour;[A] oak saw-dust, -[sloes,] and the husks of filberts, to give additional astringency to -unripe red wines; and a tincture of the seeds of raisins to flavour -factitious port wine; [with a variety of other ingredients, such -as spice, &c. to render wine pungent]. (The Vintners and Licensed -Victuallers’ Guide, p. 259.) And in the same work, p. 225, among -other deleterious ingredients, “sugar of lead”[B] is directed to be -used for fining or clearing cloudy white wines. That book and works -of a similar kind are the accredited repositories of the arcana of -sophistication for the publican and small wine and spirit dealer, and -gin-shop keeper; but, as Mr. Accum (Culinary Poisons, p. 87) says, -the more wholesale adulterators and “large capitalists,” whether wine -and spirit brewer or ale and beer brewer, obtain, on payment of a -considerable fee, a manuscript from the brewers’ and spirit-dealers’ -druggist, containing the whole mystery of managing and drugging wines, -spirits, beer, or ale; or they may be initiated in the respective -crafts and mysteries, by oral instruction, and practical demonstration, -on payment of a handsome douceur. - -The above is the general method of doctoring or “cooking” wine and -spirits. The following are the particular and more ingenious methods -of sophistication in use among the advertising and placarding venders -of “genuine old Port” and “amber-coloured” or “fine pale Amontillado -Sherry.” Both sorts are generally compounded of a small quantity of -the real article either in a good or a deteriorated state, according -to the taste or conscience of the compounder, with the necessary -proportions of Cape wine, cider, sal tartar, colouring matter, brandy -or rum cowe, or other adulterating slops, which are calculated to form -a tolerable basis, and to bear a resemblance in colour and flavour to -the wine desired to be imitated. As the communication of the particular -ingredients of which these factitious wines are composed cannot but be -acceptable to my readers, I shall give a particular account of each of -the processes. - -Factitious, or fabricated port wine is usually made by mingling or -blending together in large vats Benecarlo, or black strap, which -is a strong coarse Spanish wine of inferior quality; Red Cape; a -sufficient quantity of Mountain to soften the mixture and give it -the appearance of richness; a portion of sal tartar and gum dragon -(the object of the first ingredient is to cause the wine to crust -soon when bottled; of the second, to impart a fullness and roundness -of flavour and consistence of body); colouring matter, or berry-dye, -which is an extract of German bilberries; brandy or rum cowe, which is -the rinsings of casks containing those liquors, obtained by throwing -in a few gallons of water into them after the liquor is drawn off, -and leaving it closely bunged up till the cask has imparted the -flavour of the liquor to the water; and a quantity of spoiled cider, -of which many thousand pipes are annually brought to the metropolis -for this purpose. Sometimes a small quantity of port is made use -of, with rectified spirits and coarse brandy, and, instead of the -colouring articles above mentioned, red saunders wood, or the juice -of elderberries or of sloes is employed. According to the Mechanics’ -Magazine, the chemical analysis of a bottle of cheap port wine was as -follows: spirits of wine, three ounces; cider, fourteen ounces; sugar, -one and half ounce; alum, two scruples; tartaric acid, one scruple; -strong decoction of logwood, four ounces. And this is the “genuine old -port,” of unrivalled flavour and quality, of the London fabricators and -compounders. “Amber-coloured Sherry,” or “the fine pale Amontillado -Sherry,” of the advertising wine-factor and placarding gin-shop keepers -is manufactured of coarse highly-brandied brown Sherry, Cape wine, and -brandy cowe; to which are added extract of almond-cake or gum benzoin, -to impart a nutty flavour; cherry-laurel-water, to give a roundness of -flavour; lamb’s blood, to fine the mixture and clear or decompose its -colour; and oyster-shells and chalk, for the purpose of binding and -concentrating the whole; and this delectable composition the knavish -adept in the art of deleterious combination palms on the credulity -of the public under the inviting title of “fine pale Sherry, of -peculiar delicacy and flavour.” Had the late Dr. Kitchiner been aware -of these sophistications he would not have said “that, of the white -wines, Sherry is the most easy to obtain genuine, and is the least -adulterated.” - -The “fine old East-India Madeira, at unprecedented cheap prices, for -ready money only,” of these worthies is a commixture of a portion of -East-India Madeira with Teneriffe, Vidonia, or Direct Madeira,[C] and -East-India Cape.[D] The “fine old soft-flavoured West-India Madeira, -_of capital quality_,” and, of course, at _exceedingly low prices_, -is manufactured from a portion of genuine West-India Madeira and a -sufficient modicum of old thin Direct Madeira; and should the precious -commixture be approaching to acidity the kindness of the sophisticating -compounder obliges the palate of his poor gulled customer with the -insertion of a few ounces of carbonate of soda. The genuine colour of -pure Madeira (one of the best off-hand methods of forming an opinion -of the goodness of Madeira is, as the author of _The Private Gentleman -and Importing Merchants’ Wine and Spirit Cellar-Directory_ judiciously -says, by its colour) is much paler than that of Sherry. When it has a -pinkish hue it is a sign of its having been adulterated with Teneriffe. - -“The Old London Particular,” or any other imposing and dainty -appellation extracted from the adulterating vocabulary of the artful -sophisticator, is generally composed of a combination of cheap Vidonia, -common dry Port, Mountain, and Cape wine, properly fined and reduced to -the requisite colour by means of lamb’s blood. - -The Cape wine generally sold to the public is composed of the -drippings of the cocks from the various casks, the filterings of the -lees of the different wines in the adulterators’ cellars, or from -any description of bad or spoiled white wines, with the addition of -brandy or rum cowe and spoiled cider. “The delicately pale Cape Sherry, -or Cape Madeira, at astonishingly low prices,” and, of course, for -_ready money_, is composed of the same delicious ingredients, with the -addition of extract of almond cake, and a little of that delectable -liquor, lamb’s blood, to decompose its colour, or, in the cant -phraseology, to give it “complexion.” - -In fact, the impositions practised in regard to this species of wine -fully justifies the reprobation of the writer in the 43d number of -the Quarterly Review. “The manufactured trash,” says the judicious -critic, “which is selling in London under the names of Cape Champagne, -Burgundy, Barsac, Sauterne, &c. are so many specious poisons, which -the cheapness of the common and inferior wines of the Cape allows the -venders of them to use as the bases of the several compositions, at -the expense of the stomach and bowels of their customers.” By mixing -these wines with the lees of other kinds, and fining and compounding -them with various drugs, they endeavour to counterfeit the more costly -vintages of Spain and Portugal, and even France. - -It is unnecessary to state that the “Old Vidonia Wines,” the “Fine -old delicately-pale Bucellas,” and the “Unequalled and beneficial -Tent,” for the _sick and infirm, and the offices of our holy -religion_, “sold remarkably cheap, for ready money,” by those honest -and tender-conscienced gentry, are base substitutes for the genuine -articles. To say nothing worse, Tent, Mountain, Calcavella, &c. is -Port wine, transmuted by the addition of capillaire, &c. And, from the -report of a late case which came on before the Court of King’s Bench, -it appears that the scarce and costly Tokay, the Lachryma Christi, and -La Crême Divine, are seldom any other than identical Sicilian wines -of an inferior description; the current price of which in the market -is about twelve pounds sterling per hhd. Oh! friend Bull, how the -sophisticating rogues trifle with thy dainty palate! Hadst thou not -better rest contented with thy soul-stirring, heart-cheering, _vinum -Britannicum_,—thy home-brewed ale, and Sir John Barleycorn, instead of -filling thy _dear_ stomach with a medley of foreign slops. Oh, John, -when wilt thou learn wisdom and find a loyal pleasure in paying thy -quota of tax on articles of home manufacture! Alas! Johnny, thou art a -sadly wayward fellow! there is more hope of “the wild ass’s colt” than -of thee, when thy longings after foreign luxuries seduce thy palate and -blind thy understanding! - -Nor are the costly French wines less exempt from the devices -and sophistications of the imps of the “Father of Deceit.” The -“super-excellent” or “genuine Claret of exceedingly fine description -and of the choicest quality” of the advertising and placarding dealers, -is a composition of inferior claret and a _quantum sufficit_ of Spanish -red wine and rough cider, with the colouring berry-dye. The colouring -process is sometimes performed by the agency of “black sloes,” “a -dozen new pippins,” or a “handful of the oak of Jerusalem,” are often -kindly introduced to improve its quality; and to tickle the taste of -the consumer of this wine, or of Port, “an ounce of cochineal” is -considerately thrown into a hogshead of liquor “to make it taste rough.” - -When one views this goodly enumeration of items, it must be admitted -that the burthen of the old song does not appear overcharged: - - “One glass of drink, I got by chance, - ’Twas claret when it was in France, - But now from it moche wider; - I think a man might make as good - With green crabbes, boil’d in Brazil-wood, - And half a pinte of cyder.” - -And it gives us cause to be satisfied of the truth of Milton’s remark:— - - “Of deaths, many are the ways that lead - To his grim cave—all dismal.” - -O ye gulled Jacky Bulls, who revel in bibbing “costly French wines,” -how angry you will be with me when I tell you that while you think -you are sipping “Genuine Sparkling Champagne,” you are titillating -your exquisite gullets with merely plain home-made English gooseberry -wine; or, what may be more alarming to you, with worthless Champagne -wine of very dangerous and deleterious quality and tendency; whose -effervescence or sparkling is produced by disengaging the carbonic -acid of the wine by the agency of sugar. To gain this end, the solid -sugar is corked up in the bottle, so that the disengaged gas is -retained under the pressure of the cork, ready to fly out whenever -it is removed. The agency of litharge of lead, in its worst form, is -often invoked in the manufacture of Champagne, as well as of other -white wines, in order to correct and render bright such wines as -have turned vapid, foul, or ropy, or to prevent the progress of any -ascescent quality that they may have acquired. The least pernicious -mode of manufacture of this wine is by adding to the spoiled -Champagnes, a portion of the low, or “third quality” wines from the -indifferent vineyards, and occasioning the admixture to undergo a fresh -fermentation, by the action of strong chemical agents; and then it is -vended as “_prime_ still Champagne.” - -Some estimate may be formed of the extent of the adulteration of this -costly wine by the following notice in Dr. Reece’s Monthly Gazette of -Health for 1829.—“A company of Frenchmen,” says that honest abominator -of roguery and quackery of all kinds, “have contracted with some -farmers in Herefordshire for a considerable quantity of the fresh juice -of certain pears, which is to be sent to them in London, immediately -after it has been expressed, or before fermentation has commenced. With -the recently expressed juice they made last year an excellent brisk -wine resembling the finest sparkling Champagne; and we are told that -the speculation was so productive, that they have resolved to extend -their manufactory.” To this account I can, from a knowledge of the -concern, perfectly assent, except that the Anglo-French manufacture -does not exactly represent the first quality of Champagne wine, as it -is quite impossible for any imitative preparation to represent that -quality of wine. - -Many thousand dozens of wines are sold in the course of the year in -London as old wines, under names which have scarcely any other title -to the appellation of wine than similarity of colour. “A particular -friend of mine,” says a correspondent to the Monthly Gazette of -Health, “purchased at a public sale by the hammer, a quantity of -‘super-excellent’ claret, at the rate of 50_s._ per dozen, which, on -delivery, his butler discovered to be the same wine he had exchanged -with a wine merchant at the rate of 20_s._ per dozen, being what is -termed _pricked_. The worthy Baronet complained of the imposition, but -the auctioneer would not listen to him. He had tasted it previously to -bidding for it, and that was enough for him.” - -Another source of great profit to the cheap dealers, the gin-shop -keepers, and the advertizing wine-men, arises from the size of the -bottles in which they vend their compounds and mixtures, ycleped “wine.” - -In the bottle-trade six various sizes are sold, namely: - -The full quart, of which twelve contain three gallons of liquid, old -measure. - -The thirteens, of which there must be thirteen to contain three gallons -of liquid, old measure. - -The fourteens, of which there must be fourteen to contain three gallons -of liquid, old measure. - -The small fourteens, of which there must be fourteen and a half, to -contain three gallons of liquid, old measure. - -The fifteens, of which there must be fifteen, to contain three gallons -of liquid, old measure. - -The sixteens, of which there must be sixteen, to contain three gallons -of liquid, old measure. - -The two last sizes are those sold to the gin-shops and cheap wine -venders. - -The above are the frauds practised by wine-dealers, by vending bottles -of inferior dimensions to the legal wine quart, which contains -thirty-two ounces; but many of the bottles imposed on unwary purchasers -do not contain more than twenty-four ounces, and few more than -twenty-six ounces. - -The readiest way of detecting the fraud is by measuring the suspected -wine-bottle by Lyne’s graduated glass measure, which holds half a pint, -and is divided into ounces, &c. Or, if you have not a measure of the -kind by you, weigh the contents of the suspected bottle and compare the -weight ascertained with the following corresponding weights: - -1 legal wine quart = 32 ounces; or, 256 drachms. - -By subtracting the weight of the contents of the suspected bottle from -this weight, you may precisely ascertain the deficiency. - - - - -2. SPIRITS. - -In the adulteration of spirituous liquors, the advertising and -placarding compounder exerts equal ingenuity and fraud, and obtains -an equally lucrative traffic as from wines. The “Curious old soft -flavoured Cogniac, ten years old,” of those nefarious dealers, -is compounded of Spanish or Bourdeaux brandy, neutral flavoured -rum, rectified spirits, British brandy, British brandy bitters, -cherry-laurel-water, extract of almond cake, extract of capsicums, -or of grains of paradise, burnt sugar or colouring matter. But more -generally that “_medicinal_” compound British brandy is palmed on -the public, for real Cogniac brandy. This diabolical farrago of -mischievous ingredients, which was held forth to the public by -interested individuals concerned in the undertaking, as calculated -“entirely to supersede the use of Cogniac brandy,” and “likely to -prove of great benefit to the _health_ and _comfort_ of the poorer -and middling classes of society,” is compounded of oil of vitriol, -vinegar, nitrum dulce, tincture of raisin stones, tinctura japonica, -cherry-laurel-water, extracts of capsicums or of grains of paradise, -orris-root, cassia-buds, bitter almond meal, colouring matter, &c. from -which enumeration of “_neat_” articles it appears that this “almost -superior brandy to Cogniac,” as its modest manufacturers term it, is a -slow poison, and equally deleterious in its effects, if not more so, -than that vile composition—“cheap gin.” That this is not an unfounded -insinuation against “the pure and unadulterated” article, sold, no -doubt, “at astonishingly low prices, and for ready money,” will appear -from the clear statement of the process of each manufacture given by -the author of The Wine and Spirit Adulterators Unmasked, pages 179 -and 198. “British brandy,” says the honest Unmasker, “is _composed_ -of drugs, gin only _flavoured_ by them. In the manufacture of gin, -the ingredients are put into the still, with a spirit which has been -previously rectified, and the condensed evaporation which is derived -from the whole constitutes the article gin. In the preparation, -however, of British brandy, the mixture is made without any process -through a still, being compounded more like a quack doctor’s nostrum. -The only part of the manufacture wherein distillation is concerned, -consists merely in rectifying either rum or malt whiskey, to deprive -them of their essential oils, so that they may be reduced to a state as -tasteless as possible, and thereby more readily receive the spurious -flavours intended to be imparted to them. - -“The other articles are added in their raw state.—Should it be inquired -why the same process as is adopted in the manufacture of gin, should -not succeed in making British brandy, the answer is, because, in -distilling the necessary drugs with the rectified spirit, the flavour -would neither retain the sufficient predominancy, nor be sufficiently -fixed to enable the article to sustain the desired likeness to brandy, -besides that the effect of several of the ingredients, such as the oil -of vitriol, and nitrum dulce, which are used to impart a resemblance of -the vinosity possessed by genuine French brandy, would be completely -destroyed.” - -“Fine old Jamaica rums of peculiar softness and flavour” are -manufactured of low-priced Leeward-island rum, ale, porter, or shrub, -extract of orris-root, cherry-laurel-water, and extract of grains -of paradise, or of capsicums. Sometimes the composition consists -of low-priced Jamaica rums, rectified spirits of wine, and the -Leeward-island rums, with the necessary acid vegetable substances, to -give them false strength and pungency and the requisite flavour; and -thus the purchaser is accommodated by the “caterers of _comfort_,” -with a rum which “CANNOT” be adulterated, of exceedingly fine and -superior flavour, _remarkably cheap and for ready money only_. The -ripe taste which rum or brandy that has been long kept in oaken casks -obtains, is imparted to new brandy and rum, by means of a spirituous -tincture of raisin-stones and oak saw-dust. And the water distilled -from cherry-laurel-leaves is frequently mixed with brandy and other -spirituous liquors to impart to them the flavour of the cordial called -Noyeau. Sugar of lead not unfrequently forms part of the flavouring -ingredients of the retailers’ rums. - -But the perfection of adulteration is in gin,—cheap gin—“the _real_ -comfort,”—patronized by the poor for its supposed GENUINENESS! This -infernal compound of combustibles is distinguished from the other slow -poisons to which a large portion of the population of “the queen of -cities,”—our “modern Carthage,” make themselves the willing victims, -by the poisonous nature of the ingredients of which it is composed.[E] -These are the oils of vitriol, turpentine, juniper, cassia, carraways, -and almonds, sulphuric ether or phosphorus, extracts of orris-root, -angelica-root, capsicums or grains of paradise, sugar, and heading. The -aid of lime-water and of spirits of wine is also invoked in the course -of the operation. The purposes of these mischievous ingredients are as -follow: The oil of vitriol is to impart pungency and the appearance -of strength, when the liquor is applied to the nose, while the extract -of capsicums or of grains of paradise is designed to perform the same -office for the taste. The extracts of orris and angelica roots give a -fulness of body and the coveted flavour called cordial to the large -proportion of the compound, which consists only of water. The remaining -oils are to give strength, the sugar to sweeten the composition, and -the lime to unite the oils with the spirit; while the sulphuric ether, -phosphorus, and heading are intended to give the semblance of being -highly spirituous from the fiery taste, and the appearance of the light -bead which is caused to appear and remain for some time on the surface -of the noxious compound. The introduction of the white arsenic is -intended to promote an irritable and feverish thirst, so that the poor -deluded consumer may be compelled to have recourse to fresh potations -of the “liquid fire.” The Hollands of the gin-shop keepers and -advertising dealers is a commixture of a small portion of the genuine -article with rectified spirits, peppermint, cloves, &c. The cordial, -called Shrub, says Mr. Accum, Culinary Poisons, p. 257, frequently -exhibits vestiges of copper, which arise from the metallic vessels -employed in the manufacture of the liquor. But, had that ingenious -gentleman been thoroughly acquainted with the manufacture of shrub in -the cellars of spirit dealers, he would not have been quite so moderate -in his remarks respecting this seductive “_cordial_.” - -Such is a list of the detestable articles palmed on the public, by the -avaricious and unprincipled dealers and cozeners in the factitious -wines and spirits on constant and extensive sale throughout every -quarter of the metropolis. The credulity and infatuation of the public -in the consumption of the deadly draughts are truly astonishing, and -are a verification of the sarcasm that were the vision of death to -appear to the tippler in each glass of liquor that he puts to his lips, -yet he would still persevere in habits which are inevitably destructive -of health and comfort, and eventually productive of disease and death. -“Oh blindness to the future!—” Surely old Jeremy Taylor’s observation -respecting Apicius is equally applicable to the inveterate consumer of -wines and spirits—“It would have been of no use,” says that orthodox -old divine, “to talk to Apicius of the secrets of the other world, and -of immortality; that the saints and angels eat not! The fat glutton -would have stared awhile and fallen a-sleep. But if you had discoursed -well and knowingly of a lamprey, a large mullet, or a boar, animal -propter convivium, and had sent him a cook from Asia to make new -sauces, he would have attended carefully, and taken in your discourses -greedily.” The same feeling I expect will be displayed towards this -book by the inveterate dram-drinker: he or she will curse the author, -as a busy-body, for his intermeddling with, and abusing their “_dear_ -comfort.” People are apt to conclude that a practice sanctioned by -time and numbers must be right; but there cannot be a conclusion more -fallacious. The grossest possible absurdities have been sanctioned -for the same reasons. No doubt some will defend their practice of -dram-drinking and immoderate potations of wines, and of malt and -spirituous liquors by the unsound plea that they find no ill effect -from their self immolation from drinking the deadly draughts; but -reasoners so deluded should recollect that, though there are persons -who are insensible to the immediate effects from strong liquors, either -spirituous or malt, yet to those who seldom or ever use them, they act -as quick poisons; not waiting their tedious operation in the form of -fever, gout, stone and gravel, dropsy, bile, rheumatism, head-ache, -scurvy, cancer, asthma, consumption, palsy, brain fever, apoplexy, -mania, and a long list of other frightful and loathsome diseases. -In truth, as the author of “_The Oracle of Health and Long Life_” -forcibly observes, “they paralyze the nervous system and the heart’s -action; and the tremulous hand, the palsied limbs, the bloated and -inflamed countenance, and the faltering tongue, super-induced by their -immoderate use, indicate that premature death lays claim to his deluded -and self-destroying victim!” - -Nor is this the worst consequence of the immoral and unsocial act: for -the unhappy wretch who is addicted to the habitual and vicious use of -ardent spirits, besides subjecting himself to the attack of “the whole -army of diseases” which assault the human frame from intoxication, -often exhibits a more awful demonstration of the consequences of -violating the laws of morality and social decency: I allude to the -extraordinary fact of the spontaneous combustion of the body, which has -often terminated the existence of old and inveterate drunkards. - -This combustion is occasioned in such persons from the whole fabric of -the body being so changed, by the constant practice of spirit-drinking, -with inflammable matter (probably hydrogen); or, chemically speaking, -it acquires so powerful an attraction for oxygen, that it suddenly -takes fire, (in some instances spontaneously, in others from the flame -of a candle or too powerful a heat of the fire,) and the body is -reduced to a cinder. - -The persons in whom this dreadful visitation of apparently supernatural -punishment for the violation of the laws of nature has occurred, have -been chiefly women. In some cases the unhappy sufferers have been -found burning, “sometimes with an open flame flickering over the -body, sometimes with a smothered heat or fire, without any open flame -whatever; whilst the application of water has occasionally seemed -rather to quicken than impede the combustion. - -“In no instance has the fire or flame thereby excited in the body been -so powerful as essentially to injure the most combustible substances -immediately adjoining it, as linen or woollen furniture. - -“The event has usually taken place at night, when the sufferer has been -alone, and has commonly been discovered by the fœtid penetrating scent -of sooty films, which have spread to a considerable distance. The -unhappy subject has in every instance been found dead, and more or less -completely burnt up.” - -The above awful account is quoted from Dr. Mason Good’s “Study of -Medicine;” but relations of numerous cases of the above horrid -termination of existence may be found in the Philosophical -Transactions, Vols. 63 and 64, in Dr. Young’s “Medical Literature,” and -in a variety of Foreign Journals, medical as well as general. - -Let all those who are addicted to habitual intoxication and the -consumption of the infernal compositions of nefarious dealers in -spirits, read and re-read the above quotation, and may they take -warning, and renounce that unhappy propensity. - -It is true that wine and malt liquors, and even occasionally spirits, -are far from prejudicial, when properly made, and used with discretion; -but as it is almost impossible to find them in that state, except -when home-made or home-brewed, there is certainly much risk in -drinking them. Yet, strange to say, though the stoutest among us has -no predilection for the “King of Terrors,” inclination and habit -are so strong and seductive, that the greater part of mankind still -persevere in habits with a perfect knowledge of their inevitable -consequences,—that they are destructive of health and inductive of -death. For the purpose of awakening the attention of those who are -under this unhappy delusion, is the design of the present publication. -The most grateful sensation to a well disposed heart is the salvation -of a fellow creature from misery and perdition. I beseech heaven that I -may be successful in my undertaking. - -But the base and iniquitous adulterations of wines and spirits are not -the whole of the “illicit doings” of the advertisers and placarders, -and their worthy compeers, the commission-men, the wine-hawkers, and -the dock wine-merchants. “Among the deceptions practised by this class -of dealers,” says the author of Wine and Spirit Adulterators Unmasked, -p. 157, and he is no indifferent authority on the subject, “may be -reckoned the delivering of a less quantity of wine than is charged -for in the invoice, the disposing of a wine with a false description -of its being of some particularly fine and noted vintage; the sending -of another wine, of an inferior quality, as the one which had been -tasted and sold; together with a variety of other peculations. The -gin-shop-keepers and advertising dealers in spirits not only give short -measure of their adulterated ingredients, but if they sell any thing -like the genuine article they dilute it much below (often one hundred -per cent.) the legal strength, namely, seventeen per cent. below proof, -according to Sykes’s hydrometer.” - -For the following valuable information respecting the ingenious -devices of the “_gentlemen_” wine-merchants, I am indebted to the -pages of “_The Private Gentleman and Importing Merchant’s Wine and -Spirit Cellar Directory_:”—A work replete with the most useful -information on the subject, as containing the best and most practical -instructions on the selection, purchase, management, medication, and -preservation of foreign wines, of any work extant in any language. -It has been well said by a judicious critic, “No book is more wanted -than a good, practical, and complete one on this important subject: it -would be worth its weight in gold, and its author would be a public -benefactor to his country. More than nine-tenths of the wine imported -into this country is either spoiled or impoverished by the ignorance -or mismanagement of the wine-dealer or the purchaser; as at present -conducted, the management of a wine-cellar is, in most cases, all -random, hap-hazard, and guess-work. Ought we to be surprised at the -result, the consequent loss or injury of the wine? It is, therefore, -with considerable satisfaction we recommend this little work as a -valuable addition to our domestic economy.” - -“As many people place reliance on the genuineness of wines purchased -in the Docks, and think that such purchases are more exempt from fraud -and imposition than if obtained from the dealer’s shop or vaults, -and that they will have them ‘_neat as imported_,’ it is necessary -to caution them to be on their guard in respect of the persons with -whom they deal. Inferior articles, false descriptions, substitutions -for the one selected, and various other peculations, take place -there as frequently as is the case when wines are purchased at the -dealer’s shop, &c. Other impositions of as flagrant a nature consist -in transferring wines of a _most_ inferior sort into pipes recently -emptied, and originally filled with wine of the best vintages and -flavour; and as the outside of the cask bears the marks of the foreign -houses of character, from whose vintages the wines contained in the -casks were furnished, this fraud is found to turn to very good account. -By delusions of this kind, the most detestable trash ever vended under -the name of wine is frequently foisted on purchasers. But if this -statement is not sufficient to satisfy those who fondly suppose that by -making their purchases in the ‘Docks’ that they will always have their -expectations of obtaining unadulterated wine fulfilled, they should -recollect that the owners of wines in the ‘Dock’ are at liberty to mix -them in whatever manner and proportions they please, provided they -come under one denomination as to colour and pay the same duty. These -remarks will, I trust, satisfy my readers that ‘an extensive range of -counting-houses,’ ‘numerous clerks employed’ and professions of ‘the -high character of the house,’ should not supersede the necessity of -making a _little_ inquiry as to the _fair dealing and integrity_ of the -vender.” - -The foregoing “_exposé_” of trickery and fraud, and the shameful -latitude and extensive means afforded designing and iniquitous men, -of practising their roguery on the credulity and folly of the public, -as well as to the loss of the revenue, evidently shows that our -present system of excise-laws is defective and absurd: indeed, it is -disgraced by the most perfect anomalies; for, while the brewer and -vender of spices, &c. are subjected to the strictest survey of the -excise, and the frauds and adulterations used in those trades are -punished, (when detected, though it must be acknowledged that that -happy consummation of justice is rather of rare occurrence even with -those sophisticators,) in the most prompt and efficient manner, the -venders and compounders of “seductive poison,” in the form of drams, -are allowed to manufacture and sell their deleterious inventions to -an enormous extent, and with an effrontery disgraceful to civilized -society. But, perhaps, the old artful plea of the “immense wealth,” and -“the great value of the property,” of “the large capitalists” engaged -in the nefarious trade, (the worst and most futile of all pretentions,) -have entitled the “deputations” of wine and spirit dealers and -compounders and distillers that have, from time to time, waited on -the Chancellors of the Exchequer, to “undoubted consideration;”[F] -and where the worthies have been detected (a chance which but -seldom happens) in their iniquitous practices a prudent private -compromise, or sum-total-fine, for the offence and the expenses of the -Excise-solicitor, “have shrouded the offenders and their misdeeds in -impenetrable secrecy from the public eye.” - -Another lame and false doctrine that prevails in “_government logic_” -is, that where extensive concerns, whether brewery, distillery, -wine-factories, or quack-medicine-factories, yield an important -contribution to the revenue, no strict scrutiny needs to be adopted in -regard to the quality of the article from which such contribution is -raised, provided the excise and customs do not suffer by the fraud. -“But,” as that intrepid advocate of fair dealing, Mr. Accum, forcibly -and justly observes, “the principles of the constitution afford no -sanction to this preference, and the true interests of the country -require that it should be abolished; for a tax dependent on fraud must -be at best precarious, and must be, sooner or later, diminished by the -irresistible diffusion of knowledge. Sound policy requires that the law -should be impartially enforced in all cases; and if its penalties were -extended to abuses of which it does not now take cognizance, there is -no doubt that the revenue would be abundantly benefited.” - - “O England! model to thy inward greatness, - Like little body with a mighty heart, - What would’st thou do that honour would thee do, - Were all thy children kind and natural?” - -Were they all influenced by the same honest, bold, and disinterested -motives as the ill-fated Accum, who has been offered a vindictive -sacrifice on the altar of trading cupidity and fraud. Every honest -man must allow that _the expatriation of that gentleman is a disgrace -to the country which he has adorned and benefited by his talents, and -ought to be deplored as a loss to the real interests of science and -humanity_. - -FOOTNOTES: - - [A] Mr. Accum, in his valuable book, enumerates, among the ingredients - for giving the deeper or purple colour to wine, brazil-wood; but that - ingenious gentleman is in error in this respect; for brazil-wood, - as is well known to every practical chemist, has the property - of imparting a blue colour to port wine, which is not quite the - complexion that the wine-manufacturer wishes to give his spurious - commodity. - - [B] The introduction of this deleterious ingredient into wines is to - stop the progress of their ascescency, or to recover ropy wines, or - to clarify and render transparent spoiled or muddy white wines. As to - the deleterious effects and dangerous consequences of this and other - adulterations of wines, &c. see The Oracle of Health and Long Life; - or, Plain Rules for the Attainment and Preservation of Sound Health - and Vigorous Old Age. By Medicus. - - [C] Direct Madeira is that which has been shipped direct from the - island of Madeira, without having the benefit, as it is termed, of a - voyage to the East or West Indies. - - [D] East-India or West-India Cape is that portion of Cape wines which - has had the benefit of a voyage from the Cape of Good Hope to the - East Indies, and thence back to London. Cape Sherry is that portion - of Cape wine which bears the greatest resemblance in flavour to real - Sherry. Cape Madeira is so denominated from its resemblance, in point - of flavour, to Madeira. Cape Burgundy, Cape Hock, Cape Sauterne, - Cape Port, Cape Pontac, Cape Champagne, Cape Barsac, &c. owe their - appellations to their supposed resemblance, in point of flavour, to - those wines. - - [E] The respectable author of “The Art of Brewing on Scientific - Principles” has the following note, “Spirits vended by retail are all - adulterated, and some of them to a dreadful extent. Some months since - (his work was published in 1826,) a person having writing to do that - would occupy great part of the night, purchased, at a liquor shop, in - Newgate-street, half a pint of gin; and, during the night, he drank - a goblet-full of grog, which he had made from it. He was seized with - most excruciating agony, spasms of the stomach, temporary paralysis, - and loss of intellect. These he attributed to some natural cause, and - he gave the remainder of the liquor to a person that called on him in - the morning. In about an hour that person was similarly affected. This - induced inquiry; and it was ascertained that the woman who served the - liquor had mistaken the bottle, and had sold half a pint of the fluid - intended to prepare the adulterations for sale. The last-mentioned - person who partook of the infernal mixture died of its effects.” - Similar consequences have occurred from adulterated beer. Among a - thousand other instances, see the Coroner’s inquest in the Times - Newspaper of the 29th of June, 1829. - - [F] According to the testimony of the author of “Wine and Spirit - Adulterators Unmasked” the profits of the wine and spirit compounders - are so great, and the chance of the detection of their frauds and - impositions on the public and the revenue is almost so impossible, - that many of them are to be found “vieing with the nobility of the - land in the splendour of their equipages and expenditure.” He mentions - one gin-shop-keeper (a worthy in the neighbourhood of St. Luke’s) - who “drives his family to _church_, on a Sunday, in his carriage and - four.” Another, who has a “richly ornamented state bed.” A third, who - is to be found lolling “on an ottoman, in a French dressing-gown.” - And he adds, that it is usual to give from four to six thousand - guineas for the good will of a gin-shop which has an unexpired lease - of eighteen or twenty years, with the drawback of the purchaser being - quite at the mercy of the magistrates as to the renewal of his license. - - - - -SECTION II. - -_The Tests, or Methods of ascertaining the Good or Bad Qualities of -Wines and Spirits._ - - -Though there are many tests in use for the discovery of the presence -of mineral poisons, such as litharge and other preparations of lead, -or pungent vegetable nostrums, namely extract of capsicums, &c. in -wines and spirits, yet it must be admitted that there are no efficient -tests for detecting the presence of the foreign agents above mentioned -in either wines or spirits, except by chemical analysis; because, in -the fraudulent combination which takes place, those articles bear the -largest proportions which possess the same chemical properties as do -the wines and spirits with which they are compounded. The injurious -tendency of the vegetable poisons which form a component part of the -spurious compositions which are vended under the denomination of cheap -wines and spirits, and their injurious and lingering effects are so -imperceptible on the human constitution, that, as the author of “The -Oracle of Health and Long Life” observes, they must be deadly indeed to -produce immediate injury, so as to give suspicion of their presence. - -The presence of sugar of lead, or any other deleterious metal in wine, -may be detected by filling a glass with wine, and adding a few drops -of Harrowgate-water, or melted brimstone, when the wine will with the -last mentioned ingredient becomes blackish, and with the other it will -immediately produce a black sediment; but if it be unadulterated it -will only lose its clearness, taste, and colour. Or the adulteration -may be discovered by adding one part of water saturated with -sulphuretted hydrogen gas, acidulated with a small portion of muriatic -acid, to two parts of wine, or any other liquid, in which the presence -of lead is suspected, when a blackish coloured precipitate will settle -at the bottom of the vessel, which, being dried and fused by means of -the blow-pipe, will yield a globule of metallic lead. The prussiate of -potash is occasionally employed for the same purpose: a drop or two -being sufficient to show a white or greyish precipitate in any fluid -in which lead is contained. When white wines have an unusual degree -of sweetness, are of a darker colour than their age and body seem to -warrant, and particularly when their use, or that of the red wines, is -followed by pains in the stomach, it may be concluded that they have -been adulterated with lead. - -The process to detect the presence of alum in wine, is to take some -fresh prepared lime-water, and to mix the suspected wine with it, in -about equal proportions; if after the mixture has stood about a day, a -number of crystals is found deposited at the bottom of the vessel, the -wine is genuine; but, if alum is present in the wine, there will be no -crystals, but a slimy and muddy precipitate. Or the presence of alum -may be detected, by dropping some solution of subcarbonate of potash -into the wine, when, if the alum be present, there will be a violet -coloured precipitate, or at least cloudiness, which will vanish again -if a few drops of caustic, potash, or of muriatic acid are added to the -mixture. - -Where artificial colouring matter is suspected in wine, put a quarter -of a pint of the liquor into a phial, with an ounce of fresh charcoal -finely pulverized. Then shake the mixture well for a few minutes, when, -if the wine is impregnated only with its own natural colouring, that -colour will be chemically destroyed, and the wine, when filtered, will -yield a clear limpid fluid; but, if the wine is artificially coloured, -such artificial colours will not be acted on by the charcoal, and the -mixture will appear unchanged. - -Extraneous colours in wines may also be detected by means of acetate of -lead. If this test produces, in red wine, a greenish grey precipitate, -it is a sign that the wine is genuine. Wine coloured with the juice of -bilberries, or elderberries, or Campeachy wood, produces, with acetate -of lead, a deep blue precipitate; and fernambouk wood, red saunders, -and the red beet, produce a red precipitate by the agency of the -acetate of lead. - -According to Cadet (Dictionnaire de Chimie, art. Vin.) this species -of adulteration may be detected by pouring into the suspected wine a -solution of sulphate of alumine, and precipitating the alum by potash. -If the wine is pure, the precipitate will have a bottle green colour, -more or less dark, according to the natural hue of the wine. But if the -colour has been artificial the following will be the results:— - -Tournesol will give a precipitate of a bright yellow colour. Brazil -wood a brownish red colour. Elderberries or privet a brownish violet -colour. Wortleberries the colour of dirty wine lees. Logwood a lake red -colour. - -But Dr. Henderson says, in his learned work, entitled “The History of -Ancient and Modern Wines,” p. 342, that the simple test pointed out to -him by his friend Dr. Prout is equally satisfactory, and may be applied -either to red or white wines. “On adding ammonia to wines, which had -the appearance of being genuine, he observed that the precipitate was -of an olive green colour; shewing the analogy between the colouring -principle and the vegetable blues, most of which are rendered red by -acids, and green by alkalis. This conjecture is, in some measure, -confirmed by the recent discovery of M. Breton, professor of chemistry -in Paris, with respect to the cause of that disorder in wines known -by the name of _tournure_. Wine thus affected acquires a disagreeable -taste and smell, loses its red colour, and assumes a dark violet hue, -which changes are found to proceed from the presence of carbonate of -potash, in consequence of the decomposition of the tartar contained in -the liquor. To restore the natural colour and flavour, if the disease -be not of long standing, it is only necessary to add a small quantity -of tartaric acid, which, combining with the potash, forms cream of -tartar, as is shown by the subsequent deposition of crystals. Revue -Encyclopedique, November, 1823. In genuine wines, the colouring matter -seems to partake of the character of a lake, partly held in solution -by the excess of acid present, and partly combined with the earthy -phosphates; for, in the precipitates obtained from these wines by means -of ammonia, it appears in union with the triple phosphate of magnesia. -Even the white wines of Xeres, Madeira, and Teneriffe, exhibit this -mixed precipitate; their colouring matter being probably derived from -the red grapes which enter into their composition. In fictitious wines, -on the other hand, such as those procured from the black currant, -gooseberry, orange, &c. the last mentioned salt was thrown down by -ammonia, but more gradually, in less quantities, and without any -admixture.” - -The method of ascertaining the strength, or quantity of spirit or -alcohol in wines is by the following process, for the discovery of -which the public is indebted to Mr. Brande. - -“Add to eight parts, by measure, of the wine to be examined, one part -of a concentrated solution of subacetate of lead; a dense insoluble -precipitate will ensue; which is a combination of the test-liquor with -the colouring, extractive and acid matter of the wine. Shake the -mixture for a few minutes, pour the whole upon a filter and collect the -filtered fluid. It contains the brandy, or spirit, and water of the -wine, together with a portion of the subacetate of lead. Add, in small -quantities at a time to this fluid, warm, dry, and pure subcarbonate -of potash, (not salt of tartar, or the subcarbonate of potash of -commerce); which has previously been freed from water by heat, till the -last portion added remains undissolved. The brandy or spirit contained -in the fluid will become separated; for the subcarbonate of potash -abstracts from it the whole of the water, with which it was combined; -the brandy or spirit of wine forms a distinct stratum, which floats -upon the aqueous solution of the alkaline salt. If the experiment be -made in a glass tube, from one half inch to two inches in diameter, and -graduated into a hundred equal parts, the per centage of spirit, in a -given quantity of wine, may be read off by mere inspection. In the same -manner the strength of any wine may be examined.” - -The following is the proportion, or per centage, of alcohol or spirit -in some of the most common wines and spirituous liquors. But such of my -readers as may wish to gain more extensive information on the subject, -I refer them to the first volume of the Journal of Science and the -Arts, p. 290. - - Madeira 24.42 to 19.24 average 22.77 - - Sherry 19.81 to 18.25 average 16.17 - - Claret 17.18 to 12.91 average 15.10 - - Port 25.83 to 19.96 average 22.99 - - Champagne 13.80 to 11.30 average 12.61 - - Cider, highest average 9.87 lowest do. 5.21 - - - Brandy 53.39 - - Rum 53.68 - - Gin 54.32 - - Whiskey (Scotch) 54.32 - - Whiskey (Irish) 53.90 - - - Ale (Burton) 8.88 - - —— (Edinburgh) 6.20 - - —— (Dorchester) 5.50 - - London Porter (average) 4.20 - - Small Beer (average) 1.28 - - -The above proportional quantities of alcohol contained in the different -kinds of wine are extracted from Mr. Brande’s experiments detailed in -the work before mentioned; but as it appears that that gentleman made -his experiments on samples of wine into which adventitious alcohol had -been introduced, he seems in some instances to have assigned a greater -degree of spirituosity to some wines than the subsequent analysis of -Dr. Prout will justify, in the case of experiments made on genuine -wines. To those who are desirous of informing themselves accurately -on the subject, a reference to the Table at pages 363 and 364 of Dr. -Henderson’s work on the History of Ancient and Modern Wines, in which -the results of the experiments of Mr. Brande, Dr. Prout, and Mr. Zist, -an able chemist residing at Mentz, are detailed, is recommended. - -The quantity of astringent matter, or tannin, contained in wine, may -readily be ascertained by dropping a solution of isinglass into it, -when a gelatinous precipitate takes place in proportion to the tannin, -whether it be Port, Claret, or Burgundy. - -The adulteration and false strength of spirituous liquors, as brandy, -rum, and malt spirit, are detected by diluting the suspected liquor -with water, when the acrimony of the capsicum, or the grains of -paradise, or pepper, may be easily discovered by the taste. Or by -taking about a quart of the suspected liquor, and pouring it into a -retort, or small still, and boiling it gently, until the whole of -the spirituous part is evaporated, the residuum, if capsicum, grains -of paradise, &c. have been present in the liquor, will retain a hot -pungent taste. A ready way of detecting aqua-fortis, or oil of vitriol, -in spirits, is, by dropping into a glass of the suspected liquor, a bit -of chalk about the size of a pea, when the liquid, if spurious, will -become like milk, but, if genuine, the chalk will lie at the bottom. - -The adulteration of brandy with British molasses or sugar spirit, is -ascertained by rubbing a portion of the suspected liquor between the -palms of the hands, when the spirit, as it evaporates, leaves the -disagreeable flavour which is peculiar to all British spirits. Or the -liquor may be deprived of its alcohol, by heating a portion of it in -a spoon over a candle till the vapour ceases to catch fire on the -approach of a lighted taper. The residue thus obtained, if genuine -brandy, possesses a vinous odour, resembling the flavour of brandy, -whilst the residue produced from sophisticated brandy, has a peculiarly -disagreeable smell, resembling gin, or the breath of habitual -drunkards. The purity of spirits may also be easily ascertained by -setting fire to a little of the suspected article in a spoon, when, if -they be unadulterated, they will all burn away, without leaving any -moisture behind. The presence of lead, or any of its preparations, in -spirituous liquors, may be detected by the same method as has been -stated in the case of wine. Where gin has been highly sweetened with -sugar, by evaporating some of the suspected liquor in a spoon over a -candle, the sugar will appear in the form of a gum-like substance when -the spirit is volatilized. - -The presence of lead as a component part of cider or perry, whether -happening accidentally from the leaden bed of the press, or inserted -intentionally for the purpose of neutralizing the super-abundant acid -of the liquor, may be tested by putting a solution of molybdate of -potash into the suspected liquor; when a white precipitate will take -place, even though the lead should exist in the smallest possible -quantity. It is needless here to enumerate the various tricks of “the -knowing ones” for giving a factitious crust to wine bottles,[G] by -means of Brazil wood and potash; or the colouring and eating away of -wine corks,[H] to represent long residence in the neck of the bottle, -though perhaps only driven in yesterday. Nor is the crusting even of -the wine-casks, which is accomplished by means of crystals of the -super-tartrate of potash, to be trusted to. - -Those who wish to know the _allowable secrets_ of the adulteration -trade will find them fully explained in “_The Private Gentleman or -Importing Merchants’ Wine and Spirit Cellar Directory_,” with many -other “Secrets Worth Knowing” by cozeners; but it may be observed that -the older port wine is, the less of the tartar, or super-tartrate of -potash is contained in it, and the greater the deposition on the sides -of the cask or bottle. But new wine may be put into old casks or old -bottles. Therefore, to ascertain the quantity of the salt, take a pint -of wine, and boil it down to one-half, into which drop a solution of -muriate of platina, when a precipitate will take place, greater or -less, in proportion to the quantity of salt contained in the wine. - -FOOTNOTES: - - - [G] The crusting of wine in the natural way generally takes place - in about nine months; but, among the artizans of the factitious - wine-trade, it is accomplished in a much shorter time. Those ingenious - gentry line the inside of the bottles they intend to fill with their - compound called wine, by suffering a saturated hot solution of - super-tartrate of potash, coloured red with a decoction of Brazil - wood, to crystallize within them. Others of that honest fraternity, - who dislike trouble, put a tea-spoon full of the powder of catechu - into each bottle, and by this artifice soon produce a fine crusted - appearance of “aged wine.” This simulation of maturity is often - accomplished by the humbler dealer by covering the bottles with snow, - or by exposing them to the rays of the sun, or by keeping them for a - few days in hot water. Where the casks are to be bottled off by the - purchaser, or in his presence, they are stained in the inside with the - artificial crystalline crust of super-tartrate of potash, as a proof of - the age of the wine. - - [H] To produce the dilapidations of “Father Time” on wine corks, - the dry rot, however injurious to others, is of great advantage to - wine-dealers, as it soon covers the bottles with its mouldy appearance, - and consumes the external part of the cork; so that with a trifling - operation on the bottles after they are filled, and then deposited in - cellars pretty strongly affected with the dry rot, they can furnish the - admirers of “aged wine” with liquor having the appearance of having - been bottled seven or eight years, though it has not in reality been - there so many months. The staining of the lower extremities of the - corks with a fine red colour, produced from a strong decoction of - Brazil wood and alum, to make them appear “aged,” or as if they had - been long in contact with the wine, is another of the devices of the - factitious wine-trade, and forms a distinct branch of its operations. - - - - -SECTION III. - -_Beer and Ale._ - - -“The nutricious and strengthening[I] beverage” of the English, -“their own native old Sir John Barleycorn,” is not exempt from the -sophistications and corruptions of the adulterator! Ye topers of -“_pure_ extract from malt and hops,” do you hear this? That your own -sweet proper suction—your ancient and legitimate accompaniment of the -sirloin and the plum-pudding, is composed of every thing else than what -it ought to be,—in fact, that it is one of the slowest and most fatal -poisons with which your good friends “the _honest_ English brewers” -are continually entertaining you. Aye, John, it is the truth—and the -whole truth. But should you, with your usual “well-clothed stupidity, -and sneering ignorant scepticism,” feel inclined to doubt my assertion, -a reference to the “Minutes of the House of Commons, appointed for -examining the price and quality of beer,” will furnish you with a -goodly list of nearly two hundred Excise prosecutions and convictions -(between the years 1812 and 1819), of wholesale and retail brewers, -publicans, and brewers’ druggists, for the nefarious adulterations of -your favourite beverage, or for having in their possession, or selling -the poisonous ingredients for the purpose; in which there are several -instances of penalties of £500, with costs having been inflicted on the -offenders. Since that time, seizures of illegal and poisonous articles -have also been often made by the Excise, and convictions have taken -place. During the latter end of the last year, and at the commencement -of the present year, seizures have been made, and convictions have -taken place, nearly equal in number to those before stated: indeed, as -a writer on the subject truly observes, “scarcely a week passes without -witnessing the detection of some wicked greedy wretch,” who has been -sporting with the lives and health of his fellow-creatures. And, when -you have satisfied your incredulous understanding of your “_honest_” -countrymen’s dealings with you, you may, perhaps, by reading the -following extract from Mr. Accum’s book on Culinary Poisons, p. 189, -be satisfied that you are not exactly swallowing a “cordial balsam,” -or “the elixir of life,” when you are pouring into your portly stomach -that delectable mixture, in the composition of whose combustible -materials the brewer’s (or “_gentleman_”) druggist, the brewer, and the -publican have kindly and humanely exerted their honest and patriotic -skill. - -“That a minute portion of an unwholesome ingredient, daily taken in -beer,” (says the intrepid advocate of offended justice, whose civil -death to science and suffering humanity is to be sincerely deplored,) -“cannot fail to be productive of mischief, admits of no doubt: -and there is reason to believe that a small quantity of a narcotic -substance daily taken into the stomach, together with an intoxicating -liquor, is highly more efficacious than it would be without the liquor. -The effect may be gradual; and a strong constitution, especially if -it be assisted with constant and hard labour, may counteract the -destructive consequences, perhaps for many years, but it never fails to -show its baneful effects at last.” - -But, perhaps, friend John, you will say that this is all talk, and a -mere bug-a-boo of the “radicals” to annoy you in your daily potations -of your “favourite beverage,”—thy own native nutritious liquor. And -you will call for something like proofs, or an enumeration of the -deleterious substances or ingredients which have been found in the -possession of brewers and publicans, and for the admixture of which -with their “_neat article_,” they have been subject to the Law’s angry -visitations. This is a reasonable request, and it shall be satisfied to -the best of my power. - -Know then, friend Bull, that the following _harmless_ and -_invigorating_ ingredients have been found in the possession of thine -honest fellow-countrymen, the brewers, according to the list of the -Excise prosecutions detailed in the Minutes of the Committee of the -House of Commons, appointed for examining the price and quality of beer -in the year 1819. - -1. Cocculus Indicus, or, as it is vulgarly called, occulus Indian -berry. This is a powerfully narcotic, and most intoxicating and -deleterious drug. In its mildest form, it produces excruciating -head-aches and distressing sickness, when the beer is over-dosed. So -great was the demand for this poisonous drug, that it rose, as Mr. -Accum says, within the space of ten years, from 2_s._ to 7_s._ per lb. -The extract or poisonous principle obtained from the berries is so -abundant as to be easily separated from the substance, and is called by -the chemist picrotoxin, a term derived from two Greek words, namely, -πιχρος, bitter; and τοξιχον, poison. What thinkest thou of this, friend -John? In India, the berries are thrown on the surface of the water for -the purpose of intoxicating the fish, when they float on the water, and -are easily taken by the hand. - -2. Black Extract, or, as it is called, in the slang phrase of the -Adulterating Vocabulary, Hard Multum, which is also an extract of the -poisonous Indian berry, or a composition of opium and other ingredients. - -3. Nux Vomica and St. Ignatius’s Bean, which are both poisonous; but -the first is so extremely deleterious a drug, ten or twelve grains of -it being sufficient to kill a dog, that it is now expunged from the -Pharmacopeias. Yet, although no one ever hears of its application, -except for poisoning rats, it is imported in large quantities, and tons -of this deadly poison are ground every year in the drug-mills of the -metropolis. The bitter bean, or, as it is more commonly termed by the -tender-conscienced gentry, who sport with the health and lives of their -fellow-creatures, St. Ignatius’s bean, in order, no doubt, to appease -the qualms of conscience under a sanctified name, is no less injurious -to health. - -4. Opium, Tobacco, Extract of Poppies, Henbane, Bohemian Rosemary, -and Coriander seed, which are all highly dangerous when improperly -used. Chemical experiment has proved that less than one pound of the -last-mentioned ingredient equals in strength and stupefactive quality -one bushel of malt. - -5. Essentia Bina, or Double Essence; that is, sugar boiled down to -a black colour and an empyreumatic flavour. But, instead of the -concentrated essence, the intent of which is to produce the requisite -colour in porter, the colouring matter now generally used by the more -respectable part of the trade is malt roasted in iron cylinders until -it is black like coal. In this state it is called patent malt, and is -not prohibited by the Excise. - -6. Heading Stuff, that is green copperas, or, as it is vulgarly called, -Salt of Steel. This poisonous ingredient is used for the purpose of -giving the beer a frothing head; sometimes used alone; sometimes it is -mixed with alum.—In the hands of one adulterator, 310lbs. of copperas -and 560lbs. of hard multum were found and condemned. A sufficient dose -for slowly poisoning half a generation! - -7. Capsicum, grains of paradise, carraway seeds, treacle or molasses, -liquorice root, &c. - -8. Wormwood, aloes, quassia, bitter oranges, &c. - -9. Lime, marble dust, powdered oyster shells, hartshorn shavings, -jalap, spirit of maranta, &c. - -These ingredients, nocuous and innocuous, are intended to produce the -following effects: - -1. To give a factitious strength and intoxicating quality to the beer. - -2. To increase the bitter principle, and consequently to save hops. - -3. To add a stimulating aromatic flavour. - -4. To produce a fine mantling head to porter, and strike a fine nut -brown colour over the froth. - -And, 5. To prevent acidity, or to diminish or destroy it when formed. - -“It is absolutely frightful,” exclaims Mr. Donovan, (Domestic Economy, -p. 201,) “ to contemplate the list of poisons and drugs with which -malt liquors have been (as it is technically and descriptively called) -_doctored_. Opium, henbane, cocculus indicus, and Bohemian rosemary, -which is said to produce a quick and raving intoxication, supplied -the place of alcohol. Aloes, quassia, gentian, sweet scented flag, -wormwood, horehound, and bitter oranges, fulfilled the duties of hops. -Liquorice, treacle, and mucilage of flax seed, stood for attenuated -malt sugar. Capsicum, ginger, and cinnamon, or rather cassia-buds, -afforded to the exhausted drink the pungency of a carbonic acid. Burnt -flour, sugar, or treacle, communicated a peculiar taste which porter -drinkers generally fancy. Preparations of fish, assisted in cases of -obstinacy with oil of vitriol, procured transparency. Besides these, -the brewer had to supply himself with potash, lime, salt, and a variety -of other substances, which are of no other harm than in serving the -office of more valuable materials, and defrauding the customer.” In -this extract it is observable that that ingenious gentleman has drawn -up his account in the past tense, as if there were no adulterations -now!!! The author of “The Art of Brewing,” in the Library of Useful -Knowledge, has adopted a juster and a more honourable course; besides -giving a fuller list of poisonous articles, he has spoken boldly and -truly, and tells us that poisonous adulterations are “still used -extensively” by those who “sport with the lives of their fellow -creatures for the sake of gain,” and that “the seizures and convictions -that have been so often made, and are still making by the Excise,” are -proofs of the fact. It is, however, with much satisfaction (for no -other motive influences me in making the horrific disclosures detailed -in this volume than a regard for the public welfare and for public -justice) that the statement made in that publication respecting the -introduction of gypsum into the manufacture of Burton Ale has been -disproved in the recent application made to the Court of King’s Bench -by the Burton Ale Brewers, who assert that the peculiarity of flavour -belonging to their liquor is occasioned by the water from which it is -made running over a rock of gypsum, and thus impregnated with that -substance. - -In the year 1807, a paragraph appeared in almost all the London -daily papers, asserting that porter, brewed in London, contained -deleterious drugs. The London porter brewers, indignant at the -“_unjust_ and _causeless_” accusation, had a meeting, and one and -all agreed to prosecute the offending journalists. They of course -made affidavits, and complied with all the requisites of the law to -establish their “_innocence_.” They moved the Court of King’s Bench -for criminal informations against three-fourths of the daily press, -and their Counsel made long speeches on “the guilt and unfounded and -malicious libels of their accusers.” All looked well for obtaining a -verdict of guilty against the denouncers of fraud and villany, and -establishing the _purity_ and _justice_ of “the brewing interests,” -by the verdict “of an impartial and intelligent jury,” had not the -late Lord Ellenborough declared the affidavits of the swearing-brewers -insufficient, as the cunning varlets had only denied the introduction -of deleterious ingredients _in_ brewing; whereas, to ground their -application and entitle them to the rule, they should have denied -having used them _after_ the beer was brewed. But as the pillory might -have stared the honest gentry in the face had they made this “_hard_” -assertion in their affidavit, the _knowing_ folks here broke down; they -could go no further. After making the town echo with the cries of “the -infamous press,” they prudently dropped all proceedings against the -proscribed journalists. The inference to be drawn is not difficult to -surmise; but the fact is, that the publicans, who have of late been -so sharply prosecuted by the Excise for adulterating their beer, can -best answer the question: From whom did they learn the respectable -art of beer-sophistication? Was it not from their “betters,” the -“beer-mongers?” - -If the foregoing statement of ingredients contained in the above -infernal list is not sufficient to induce thee, friend Bull, to lay -aside thy incredulity, and open thy eyes to the frauds that are -daily practised on thy unsuspecting nature, I can only add that -one of the “craft” (see Child, on Brewing, p. 18) tells thee that -porter cannot be made of the necessary flavour and taste to suit the -Londoner’s appetite, and of the proper colour to tickle his fancy by -its appearance, of wholesome malt and hops, and that those simple -ingredients would not furnish a profit sufficient to satisfy the modern -brewer’s cupidity. Well may the old ladies exclaim (and no doubt, Mr. -Bull, thou hast a penchant for displaying thy Latinity) O _trickery_! O -_mouthes_! - -But supposing, dear Bull, that all the above “horrid array” of -poisoning and stupefying ingredients was “mere fudge,” and that you -should have the fortune to deal with a brewer and publican, who have -the “fear of the Lord” before their eyes, and who “wax strong in well -doing,” recollect that the present manufactured “_entire_ beer” of the -most _honest_ trading brewer alive is a very heterogeneous mixture—a -composition of all the waste and spoiled beer of the publicans, the -bottoms of their butts—the leavings of their pots—the drippings of -their machines for drawing the beer—the remnants of beer that lay -in the leaden pipes of the brewery, with a portion of brown stout, -bottling beer, and mild beer. So admits that “paragon of brewers,” -Mr. Barclay. (See Parliamentary Minutes, p. 94.) Surely, John, it -is not courteous and loving treatment of thy “better half” and her -“dutiful daughters” to expect them to sully their delicate throttles -with the leavings and hawkings of some bearish beast of a coal-heaver -or a night-man! This, friend John, is one of the “indicia” of the -necessity of thy cultivating the clean and wholesome “home brewery” of -thy forefathers; and in the promotion of this laudable and necessary -undertaking I hope I shall be able to assist thee in my projected -work, “THE FAMILY BREWING ORACLE,” and that, by its means, thou wilt -be enabled to drink a wholesome and nourishing beverage, either ale or -porter, at the trifling cost of from five farthings to three halfpence -per pot, after the tasting of which thou wilt never allow a drop of -brewers’ or public-house porter, or intermediate beer, or any other -vile or new-fangled substitution for the home-brewed liquor of thy -ancestors, to enter thy chaps. - -But, in your honest sincerity and “usually naive manner,” you will -exclaim “but we have methods and tests for detecting the adulteration -of our native liquor—our vinum Britannicum—our own Sir John Barlycorn.” -Aye, have you, Old Gentleman! then I give you joy of your discovery, -and hope thou wilt put it into constant practice every day of thy -life before thou takest a sup of the delectable and heart-cheering -composition. But, for my part, John, give me leave to say that I have -always understood that the detection of the adulteration of beer with -vegetable substances deleterious to health is extremely difficult, if -not beyond the reach of chemical agency or analysis; and in most cases, -particularly where cocculus indicus, or its extract, has been used, -quite impossible. The tests for ascertaining the admixture of sulphuric -acid are more determinate, and are ably detailed in Mr. Accum’s work, -p. 193. - -Among the minor crimes of fraudulent brewers is the art of converting -new beer (that is beer that is just brewed) into old or entire beer; -and this operation (which, in the cant phraseology of the trade, is -called _bringing the beer forward_, or _making it hard_) is performed -by an easy, expeditious, and economical method: an imitation of the age -of eighteen months is produced in an instant, or, as modern statesmen, -versed in the _wonderful_ arcana of political science, would phrase -it, “As soon as you could say Jack Robinson.” To put into execution -this rare feat of “brewers’ art” you have nothing more to do, in -order to convert any wishy-washy slop into an old entire beer, and, -consequently, to render it “_rich, generous, of a full-bodied taste, -without being acid, and of a vinous odour_,” than to throw in a quantum -sufficit of sulphuric acid.[J] Stale, half spoiled, or sour beer, -may as easily be converted into mild beer, by the proper quantity of -alkali, or alkaline earth, oyster-shell-powder, subcarbonate of potash -or soda; which substances have the effect of neutralizing the excess of -acid. - -Another of the less culpable adulterations by both brewer and publican -is the admixture of small with strong beer. According to the evidence -of the solicitor of the Excise (Mr. Carr), given before the Committee -of the House of Commons, appointed for examining the price and quality -of beer, in the year 1819, (see Minutes of the House of Commons, p. 32, -&c.) the retailers of beer in London and its neighbourhood, purchase -stale table-beer, or the bottoms of casks, from a set of men who go -about and sell such beer at table-beer price to mix in the publicans’ -cellars with the new beer they receive from the brewer. Among some of -the trade it is the custom to mix the poor low-priced country ales with -porter. - -But, O John, thou lover of a “_cauliflower head!_” art thou aware how -this object of thy admiration, and indeed natural property of good beer -is produced? No doubt thou wilt be hard of belief in this respect; -but I must be candid with thee, and tell thee that the “fine frothy -head,” the ne plus ultra of thy admiration and test of good porter, is -produced by thy honest friend and crony, the publican, by the simple -admixture of the delectable and harmless article “_beer heading_” with -the “genuine stuff” he receives from his worthy compeer, the brewer. -When thy “gentle friend” observes the frothy property of the beer to -be lost by his admixture of the legitimate modicum of small beer or -“aqua pura,” molasses, extract of gentian-root and isinglass, (all -which ingredients, no doubt, good soul, he adds for thy better health, -and to save it from the injurious effects of too strong potations,) -he prudently throws in his beer-heading, which is a composition of -common green vitriol, or copperas, alum, and salt. The publicans are -supplied with this article either by the _regular_ and _accredited_ -manufacturer, or they are instructed in its manufacture by those -vile and infamous publications in circulation, known by the name of -Publicans or Vintners’ Guides, Directors, Friends, &c.—I have carefully -gone through those pestiferous books, and examined their farrago of -mischievous receipts and instructions for the adulteration and “making -up” of wines, spirits, beer, &c. and can safely say that more infernal -ingenuity, and a more reckless want of honesty and humanity have -never been displayed in the basest concoctions of fraud and villany -than is the case in those wretched publications. It is, however, but -fair to exempt from this censure a work which has recently appeared, -entitled “_Clarke’s Publican and Innkeeper’s Guide, and Wine and -Spirit Dealer’s Assistant_;” which, though not entirely exempt from -objection, is evidently the production of a skilful, and, what is of -greater importance to the public, of an honest man, and possesses the -great recommendation of instructing the trade in all the _allowable_ -secrets of the craft, without endangering the health and lives of the -consumers; while it enables its readers to obtain better and more -efficient results by its directions than can possibly be obtained by -following the deadly and inefficient receipts of its predecessors. - -I have now, friend Bull, brought my disclosures respecting thy -favourite beverage—thy fondly but mistakenly imagined “_pure_ extract -from malt and hops,” to a close; but, shouldst thou still be hard of -belief, I recommend thee to put thy tongue into the enchanting cauldron -of some brewer-friend of thine; but, remember that I cannot ensure thee -that thou will redraw it quite as unaffected or renovated as the tragic -poet describes Æson to have sprung from the cauldron of Medea. - -In the above detail of adulterations in the public brewery of this -country, no personality is intended in the tone of reprehension -assumed on the subject; the remarks are intended to be applied only -to “the most worthless part of the trade, to such as disgrace the -name of brewer, by sporting with the lives of their fellow creatures -for lucre’s sake.” Those odious and detestable wretches deserve the -severest castigations, and every member of the community should lend -his hearty co-operation to their exposure and punishment. But while it -is the duty of every man whom nature has gifted with a heart capable of -feeling for his fellow creatures, to expose the monsters who secretly -poison the human race, it must be admitted that the very heavy and -injudicious taxation to which brewers are subject has compelled -even many of the more conscientious of the trade to have recourse to -measures which are not quite agreeable to the dictates of honesty, -and to draw immense lengths of wort from the least possible quantity -of malt, so that the liquor is neither of a nutritive nor a relishing -quality. But the error in this case arises from the same cause as it -does in that of wines—the incompetency of the persons (who were either -the favourites, the dependants, or the retainers of the existing -ministry of the day) appointed to frame the statutes regulating -those trades; and, laughable to say, those precious legislators have -prohibited the use of articles which are not only innoxious, but -occasionally advantageous.[K] In the statute of Charles the Second, -which regulates the management of foreign wines, the blunder is -singular; by that act several substances are forbidden to be mixed -with wine, which, in themselves, are not only innocuous, but are -highly conducive to its purity and right preservation, and give it the -necessary brightness and perfection! - -Oh, Bull, when will thy law-makers and law-concocters learn _a little_ -of that old-fashioned and much neglected commodity,—COMMON SENSE. Were -the same good sense and knowledge of the subject, and of the condition -of society, indicated by them as are displayed by the more unassuming -but efficient department of the state machinery—the dispensers of -our laws (of course I cannot be mistaken to mean the justices of the -peace!) the country would not be put to the expense of making laws one -day which are to be repealed the next, and there might appear some just -pretension for the high-sounding titles of “English Justinians,” and -“heaven-born legislators,” with which a portion of the periodical press -is idly and continually bespattering certain members of the executive -department of the government. - -As my printer tells me that a few lines are wanting to complete this -page, and being desirous to give my readers all I can afford for their -money, a word or two on the legislative mania which seems to have taken -hold of some honourable members “of the noblest assembly of freemen in -the world,” may not be misplaced. And for the sake of brevity, I shall -adduce, as an example, the memorable attempt to modify the Quarantine -Laws on the advice, testimony, and _experience_ of the renowned Dr. -M’Lean. When arguments being taken as facts, and the absurdities of -reasoning as the evidence of experience, the whims and reveries of that -gentleman, who was described by one (a member of St. Stephen’s) of the -anti-contagionists as “one of those extraordinary persons who will be -pointed out by the finger of the future historian,” would have received -the stamp and authority of law, and we should have had the blessing of -plague being as common in our houses as measles, coughs or colds, had -not “the ignorance of those who attempt to mislead the public, and the -indiscretion of those who are inclined to believe them,” been exposed -and refuted by the late Dr. Gooch, in his invaluable paper “Is the -Plague a Contagious Disease?” which appeared at the time (anno 1825), -in _The Quarterly Review_, and is now appended to his _Account of -Female Diseases_. - -FOOTNOTES: - - [I] Among the numerous delusions with which the senses of the “error - ridden” nation of Englishmen—aye, and the “bonnie Scots,” and the “Sons - of the Emerald Isle,” are benighted, is the false and erroneous opinion - that strong stimulating liquors impart strength to the body. As a very - sensible writer observes on this subject,—“To depend on spirituous - liquors for the power to labour, is as wise as it would be in a man, - setting out for York, to get a friend to give him a kick on the b—— to - help him forward. His friend must continue the same kind office all - the way, or he would continually flag.” No work of the present age has - contributed more effectually to remove these mistaken notions than - “_The Oracle of Health and Long Life_.” May its well-intentioned and - judicious author have the consolation of finding that his important - instructions have contributed to the health and welfare of the - community; and may the unqualified approval of his little volume, - by the respectable part of the periodical press of the country be a - stimulus to fresh exertion to render the work faultless. - - [J] Mr. Brewer Child’s recipe (see Treatise on Brewing, p. 23) for - making new beer old, is to throw in a dash of vitriol. “A smack of - age,” he likewise adds, at p. 18, “is also given to beer, by the - addition of alum.” Well done, brewer Child; thou art an expeditious - chap! Thou mightest have been of service in the Court of Chancery, _in - tempore_ Lord Chancellor Eldon, of _doubting_ and delaying memory. - - - [K] On this subject, Mr. J. D. Williams, the Editor of Sir William - Blackstone’s Commentaries, has rendered no trifling service to society, - by his petition, presented to the House of Commons, by the Marquess of - Blandford, on June 17th, 1830; in which he prayed the appointment of - fit and competent persons for the digestment and simplification of, or, - in the emphatical language of Lord Bacon, for “the choice and tender - business of reducing and harmonizing,” the hybrid and confused state - of the law. As he justly said, “no useful and beneficial amendment - or amelioration can reasonably be expected; but the Statute Book - will still continue to be disgraced with enactments which will be at - variance with common sense, the first principles of justice, and even - nullify the intent and purport of the enactments themselves, while the - concoction of laws is entrusted to others than persons endowed with - a spirit of comprehensive knowledge, great enlightenment, enlarged - and liberal understandings, and who are acquainted with the nature of - the subjects on which they presume to legislate.” The instances which - that gentleman adduced in his well intended petition of “the great and - singular blunders” as to “erroneous conclusions in the first principles - of science,” committed by some of our law-makers are really amusing—if - any honest man can derive amusement from his country’s injury and - degradation. - - - - -PART II. - - -_A Word or Two, by way of Introduction._ - -I have told thee, friend Bull, while discoursing of the little slips -and sleights of hand in use among thy good and ancient friends, the -wine and spirit dealer, the gin-shop keeper, the brewer, and the -publican, that thou wouldst be satisfied that “Death was not only in -the Bottle,” but that thou wouldst find that the complaint of the sons -of the prophet, “There is Death in the Pot” ought not to have been -confined to the narrow limits of Gilgal, but that it extends in all -its operations to the illicit doings in thy own “dear native little -island”—the “land of the _good_ and the _wise_.” I shall now proceed -to unfold to thee this part of my duty, and then I apprehend that thou -wilt lay aside thy usual scepticism and incredulity, and acknowledge -that I have made out to thy satisfaction the truth of my horrific title -“DEADLY ADULTERATION AND SLOW POISONING; OR, DISEASE AND DEATH IN THE -POT AND THE BOTTLE.” I shall begin with the “_Staff of Life_.” - - - - -SECTION I. - -_Bread and Flour._ - - -Good bread is light, porous, and spongy; of a sweet nutty smell; -and when pressed with the finger is tough and resists the pressure -like sponge, recovering with a spring its original texture as soon -as the finger is removed: if any fracture appears, it is a sign of -adulteration. The more numerous and large the cells or little holes are -in it, the more perfectly is the bread made, and the better adapted for -digestion. - -Bread to be good, should be made of wheat flour; but the adulteration -trade in this prime article of human consumption display no less -ingenuity in the art of fraud and deception than their rivals -in iniquity do in the wine and spirit and beer sophistications: -convictions are on record of bakers having used pulverised gypsum -or plaster of Paris, whiting, slacked lime, chalk, finely powdered -granite, pipe-clay, particularly the white Cornwall clay, the flour of -garden peas and horse beans, potatoes, bone-ashes, alum, spirits of -vitriol, ammonia, magnesia, &c. They allege that, as they are often -supplied by the mealmen with flour made from the worst kinds of foreign -damaged wheat, and which is frequently mixed with a variety of other -cereal grains in the course of grinding, they cannot produce bread of a -sufficient degree of whiteness, lightness, and porosity, to please the -caprice of the London palate, without having recourse to the conjoint -aid of alum, ammonia, and potatoes.[L] This is the allegation made by -the _respectable_ part of the trade, and those who, with sufficient -disposition to wickedness, are deficient in the knowledge of the art -of slow and imperceptible poisoning. What excuse the _irrespectable_ -part of the trade can make for their nefarious traffic in the remaining -portion of the enumerated articles must be left to the tender and -honest consciences of those gentry. - -“The baker,” says Mr. Accum, in his Preliminary Remarks, p. 11, -“asserts that he does not put alum into bread; but he is well aware -that, in purchasing a certain quantity of half spoiled flour, he must -take a sack of _sharp whites_, (a term given to flour contaminated with -a quantity of alum,) without which it would be impossible for him to -produce light, white, and porous bread, from a half spoiled material. - -“The wholesale mealman frequently purchases this spurious commodity, -(which forms a separate branch of business in the hands of certain -individuals,) in order to enable himself to sell his decayed flour. - -“Other individuals (namely, the “_gentlemen_” druggists) furnish the -baker with alum mixed up with salt, under the obscure denomination -of _stuff_. There are wholesale manufacturing chemists, whose sole -business is to crystallize alum in such a form as will adapt this salt -to the purpose of being mixed with crystals of common salt, to disguise -the character of the compound. - -The mixture called _stuff_ is composed of one part of alum, in minute -crystals, and three of common salt.” - -I omit to object to the adulteration of flour produced by the sand, -which is unavoidably occasioned by the rubbing of the mill-stones -together. The author of the “History of Inventions,” vol. i. p. 98, -estimates that every person swallows 6lbs. yearly, in the quantity of -flour and bread which he consumes. - -The foregoing statement of _artist_ ingenuity displayed by the -Messieurs “Crust,” must be allowed to be liberal treatment of poor Mr. -John Bull, in comparison with the acts of their rivals in the noble -art of sophistication, the gin-shop-keeper, the brewer, the publican, -and the other “trading interests of the nation.” But it will be better -treatment to furnish the old gentleman with a test or two to enable him -to detect the frauds of his said good friends, Messieurs les Crust and -their compatriots, the mealmen. - -The ready tests or methods for ascertaining those adulterations are: -If an undue proportion (for bakers contend that the bad quality of -the flour sold to them by the miller renders the addition of potatoes -advantageous to the purchaser as well as to the baker) of ground or -grated potatoes has been used, the bread will be moist, have a sourish -smell, and, when stale, if a pressure be made upon it with the finger, -a fracture will appear in the bread, that is, it will not recover its -texture as sponge will do when compressed. Also, it will not keep, but -in a few days become mouldy. Where bean-flour has been used, which -bakers generally prefer, on account of the great portion of gluten -which it contains, (and for this reason it bears a higher price in -the market than flour itself,) the bread will soon dry and crack; or -the fraud may be discovered by the smell on toasting a slice of the -bread before the fire. The adulteration, by means of flour of peas is -more common among bakers, and more difficult of detection than that of -beans: the only means for ascertaining the fraud, by inspection, that I -am aware of, are those of its drying and cracking soon, and being more -heavy and considerably less porous than bread made entirely of wheaten -flour. The admixture of clay, gypsum, chalk, whiting, slacked lime, -bone-ashes, &c. is to be ascertained by the close texture, brittle or -crumbly nature, undue weight, smell, and taste of the article. But -analysis in each case is the truest test; and this may be performed in -the following manner. - -Cut the crust of the loaf into very thin slices, and, breaking these -into pieces, put them into a glass cucurbit, with a large quantity of -water; set this into a sand furnace, and let it stand therein with a -moderate warmth for about the space of twenty-four hours. By this time -the foreign ingredients will have separated from the genuine flour; the -alum will have dissolved in the water, and may be extracted from it in -the usual way. The jalap, if any have been used, (for it is not all the -fraternity or brotherhood that have the consideration or humanity to -introduce it into their life-destroying compositions,) will swim upon -the top in the form of a coarse film; and the other ingredients, being -heavy, will sink quite to the bottom, while the genuine flour will -remain above them in the consistence of pap, which, being drawn off, -will leave the adulterated articles in the form of a white powder at -the bottom. - -But as cucurbits and sand-furnaces are not “a part and parcel” of every -family’s household chattels, if the off-hand tests above mentioned -are not satisfactory, slice the loaf as before directed, and, putting -the slices, with a sufficient quantity of water, into a pipkin, over -a gentle fire, you will find in the course of a little time that -the bread will be reduced to a pap, and, on drawing that off, the -bone-ashes and other adulterating ingredients may be found in the form -of a white powder at the bottom. - -The pernicious ingredients, alum and spirits of vitriol, used by bakers -in the manufacture of bread, are intended, in the cant phrase of the -trade, “as binders and whiteners.” Few persons will credit the fact -that this last-mentioned article is made use of in the manufacture of -bread; but, if any person feels himself aggrieved by the assertion, -I am prepared to verify my information, and point out the culprits. -By the insertion of these ingredients, tens of thousands of children, -under three years of age, are annually consigned to the grave in this -“happy” country; and to their cause, in conjunction with the horrid -articles before stated, are to be assigned the number of sudden deaths -that are daily occurring, and a large portion of the diseases under -which mankind are suffering. - -The presence of alum may be detected by immersing a small piece of the -crumb of new baked bread in a quantity of cold water sufficient to -dissolve it; when, if a pernicious quantity of alum be present in the -composition the water will acquire a sweet astringency to the taste; -the more astringent of course the greater has been the quantity of alum -used. Or a heated knife may be thrust into a loaf before it has grown -cold; if the bread be free from alum, scarcely any alteration will be -visible on the blade; but, should alum have been made use of, as soon -as the knife cools, a slight aluminous incrustation will appear upon -it. But this last method is, as Mr. Accum properly observes, but an -equivocal test, on account of the impurity of the common salt used in -making bread. When spirits of vitriol, diluted with water, have been -used, the only test to detect this most pernicious and unprincipled -adulteration is by chemically analysing the suspected article. - -But the adulteration-trade observing that the insertion of the “horrid -array” of pernicious articles, which their diabolical ingenuity -substituted in the stead of wholesome meal or flour, had an astringent -effect on the human constitution, and, fearing the consequences of a -detection, have lately had recourse to the introduction of jalap into -their sponge, in order to give their mischievous composition a laxative -or purgative effect on the constitution of their deluded customers. -The best test of the insertion of this drug is its effects. Others -counteract the constipating effects of the alum by the addition of -subcarbonate of potash, which neutralizes the excess of the sulphuric -acid of the alum, and promotes the disengagement of the carbonic acid -gas, whereby the particles of the flour are more minutely divided, and -the bread rendered lighter. - -Having stated the ready methods of ascertaining the good or bad -qualities of bread, it is a necessary consequence that I should not be -silent about those of flour. - -The following are the usual tests for ascertaining the quality of -flour. Grasp a handful briskly, and squeeze it for half a minute; if -pure and unadulterated, it preserves the form of the cavity of the hand -in one piece when placed upon the table, although it may be roughly set -down. Adulterated flour, on the contrary, soon falls down. That mixed -with whiting, white clay, or the like materials, is the most adhesive, -though it soon gives way; but if the adulteration be ground bones, -gypsum, or plaster of paris, it almost immediately falls. Where there -is the presence of much bran, the grasped specimen will soon crumble, -and this fraud may, also, be discovered by the colour and feel. It -may also be observed that genuine flour will retain the impression of -even the grains of the skin longer than that which is adulterated, the -latter soon throwing off the fine marks. Also, let a person, having a -moist hand, rub flour briskly between the palms of both hands; if there -be whiting in it, he will find resistance; but none, if the flour is -pure. Or, partially dip the fore-finger and thumb into a little sweet -oil, and take up a small quantity of the flour between them; if it -is pure it may be rubbed for any length of time, and will not become -sticky or adhesive, and the substance will turn nearly black; but if -whiting is present, it will soon be worked up into the consistence of -putty, and its colour but little altered. Lemon juice, or vinegar, -dropped upon flour, will also show the presence of whiting or plaster -of paris; if the flour is pure it will remain at rest; but if it is -adulterated an immediate commotion takes place. Where there is time -to try the unsoundness of flour, put a table-spoonful into a basin -and mix it with cold water, until it is of the consistence of batter -pudding; then set a small pan upon the fire containing half a gill of -water, and when the water is hot, pour in the batter just before it -boils, and let it boil for about the space of three minutes. If sound, -the flour will unite like a good pudding does; if unsound it breaks, -curdles, and appears somewhat watery. By observing it while it is warm, -some judgement may be formed of its different degrees of unsoundness. -The usual test of people in the flour-trade is to knead a small -quantity of the article; if good, an adhesive, ductile, and elastic -paste is immediately formed, which may be elongated and drawn in every -direction, without being entirely separated. The only ready test for -the detection of _sharp whites_ and _stuff_ is by the taste. - -When the farina of potatoes, or, as it is commonly termed, -potatoe-starch, is mixed with flour, the fraud may, according to M. -Chevalier, a French chemist, be discovered by sprinkling a little of -the suspected article on black paper, when through a powerful lens, or -microscope, the farina or starch may be discovered by the brilliancy of -its particles. - -To ascertain the presence of insects in flour, examine it in a good -light, and if your suspicion be correct, you will observe the whole -surface in motion, and on a nicer inspection there will be found in -it a great number of little animals of the colour of flour, and of an -oblong and a slender form. When they have once taken possession of a -parcel of this commodity, it is impossible to drive them out; and they -increase so fast, that the only method of preventing the total loss of -the whole parcel, is to make it into bread as soon as possible. The -only known way of preventing those insects from breeding in flour is to -preserve it from damp; to effect which it should be always carefully -and thoroughly dried before it is put up, and the barrels, also, should -be carefully dried before the flour is stored in them, and placed in a -room tolerably warm and dry. - -FOOTNOTES: - - [L] The addition of the farina or starch of the potato improves the - bread, by counteracting its constipating effects, and by minutely - dividing the particles of the flour during the fermentation; and for - this reason its introduction into home-made bread would, as the author - of “The Oracle of Health and Long Life,” says, be beneficial to health, - as making it more nutritious and digestible. - - - - -SECTION II. - -_Meat and Fish._ - - -The Butcher has his arts and sophistications. To make meat weigh -as heavy as possible he checks the full bleeding of the victim of -his knife, and to make it appear plump and white and glistening, -particularly joints of veal and lamb, he inflates the cellular -membrane, by blowing into it with all his might, the breath respired -from his lungs: by means of which practice, should he be infected with -any loathsome disease, his customers stand a very good chance of being -inoculated with “the blessing.” The distension of the cellular membrane -is the sign of meat having received the benefit of this operation. - -Among other deceits in use among the “knights of the cleaver” is, -the doctoring of joints of animals which have died of disease, by -the skilful introduction of slips of fat into different parts of the -joint, so as to give it the appearance of meat which had been killed -in a healthy state. A recent occurrence at Guildhall has proved this -practice in all its enormity, and shown that it is carried on to no -trifling extent. From the same transaction it came out in evidence -that the art is sufficiently extensive to employ a certain part of the -“butchering craft” in its distinct mysteries. Probably by “professors -of the knife and cleaver” it is considered as the _ne plus ultra_ of -butcher-skill, and has its appropriate honours and rewards. But this is -known only to the initiated in the “_profession_.” - -While discoursing of this feat of butcher-ingenuity, it seems not -misplaced to observe that the sausages in London are often made out -of the carcases of animals that have died. This fact, also, was -brought to Mr. Bull’s knowledge, in the course of the evidence in the -before-mentioned case. And I can assure my readers, that even when they -are not favoured with sausages made of this savoury food, they do not -often get meat in sausages better than carrion; and that more than one -half of all sausage-meat consists of bone, gristle, and bread, reduced -to almost an impalpable powder by means of the machine, and then worked -up with a due modicum of water. Nor is this the least part of the evil. -From accidental causes and the frauds of the vender, they are often -poisonous. Dr. Paris has well observed, in his useful work on diet, -that the viscera and intestines of animals, and also their livers, are -often poisonous, while the meat of the animal is perfectly wholesome. -This proves, as that gentleman well observes, that sausages are not -deserving of that general use in which they are held in London: for -the integument which encloses the sausage is often highly injurious to -health, while the meat possesses no deleterious quality whatever. The -poisonous nature of sausages arising from fraud is partly occasioned by -the carelessness of the manufacturer in regard of the vessels in which -he keeps his meat, but more generally from the quality of the meat -which he uses. Some years ago a German chemist discovered, on analysing -German sausages, that they contained a portion of prussic acid (the -most potent poison known); from the eating of which several persons -died. Could the exact cause have been ascertained, it would probably -have been found that they were made from the meat of dead animals. - -The goodness of meat depends much on the season of the year. Thus the -flesh of most full grown quadrupeds is in the highest season during the -first months of winter. Beef and mutton are in the greatest perfection -in the months of November, December, and January. Pork is only good in -winter; during the summer months it is not wholesome. Venison is in the -highest season from the middle of June to the beginning of September. -Lamb and veal during the summer months. - -The distinguishing sign of young and old meat is, that in the latter -the fat is chiefly collected in masses, or layers external to the -muscles; while in the former it is more interspersed among the muscular -fibres, giving the flesh a marbled appearance. - -The quality of animal food is also considerably influenced by the sex; -that of the female (which sooner attains perfection) being always more -delicate and finer grained than that of the male, whose fibres and -flavour are stronger and more rank. But this rule prevails only during -the early age of the female; for, as it grows older, it gets tougher, -instead of mellowing by age as the male does. - -Over fat meat should not be chosen; as sheep in the first stage of the -rot, or about four weeks after becoming tainted, feed inordinately, and -are much disposed to fatten; which propensity graziers and butchers -omit no opportunity to promote, in order to increase their profits. -Excessive fatness is, therefore, no bad sign for judging of the -unwholesomeness, or rather rottenness of mutton, as it is generally -produced artificially. - -Meat that has been over driven, and killed, as the butchers term it, -_on the drift_, should be always rejected as unwholesome; besides, -it weighs heavier than if the animal had been killed while its blood -was in a healthy state; for, by the over-driving the blood has been -so diffused in the cellular membrane, that it cannot be drawn off by -bleeding; and the meat is heavier to the benefit of the butcher, but to -the loss of the consumer. The florid colour of meat is a sign of the -blood not having been properly drawn away. - -The whiteness of the flesh of lamb and veal is often produced by -feeding the animal with milk in which chalk is mingled, or by tying -it up in a stall with a piece of chalk covered with salt constantly -before it to lick. Sometimes calves are suspended by their hind legs -with the head downwards for hours together, and then bled to death -slowly, for the purpose of whitening the flesh. And, among the other -complicated and lengthened acts of cruelty, to which avarice resorts -to extract the largest possible price from the sufferings of a poor -harmless creature, is the tying of calves together by the hind legs, -and suffering them to remain suspended across the back of a horse, with -their heads downwards, for hours together, in their way from market; a -practice adopted by butchers for the purpose of rendering the meat of -the body as white as possible. - -Nor are fishmongers less crafty and dishonest than the other dealers -in the necessaries of life. Sea-fish, particularly cod, haddock, -and whiting, are subject to the operation of inflating the cellular -membrane, in order to make them look plump, and increase the bulk of -the fish. The imposition is detected by pressing each side of the -orifice at the belly of the fish between the thumb and finger, when the -air will be perceived to escape. - -The signs that fish are fresh are the firmness or stiffness of the -fish, the redness of its gills, and the brightness of the eyes. -Whiteness of muscle and the absence of oiliness and viscidity are also -signs of wholesomeness of this species of food. Flakiness and opaque -appearance, with a layer of white curdy matter interspersed between the -flakes, after the fish has been cooked, are signs of the goodness of -turbot, cod, whiting, haddock, flounder, and sole. - -The gills should also smell sweet, the fins be tight up, and the eyes -not sunk. The reverse of any of these signs shows that it is stale. -Thickness of flesh generally shows the good condition of fish. - -Fish out of season, that is after spawning, are unwholesome; and for -this reason the legislature has found it necessary to fix the periods -at which the fishing of salmon and the dredging of oysters shall be -lawful. - - - - -SECTION III. - -_Tea, Coffee, Chocolate, and Sugar._ - - -TEA. - -No article of consumption is more subject to adulteration than the -pleasant one which forms the principal ingredient of the tea-table. -It is not only adulterated by the Chinese vender, but it undergoes -sophistication by the Chinese artist. By the former several vegetable -productions, particularly a kind of moss, are mixed among genuine tea, -and often sold by the _antemundane_ subjects of “the Brother of the Sun -and Moon, and The Light of Nations,” in its stead. - -Among the manufacturers and venders of tea in our “fair isle”—“the -land of the wise, the eloquent, the free,”—the dried leaves of the -birch, ash, or elder tree, and particularly those of the privet or -white thorn, and the black thorn or sloe, (both which last-mentioned -specimens possess more of the qualities of the tea leaf than any other -known vegetable,) are manufactured and fabricated to represent this -delicious article of English female consumption: and the colouring, -dyeing, and staining process is accomplished by the agency of terra -japonica, logwood, verdigris, copperas, Prussian blue, carbonate of -copper, Dutch pink, &c. by the English, and, it is said, even by the -Chinese artist; which ingredients (namely, the five last-mentioned,) -are among the most potent poisons. According to Mr. Accum’s testimony -(Culinary Poisons, p. 220, note,) Mr. Twining, the eminent tea-dealer, -asserts that “the leaves of spurious tea are boiled in coppers with -copperas and sheep’s dung.” And it is a known fact that tea-leaves are -purchased, from the London coffee houses and shops, by a regular set of -men, who make their weekly rounds for the purpose, to be re-dried and -coloured. - -As it may be interesting to my readers to be informed of the progress -of the “march of intellect” in the imitative process of preparing sham -tea, and to have an opportunity of _admiring_ the ingenuity of fraud -and villany displayed in the fabrication, I shall endeavour to gratify -their reasonable curiosity. - -The white thorn and the sloe, or black thorn, as I have already said, -are the principal leaves employed in the fabrication of the sham or -imitative teas, on account of their possessing more of the qualities -of the tea-leaf than any other known vegetable. From the white thorn -is manufactured the green tea; and from the black thorn, or sloe, the -black variety. These leaves are gathered and collected from the hedges -around the metropolis, by a number of agents hired by the fabricators; -and these sub-imps in the “black art” are rewarded for their honest -labours with a remuneration of from one penny to twopence a pound. I -have been told by one of those worthies that he is able to make between -two and three pounds a week by his “vocation,” and has not “hard labour -too;” for he likes, as he says, “to play oft at times a bit of the -gentleman.” And, by a tea-leaf collector, I was once informed that -his usual returns, or rather clear gains, were between six and seven -pounds per week, and this “for only mornings’ work.” Of course, I -suppose, like other large “capitalists” and “the moneyed interests,” -he put on his silk stockings in the evenings, and exhibited his “sweet -person” at “Almacks,” or some of the fashionable “Hells,” or “Evening,” -or “Musical parties” at the “West End.” But, as to the indisputable -reality of this “_transmogrification_,” your deponent knoweth not. - -But to the subject in hand. The sloe, or black thorn, leaves are first -boiled; then, when the water is squeezed from them in a press, they are -baked on a flat iron plate; and, when dry, rubbed between the hands -to produce the curl of the genuine tea. The colour is then produced -by the application of Dutch pink, and a small quantity of logwood; -when, “_mirabile dictu!_” “_good, wholesome, nutritious_ black tea” -is produced equal to, and probably surpassing the specimens of the -monopolists of Leadenhall-street. - -The process is equally rapid and efficacious in the fabrication of -green tea; the leaves being boiled, pressed, and dried in the same -manner as I have described, takes place with the black imitation-tea, -only that the drying process is performed on plates of copper. The -blueish hue or bloom observable on genuine tea is produced by mixing -with the leaves Prussian blue or Dutch pink, in fine powder, while the -leaves are heating upon the plates, and verdigris is added to complete -the operation. The leaves are then sifted, to separate them from -the thorns and stalks; and should there not be a “quantum sufficit” -of the fine green bloom (the indubitable criterion of genuineness -in the estimation of our “fair countrywomen,”—the ancient, as well -as “the bewitching;”) the operator kindly and generously adds, more -verdigris and Dutch pink or Prussian blue. And again “_pure, genuine, -exhilarating_” green tea is produced as quick as thought, and that even -in the darkness of a town cellar, some few feet under ground. - -The profits on these transmutations are enormous; Mr. Accum, at p. 205 -of his useful book, says that it has been stated to be from £300 to -£600 per cent. And the extent to which the nefarious traffic is carried -is still more surprising. According to a report of the Committee of the -House of Commons in the year 1783, it is stated that “the quantity of -fictitious tea which was annually manufactured from sloe and ash-tree -leaves, in different parts of England, to be mixed with genuine teas, -was computed at more than _Four Millions of Pounds_.” This computation -was made when the genuine teas, sold by the East-India Company, at -their sales, amounted to only six millions of pounds annually. What -then must be the amount of the illicit traffic now, when the Company’s -sales are about thirty millions of pounds annually! This proves that -the ingenious author of the following lines, which appeared in the -Literary Journal, vol. 1, p. 14, cannot be supposed to be “much out in -his reckoning:” - - “_China_ and _Porto_, now farewell; - Let others buy what you’ve to sell, - Your Port and your Bohea; - For we’ve our native sloe divine, - Whose _fruit_ yields all our _Porto wine_, - Whose _leaves_ make all our _Tea_.” - -But John, “with all his easy gullibility,” will, no doubt say, “this -is all stuff; show me proofs.” Well, John, thou art a good creature, -thou wilt never believe “aught against thy enemy,” until he hath robbed -thee of thy senses, and what is dearer to thee, thy “_stuff_.” But to -prevent a too frequent repetition of thy misfortune, I will open the -budget to thy admiring eyes. Look, John, over thy files of the London -Newspapers, particularly the “Times” and “Courier,” from March to -July, in the year 1818, and there thou mayest entertain thy optics and -cerebral nerves with a goodly array of prosecutions and convictions -of manufacturers and venders of factitious tea. In one instance, thou -wilt read of £840 damages being given against one culprit. Nor is this -all of the illicit doings, John. There have been many prosecutions and -convictions since the time specified, with which I recommend thee to -recreate “thy often infirmity” of incredulity. Mr. Accum, at page 203 -of his work, says that, in Scotland and Ireland, the penalties imposed -for this offence “amounted, during a few months, to more than fifteen -thousand pounds!” - -With respect to the medicinal or deleterious effects of tea on the -animal economy, it would be misplaced to occupy the pages of a work of -this nature with their discussion. To such of my readers as may wish to -inform themselves on this subject, I recommended the perusal of “The -Oracle of Health and Long Life; or, Plain Rules for the Preservation -and Attainment of Sound Health and Vigorous Old Age. By Medicus;” as -the intelligent author of that publication has discussed the matter -with great ingenuity, and furnished a variety of hints and information -calculated to be of essential service to the consumers of this most -important article of Asiatic imports. Here it will be more useful to -detail the ready tests or methods of detecting its adulteration. -For it is an undoubted fact, as “Medicus” observes, that many of -the noxious qualities attributed to tea, arise from the two-fold -sophistication which it is frequently doomed to undergo both from the -Chinese and English adulterator before it reaches the hands of the -consumer. - -Where it is suspected that tea is adulterated with the leaves of other -shrubs, the fraud, if not discoverable by the appearance and fragrant -odour of the article, may be detected by putting a grain and a half -of blue vitriol into a cupful of the infusion, when, if it be genuine -green tea, and set in a good light, it will appear of a fine light -blue. If it be genuine bohea, it will turn to a deep blue, next to -black; but when an adulteration has been made in either case, a variety -of colours, as green, black, yellow, &c. will be seen in the samples -submitted to the experiment. - -Where the damaged and ordinary green teas or tea leaves have been -prepared with japan earth, or other adulterating ingredients, for the -purpose of giving the leaves the colour, and the infusion the tincture -of bohea tea, the fraud may be detected by either of the following -tests or methods: 1. A less quantity of this dyed tea will give a -deeper colour to the same proportion of water than if the experimented -articles were genuine. 2. The colour it gives the water will also be of -a reddish brown, whereas, if the article be genuine, it should be dark. -3. When the leaves have been washed, by standing a little, they will -look greener than good bohea. 4. This dyed tea is generally much larger -than the genuine specimens; it is, therefore, always advisable to buy -the small leaved bohea; remembering to examine whether the ingenuity -of the artist has not been at work to break or crumble it into pieces, -so as to disguise the size of the leaves: for the adulterator’s wits -are always at work in “the black art.” 5. The liquor drawn off, which -should be smooth and balsamic to the palate, tastes rougher and harsher -than the genuine tea does. 6. If milk is poured into it, it will -rise of a reddish colour, instead of a dark or blackish brown. 7. A -little copperas put into this last-mentioned liquor will turn it to a -light blue, instead of a deep blue inclining to black. 8. Spirits of -hartshorn make good tea of a deep brownish colour, after it has stood -awhile, similar to new drawn tincture of saffron; but the same effect -does not appear when the tea is bad. - -When green tea is counterfeited by dyeing bad bohea with green vitriol -the cheat may be detected by the following means: 1. By putting a piece -of gall into the infusion it will turn it to a deep blackish colour, -which would not be the case were vitriol or copperas not present. -2. If the infusion made of this tea be of a pale green, and incline -to a blueish dye, it is bad. 3. Spirit of hartshorn will give it a -slight purple tinge, and precipitate a small sediment, instead of a -deep greenish yellow after it has stood about half a dozen minutes. -4. Where the adulteration has been made with carbonate of copper, -the fraud is detected, by shaking up a tea-spoonful of the suspected -article in a phial with two tea-spoonsful of liquid ammonia, diluted -with half its bulk of water; when the liquor, if copper be present, -will exhibit a fine blue colour. Mr. Accum in his work, p. 219-221, -gives other methods for testing adulterated tea. - -As a general and ready test to distinguish genuine tea from the sloe, -or black thorn, and the white thorn leaf, make an infusion of it in -the common way, and then spread out some of the largest leaves to -dry; when, if the tea be genuine, the leaf will appear to be narrow -in proportion to its length, and deeply notched or serrated at the -edges, and the end or extremity acutely pointed; while the sloe, or -black thorn leaf is notched or jagged at the edges very slightly, and -is obtusely pointed. Another distinction also is, that the genuine -leaf is of a lively pale green colour, its surface smooth and glossy, -and its texture very delicate; while the adulterated leaf is of a -dark olive green colour, its texture much coarser and surface more -uneven. The leaves of the white thorn, when moistened and spread, have -a less resemblance to the genuine tea-leaf than is the case with the -sloe-leaf. The leaves of the other imitative or sham teas have still a -less resemblance, and for this reason they are but seldom used. With -respect to the different kinds of tea imported from China the shape -of the leaf is the same in all of them, though its size varies; for -all the varieties are the produce of the same plant; the difference of -quality and properties depend chiefly on the difference of climate, -soil, culture, age, time of gathering, and mode of drying the leaves. -The difference of the size of the leaf is occasioned in a great measure -by the different seasons at which it is gathered. - - -COFFEE. - -Several substitutes are vended by the grocers and coffee-dealers, -instead of the coffee-berry, when purchased in a ground state, or -allowed to pass through the vender’s mill. Among many others may -be mentioned ground dried acorns, horse-chestnuts, horse-beans, -pigeon-beans, peas, nuts, barley, rice, wheat, parsnips, carrots, &c. -but the best imitation of the real berry is obtained by roasting blue -succory, or rye, with the addition of a few almonds. As all these -articles, however, have but little resemblance in flavour to real -coffee, except what they acquire from the torrefaction, and their -empyreumatic oil, they are seldom vended solely by themselves, except -to the coffee-shops of London, or those whom the dealers consider as -“a plucked pigeon,” but are ingeniously mixed with a portion of the -genuine berry. - -Friend John will, no doubt, as usual, call to his assistance his -native incredulity, and ask for proof against his “pals,” the grocer -and coffee-dealer. To satisfy his just curiosity let him look to the -same file of papers to which he was referred respecting tea, and there -he will have no reason to be longer hard of belief. He will there -find that one “_gentleman_ grocer,” disliking the trouble of grinding -horse-beans, pigeon’s beans, &c. proceeded by short hand, and threw in -a dash (not a _pinch_) of gravel or sand; for which act of kindness -towards his customers he was convicted in the penalty of £50. See the -case of The King against Chaloner, a tea and coffee dealer. - -But, probably, John, when he finds himself no longer able to cling to -his strong hold—incredulity—will exclaim, shew us, then, your chemical -test and analysis.—Ah! John, the coffee sophisticator is too much for -us; his art is beyond the reach of short or long tests, or of hard or -easy ones: he may do as he likes, unless thou canst put thy hoof upon -some of his nicely packed-up parcels; and to accomplish this purpose -thou, or thy representative, the poor, badly-paid, half-starved, -ill-requited Excise-officer, must detect him in his machinations -on his own proper “dominium” or “natale solum:” scarcely any other -detection will satisfy that old lady’s scrupulosity and exactness—that -“golden calf” of thy idolatry—that “all perfect and superhuman mass -of incongruity and intricacy”—THE LAW. Thou, therefore, seest plainly -that the only certain way to have a drop of the “pure stuff” is to -purchase the berry in its raw state and roast it, and what is still -more important, _to grind_ it thyself. But, if thou dost not understand -all these processes to a-t—, thou mayst find them, with some other very -interesting arcana of the science, detailed in a work which I shall -shortly publish for the instruction and guidance of housekeepers of all -kinds and descriptions, and which I shall entitle “_The Housekeepers’ -Guide to Domestic Comfort, Household Management, and Practical -Economy_.” This, John, I intend shall be a rare work—quite a tit-bit -for thy fancy; and the price a mere “four-penny matter.” It shall -not be a “marrowless collection of shreds and patches, and cuttings -and pastings,” selected or stolen out of old useless books, but a -collection of practical facts, conducing to domestic comfort and real -economy. - -As I must, friend John, have, by the foregoing particulars, alarmed -thy coffee-drinking propensities, it is but fair to let thee into the -secret of ascertaining good coffee. - -Know then, friend Bull, and all ye little Bulls, who may have the -satisfaction of deriving your paternity from that ancient and -honourable stock, that coffee, commercially considered, is of three -sorts: the Arabian, or Mocha coffee, the East-Indian coffee, and the -West-Indian coffee. Of these, the Mocha, or Turkey, coffee is generally -esteemed the best, and is so stated by all the writers on the subject; -but this is not the case: for the Java coffee is considered, by all -competent judges, to be superior, as it contains a considerably larger -proportion of oil. Among the East-Indian species, that of Bourbon -is preferred. Of the West-Indian produce, the growth of the French -colonies is most esteemed, particularly that of Martinique. The coffee -of Surinam, Berbice, Demerara, and Cayenne, is the least valued. The -inferiority of the coffee of the British colonies is supposed to be -occasioned by its being put to dry in houses where sugar and rum are -kept, or by being set in vessels freighted with those commodities, or -other substances of a strong scent, from which the coffee imbibes the -flavour. - -Mocha, or Turkey, coffee (namely, in a raw or unroasted state) should -be chosen of a greenish olive hue, fresh and new, free from any musty -smell, the berries of a middling size, and clean and plump. Good -West-Indian coffee should also be of a greenish cast, fresh, free from -mouldy smells, and the berry small. East-Indian coffee is of a pale, -and partly of a deep yellow colour. Java coffee is distinguished by its -being a large, light, yellow berry. - -These are the general tests or methods for ascertaining the quality of -raw coffee; those for roasted are similar as to the size of the berry: -the other criteria are that it should not be too much roasted, but of a -bright chestnut colour, and of a fresh fragrant smell. - -I cannot, I apprehend, close this article more appropriately and -serviceably, than by exhorting my readers to recollect that the -presence of any of the adulterating ingredients in coffee is of the -greatest prejudice to health, and is apt to cause a distressing weight -on the stomach if the adulterated coffee be used daily for some time. -The detail of the beneficial and injurious effects is ably stated in -“_The Oracle of Health and Long Life_.” - - -CHOCOLATE. - -Chocolate is frequently adulterated with noxious ingredients, -particularly vanilla and castile soap; the first article is used for -giving it a fragrant odour, and the second for causing it to froth -when it is dissolved in the water: a large proportion of flour, also, -instead of the kernel of the cocoa-nut, makes up the composition. - -Chocolate, to be good, should be of a brown colour, inclining to red; -when broken, it should appear of a smooth and uniform consistence in -the fracture, without any granulated particles, and should melt easily -in the mouth, leaving no roughness or astringency, but rather a cooling -sensation upon the tongue; which last quality is the most decisive -criterion of its genuineness. - - -SUGAR. - -Considerable ingenuity is exerted in the adulteration of sugar. The -moist sugars are mixed up with sand, salt, flour, and a variety of -other ingredients of little or no cost. The loaf, or lump sugar -receives the addition of lime, chalk, gypsum, plaster of paris, or any -white material which will save expense to the “_refiner_.” - -Lump, or loaf sugar, to be good, should be close, heavy, and shining: -though, by the bye, some of the craft have lately contrived to -introduce some sparkling particles of marble, to produce the shining -appearance. That which easily breaks, and appears porous or spongy and -of a dull cast, has not been properly manufactured, and has an undue -proportion of lime, &c. in its composition. Of the moist kind, chuse -that which is distinguished by the sharpness, brightness, and loose -texture of the grain, and which, when rubbed between the finger and -the thumb, is not easily pulverized: those kinds are to be preferred -which have a peculiar grey hue, in conjunction with the brightness -and other criteria just mentioned. The soft and close grained sugars, -though of a good colour, should be rejected as saturated with too -much earthy matter. The East India varieties do not contain so much -saccharine matter as the produce of the West India colonies. Neither -is the _crush-lump_, which is manufactured from treacle and employed -by grocers for mixing with the common sorts of brown sugar, equal -to the West India produce in sweetening power. Adulterated sugar is -readily discovered by the taste and sediment left at the bottom of the -vessel in which it is dissolved. The presence of _crush-lump_ may be -recognized by the uniformity of the appearance of moist sugar. - -Rules for the choice of currants, raisins, rice, and other articles -of grocery, are detailed in “DOMESTIC COMFORTS AND ECONOMY,” a work -containing a store of information for the economizing and skilful -management of household expenditure. - - - - -SECTION IV. - -_Spices._ - - -PEPPER. - -Pepper is subject to adulteration, like most other articles of -consumption. The spurious pepper consists of chalk, flour, ground -mustard-seed, &c. mingled with a certain portion of the genuine berry, -a quantity of pepper dust, or the sweepings of the pepper warehouses, -mixed with a little Cayenne pepper; the whole being made into a -cohesive mass by means of mucilage. Even the whole berry has not -been able to escape the ingenuity of sophistication. The adulterated -berry is manufactured of the hulls of mustard-seed, or oil-cakes -composed of the residue of lint-seed, from which the oil has been -pressed, glue, common clay or chalk, and a certain quantity of stuff -known and purchased in the market under the name and cabalistical -abbreviations of P. D. or D. P. D., the first mentioned of which -delectable ingredients is the dust which falls from the pepper-corns -by their rubbing against each other in their voyage from the place -of their growth to that of their importation; the other is the -sweepings or refuse of the pepper warehouses. The first abbreviation -signifies _pepper dust_; the second, _dirt of pepper dust_. The mode -of manufacturing these inviting ingredients is to granulate the mass -by pressing it through a sieve, and then to roll the grains about in a -cask until they take a globular form. “Artists” are then employed to -stick into each pepper-corn little sprigs, in order to simulate the -appearance of the genuine berry. This practice was long carried on in -London, without the least interruption or suspicion of the fraud on the -public and the revenue, until the collection of the duties was, in the -year 1819, transferred from the Customs to the Excise; when, on that -occasion, several convictions of the offenders took place, which may be -seen in the newspapers published about that period. - -Pepper is of two kinds, the black and the white. Black pepper should -be chosen large, heavy, firm, and not much shrivelled. White pepper -is either factitious or genuine: the former is the ripe and perfect -berry, prepared by steeping in sea-water and urine the best and -soundest grains of black pepper for about the space of a week, when -the skin or rind bursting, they are taken out and exposed to the heat -of the sun until the skin or outer bark loosens, when they are rubbed -with the hand till the rind falls off. The internal kernels are next -perfectly dried in the sun, and then they are fit to be ground or -manufactured into white pepper, together with such foreign ingredients -as the conscience or ingenuity of the adulterator may suggest. The -genuine white pepper consists of the blighted or imperfect berries -of the same plant as produces the black pepper; but as it does not -possess a strength and pungency, even when not adulterated, equal to -the common black pepper, it is by no means preferable to that variety -for domestic purposes, except where appearance is consulted, as in the -case of its being brought to table. In fact, white pepper is always, -whether genuine or factitious, inferior in flavour and quality to black -pepper; and where it is factitious, its peculiar flavour and pungency -are nearly lost. - -Where the berries are supposed to be factitious, the readiest way of -detecting the fraud, (independent of the deterioration of quality and -flavour, which must be evident to every judge of the genuine article,) -is to throw a few of the pepper-corns into a little water; when the -artificial produce will swell up and soon become soft and sticky, and -on the least degree of agitation will dissolve or fall to powder, while -the genuine corns will remain whole and unaffected. - -The same precaution that I have said should be observed by the -purchasers of coffee—namely, never to let it pass through the -mill of the grocer or vender, should also be observed in the -purchase of pepper. When the cunning varlets have none of the -adulterated pepper-corns by them, they will be sure of exerting some -sleight-of-hand in slipping into the mill some of the before-mentioned -sophisticating articles, or flour, or powdered hemp-seed or rape-seed -cake, or ivory black, or the hieroglyphical P. D. or D. P. D. (if they -are not already patiently waiting in the mill to lend their services as -make-weights;) notwithstanding the poor purchaser may suppose himself -lynx-eyed, and proof against imposition. - -Another article of the pepper kind, friend John, with which thou art -fond of tickling thy delicate appetite, and of exhibiting on “gaudy -days,” as the sons of Alma Mater phrase it, in thy well polished -castors, to thy admiring guests, like a sparkling star to be found only -in the remotest part of the heavens, is the subject of sophisticating -roguery. What thinkest thou, John, of the “dear bought,” “far fetched,” -“long sought,” “gentleman-like” Cayenne pepper, which thou often -wrappest up in as many folds of paper as an onion hath coats, that -it should not lose its virtue, being adulterated with “red lead,” to -prevent the delectable mass of which it is composed from becoming -bleached on exposure to the light. I was thinking, friend Bull, to -furnish thee with a test for discovering the fraud, but as I know -of no one better than that given by thy expatriated countryman, the -much injured Accum, I must refer thee to his book, 4th edition, p. -247. Perhaps the following extract from that excellent work, (the -only book on cookery extant, that can be safely trusted to; for the -genius of cookery is, believe me, John, in colleague with the spirit -of sophistication against thy health; and for a confirmation of this -assertion thou needest only look to the formulæ given in cookery books -for imparting a fresh and lively green colour or hue to pickles—not -to mention the consequences of the concentration of the virtues of -certain articles, which, though harmless, while used in their original -and simple state, are, as the author of the “ORACLE OF HEALTH AND LONG -LIFE” observes, in their concentrated state, potent poisons;) the -_Cook’s Oracle_, by the late Dr. Kitchener, will be better adapted to -thy wants and taste. - -“We advise those who are fond of Cayenne not to think it too much -trouble to make it of English chillies—_there is no other way of being -sure it is genuine_.—They will obtain a pepper of much finer flavour -without half the heat of the foreign; and a hundred chillies will -produce two ounces. The flavour of the chillies is very superior to -that of the capsicums. Put them in a warm place to dry, then rub them -in a mortar, as fine as possible, and keep them in a well stopped -bottle.” - -Wholesome and economical receipts for making most of the other articles -vended in oil shops will be found in the same useful work. Buy the -work, John, thou wilt have no reason to begrudge the price; it is -equally valuable to the man of “high” or “low estate;”—to him to whom -dinner is the chief business of the day, who merely lives to eat, than -eats to live—who seeth the sun rise with no other hope than that he -should fill his belly, before it sets, who is not satisfied till he is -surfeited; as well as to the man who lives according to old English -hospitality, and eateth merely to satisfy nature and his better health. - - -CLOVES. - -Great fraud is often practised by the vender in the sale of this -commodity, either by depriving the cloves of their oil, which is easily -drawn from them either by distillation or by simple pressure, or by -causing them to imbibe or absorb a quantity of water a short time -previous to their sale. When the oil has been extracted, the fraud may -be discovered by the cloves appearing shrivelled, light, of a paler -colour than their usual dark brown hue when perfect, without the ball -or knob at the top, and with little taste or smell. When they have been -forced to imbibe water for the purpose of increasing their weight, the -adulteration may be detected by pressure between the fingers, and by -the flavour and fragrance of the exudation. When good and bad cloves -have remained long intermingled, the bad gradually absorb oil from the -good, in which case the fraud becomes difficult of detection. - -The clove to be in perfection should be large sized, plump, heavy, of a -fine fragrant smell, and a hot aromatic taste, not easily disappearing -off the tongue; easily broken, and when pressed between the thumb and -finger should leave an oily moisture upon them, producing a slight -sensation of smarting. - - -CINNAMON. - -Cinnamon is adulterated by either mixing cassia bark with it, or -a portion of the genuine article, which has been deprived of its -essential oil by distillation. - -Good cinnamon is smooth and thin, not much thicker than royal or stout -writing paper, and rather pliable; of a light yellowish cast, inclining -to red, a fragrant aromatic smell, and an agreeable sweetish taste. -Thick, hard, brownish coloured specimens, of hot, pungent, or a bitter -taste, should be rejected. - -The cassia bark, which bears a great resemblance to cinnamon, is -thicker, of a coarser texture, breaks short and smooth; whereas -cinnamon breaks fibrous and splintery. The best method, however, of -distinguishing cinnamon from cassia is by the taste. Thus, when cassia -is taken into the mouth, it forms a sweet mucilage, and seems, when -good, to dissolve almost entirely, whereas cinnamon has a bitter taste, -and produces a bitter dryness in the mouth. - -Criteria for judging of nutmegs, ginger, mace, &c. will be found in -“DOMESTIC COMFORTS AND ECONOMY.” - - - - -SECTION V. - - _Pickles, Vinegar, Oil, Mustard, Anchovies, Catsup, Isinglass, Soap, - Candles, Blue or Indigo, Starch, Bees Wax, &c._ - - -PICKLES. - -Among the poisonous articles daily vended to the public, none are of -more potent effect than the pickles sold by unprincipled oilmen. For -the purpose of giving a fresh and lively green colour or hue to those -stimulants of the palate, they are intentionally coloured by means of -copper or verdigris, or at least placed for a considerable time in -copper or brazen vessels for the purpose of allowing the articles to -be impregnated by the joint action of the metal and the vinegar. The -cookery books (save and except “_The Cook’s Oracle_”) in vogue also -direct the “lovers of good cheer” to boil their pickles in _bell metal -or copper pots_, or to boil _halfpence_ or _a bit of verdigris_ with -them, in order to impart a green colour! Ought not the authors, whose -gender seems “_doubtful_,” and Messieurs les Bibliopoles, of those -pests, to be indited for a nuisance and malice prepense to the _loving_ -subjects of our late “_good old king_?” - -The ready way to detect the presence of copper in these articles is -to pour a little liquid ammonia, diluted with an equal quantity of -water, over a small quantity of the suspected pickle reduced into small -pieces, and placed in an enclosed phial or vessel; when, if the pickles -contain the minutest quantity of copper, the ammonia will assume a blue -colour. - - -VINEGAR. - -Vinegar is adulterated with sulphuric acid, muriatic acid, nitric acid, -oil of vitriol, a variety of acrid vegetable substances, and frequently -contains metallic impregnations of lead, tin, pewter, iron, and copper, -from the stills or vessels in which it is made. Its more harmless -adulteration is a considerable dilution with water. - -Vinegar is prepared from a variety of substances; but its common -preparations are from wine, fruits, malt, sugar, and wood. The vinegar -made from wood is the strongest, containing at least eight times the -strength of the common preparations. It is perfectly colourless, and -its taste is very pungent and grateful. But the vinegar generally -prepared for sale in this country is made from malt; which to be good -should be of a pale brown colour, perfectly transparent, of a pleasant -and rather pungent acid taste, but without acrimony, and a fragrant -grateful odour. These are the readiest and best tests of good vinegar. -But as a false strength is frequently given to it by adding oil of -vitriol, sulphuric acid, or the extract of some acrid vegetable, as -pellitory of Spain, capsicum, &c. or metallic extracts, the tests for -ascertaining these foreign substances are as follow: If it is suspected -that vinegar is adulterated with oil of vitriol, put three or four -drops of acetate of barytes into a glass of vinegar; filtrate the -white precipitate thereby produced through paper, and heat the powder -or residuum remaining in a tobacco-pipe until it is red hot. Then put -it into spirit of salt or diluted aqua-fortis; if the precipitate -dissolves, the vinegar is genuine; if not, it is adulterated. But if -metallic adulteration is suspected, add liquid ammonia to the vinegar, -until the odour of the ammonia predominates; if the mixture assumes -a blackish tint, it is a sign that copper is present in the article. -If the presence of lead be suspected, add water impregnated with -sulphuretted hydrogen to the suspected vinegar; if the mixture becomes -black or yields a black precipitate, your suspicion is well founded. - - -OLIVE, OR FLORENCE OIL. - -Olive oil is frequently adulterated by mixing with it the oil of poppy -seeds or a decoction of cucumbers, which latter ingredients easily -unite with the oleaginous substances. It is frequently impregnated -with lead, from the circumstance of the fruit which yields the oil -being compressed between leaden plates, and the oil being suffered to -remain in pewter or leaden cisterns in order to become clear before -it is offered for sale. This last injurious quality is communicated -afresh to the commodity by the retail venders, who frequently keep a -pewter vessel immersed in the oil, for the purpose, as they assert, of -preserving the liquid from becoming rancid. It is however proper to -state that the metallic contamination by the wholesale manufacturer -chiefly belongs to the Spanish produce: the French and Italian -manufacture is usually free from the impregnation. - -The presence of lead or any metal deleterious to health is detected, by -shaking in a stopped phial some of the suspected oil with a quantity of -water impregnated with sulphuretted hydrogen, in the proportion of one -part of the former to two parts of the latter ingredient; when the oil, -if adulterated, will become of a dark brown or black colour. When the -oil of poppy seed, or the decoction of cucumber, is supposed to have -been made use of in the adulteration, their presence may be ascertained -by exposing the mixture to a freezing temperature, when the olive oil -will become frozen, while the adulterating ingredient will remain -fluid. - -The best olive oil is of a bright pale amber colour, somewhat inclining -to a greenish cast; free from sediment, bland to the taste, and without -smell. - - -SALT. - -Salt is frequently adulterated with sulphate of lime, for the purpose -of making it weigh heavier, appear lighter, and less liable to become -moist. - - -MUSTARD. - -“Genuine mustard,” says Mr. Accum, (Culinary Poisons, p. 330) “either -in powder, or in a state of paste ready made, is perhaps rarely to be -met with in the shops.” Whether “_patent_,” “_best Durham_,” or of any -other pretty and imposing name, it generally consists of a composition -of mustard flour and wheaten flour; only for the additional cost of -the “patent mustard” of the respective manufacturers, the purchaser is -treated with a little cayenne pepper, a large quantity of bay salt, and -a quantum sufficit of “aqua pura.” Turmeric is the grand adulterant -of the merchant for giving the yellow colour to factitious mustard. -The _flour_ of mustard of the shops generally consists of the produce -of mustard seed, cayenne pepper, wheat flour, and turmeric; and the -_essence_ of mustard of the fashionable oilmen is composed of camphor -and oil of rosemary, dissolved in oil of turpentine, with the addition -of a little of the _flour_ of mustard! - - -ANCHOVY SAUCE. - -Anchovy sauce is frequently contaminated with the pigments denominated -Venetian red or Armenian bole, which are rubbed into the mass, while -the operator is triturating the anchovy in his mortar. The Venetian -red, which is frequently adulterated with red lead, affords the deepest -and finest colour, and is accordingly used by the _fashionable_ oilman; -the aid of the Armenian bole is invoked by his more conscientious and -less aspiring brethren. - -But the anchovy itself is not exempt from the sophisticating ingenuity -of the trade; for sprats are frequently prepared and sold for -anchovies. The best way of discovering the fraud is by the appearance -of the back bone, which in the anchovy is triangular for some space -from the head, while that of the sprat is flat. - -The test for detecting the fraud practised in the manufacture of -anchovy sauce is the same as that which will be presently stated for -discovering the adulteration of mushroom catsup. - - -MUSHROOM CATSUP. - -This common article of consumption is frequently contaminated by -copper. This deleterious quality it obtains from the mode of its -manufacture, as well as from the articles from which it is manufactured. - -The usual way in which it is prepared is by boiling in a copper the -residue left in the still of the vinegar manufacturer, with a decoction -of the outer green shell of the walnut (previously prepared also by -having been boiled in a copper, in combination with common salt;) -together with a portion of allspice or pimento, pepper dust, (or -cayenne pepper, should the manufacturer be a _man of taste_;) and -garlic. - -The method of detecting the fraud is detailed at page 294 of Mr. -Accum’s book: it is too long for insertion here. - - -ISINGLASS. - -Isinglass, which is prepared from the air-bladders of the sturgeons, -is the subject of sophistication. The dried bladders of horses, the -skins of soles, and the intestinal membranes of calves and sheep are -frequently sold for it. The fraud may be detected by boiling the shreds -in water; when, if the article is adulterated, the spurious ingredients -will obtain only an imperfect insolubility, whereas genuine isinglass -is almost perfectly soluble in water. - -Isinglass to be good, should be white, perfectly transparent, dry, -fibrous, and of a faint odour and insipid taste. The best variety -occurs in the form of a lyre or horse-shoe; the worst, flat, in the -form of a pancake. The saltish taste of fictitious isinglass is also -another of the criteria for judging of its goodness. - - -BLUE OR INDIGO. - -This article is subject to great adulteration by the introduction of -foreign ingredients into its manufacture. The easiest and speediest -test of its genuineness is by dissolving or cutting it. By the first -method, if good, it dissolves easily, while that of a coarse or an -adulterated kind dissolves with difficulty, and settles at the bottom -of the vessel. By the second method, (and which is the best criterion -of its goodness,) when cut with a knife, it exhibits a red copper-like -appearance. Where this shade is absent or only very slight, the indigo -is of an inferior quality.—Other signs of its goodness are that it -should be light, of a close texture, break easily, float on water, -be free from white specks or sand, and from white adhesive mould -externally, and when rubbed with the nail, it should have a shining -copper-like hue. - - -SOAP. - -Soap is subject to great adulteration, as every person is aware who has -had an opportunity of witnessing the specimens made twenty years ago, -before “Messieurs les Artistes” had made their prodigious advances, -as our “YANKEE” brethren across the Atlantic phrase it, “in the -_progressing_ knowledge of the age.” - -Good mottled soap is hard, but not brittle, well mottled, and without -any rancid, tallowy, or unpleasant acrid smell. If any of this smell -should be present, there has been an undue portion of soda or potash -used in the manufacture. A quantity of fuller’s earth is often used -to conceal the imperfections and add to the weight of the article, by -enabling it to imbibe a large quantity of water. Rancid tallow also is -often used in soap and candle-making, which has had a portion of its -substance quite destroyed by putrefaction. Of course the articles from -which it is made are of a very inferior quality. Those specimens which -have a disagreeable odour are made of horns of animals, woollen rags, -&c. instead of oil, clay often supplies the place of tallow. - -There are several methods for proving the quality of soap. The author -of “THE MAIDSERVANT’S COMPANION AND DIRECTORY” informs us that there -are “some people who can ascertain it by the taste.” But as the same -gentleman observes, as it is not likely that many persons will feel a -pleasure in making the experiment, a more pleasant method is to slice -an ounce or two of the soap very thin into a basin, and having poured -boiling water upon the slices, to stir them well till they are quite -dissolved; then place the basin and contents before the fire for the -space of about twelve hours. When the mixture is quite cold, turn it -out of the basin; if no sediment appears at the bottom, it is a sign -of the goodness of the soap. Or the adulteration of the soap may be -detected, by pouring upon a little of the suspected article, thinly -sliced into a bottle, rectified spirit of wine, in the proportion of -one part of soap to six parts of spirit: then, when the bottle, being -slightly stopped, has remained a short time in a warm place, the -adulterated parts of the soap will appear unacted upon by the agent; -but if the soap be genuine, it will have become wholly dissolved. - -To those who are desirous of economizing the consumption of soap, -many useful hints may be found in “THE MAIDSERVANT’S COMPANION AND -DIRECTORY;” a work which every sensible master and mistress should -cause to be carefully and attentively perused by their domestics. - - -CANDLES. - -Nor are candles exempt from the sophisticator’s art. Tallow candles, -to be good, should be made of equal parts of bullock’s and sheep’s -fat; which is discoverable by their being of a firm texture, a good -white colour, and not an obnoxious smell. When made of hog’s fat, -they gutter, emit an ill smell, and a thick black smoke. If alum or -pulverized marble has been mingled with the tallow, for the purpose of -giving a white appearance and a hard consistence, the wicks burn with a -dead light, and the alum spits or emits slight explosions from the wick -as it burns. - -Some useful directions respecting the management and the economizing -of the consumption of candles, whether wax, mould, or dips, are to be -found in “DOMESTIC COMFORTS AND ECONOMY.” - - -STARCH. - -This commodity is subject to much adulteration by the manufacturer. -When good, it is dry, easily reducible to powder, tasteless, and -without odour. In its use in the laundry, there is no good housewife -but can distinguish, by its effects on her “lavatory occupations,” the -difference between good and bad starch: it is therefore unnecessary to -detail tests. - - -BEES’ WAX. - -Bees’ wax is frequently adulterated with rosin, tallow, pease-meal, -potatoe-starch, and a mixture of oil and litharge. The introduction -of rosin into it may be discovered by its hardness, brittleness, and -want of tenacity. When adulterated with tallow, the fraud may be -detected by scratching the finger over the surface; when its clamminess -and adhesiveness to the fingers will indicate the presence of that -ingredient. In the purchase of cakes of bees’ wax the cake should -be broke, in order to ascertain whether the impurities called foot, -are not ingeniously _encased_ in a shell of pure wax. White wax is -adulterated with carbonate of lead and white tallow, to increase its -weight. - -Bees’ wax, when good, is of a compact substance, somewhat unctuous -to the touch, but not adhering to the fingers or to the teeth when -it is kneaded or chewed: and when scratched by the finger-nail, no -obstruction is met with, and but little indentation or fissure made; it -also has an agreeable smell partaking of a slight odour of honey, and a -clear fresh yellow colour. Its texture is also granular. - - - - -SECTION VI. - -_Butter, Cheese, Milk, Cream, and Potatoes._ - - -BUTTER. - -Butter is not exempt from adulteration: the inferior kinds are -frequently mixed up with hogs-lard which has lost its flavour and -appearance; and not unfrequently kitchen-stuff forms a portion of the -bulk. - -Good butter is hard and firm; therefore that butter which is often sold -in the shops in London, that adheres to the knife when applied to, or -stuck into it, is factitious, that is, manufactured in a machine, of -the following materials—viz. rancid fresh butter, the cheap unsaleable -Scotch butters of various hues and dyes, and a quantity of salt, -well rummaged and pomelled together. This spurious commodity is of a -white cast, and generally sold under the denomination of “Dorset.” -It should be recollected that the cheesemongers never beat the good -butters, as the beating injures the flavour; they bestow their friendly -castigations only on the worthless commodity for the purpose of -extracting a portion of its rancidity and obnoxious smell. - -Butter should be bought by the taste and smell. Both fresh and salt -butter should smell sweet, and be of an equal colour throughout; if -veiny and open, it has been mixed with a staler or an inferior sort. -The quality of tub butter is ascertained by putting a knife into the -butter; and if, on drawing it out, any rancid or unpleasant smell -should attach to the knife, the butter is not good; but, perhaps, the -best criterion is to taste the butter near the sides of the tub, for -the middle is often sweet when the parts near the sides of the tub are -quite rank. - -Hogs-lard is adulterated with the skimmings of the liquor in which pork -or bacon has been boiled. Lard thus adulterated has a grey colour, a -soft consistence, and a salt taste; whereas lard, when pure, is white, -granular, and rather firm in texture. - - -CHEESE, BACON, AND HAMS. - -When annatto is dear, or of inferior quality in appearance, it is -customary with the venders of the article to adulterate it with -vermilion or red lead. This contamination has chiefly been confined -to the Gloucester cheese; and may be detected by macerating a -small quantity of the suspected article in water impregnated with -sulphuretted hydrogen, acidulated with muriatic acid; which will -immediately cause the cheese to assume a brown or black colour, if the -minutest portion of lead be present. I am informed by a respectable -dealer, that cheese, especially old Stilton cheese, is frequently -_greened_ in particular parts with verdigris, in order to assume the -appearance of age. - -The best cheese is that which is of a dry compact texture, without -holes in it; of a whitish colour, and which, on being rubbed between -the finger and thumb, almost immediately becomes a soft and somewhat -greasy mass. Nor is a moist smooth coat a bad criterion of its quality. -It should also be of a moderate age; for neither very decayed, nor -decaying cheese, is wholesome; nor is that which is new, adhesive, and -ropy, when heated by the fire, of a good kind. Cheshire cheese which -crumbles and tastes bitterish has been made of bad milk. Though cheese -is generally chosen by the taste, this is by no means a criterion of -its nutritive qualities; as the flavour generally depends on the nature -of the food which the cows eat, and often on the mode of management in -the manufacture of the cheese. - -In the purchase of bacon and hams, pray bear in mind, friend John, that -many more thousands of tons of those articles are sold annually in the -metropolis of this land of “_just and equal dealing_” as “fine, new -Hampshire bacon and fine Yorkshire hams,” than are received from those -counties altogether; and that though the bacon merchants are supplied -with bacon from Ireland, none sell _Irish_ bacon. The large Irish hams -are also dried and sold for “fine fresh” Yorkshire or Westmoreland -varieties, to tickle the fancy of the “Bull Family” for rarities and -expensive purchases. - - -MILK AND CREAM. - -The usual sophistication of milk is a liberal quantity of warm water, -and to give consistence to the mixture, and correct the colour, a -composition of flour and yolks of eggs is added; but should there not -have been sufficient time for the operation, the immediate aid of the -cock or the pump is invoked. But some of the more skilfully initiated -“_artistes au lait_” dissolve the common cheese dye, annatto, which -occasions a mixture of milk and water to assume the colour, and nearly -the consistence of cream. Among some of the less expert a composition -of treacle and salt supplies the place of the annatto; but this mixture -does not combine so well as the annatto with the milk. Pure milk is of -a dull white colour, and a soft sweetish taste; adulterated milk is of -a bluish appearance and thin consistence. - -Cream receives a copious addition of skimmed milk, flour, starch, -rice-powder, or arrow-root boiled together, to increase the -“milk-merchant’s” profits. But arrow-root is the substance which is -best adapted, and most employed for the purpose. The generally received -opinion that milk is adulterated with chalk and whitening is, as Mr. -Accum observes, erroneous; for neither of those ingredients could be -held in solution in the milk, and would therefore be useless to the -adulterator, as they would sink to the bottom of the pail while the -manufacturer was doling out his composition to his customers. But the -practice of putting the milk into leaden pans, or vessels made of that -metal, to occasion the milk to throw up a larger portion of cream, is -sufficiently authenticated, and deserves exposure, from the liability -of having the milk impregnated with particles of lead. - -Perhaps some of my readers may be lovers of curds and whey; if so, I -recommend them to endeavour to get a sight of the calf’s maw, from -which the rennet is made before it is boiled. I have had the fortune -of being “blessed” with “the captivating sight” more than once; and in -each instance I absolutely saw the bladder moving alive with maggots. - - -POTATOES, FRUIT, &c. - -Even the humble green-grocer exerts his ingenuity and “tact” in the art -of sophistication: to augment the weight of his “murphies,” and “make -them _tell_,” he soaks “the dear _cratures_” in water during the night -previous to their sale. - -While discoursing of the little peccadilloes of the honest tradesmen -of “this land of Christianity,” I never apprehended that it was -possible to sophisticate fruit. But at the very moment I was about to -consummate my bold, and I hope it will prove, patriotic undertaking, -by affixing the important and consolatory, though little word, “FINIS,” -a new discovery presented itself to my astonished optics! Can you -believe me, John? I happened to pop in rather inopportunely, that is -to say, a-la-mode Paul Pry, on a fruit-artist, who was preparing some -stale plums for sale, and giving them all the bloom and fragrance -of having been just plucked from the tree. This recondite feat of -_fruitist_-ingenuity consists in anointing certain parts of the fruit -with gum water, and then shaking a muslin bag containing finely -powdered blue upon the prepared parts of the fruit, which are laid -uppermost upon a board, to receive the precious unction.—From the -honest tradesman whom I thus found patriotically engaged in furthering -“the trading and commercial interests of his dear native land,” I also -learned that some of the more skilful and enterprizing artists soak -plums in water, when they have become shrivelled, in order to plump -them out, and make them, as it is fashionably phrased, en-bon-point. - -What an age of intellect do we live in! Could our good old Druidical -ancestors have supposed that their puny and degenerate offspring would -be endowed with the extraordinary gift of being able to rejuvenize old -worm-eaten nuts? Rare and sublime discovery! What, John, may we not -next expect? Surely, we have reached the millenium of the march of -intellect and the perfection of sophistication. But I must not keep the -reader longer in suspense. - -The rejuvenization of Old Nuts! Just as I had finished writing the -above article, an old and almost forgotten friend called on me, one -who has long and scientifically been patriotically engaged, “in this -age of intellect,” in rejuvenizing old, rotten, worm-eaten walnuts and -almonds, of each last year’s growth, and giving their “externals” all -the whiteness and beauty of the lily-white hand of a “fine lady,” and -their “internals” all the plumpness and en-bon-point admired by his -“most moral majesty,” our late “gracious and beloved sovereign,” in his -“fair defects of nature.” By this scion of “the trading interests” I am -informed that old nuts of all kinds are first soaked in water in order -to plump them out, and then they are fumigated with sulphur for the -purpose of rendering the shells white and clean. - - - - -SECTION VII. - -_Confectionary, Pastry, and Perfumery._ - - -The confectionary-artist is not behind his compeers in trade in the -honourable vocation of sophistication. There are few articles which -owe their paternity to his handy-work, that partake wholly of the -ingredients to which they bear resemblance in name and appearance: all, -almost all, here is the work of “the black art.” - -But this is not the worst part of the business. Were any person to be -admitted into the “elaboratorical pandemonium” of a pastry-cook or a -confectioner—were he to see the disgusting appearance of the vessels -in which they manufacture their articles—many of them containing -the ingredients with perfect rims of cupreous matter surrounding -them—were he to regale his eyes with the sight of the most rancid -butter bleaching for the purpose of making pastry, as I have seen, I -am sure that he would hold the productions of the confectioner and -pastry-cook’s shop in abhorrence, and would not consider Dr. Paris’s -denunciation of them, in his useful work on Diet, p. 247, as “an -abomination.” A lady with whom I am acquainted, and who lodged at -different times in the houses of confectioners and pastry-cooks, had so -good an opportunity of witnessing _the cleanliness and wholesomeness_ -of their operations, that for many years she has not tasted any -commodity that comes out of their manufactories; and I verily believe -that she would die of hunger before she could induce herself to allow a -scrap of their _delicacies_ to enter her mouth. - -But these “artists” not only endanger the health and lives of their -customers by the carelessness and nastiness of their conduct in their -compositions, but they employ preparations of copper, and also of red -lead in colouring their fancy sweet-meats. In the preparations of -sugar-plumbs, comfits, and other kinds of confectionary, especially -those sweat-meats of inferior quality, frequently exposed to sale in -the open-streets, for the allurement of children, Mr. Accum, p. 288, -informs us, that the greatest abuses are committed by means of powerful -poisons. The white comfits, called sugar-peas, are chiefly composed of -a mixture of sugar, starch and Cornish clay (a species of very white -pipe-clay); and the red sugar drops are usually coloured with the -inferior kinds of vermillion or sap green, and often, instead of those -pigments, with red lead and copper. As a yellow colour, cromate of -lead is used, and prussiate of iron as a blue. The stuff called “_hard -rock_,” “_hard bake_,” “_white lollypop_,” and other baby attracting -names, is of an equally deleterious quality. Nor are the ginger-bread -or sweet cakes of the ginger-baker less injurious to the health of -children, especially the “gilt ginger-bread” as it is termed, which -is covered with Dutch leaf,—a composition consisting of an alloy of -copper and zinc, or brass and copper. Indeed, all parents should, as -the author of “THE ORACLE OF HEALTH AND LONG LIFE” observes, anxiously -instruct their children never to buy any thing offered for sale in the -streets: among my acquaintance more instances than one have occurred -in which lamentable results would have been the consequence had not -timely aid been afforded the little sufferers. And for the same reason -it seems necessary to caution parents never to give painted toys -(which are always coloured with red lead, verdigris, and other potent -poisons,) to children, who are apt to put every thing, especially if it -gives them pleasure, into their mouths. - -The mischievous consequences occasioned by the use of sugar -confectionary, coloured with metallic and vegetable poisons, are -provided against by the French Government, by being under the -surveillance branch of the police, entitled the Council of Health, by -whom an ordonnance is issued, that no confectionary shall be sold, -unless wrapped up in paper, stamped with the name and address of the -confectioner; and the ordonnance further provides that the vendors -shall be held responsible for all accidents occasioned by confectionary -sold in their shops. M. Chevallier has, in the Journal de Chimie -Médicale for Jan. 1831, discussed this subject with considerable -ability. - -“The foreign conserves, such as small green limes, citron, hop-tops, -plumbs, angelica roots, &c. imported into this country, and usually -sold in round chip boxes, are frequently impregnated with copper.” -Indeed, most of the _delicacies_ and “good things” to be obtained in -confectioner’s shops, are tinted with all the colours of the rainbow, -by the agency of lead, copper, brass, arsenic, or some other poisonous -metal. - -The presence of lead and copper is readily detected by pouring liquid -ammonia over the article suspected of being adulterated with the first -mentioned metal, which will acquire a blue colour; and sulphuretted -hydrogen, acidulated with muriatic acid, where the second article -is suspected to have been made use of in the adulteration, when the -article will assume a dark brown or black colour. The adulteration by -means of clay may be ascertained by dissolving the suspected article in -boiling water, when the sediment or precipitate at the bottom of the -vessel ready discovers the fraud. - -For the purpose of communicating an almond or a kernel flavour to -custards, blanc-mange, and other productions of his art, and to render -them grateful to the palates of his customers, the pastry-cook flavours -them with the leaves of the poisonous plant, the cherry-laurel. And -the basis of his favourite blanc-mange often consists of the shreds -of the dried bladders of horses, the skins of soles, and other -animal membranes, as cheap substitutes for isinglass. Among his less -objectionable sophistications may be mentioned, his fabrication of -creams, custards, tarts, and other kinds of pastry, from rice powder -and skimmed milk. - -The negus and lemonade made by pastry-cooks, and the punch of public -and coffee-houses, are made of tartaric acid, as a cheap substitute -for citric or lemon acid. - -The perfumers, the keepers of the “emporiums and bazaars of fashion,” -the manufacturers of the “best genuine bears’ grease,” of the -“incomparable Macassar Oils”—of the “Kalydors”—of “Les Cosmetiques -Royales”—of the “Red and White Olympian Dews,” and other prodigiously -grand and etymological titles “breathing the spirit of patriotic -rivalry,” have all exerted their respective wits in the art of -economising expense and “saving a penny.” In fact the tooth-powders, -the dentrifices, the ottars of roses, the musks, the cosmetics, the -lotions, the balsams, the Hungary waters, the Eaus de Cologne, as well -as all the other frenchified _eaus_, the _milks_ and _creams_ of roses, -the pomades divines, the blooms, the pearl-waters, the lip-salves, -the perfumes,—the Naples almond and beautifying soaps,—the cephalic, -Macouba, and other-hard named snuffs, are all vile sophistications, -and (to omit speaking of their injurious properties to the health and -the skin,) contain but little of the ingredients of which the artists -profess that they are made. On this subject I shall address myself -especially to my fair readers: craving leave to premise, that it is -strange that British ladies, to whom Nature has been so bountiful, -should destroy their native charms and have recourse to the wretched -substitutes of art, which ARE DESTRUCTIVE OF BEAUTY, and PRODUCE REAL -DEFORMITY. - -As many ladies attempt to improve their complexions by the use of the -pernicious cosmetics, which are continually and unblushingly advertised -as beautifiers of the skin, most of which are either worthless or -dangerous, (for if they have any effect, it is that of conveying -mercury, lead, or bismuth into the system, and too frequently laying -the foundation of diseases which are often dangerous, and sometimes -fatal;) I cannot refrain from advising those “fair ones” who have -been in the habit of using trash of so villainous a nature, that if -they have any of it by them, to throw it away at once, and to be -persuaded that the best cosmetics are exercise in the open air, an -active attention to social and domestic duties, regular hours of repose -at night, and cheerful hilarity and tranquility of mind, and that -those cheap and WHOLESOME remedies will not, as the author of “THE -TOILETTE COMPANION” well observes, fail to animate their countenances -and beautify their complexions beyond the blooms and the balsams, the -Grecian and the Egyptian Waters, the Kalydors and the Macassar Oils, -the Gowland’s Lotions and the Pearl Powders, the Cosmetiques Royales, -the Red and White Olympian Dews, the Essences, the Eaus, and the -Pomades Divines, the Essences Apolloniennes or Tyrian, and the Tonic -Wines, and all the other puffed and delusive nostrums, that knavery, -cupidity, and effrontery, have ever palmed upon a credulous public, by -which dull and lustreless eyes, sallow and shrivelled skins, lifeless -and cloudy complexions, and impaired and ruined health, are infallibly -super-induced: or those simple and easily purchased ingredients, with -a strict attention to cleanliness, that is, well washing the skin every -day, and drying it with a course towel,—or when the head, neck, or -face perspire, rubbing it dry with a towel of the like description, -will, as the author of “THE ORACLE OF HEALTH AND LONG LIFE” says, more -effectually beautify the complexion, preserve the skin pure, soft, and -pervious, and consequently the health firm and unaffected, than all the -frauds that have ever been contrived to cheat and deceive the unwary -or the inexperienced. Cold water, however, should not be used when the -skin is warm, nor very warm water when it is chilled. For as the author -of that clever little work “THE TOILETTE COMPANION, or THE WHOLE ART OF -BEAUTY AND OF DRESSING,” says, “Many a beautiful face, neck, and arm, -have been spoiled by not observing this caution.” - -I have mentioned the dangerous consequences from the use of the -repellent cosmetics and other quack nostrums puffed off in the -newspapers; but, as example is more convincing than precept, I shall -present my readers with a few cases of their lamentable results, which -fell under the observation of the celebrated Dr. Darwin. - -“Mrs. S. being much troubled with pimples, applied an alum poultice -to her face, which was soon followed by a stroke of the palsy, and -terminated in her death. Mrs. L. applied to her face for pimples a -quack nostrum, supposed to be some preparation of lead. Soon after -she was seized with epileptic fits, which ended in palsy and caused -her death. Mr. Y. applied a preparation of lead to his nose to remove -pimples, and it brought on palsy on one side of his face. Miss S. -an elegant young lady, applied a cosmetic lotion to her face for -small red pimples. This produced inflammation of the liver, which -required repeated bleedings with purgatives to remove. As soon as -the inflammation was subdued, the pimples re-appeared.” (Darwin’s -Zoonomia.) Every person could enlarge this catalogue from the sphere of -his own acquaintance. - -I am willing to believe that I have (to use a legal phrase) made out a -sufficient case to prove the inefficacy, nay the DANGEROUS consequences -of cosmetics, and the rest of the long list of et-ceteras for -_beautifying_ the skin. It will now be my duty to direct my attention -to the other frauds and impositions practised under the titles of “hair -strengtheners”—“hair beautifyers”—of “best genuine bears’ grease”—of -“incomparable Macassar Oils”—of “Pommades Divines,”—and the remaining -hair hoaxes and humbugs, played off as hair oils, Russia oils, and -similar puffed nostrums, under pretty and _taking_ titles, by Prince, -Ross and Son, M’Alpine, and the rest of the bear’s grease and hair-oil -men; and I shall feel a singular pleasure should I be the medium -of saving any “lovely or loveable woman” from becoming the dupe of -imposture and deception. - -Amongst the various cosmetics recommended by the adventurer for the -dressing room, it must be admitted that none seems more harmless than -those which profess to give a fine curl to the hair. But to assert that -any liquid will, of itself, give a permanent or temporary curl to the -hair is fallacious; though it is true that the application of a weak -soap lye, or a solution of caustic potash, will render the hair more -susceptible of adopting the artificial curl given by putting it into -papers. But then it must be recollected that the effect occasioned -by soap lye or potash is only produced by a complete alteration of -the organic structure of the hair, superinducing a slow but certain -destruction of that beautiful ornament of the human head. This effect -may not be immediately observed, either in youth or in advanced life; -but it is certain and inevitable. - -Equally destructive are the various liquid dyes so loudly boasted of, -and extensively advertised, by quacks for colouring the hair; some of -them, indeed, do produce the effect proposed, particularly the black -dyes; but they are all INJURIOUS, especially the black, as their basis -consists always of nitrate of silver, (that is, silver dissolved in -nitric acid or aqua-fortis) or lunar caustic when in a dry state; -but the operation is destructive of the hair, as must be evident to -any one who has seen the effect of caustic on warts on the skin. It -has been well said that if we wish to save our hair, we must first -save our money, by abstaining from the whole list of those puffed and -unprincipled recipes and nostrums that stare us in the face in every -newspaper, and in almost every shop-window. - -The folly of giving credence to any of the impudent and disgraceful -impostures for the pretended power of certain ingredients to change -the colour of the hair, must, as the author of THE TOILETTE COMPANION -observes, be evident to every person when he is told that the hair -depends on a peculiar secretion, and that, when that secretion ceases, -which it does from several causes, as grief, fright, ill health, great -mental exertion, age, &c. the hair becomes grey: “for Nature, like -a provident mother, when she feels the powers of life impaired or -decaying, exerts all her energies to support and preserve the vital -organs, and can no longer, from her limited means, supply the outposts -and ornamental parts of the system as before, which therefore suffer -and are sacrificed.” - -Nor are the deceits of the base nostrum-mongers for making the hair -grow and curl, or for making the bald pericranium of a nonagenarian -vegetate in all the luxuriance of rejuvenization, the only frauds -practised: equally destructive are the advertised depilatories, the -general basis of which is yellow orpiment, a certain poison if taken -inwardly. It is true that the Turks, with whom bald heads are in -fashion, and also the Chinese, do use this as an unguent, to save the -trouble of frequent shaving; but it should be recollected that those -cosmetics which may be harmless on the head of a robust Janissary,—of a -bashaw of three tails or a fat Mandarin, do not necessarily become fit -adjuncts for the toilette of a “British fair,”—“the lovely daughters of -Albion, Erin, or Scotia,” or even that of an “Herculean delicate,” a -Lilliputian dandy, or a Bond-street exquisite. - -Snuff-sniffers and tobacco-munchers and puffers, do ye know what -the delectable ingredients which form part of the articles of your -recreation, are? Have you never heard that snuff is often compounded of -pulverised nut-shells, of the powder of old rotten wood, called powder -post; that the colour is improved by ochre, and the appearance and feel -modified by an addition of treacle or urine? And have you never been -told that the pungency of snuff is increased by the agency of powdered -glass or the muriate of ammonia? Tobacco smokers and “_chawers_,” have -ye never been told that your favourite “_quid_” is often composed of -black hellebore, corrosive sublimate, dried dock-leaves, and a variety -of other _innocent_ ingredients? Oh, dear! what a deal you have yet to -learn before you “become wise as serpents!” - - - - -SECTION VIII. - -MEDICINES; - - MEDICAL EMPIRICISM, - AND - QUACKS AND QUACKERY, - REGULAR AND IRREGULAR, - LEGITIMATE AND ILLEGITIMATE. - - -Devoted to disease by baker, butcher, grocer, wine-merchant, -spirit-dealer, cheesemonger, pastry-cook, and confectioner; the -physician is called to our assistance; but here again the pernicious -system of fraud, as it has given the blow, steps in to defeat the -remedy;—the unprincipled dealers in drugs and medicines exert the most -diabolical ingenuity in sophisticating the most potent and necessary -drugs, (viz. peruvian bark, rhubarb, ipecacuanha, magnesia, calomel, -castor-oil, spirits of hartshorn, and almost every other chemical -preparation in general demand;) and chemical preparations used in -pharmacy; and the fraud has increased to so alarming an extent, -says Mr. Accum, and his assertion is borne out by the experience of -every one familiar with chemistry, that nine-tenths of the drugs and -medicines in use that are vended by dealers, even of respectability and -reputation, according to the usual interpretation of those words, “and -who would,” as that gentleman emphatically expresses himself, “be the -_last_ to be suspected,” ARE ADULTERATED. And what tends to aggravate -the evil is that manufactories and mills on “an amazingly large -scale” are constantly at work in this metropolis for the manufacture -of spurious drugs. From these licensed elaboratories of disease, the -adulterated articles are vended to unprincipled druggists, at less -than a third of the price of the genuine article. And as there are no -certain tests or methods of detecting the fraud, the consequence is, -that the physician’s prescription is rendered useless, and the most -consummate skill often baffled in the subjection of disease. Some idea -of the extent of the adulteration of drugs may be formed, when it is -stated that a spurious peruvian bark is sometimes sold, compounded -of mahogany saw-dust and oak-wood, ground into powder, with a proper -proportion of genuine quinquina; and that magnesia, even the calcined -sort, is adulterated with lime. - -Chemical cunning has even contrived to extract the quinquina, in which -consists the whole virtue of the bark, leaving it a completely inert -mass. And even the quinine itself is sophisticated, being frequently -contaminated with lime, tallow, sugar, and sulphate of cinchonas. - -It is necessary also to make some little inquiry, and use some little -exercise of one’s understanding, in ascertaining for what reasons -certain physicians recommend particular druggists, and particular -drugs which are manufactured by the “said particular” druggists. Dr. -Reece, in his Monthly Gazette of Health for August 1829, has tended to -open one’s eyes a little on the subject. He informs us that the late -Ambrose Godfrey, the nostrum-monger, contrived to get his preparation -of arrow-root into notice and sale at double the price for which -it might have been obtained of any other druggist, by accompanying -samples of his commodity with presents of haunches of venison to -certain physicians, and that by judicious repetitions (“neither few -nor far between”) of the said conciliating haunches of venison, he -contrived to maintain the reputation and supposed superiority of the -said arrow-root, and to keep the monopoly to himself, as all the said -learned and grateful physicians always, as in due allegiance and duty -they were bound, recommended the said Godfrey Ambrose’s arrow-root as -superior to that of all other simple wights, who supposed that their -composition of arrow-root could be good for any thing, if they forgot, -or were not able, to give character to the commodities by means of the -mute but irresistible influence or eloquence of the said judiciously -disposed-of haunches of venison. From this account it appears that -the “sons of Galen” and the artificers of “the pestle and mortar” are -not behind their brethren of “the long robe,” and “of the quill and -parchment tribe” in the “art of _huggery_.” How often has a “learned -barrister” contrived to get into the good graces of an attorney and -secured practice by invitations to dinner, and judiciously and well -timed (for few persons are better versed in the art of throwing a sprat -to catch a whale than a hungry and briefless, and it must be admitted, -often highly gifted barrister;) presents of game, by a hearty and -unseen shake of the hand in the street, which he dared not have given -at Westminster Hall, and by all those ingenious means, to which men of -great talent have before now condescended, and by which men of little -talent have sometimes gained considerable fortunes. - -Nor has the spirit of adulteration allowed even the accredited patent -or quack medicines to escape its ingenuity. Dr. James’s Fever Powders, -and Norris’s Fever Drops, besides a variety of other popular receipts, -are to be obtained in all possible degrees of strength and flavours -from the various venders and manufacturers of the articles. - -Even the simple articles arrow-root, worm-seed, Spanish liquorice, -lemon acid, soda water, lozenges, honey, spermaceti, and a long list -of other commodities in general use, receive the _benefit_ of the -sophisticators’ ingenuity. - -The greater part of the commodity sold under the name of arrow-root -in the shops of the druggists and grocers is prepared from the fecula -or starch of wheat and of dry mealy potatoes, with a portion of -arrow-root. When good, the grains of arrow-root are very fine, with -numbers of little clots which are formed by the aggregation of the -minuter grains while the commodity is drying, and when examined by a -magnifying glass appear pearly and very brilliant. - -The seeds of the tansy are often offered for sale, for worm-seed; but -the more _conscientious_ dealer sometimes treats his customers with an -equal portion of the genuine and the adulterated article. - -The Spanish liquorice juice of the shops is generally composed of the -worst kind of gum arabic, called Indian or Barbary gum, and imported -chiefly for the purpose of making shoe-blacking, with a small portion -of the genuine juice; and the factitious composition, when inspissated, -is formed into rolls, resembling the genuine article imported from -Catalonia, nicely sprinkled or stratified with particles of dry -bay-leaves, and skilfully impressed with the word “_Solaz_,” in the -true cast of Spanish engraving. _Refined_ liquorice is frequently -manufactured from Spanish juice, with an equal quantity of carpenters’ -glue or starch. The specimens of genuine juice are generally small, -perfectly black, brittle, and break with a smooth and glassy fracture. -They are also soluble either in the mouth or in water, without leaving -any residue. - -The lemon acid of commerce is, as I have before said, a counterfeit; -tartareous acid being employed as a cheap substitute for lemon or -citric acid. - -The soda-water on general sale is frequently contaminated with copper -and lead, produced from the action of the carbonic acid contained in -the water on the metallic substances of which the apparatus in which it -is made is constructed. - -The lozenges of all varieties, hues, flavours, and qualities, -particularly those in the composition of which ginger, cream of tartar, -magnesia, &c. are used, are sophisticated with a liberal portion of -pipe-clay, as a cheap substitution for sugar; but this fraud is readily -detected by laying one of the suspected lozenges on the pan of a fire -shovel or sheet of iron made red-hot; when, if it be pure, it will -readily take fire and be consumed, but if it be adulterated, it will -burn feebly, and a hard strong substance will remain, resembling the -lozenge in form. - -It is well known that but little genuine honey can be obtained in -London. The tests of good honey are its fragrance and sweetness. When -it is suspected to be adulterated with starch or bean flour, the fraud -may be discovered by dissolving the honey in cold water, when the flour -will be readily seen, as it will not dissolve, but falls to the bottom -of the vessel in powder. If honey thus adulterated be exposed to heat, -it soon solidifies and becomes tenacious. - -Honey is of three kinds; the first, called _virgin honey_, and which -is of the finest flavour, is of a whitish cast, and in a fluid state, -about the consistence of a syrup. The second is that known by the name -of _white honey_, and its texture is almost solid. The third kind is -the common yellow honey, obtained from the combs, by heating them over -the fire, or by dipping them into hot water, and then pressing them. - -Manna is sometimes counterfeited by a composition of sugar and honey, -mixed with a small portion of scammony. - -The adulteration of spermaceti is generally effected with wax; but the -fraud may be detected by the smell of the adulterating ingredient, -and by the dulness of the colour; whereas pure spermaceti is of -a semitransparent crystalline appearance. It is also said that a -preparation of the oil obtained from the tail of the whale is likewise -vended for genuine spermaceti; but, as this factitious commodity -assumes a yellow shade when exposed to the air, this imposition is also -of easy detection. - -The adulteration of the essential oils obtained from the more expensive -spices is so common, that, as Mr. Accum says, “it is not easy to meet -with any that are fit for use,” and so much subtle ingenuity is made -use of in the sophistications, that no known tests or agents exist for -the detection of the fraud. The only certain tests are the taste or -flavour, and the smell. - -It is worth while to attend to the plausible excuses of the respective -“artists” of these sophistications. They allege that they are obliged -to have recourse to the fraud, to meet the fancies “of those clever -persons in their own conceit who are fond of haggling, and insist -on buying better bargains than other people, shutting their eyes to -the defects of an article, so that they can enjoy the delight of -getting it cheap; and secondly, for those persons, who being but bad -paymasters, yet as the manufacturer, for his own credit-sake, cannot -charge more than the usual price of the articles, he thinks himself -therefore authorized to adulterate it in value, to make up for the risk -he runs, and the long credit he gives;”—they therefore are reduced to -the necessity of keeping, as they term it, “_reduced articles_,” and -genuine ones. This is excellent logic, and no doubt well understood by -the whole sophisticating tribe. The public are indebted to Dr. T. Lloyd -for this information, which he communicated to the Literary Gazette, -No. 146. - -The ready methods or tests for ascertaining the good qualities of the -most common drugs are: - -Castor-oil, when good, is of a light amber or straw colour, inclining -to a greenish cast. That which has the least smell, taste, and colour, -is considered the mildest. The necessity of some attention to these -signs may appear, when I state that I once took seven ounces of this -oil in successive doses, and do verily believe that I might have -continued to this present hour taking, daily, the usual dose furnished -from the same quarter, with as little effect, had not my good genius -directed me to send for an ounce from Apothecaries’ Hall. I recommend -my readers to purchase their drugs, &c. in the same place. - -Ipecacuanha.—As this drug is sold to the public in a pulverized state, -there is no short or off-hand test for discovering its purity. It is -adulterated with emetic tartar. - -Opium.—Good opium in a concrete state should be of a blackish brown -colour, of a strong fetid smell, a hard viscous texture, and heavy; and -when rubbed between the finger and thumb, it is perfectly free from -roughness or grittiness. This drug is liable to great adulteration, -being frequently vitiated with cow-dung, or a powder composed of the -dry leaves and stalks of the poppy, the gum of the mimosa, meal and -other substances. The flavour alone indicates the goodness of opium in -a liquid state. - -Rhubarb.—The marks of the goodness of rhubarb are the liveliness of -its colour when cut; its being firm, dry, and solid, but not flinty or -hard; its being easily pulverizable, and appearing, when powdered, of -a fine bright yellow colour; and its imparting to the spittle, when -chewed, a deep saffron-colour, and not proving slimy or mucilaginous -to the taste. When rhubarb has become worm-eaten, druggist-ingenuity -is called into play, by filling up the holes with a paste made of -rhubarb-powder and mucilage; and then the physic-artists roll the -mended pieces in the finest rhubarb powder to give their handy works a -good colour and an appearance of freshness. - -Senna leaves are frequently mixed and sophisticated with leaves of -argol, box leaves, &c. - -But among the frauds and impositions practised on the public, none -are more odious and unprincipled, and, at the same time, more loudly -call for the prompt and active interference of the Legislature, than -the tricks and effrontery of impostors, quacks, and empirics in -medicine, both regular and irregular. It cannot but have been the -frequent subject of regret to every honest and reflecting person -that this vile trade should receive A LEGAL SANCTION AND PROTECTION, -which it most assuredly does by virtue of the stamp duty imposed on -the villainous trash; and it cannot be sufficiently deplored that any -government should find itself reduced to straits so deplorable, or be -so short-sighted in its views of enlightened policy, as to be under the -necessity of extracting a paltry and disgraceful profit to the revenue -of the state, from the tolerance and encouragement of ignorance, -imposture, and mischief. - -The assertion is true, that those pests of society the charlatans -and nostrum-mongers “_quarter_” themselves only on the ignorance and -credulity of mankind, and that their patrons and supporters are wealthy -but ignorant men, and superstitious old women, or profligate and -thoughtless rakes; but this is a miserable excuse, and but lame kind -of reasoning: if it means any thing, it proves the necessity of public -protection from the abominable and anti-christian nuisance. Can there -be greater libel on the utility and operation of English law, than that -vermin of the description of the “_Balsam of Rackasiri_” empirics[M] -should be tolerated and allowed to spread their mischief and -destruction among the population of a country professing Christianity -and civilization, and forsooth, to boast of “the thousands they pay -yearly to the government and the public press,” in the form of duty to -the one for _its sanction and licence_, and to the other in the form -of remuneration for giving a disgraceful and destructive publicity to -their nefarious designs.[N] - -Nor is the absence of a proper discrimination between right and wrong -of a certain prating brazen-faced - -“barrister” less reprehensible. I love and venerate “the Bar;” but I -must be free to say that when a man can be found so devoid of just -and proper feeling as to appear, for the paltry remuneration of a few -pounds, or for _any_ remuneration however large, in the defence and -propagation of NAKED AND DISGUSTING FRAUD AND PECULATION—aye, and -THE SECRET AND WIDE-SPREADING DESTRUCTION OF HEALTH AND LIFE too!—it -evidently proves that there are some members of that distinguished -profession who are not possessed of the high and honourable feelings -which belong to those who are gentlemen by birth and breeding, -scholars by education, and Christians and honourable men from -moral and religious feeling. But it is to be hoped that there will -never occur again a similar exhibition to that which took place at -Marlborough-street on the infamous Rackasiri-balsam fraud, practised -on Miss May, by “the _learned graduates_ of Petticoat-lane,” and -“_regularly bred physicians_,” the Jew pedlars and old clothesmen -“of _wonderful abilities_,” the “_Doctors_” C. and J. Jordan; who -“feel _awkwardness_ in recommending to public notice their _uncommon -discoveries and talents_.” The more I consider that transaction, the -more I am satisfied that the magistrates are to blame for having -allowed the piece of impudent effrontery and imposture to have had -the semblance of their sanction, by their singular taciturnity which -happened on that occasion. Of the newspapers which gave currency -and circulation to the artful and fiend-like exculpation, language -will not afford terms strong enough to express one’s abhorrence and -indignation. O shame! where is thy blush? How much human misery and -destruction has the insertion of those disgraceful and wicked puffs -occasioned, by inducing the weak and credulous to give credit to that -as a piece of intelligence coming from editors of accredited and -impartial journals, which is merely the contrivance and fabrication -of wicked impostors to delude and ensnare the thoughtless and -unsuspecting; and for the giving of its mischievous publicity, the -proprietors and editors of certain newspapers received large sums -of money. But let those thoughtless men reflect, that it is the -very consummation of cruelty and unprincipled conduct to sanction -the infamous tampering with the lives and happiness of one’s fellow -creatures for the mere sake of lucre. Nor is the conduct of the -magistrates of certain police offices (particularly those to whom the -jurisdiction of the city of London is entrusted) less reprehensible, -and less fraught with mischievous consequences. What! ought the frauds -and murderous designs of the basest miscreants alive to receive the -solemn and imposing sanction and authority of an oath made before a -judicial tribunal? Surely a grosser violation of duty and a more stupid -and reckless indifference to the destruction of human health and life, -were never, in the most barbarous country, and the most uncivilized -age, exhibited, than the want of sense and foresight displayed by some -city-magistrates in allowing affidavits to be made before them of the -“wonderful cures” performed on the deluded and perjured _agents_ and -“_stalking horses_” of the empirics and impostors; but, fortunately -for mankind, the culpable act will ever remain on record as a stigma -and reproach of city-legislation and moral economy. The trade of -_legalized_ poisoning and destruction of public health has received -greater and more effectual help and recommendation from that source -than from all the arts and devices of the impostors, though aided by -the sanction of a government duty, and the disgusting and unprincipled -puffs and paragraphs of a certain portion of the public press. To put -an end to these culpable and mischievous proceedings, either on the -part of magistrates or of editors of newspapers, in future, I wish -those gentlemen to bear in mind that their “misdoings” shall entitle -them to a “niche and an escutcheon of immortality” in the pages of -“DEADLY ADULTERATION AND SLOW POISONING UNMASKED;” - - “If there’s a hole in a’ your coats, - E’en from Land’s End to John o’Groats, - I’d rede ye tent it; - A chiel’s amang you taking notes, - And faith he’ll prent it:” - -and that no threats or intimidations of “actions” and “reparations due -to the wounded feelings of gentlemen,” shall deter me from my duty. -If I should offend, of course the courts of justice are open to every -injured man, and he will most assuredly receive his due measure of -justice there; but should I give that offence for which the “LAW OF THE -LAND” affords no redress, the man of honourable feelings and conduct -shall never have to complain of my backwardness to give a most prompt -and satisfactory reparation; but, at the same time, I wish that those -who have been privy, whether by overt or covert acts—whether from -their love of “filthy lucre,” or their natural propensity to fraud—to -the destruction of the lives or health of their fellow-creatures, to -recollect that I shall be prepared to treat them with the scorn and -contempt which their conduct and their misdeeds may merit. - -It has been well said that it is not easy to determine whether the -fraud and impudence of the empiric or nostrum-monger, or the folly -and credulity of the sufferer, are the greater. But the fact is that -quacks and impostors of all kinds, whether medical or political, -_pædagoguecal_ or _corporational_, live and thrive on the infernal -popish maxim, that IGNORANCE IS THE MOTHER OF DEVOTION, that is, in -plainer phrase—of GULLIBILITY. But to the case of the quacks.—It surely -indicates no ordinary share of dupery, to believe that one and the same -nostrum can cure all and every disorder contained in the long catalogue -of human woes and miseries; such a belief must incline the victim of -its hallucination to suppose an exact similarity of symptoms and a -perfect identity of nature in all the disorders to which the frailty of -our common nature has rendered us subject. On this momentous subject -few persons have written more forcibly than the admirable author of -the “_Manual for Invalids_.” May the following quotation from that -valuable work awaken the attention of those who foolishly confide their -health and lives to the care of quacks, nostrum-mongers, jugglers, and -impostors![O] - -“Where dwells the boasted march of intellect when the understanding is -continually insulted with the most impudent and daring pretensions of -impostors, who, while they pretend to restore your health, are making -a direct attack upon your credulity and your purse. What encouragement -exists for the well educated men, regular graduates of Universities, -of high classical and literary attainments, who have chosen the -profession of medicine or surgery as a business of life, and in order -to practice with credit and character, have directed their attention, -their time, and their property to its studies,—who have made the nature -of diseases and the efficacy of remedies a study of life—when they -find themselves completely superseded by some inspired pretender—some -ignorant quack. Lord Bacon has long since said, in his work on the -advancement of learning, ‘If the same honours and rewards are given -to fools, which ought to be awarded to the wise, who will labour to -be wise?’ That the ignorant pretender should be encouraged by the -public, is a reproach to the understanding of any people; but that -the revenue of any country should be supplied by a stamp duty[P] on -empirical nostrums, instead of the government taking measures either of -prevention or punishment, can only be explained by exhibiting similar -acts of atrocity on the sentiments of nature; but the truth is, the -auri sacra fames has the power of making that appear relatively right, -which is absolutely wrong.”[Q] - -“Beware of hypocrisy of every description,” adds the same excellent -writer; “you may as well believe that the Pope can send you to -perdition, as that an advertising charlatan can, by any empirical -nostrum, restore you to health.” - -But, unhappily, it appears that poor John Bull and “his hopeful -family” are not gifted with the power of being “beware of hypocrisy,” -“advertising charlatans” and “empirical nostrums;” but that through -their proneness to gullibility and the love of the marvellous, the -trade of quackery is daily increasing, and that hundreds of quacks -swarm in every quarter of the metropolis, and fatten on the murders -which they are constantly perpetrating with their poisons; and to -add to the monstrous combination against the lives and health of the -community, that the aid of even the pulpit is invoked to further the -propagation of the imposture! Instances are on record where mercenary -preachers have been wicked enough to sermonize and expatiate on the -miraculous virtues and benefits of the poisonous nostrums[R] and -remedies of the mountebank jugglers and impostors. - -But humbug and imposture, as it has been truly said, is a many-headed -monster, and is of very catching influence; it has worshippers at the -corner of every street; hordes of the most ignorant vagabonds and -jugglers are engaged in its propagation, and announce their impostures -as “prepared and sanctioned by His Majesty’s august authority;” but -to waste my pages with the mention of the “ladies’ fever” _doctors_ -Lamert, Peede, Davis, Eady, Caton, Courtenay, (alias Messrs. Currie -and Co.) Fiedeberg (alias Sloane and Co. alias Jones and Co.);—the -surreptitious knights, His Carpentership, Sir Gully Daniels, and his -Plastership, White Arsenic Sir Cancer Aldis;—the firm of Goss and -Company, the consulting Surgeons of Ægis and Hygeiene notoriety;—the -miniature painter, “the learned and celebrated” artful artist and curer -of consumption, Long St. Long,—the crazy chap who entitles himself -the “hygeist”[S]—Taylor and Son, the Leake’s pill-men,—Samuel, the -syphilis-pill-man,—the old canting staymaker and life-guardsman, -Gardner, who can manufacture tape-worms wholesale and of a league in -length from the intestines of cats and chickens,—the piddle-taster, -or morning water-doctor, Cameron (alias Crumples,) as also all other -quacks, whether of the masculine or feminine gender, who cure _by -proxy_, or by simply pronouncing that the disease shall be cured, (for -there have been impostors impudent enough to make such pretensions;) -or by any art or delusion, and who by chalk, chuckling, and chicanery -are battening on the vitals of society, would be an insult to the -understanding of my readers, further than to say that each of those -worthies, as well as their honourable compeers the balsam of Rackasiri -vagabonds and impostors, can, no doubt, recognize the reality of their -deeds in the following quotation from the pages of Hudibras: - - “Nor doctor epidemic. - Stored with deletery med’cines, - (Which whosoever took, is dead since,) - E’er sent so vast a colony - To both the under worlds as he.” - -Perhaps a few words said on the subject of the former occupations -of some of the mountebank impostors, who are practising, and have -practised their frauds and villanies on the community, may tend to open -the eyes of this very gullable nation as to the extent and quality -of their medical knowledge, unless it should be supposed that they -acquired it by miraculous inspiration or divine influence, to which -high pretensions, indeed, many of the vermin have had the audacity to -lay claim, well knowing that the bolder their assertions were, the more -gullable they would find their ninny patients. - -Know then that the “groundly learned physicians” —“of superior skill -and judgement”—high character and situation,” the _Doctors_ Mordecai -J. and C. Jordan, were Jew pedlars; (and here, reader, recollect -that more than one half of the mountebanks and impostors who have -gulled and laughed at our gullable nation, are or were circumcised -Jews, either of native or of foreign breed;)—the renowned _Doctor_ -Eady, of cyprianic memory, and who owed his reputation to the joint -exertions and recommendation of the saints of Providence Chapel, -and the coal-heaving-preaching-and-praying-sinner-saved Huntingdon, -was a bumpkin haberdasher and retailer of small wares in an obscure -country village;—Monsieur John St. John Long, the celebrated curer -of consumption, was a dauber in the miniature-line;—the once -celebrated, and now warmly nestled and scoffing Doctors Brodum and -Solomon were, by turns, porters either in a drug warehouse or Jew -pedlars; the canting worm manufacturer in Long Acre was a staymaker -and life-guardsman;—Yankee noodle do Whitlaw and Don celestial -Graham filled the honourable posts of a day labourer and tom-fool to -a strolling company of players;—and many of the by-gone mountebank -vagabonds were cobblers, tailors, weavers, footmen, blacking-makers, -cat’s-meat men, &c. &c. &c.: but they all, during their tremulous -career of iniquity and canting, - - “———— Making sanctity the cloak of sin, - Laugh’d at the fools on whose credulity - They fattened.”—— - -The sanction and encouragement given to quacks and quackery in this -country have long and loudly been stigmatized by foreign writers as a -national opprobrium to Britain; and it must be allowed very justly. The -increase of these vermin and pests of society has long been a disgrace -to the legislature and government of the country. “They manage these -things,” as Sterne says, “better in France.” How careful our neighbours -are of the health of their community may be gleaned from the following -paper lately read before the Royal Academy of Medicine, at Paris:— - -“1st. That for several centuries, by the vigilance of the -administration, in concert with the most distinguished medical men, -the strongest efforts have been made to rid society of the pestilence -constantly springing up from secret remedies. 2dly. That the most -favourable circumstances are at present combined to free them from the -tribute of money and life, which, on no consideration, ought longer to -be tolerated.” - -It is to be hoped that our government will be influenced by like -motives and follow the glorious example of our neighbours. If they -want precedent,—the great bugbear of improvement either in morals, -politics, law, religion, or even common sense, in our error-ridden -nation, history furnishes us with sufficient examples. But, while those -methods and laws are being planned and prepared, let us, in the mean -time, resort to the good old practices of correcting and punishing the -jugglers of the present day. - -In the reign of Edward VI. one Gregg, a poulterer, in Surrey, was set -in the pillory at Croydon, and again in the Borough of Southwark, -during the time of the fair, for cheating people out of their money, -for pretending to cure them with charms, by only looking at the -patient, and examining his water. In the reign of James I., an order -of council, founded on the statute of Henry, granted to the College -of Physicians, was issued to the magistrates of the city of London, -for the apprehension of all reputed empirics, to bring them before -the censors of the College, in order to their being examined as to -their qualifications to be trusted either with the lives or limbs of -the subject. On that occasion several mountebanks, (among others, -Lamb, Read, and Woodhouse,) water casters, ague charmers, and nostrum -venders, were fined, imprisoned, and banished. This wholesome severity, -it may be supposed, checked the evil for a time; but in the reign of -William III. it became again necessary to put the laws in force against -those vermin; in consequence of which many of them were examined, and -confessed their utter ignorance even of reading and writing. Some of -the miscreants were set in the pillory, and some were put on horse-back -with their faces towards the horses’ tails, whipped, branded, and -banished. - -In Stowe’s Annals is to be found an account of a water caster being set -on horse-back, his face towards the horse’s tail, which he held in his -hand, with his neck decked with a collar of urinals, and being led -by the hangman through the city, was whipped, branded, and afterwards -banished. One Fairfax, in king William’s time was fined and imprisoned -for doing great damage to several people, by his aqua celestis. Antony, -for his aurum potabile; Arthur Dee, for advertising remedies which he -gave out would cure all diseases; Foster, for selling a powder for the -green-sickness; Tenant, a water doctor, who sold his pills for 6l. -each; Ayres, for selling purging sugar plumbs; Hunt, for putting up -bills in the streets[T] for the cure of diseases; and many others, were -all punished, and compelled to relinquish their malpractices. - -But it is not only the interloping quack—the irregular and illegitimate -charlatan and self-dubbed doctor that does mischief and destroys the -health of the public, but the “regular” and legitimate pretender to -medical knowledge, or as they have been significantly and appropriately -termed by Dr. Morrison, the “roturiers,” or dabblers in physic, often -do not much less mischief. The following extract from the Manual for -Invalids is so much to the purpose, that the wider its circulation can -be promoted, the greater good will be produced to society at large. - -“In the restoration of health, the poor often try the efficacy of the -wine vaults and the medical wisdom of the druggist, who flourishes -greatly in low neighbourhoods, in the metropolis, and even in some -large provincial towns. These men, whose solitary qualification for -this honest mode of existence has been commonly an apprenticeship -behind the counter, have often placed in imminent peril many a valuable -life. Sometimes it has occurred that a shrewd boy, employed to clean -bottles and sweep out the shop, has received an intuitive call, and has -felt himself fully qualified for the important office of recovering -and regulating the health of many invalids. The writer has a knowledge -of a general practitioner of this description who was received behind -a druggist’s counter in the manner before related, and perhaps, -learning audacity from his late employer, has obtained, through the -medium of puffing friends, a surreptitious reputation, and is cried up -by those worthies as a very skilful, even a “delightful” and “fine” -man, particularly for nervous invalids, and more especially for the -disorders of women and children.” - -Thousands and thousands of the population of this blessedly gifted -country in medical science, are killed by this disgraceful quackery of -the drug-shop, and the iniquitous drug-jobbing of apothecaries. What -murders, what numerous murders have those men to answer for by their -careless and injudicious use of powerful medicines—calomel and opium! -But perhaps they console their unfeeling and selfish hearts with the -miserable subterfuge that they are merely removing that portion of -the increasing population which is the great bugbear, that is hourly -threatening to eat up Mr. Parson Malthus and his believing disciples by -wholesale. - -But the prescribing druggist, the drugging apothecary, and the -soi-disant surgeon are not the only regular and legitimate quacks; we -have quack physicians, who by the remittance of the enormous sum of -£15 to a Scotch university are entitled, legally and professionally, -to tack the wonder-working cabalistical initials M.D. to their names, -and are then entitled to kill the king’s liege and loving subjects, -“secundum artem,” with licensed and legitimate potion, pill, and -draught; who to return obligations to their “_pals_” the apothecary -and surgeon, prescribe draughts by the quart and the gallon—bleeding, -blistering, and purging, ad infinitum. By these mystified and jabbering -doctors, whose little-or-no wisdom consists in foolish words of little -or no meaning, and dog Latin, or disputes about precedence and the -receipt of fees, the laws of vital existence and the astonishing -functions of the animal economy, are understood by hearsay and -inspiration! - -This statement of the general ignorance of the medical profession -is not exaggerated. “Five sixths of the medical profession,” says -Dr. Morrison, in Medicine No Mystery, “know little or nothing of the -science of life.” The cause of this lamentable ignorance arises from -the abominable and disgraceful system of medical education in vogue, -according to which the bought and sale prices of the current drugs, -and the art and mystery of dispensing medicines often constitute the -whole and sole knowledge of those who are entrusted with the health and -lives of their fellow-creatures; in whose bungling and self-interested -practice hearsay and precedent supply the place of experience, and by -whom signs and symptoms are mistaken for causes. Another cause is the -deplorable deficiency of the public in the knowledge of medicine. Were -the principles of medical science to form a part of general education, -the public would be enabled to select well educated and honest medical -men, and escape the fangs and delusions and murderous acts of quacks -and impostors, whether interlopers, or those who are enrolled in one -or other of the medical institutions of London. It really seems an -anomaly in the pursuit and attainment of knowledge that a man should -conceive it necessary to be able to judge whether his shoe or his -cravat is made in a good and workman-like manner, but of that science -which treats of himself, and with which his health, his life, and all -his comforts are so intimately and seriously connected, he should be -in the most abject state of ignorance, and, unhappily, not hesitate to -avow that ignorance! But while it is an incontrovertible truth that -the community in general should have some knowledge of medicine, in -order to enable them to judge of the qualifications of their medical -attendants, (to the attainment of which knowledge popular medical -writings, such as Dr. Kitchener’s Art of Invigorating Life; Sir -John Sinclair’s Code of Health and Longevity, Dr. Reece’s Medical -Guide, and the Oracle of Health and Long Life, or Plain Rules for the -Preservation and Attainment of Sound Health and Vigorous Old Age, and -a few others, are calculated to afford the most effectual help;) it -must be deeply regretted by every well disposed member of society, to -observe books got up by rash and inexperienced persons, professing to -give directions for the management of health, which are filled with the -crudest and the falsest instructions, the nature and consequence of -which are decidedly destructive of health, if not of life itself. And -what must add to that regret, is that the title-page and covers should -be blazoned with the professed sanction and recommendation of a late -eminent medical practitioner. But surely that gentleman could never -have read, among many other dangerous fooleries and extravagancies, the -silly and monstrous instructions to sleep with open windows, to swallow -as much salt as possible, &c. &c. &c. or if he did read them, it is -but an act of courteous feeling towards him to suppose that he did not -comprehend their purport. Another circumstance deserving reprobation -respecting the means which have been taken to get that ill-judged -little book into circulation has been the profuse and repeated attempts -of a portion of the public press to give it notoriety and circulation. -It certainly savours a little of presumption, that those who have not -made the science of medicine a study or a profession, should venture -to give opinions of the merits or demerits of a work professing to -treat of the momentous subjects of health and life. These remarks -are not made in any petulant feeling. I believe the author to be a -well-intentioned though a misguided man, and as he hints that he -published his work with the hope of adding to his income from the -profits, I sincerely wish that he had chosen a subject for which he -may be more competent, as then I should have been relieved from the -necessity of making these remarks, in the expression of which a sense -of public duty has alone actuated me. It gives me, however, great -satisfaction to draw the public attention to the masterly abstract of -Cornaro’s Treatise appended to the book, and which, from its disparity -of style, is evidently written by another person. It is no extravagant -praise to say that the public is under infinite obligations to the able -and experienced writer who made that valuable addition to the book. -Comaro’s works may now be read with advantage by every one, as it is -freed from the disagreeable prosings, tautologies, and incongruities -which pervade that work. It is to be hoped that the proprietor of the -book will favour the community with its publication in a separate form. - -Considering the severity of the remarks I have made in the preceding -pages on the medical profession, it may be supposed I have set myself -up in opposition to medical men of all descriptions. I have no such -intention. The intelligent and skilful physician and surgeon I -reverence, and only wish that the following observations were not a -true portrait of their often unsuccessful progress. - -It is certain no body of men can produce more noble instances of -integrity, liberality of mind, and strength of intellect, than the -Professors of Physic; but, as with other bodies of men, this high -character will not apply diffusedly. To find, therefore, a fit person -with whom to intrust our health, is not an easy matter. Fortunately, -however, for the profession, people are not very fastidious on this -point; and if they or their friends are but sent to the grave in a -regular way, they bear the load of ills which their own follies and -the ignorance of the practitioner may have heaped upon them, with -great philosophy, imputing the whole to the natural order of things. -Indeed, to judge of the merits of a medical man is extremely difficult; -and, when we see one man ordering away, with contempt, the medicine -which another has thought a specific, and pursuing a totally different -course, we are forced to conclude that education alone will not make -a physician. Reputation is not unfrequently got without merit, for -who is to judge? Accident, solely, both with the drug and the doctor, -has often been the maker of their fame. This may be exemplified by an -anecdote of a deservedly eminent physician, which, though perhaps it -has been often related, is not less to the point. The doctor happened -to be sent for one evening, after having indulged at a convivial -meeting, so that by the time he had been whirled to his patient’s door, -he was very ill qualified to decide in a case of difficulty. Having -made shift to reach the drawing room, and seeing a lady extended on -a sofa, assisted by a female attendant, he, by a sort of mechanical -impulse, seized her hand; but finding himself utterly unable to form -an opinion on the case, he exclaimed, “D—— d drunk, by G—d!” (meaning -that he was in that unfit state) and immediately made the best retreat -he was able. Feeling rather awkwardly at this adventure, he was -not impatient to renew his visit; but being sent for on some other -occasion, he took courage, and was preparing an apology, when the lady -presently removed his apprehensions, by whispering these words in his -ear—“My dear doctor, how could you find out my case so immediately the -other evening?—It was certainly a proof of your skill, but for God’s -sake not a word more on that subject.” Thus, the doctor added to his -repute by a circumstance which might have endangered that of a less -fortunate man. This, though a ludicrous event, may serve, as well as -a graver one, to elucidate the fact that many owe their celebrity, -not so much to any _judgement of their own, as to a want of it in -others_. As it is with other professions, so it is with physic. Many -of its professors possessing great skill are doomed to pass their -lives in obscurity, whilst they see others, of inferior knowledge -and judgement, rise to importance. It has been truly said by one who -was not unacquainted with the causes of medical success or failure, -that, “Even among the regularly bred physicians accident will often -accomplish what merit strives for in vain; and those coincidences of -circumstances which frequently elevate one man and depress another in -the medical art, are more the production of what is called chance, than -from any extension of mind, or any peculiar tact or skill in the art of -intellectual combinations.” - - -FOOTNOTES: - - [M] The remarks of the learned editors of the Monthly Gazette of - Health, Nos. 160 and 162, are so much to the purpose, and so deserving - of diffusion among all ranks and classes of the community, on the - exhibition of the jew pedlars, the “_groundly learned physicians_,” - the “_Doctors_” J. and C. Jordan, “_physicians_ to the West London - Medical Establishment,” and “proprietors of the _celebrated_ Balsam - of Rackasiri,” and the _celebrated_ “Salutary Detersive Drops,” as - the vagabonds impudently and unblushingly style themselves and their - nostrums; and their redoubtable champion “Mr. _Counsellor_ Bluster,” - that I cannot do a greater service to the cause of truth and honesty - and the discomfiture of roguery of all descriptions, than to refer my - readers to those numbers of that work. - - [N] These “Hebrew” Jewish knaves having at length been driven from - their strong-hold of delusion, and finding their trade of imposture in - the “balsam” rapidly declining through the patriotic exertions of “the - heroic Miss May” and the Editors of the Monthly Gazette of Health, have - had recourse to a new source of fraud and villainy, “the celebrated - Salutary Detersive Drops”—and as the vermin have the unblushing - audacity to designate their filth—a “most _important discovery_, which, - by _long study_, _deep research_, and at _great expence_, they have, - _fortunately_ for the human race, brought to a degree of perfection - which ASTONISHES themselves!!!” and which “is a _certain_ and _speedy - cure_ for _all_ the most distressing diseases to which human nature is - heir,” when administered “by _their superior skill_ and _judgment_” - and sanctioned “by _their high character and situation in life_!!” And - the IMPIOUS and BLASPHEMOUS wretches invoke the Great God of Nature - “that HE who has the power of doing all things” may FURTHER their - villainous and murderous designs! But it is some consolation, though - the government of the country may be silent and indifferent lookers-on - to “_doings_” so nefarious and diabolical, that there are hearts that - feel indignant at the wickedness and imposture of adventurers and - monsters in iniquity, whom the ignorance of mankind in the principles - of life and the science of medicine has, as Dr. Morrison justly says - in _Medicine No Mystery_, “enabled to possess palaces BOUGHT and - CONSTRUCTED with the TREASURES and BLOOD of their victims.” - - [O] That the ignorant, the thoughtless, and the “fashionable,” should - become the dopes of mountebank-imposture is not much to be wondered - at; but that persons of respectability and character, the heads of - the CHURCH and of the STATE, (I have not yet ascertained that that - sly old beldam “THE LAW” has stupified herself so much as to lend - her countenance to the imposture,) should give their sanction and - support, and endanger their health and lives, by either patronizing - or using the deleterious compounds of mountebanks, and thus becoming - the dupes of the most groveling imposture and the vilest quackery, - cannot really be reasonably accounted for. The old worm-mountebank in - Long Acre boasts that he has a list of fifteen hundred “CLERGYMEN” - who can give testimony of the virtues of his nostrums. The miraculous - powers of Barclay’s Antibilious Pills, Ching’s Worm Lozenges, and some - other articles in the list of quack medicines, are attested by some - “RIGHT REVEREND FATHERS IN GOD!” Nor was that notorious and impudent - mountebank “le Docteur” James Graham, who cured patients by only - breathing the air of his “Apollo” hall or chamber in the Adelphi, - which was always impregnated (as he said) with celestial æther and - influences, without NOBLE AND REVEREND PATRONS. But the consummation - of dupery was most powerfully displayed in the case of the old - New England quack, _Cherokee_ Whitlaw. In the case of this Yankee - quondam gardener, “ROYALS” (as well of native as of foreign breed), - “RIGHT HONOURABLES,” “REVERENDS,” “SENATORS,” and even some gentle - “LADYSHIPS,” were his patrons, and those of his mountebank-asylum at - Bayswater, and the recommenders of his “American Herb Extracts,” which - were a compound of cabbage water, treacle, turpentine, and Epsom salts, - and for a pint of which the canting old varlet was barefaced enough - to demand eight shillings in lawful British specie, though the cost - price of the mixture did not exceed three half-pence-farthing. But it - is a lamentable fact, as Dr. Morrison observes in his well-intentioned - little work, entitled “_Medicine No Mystery_,” that in nineteen cases - out of twenty (and this, he emphatically remarks, is the proportion - that ignorance bears to knowledge,) the charlatan, with his mysterious - phrases and gestures, is more sought after and more prized than the - accomplished and experienced physician; “so much of the leaven of the - old idea of the connexion between physic and occult and mysterious - sciences still subsists,—of those days when physicians pretended to - judge of their patients’ diseases by seeing their urine; when the stars - were consulted before a dose of physic was taken; when the king’s evil - was supposed to be cured by royal touch; when women flocked to surround - the body of the executed criminal, and rubbed his hands to their - breasts as a cure for cancer or epilepsy, &c.” - - The mock philanthropy of the contemptible quack Whitlaw, and the - blasphemous, the monstrously blasphemous and diabolical effrontery - of the conventicle and meeting pulpit-charlatans, (the vile tools - of harpyism and religious knavery,) who puffed off this “threadbare - juggler’s” disgusting impostures by an odious comparison of his selfish - and detestable tricks with the enlarged and godlike benevolence and - charity of the Saviour of mankind, deserve the severest reprobation - and chastisement, though sanctioned by the weak and culpable patronage - of royals, nobles, statesmen, M.P.’s, and divines, and swallowed by - the gaping mouths of the ignorant,—of foolish women, and half witted - men. But of the two species of imposture, the pulpit charlatanry of - ignorant and selfish empirics is the most disgusting. The diabolical - farces of those wolves in sheep’s clothing—their ignorant and designing - perversion of the plain practical morality laid down by the Saviour - of mankind in the gospel,—the brain-turning and mind-deranging - fanaticism they inculcate, and which they profanely and audaciously - call soul-searching and sinner-awakening doctrines, and other like - unmeaning and abominable stuff which they inculcate under the - evident chieftainship of the devil, loudly demands some legislative - interference. It has been well observed, that though the benign spirit - of toleration has permitted religious empiricism—though folly and - ignorance have countenanced medical quackery and imposture—and though - there are persons weak enough to entrust their lives and health, as - well as their moral and religious instruction, to enthusiastic cobblers - and tailors; yet considering the strange infatuation of mankind, and - the proneness of human nature to delusion and imposture, it is the - duty of every wise and paternal government to protect the weak and - uninformed from the designs of the devil’s agents, who, in order - to practise their selfish villanies on their unsuspecting victims, - become, to use the words of Dr. Robertson the historian, “outrageously - Christian” in their professions. - - [P] The impolitic and monstrously inconsistent patent medicine act, - which legalizes and sanctions and promotes the sale of quack poisons, - has no doubt annually been the unweeting cause of more murders, than - the joint influence of typhus, small-pox, and consumption. The tax or - stamp-duty on this odious and destructive trash was, no doubt, at the - time of its imposition, intended as a prevention of the evil which - it contemplated to suppress. But this is one of the consequences of - short-sighted and vicious legislation, and of the entrusting of the - concoction of the laws to incompetent persons—in the emphatic phrase - of the most eloquent of human tongues, mere ita lex scripta est - lawyers—men who make a boast of never having read, or who have had - but little or no opportunity of reading any other kind of books than - their musty, ill-written, badly digested law-books; such as certain - “_learned_ gentlemen,” of prodigiously scholar-like and scientific - attainments—men, whom the Times Newspaper has justly characterised by - the style and title of “THE MINDLESS;” and who contrive by the arts of - “_huggery_” and favouritism to deprive the public of the benefits to - be derived from the talents of men of “high classical and literary, - and even legal attainments,” and of the most enlarged and enlightened - philosophy, but who scorn to court the favour of those in power and - “high places” by mean and dirty practices. - - [Q] This kind of doctrine will, no doubt, be unpalatable in _a certain - quarter_, and the productiveness to the exchequer of the DISGRACEFUL - REVENUE arising from the pest, will be adduced as an argument for - its continuance. But it is to be hoped, as Mr. J. D. Williams said - in his meritorious petition to the Commons House of Parliament on - that subject, that the health of the public will be held superior - to any such consideration. The lottery, no doubt, brought into the - state-coffers a considerable revenue; but as it was found to undermine - and ruin the morals of the community, it was abolished. And the persons - at the head of the government at the time have the thanks and gratitude - of every true friend of his country for the act. Surely the HEALTH OF - THE PUBLIC is entitled to the same provision. - - [R] The whole farrago of quack or patent medicines is destructive of - health and life, whether cordial or vegetable balsams, tinctures, - syrups, or elixirs,—pectoral or antiscorbutic drops, bile or - antibilious pills, tonic or digestive wines, balms of gilead, - guestonian embrocations, Leake’s pillula salutaria, and a thousand - other poisonous and life-destroying trash. Thousands upon thousands - of children under three years of age are consigned yearly to the - tomb in London alone, by means of the soothing or vegetable syrups, - the infants’ balms, the worm-cakes, the anodyne necklaces, Godfrey’s - cordial, Daffy’s elixir, Dalby’s carminative, apothecaries’ draughts - and powders, and other infernal recipes; which, if they do not cause - immediate death, occasion fits, convulsions, fevers, excruciating - gripes, palsy, and often confirmed idiotcy. Gowland’s lotion, the - kalydors, the macassar oils, the cosmetiques royales, the red and - white olympian dews, the blooms, the various hair dyes, &c. have not - only robbed many a female of her charms and loveliness, but have even - produced severe pains of the bowels and of the brain, have occasioned - convulsions, and laid the foundation of those diseases which have - deprived the victims of life itself. The folly of depending for cure - or relief upon the “gout extractors,” “the metallic tractors,” “animal - magnetism,” and “signatures,” has been at length exploded; it is - therefore unnecessary to say a word on the subject. - - [S] The audacity of this fellow exceeds, if possible, the unblushing - and incorrigible effrontery of the other impostors. He undertakes - to cure all kinds of diseases without any kind of medicine; and he - asserts that all difficult surgical operations can be superseded by - merely taking a sup or two of his delectable compound of combustibles. - According to the modest pretensions of this exotic esculapius, he - obtained the knowledge of physic and the power of subduing disease, by - intuition or inspiration: he had no need to learn: there was no period - of infancy in his medical attainments; he at once attained the highest - point and full maturity of medical and chirurgical knowledge! Was - there ever a more audacious piece of imposture attempted to be palmed - upon the credulity of the most credulous of mortals, Mr. Bull and his - progeny? But perhaps the philippics of this gaunt-looking “hygeist” - against surgery and anatomy may produce some good. It is true that to - a certain degree, those arts should be esteemed and cherished; but - after the allowance of suitable consideration, they should fall into - their proper rank, with wholesome restrictions. Both the arts are - overrated in point of real utility. Were a knowledge of the living - laws of the human frame more inculcated by medical professors than is - the case, it would be found of more essential service than all the - coxcombry of the present day respecting surgical distinctions and - anatomical dissections. In many complaints, indeed, in the principal - part to which the human frame is subject, the inutility of dissection - is well known to every well informed man. But the assumption of the - title of “Surgeon,” and the false importance (not to mention the legal - security which it affords against prosecution, and the facility of - exemption from examination of competency,) it gives the claimant in the - estimation of the ignorant part of mankind, have contributed largely - to the propagation of the erroneous notions which are so anxiously - disseminated on the subject. Though it would be fruitless to attempt - to expose this popular folly of the day, (which like all other follies - or fashions will “have its rage” until its own enormity cures itself,) - yet “it is some consolation to reflect that in another age a more - successful practice of medicine will diminish the false estimation in - which surgical foppery is now held; when to save a limb will be deemed - a superior exertion of skill to its amputation.” - - Nor is the other branch (namely, that which was once designated - by the now exploded and unfashionable title of _apothecary_) free - from reprehension. Those “sons of the pestle and mortar,” whose - money-interest induces them rather to encourage disease than to - subdue it, as the longer they keep the patient in hand, the greater - number of phials, pill-boxes, gallipots, draughts and powders they - will be entitled to charge for, are so wedded to routine, that they - can seldom bring themselves to lay aside the lumber and unmeaning - farrago of materia medicas, pharmacopœias, &c. Their prejudices and - pertinacity in favour of received opinions and established usage are - so blind and inveterate, that they will never allow themselves to have - recourse to the simple remedies which Nature points out: all must be - mystery, complication, and conformity to etiquette with them: to _lead_ - nature by simple means would be unprofessional; to practise “secundum - artem,” she must be driven by powerful remedies, as blue pill, or some - active chemical preparation; and they must bring into play in the - simplest ailment to which the human frame is subject that huge mass - of disjointed practices and experiments, which is held together by no - order, and is not capable of any satisfactory application, or even - elucidation. On this subject, the remarks of the editor of the Monthly - Gazette of Health are so deserving of observation, that I cannot deny - myself the advantage of enriching my pages with them. - - That learned gentleman (who has contributed more to the exposure of - quackery and imposture than any writer of the age) having introduced to - the notice of his readers Dr. Mackie’s communication of the medicinal - virtues of the Guaco plant in cases of hydrophobia among the Indians - of South America, closes his information with the following striking - remarks: - - “The mode of treating diseases which is generally adopted by the native - practitioners of South America, and the East Indies, by decoctions, - infusions, and the expressed juices of vegetable productions, has, at - any rate, that great recommendation—_simplicity_; but, contemptible - as it may appear to be to the practitioners of this country, who - suppose that no disease can be successfully combated without blue pill - or calomel, or some active mineral or vegetable poison, agreeable to - some favourite theory, it often proves successful; and, indeed, from - the information which we have received from the intelligent gentlemen - who have spent some years among the natives of South America and the - East Indies, (some of them members of the medical profession,) we are - disposed to believe that in some diseases, particularly scorbutic and - scrofulous affections, and those termed _pseudo-syphilitic_, the native - surgeons are more successful than the practitioners of this country. - To us, the great difference between the practice of the former and - that of the latter appears to be, that the one _lead_ nature by simple - means, which enable her to correct the constitution, and to produce - a healthy process of mutation in a diseased part, whilst the other - _drive_ nature by powerful remedies, as blue pill, or some active - chemical preparation. Often have we witnessed the recovery of patients, - who had been discharged from a hospital, under the simple treatment - by decoction of an apparently simple vegetable, and by fomentations - under the direction of an old woman; and whoever considers how - simple the operations of nature are, will not be surprised that such - treatment should succeed even in a formidable chronic disease. Every - practitioner of experience and observation will, we think, admit that - many thousand invalids are annually hurried to their graves in this - metropolis, by persevering in the use of calomel and blue pill, or a - drastic purgative, who might have been cured, or whose lives might - have been prolonged many years, by a mild alterative treatment; and - that many a limb might have been saved by a mild topical treatment of - the local diseases, which has been consigned to the knife. In cases - of internal acute disease, or active inflammation of a vital part, a - decisive treatment is absolutely necessary to save life; but in chronic - diseases, attempts by potent remedies to drive nature but too often - distract her. To the new theory of chronic inflammation, or ulceration - of the mucous membrane of some part of the alimentary canal, thousands - have already been sacrificed.” - - [T] The disgusting practice of having one’s hands and eyes polluted at - every corner of a street with the abominable bills and placards of the - quacking vermin, is past endurance, and loudly calls for suppression. - - - - -SECTION IX. - -COALS. - - -There are few trades in which greater frauds are practised than in “the -coal trade.” The dealers in the “black diamonds” are versed in all -the _allowable_ legerdemain and trickery of “_auld_ England’s honest -tradesmen:” the most skilfully initiated in the art of sleight-of-hand -would find himself at fault in attempting to rival the dexterity of -the true “son of the coalshed,” under the old régime of measuring, in -ingeniously tossing his “spadefuls” into the measure so as to enable -“the darlings” to lie lightly and “go far,” and assume the form of a -solid cone, while the hollow cavity within proved as treacherous to any -one treading on its “well raised summit,” as if he had put his foot -on the surface of a quagmire. Nor was the well-fed, gaily clothed, -richly lodged coal-merchant, with his “extensive concerns” to be easily -“_out-done_” in well devised craft and contrivance: nicely pinched -sacks, not foolishly flapping inwards so as to betray the precise -amount of their contents,—well planned deliveries, either so early -in the morning that the heads of the family might prefer the arms of -Morpheus to the hazard of being choked with volumes of coal dust, or so -late in the evening, that there might be a possibility of their being -engaged in the “solid recreation” of their dinner, were a few of the -demonstrations of generalship frequently exhibited by this portion of -“the monied interest” and “great capitalists of the nation.” - -But to come to the point in hand. An honest writer on the subject, Mr. -Eddington, in his Treatise on the Coal Trade, p. 94, informs us that -the keeper of a coalshed felt himself dissatisfied with his measure, -if in doling out his article to his poor, half-starved, shivering -neighbours, in pecks, half pecks, or bushels, he could not measure out -at the rate of forty-two bushels from every chaldron of thirty-six -bushels; without taking into consideration the gain to be obtained from -vending the inferior coal, and the consequent increase of quantity by -throwing a few bushels of sifted ashes, pieces of stone, bones, or any -other commodity which will assume a black form after having been well -rummaged among the heap of coals. - -Another great source of unfair profit arising to the vender of coals is -the “Macadamizing” of them, and like true “nursing fathers” carefully -and sedulously giving them their due quantum of moisture. For under the -old régime of measuring, the cunning varlets knew full well that by -the greater number of angular points that they were able to produce, -they filled their measure with the least possible quantity of coals. -This paternal fulfilment of the command “to increase and multiply” they -still piously and faithfully observe, as the greater progeny of small -bits and dust that they can produce from a lonely and solitary lump, -the more they will be able to increase the weight by their considerate -and frequently repeated waterings and drenchings. Accordingly they -set their shoulders to the work, and patriotically and radically -proscribe every rebellious lump in their shed, by smashing it into as -many figures as possible, often exceeding in number the ever varying -mutations of the kaleidoscope, or _Orator_ Hunt’s _two hundred thousand -unity_ tales. Nor are their “_betters_” “the merchants” less skilled -in the art. Those considerate and sharp-sighted gentry, foreseeing -that the large masses and blocks which are delivered out of the ships -into their barges, _round_ as they came from the mine, would be an -inconvenience to their customers, and probable tumble on some fair and -delicate damsel’s toes, kindly set to work, and smash away; so that -when _the round coals_ of every chamber, containing the ingrain of -five chaldron and a half, have undergone the process of their friendly -thumpings and republican equalization, they will measure out again from -six to six and a half chaldrons. The increase by breakage appears by -the following statement from Dr. Hutton’s Mathematical Dictionary: “If -one coal measuring exactly a cubic yard (nearly equal to five bolls) -be broken into pieces of a moderate size, it will measure seven bolls -and a half; if broken very small, it will measure nine bolls.” - -And even after the coals have gone through the conjuring process of -being increased in bulk by the aforesaid smashing or Macadamising art, -and have reached their destination at the wharf, the ingenuity of -“the monied interest” and “the great capitalists” is still at work. -Careful that the purchaser may not be put to the trouble of wetting his -coals to make them cake and burn well, those considerate and obliging -_gentlemen_ relieve him from the task by _scientifically_ wetting the -commodity; and as a reward for their well intentioned and meritorious -labours they generally contrive to produce, as Mr. Eddington informs -us, “from six to six and a quarter, or even six and a half, chaldrons -from each room,” containing five and a half chaldron of smashed or -“macadamized” coals. A correspondent to the World newspaper for -September, 1829, who signs himself a Coal Merchant, says that instances -are on record where eighty and even ninety sacks have been measured out -of a room of coals! - -According to the new régime of weighing, (which has already proved one -of the most deceitful hoaxes that ignorance and cupidity ever contrived -against the interests of the poor,) the quantity is increased in a like -proportion in favour of the coal dealer. - -Another hint or two on this matter may be of some service to thee, -friend Bull. Always recollect, John, in the purchase of your coals, -that you pay attention to the season of the year; for there is with -every article a cheap season and a dear one, and with none more than -with coals: by purchasing at the proper season, often from twenty to -thirty per cent. are saved. The method of purchasing should always be -considered; for by purchasing a room of coals, which is called _pool -measure_, two fourths of a chaldron is often obtained in every five -chaldrons; for a room of coals contains in general from sixty-three -to sixty-eight sacks. Therefore, where the quantity is too much for -the consumption of one family, two or more should join together in the -purchase. - -But the legislature, that is, “the _collective wisdom_ of the nation,” -aware of thy disposition to gullibility, has, John, taken thy affair -of coals into its paternal and law-making consideration, and has made -some regulations, as to the possibility of thy receiving “_good_ and -_lawful_” weight. They are as follow:—To ensure _lawful_ weight to -the purchaser, and prevent frauds in the sale and delivery of coals, -the vender of all coals exceeding 560lbs. is to cause the carman to -deliver a paper or ticket to the purchaser before he shoots any of -the coals out of his cart or waggon, specifying the number of tons, -the description of the coals, and the weight of the sack. And a -weighing machine is to be carried in such cart or waggon, with which -the carman is directed to weigh gratis the coals contained in any one -or more of the sacks which the purchaser or his servant may require -to be so reweighed. But no ticket is necessary to be delivered with -coals purchased at the “COAL MARKET,” or with coals exceeding 560lbs. -purchased in bulk from any vessel or wharf, if purchasers do not -require a ticket. The seller of the coals not sending a ticket and a -weighing machine with the coals, and the carman not delivering the -ticket, or neglecting or refusing to weigh the coals, are subject to -distinct penalties. - -No less than seventy-seven kinds of sea coal are brought to the London -market; forty-five of which are imported from Newcastle, and the rest -from Sunderland. The best of the Sunderland produce are Stewart’s -main, Lambton’s main, and Hetley main, or as they are more generally -termed in imitation of the old Russell Walls End, Stewart’s Walls End, -&c. The Scotch and Staffordshire coals are inferior to the sea coal -both in durability and the heat which they give, being about one-third -less productive in those qualities than the Newcastle and Sunderland -varieties. - -The test of good coal depends on the burning, and the quantity -of bitumen it affords in its combustion; and no bad signs of its -inferiority are that it is dull, small, stony, or slaty. But the -quality of coals is in a great measure determined by the weight; for -there often occurs a difference of 30lbs. weight in two sacks of -different qualities, though equally filled: largeness of size is no -proper criterion, for the inferior coals are often of the largest size. - - - - -SECTION X. - - _Painters’ Colours or Pigments, Hats, Broad Cloth, Kerseymeres, - Linens, Laces, Cambrics, Silks, Jewellery, Stationary, &c._ - - -The spirit of adulteration pursues poor John even into his domestic -arrangements. Should he design to decorate his dwelling—“his neat -suburban cottage”—and have the walls or wainscot of his drawing-room -painted a delicate pink colour to rival the carnation tints of the -cheek of his “cara sposa,” or those of his breakfast parlour, to -imitate the lively blue of the bright eyes of his “lovely cherubs,” -the vile sophisticators mar all his wishes, and he is able to obtain -nothing else than dull and darkling daubs. In fewer words, he cannot -obtain genuine colours wherewith to have his house painted. And this -sophistication does not only extend to the common house-paints, (as -where white lead is mixed with carbonate or sulphate of barytes; -vermilion with red lead, and a long et-cetera;) but should honest -John wish that his hopeful progeny may rival the Zeuxis or Apelles -of antiquity, or confine his paternal longings to the more modern -artists—a Reynolds, a Gainsborough, a Moreland, or a David,—he has -the mortification of seeing his fond illusions dissipated by the -adulterating manufacturers of ultramarine, carmine, lake, Antwerp -blue, crome yellow, Indian ink, and all the other et-ceteras of -artist-decoration. - -The covering of even John’s sconce is not exempt from sophistication. -In the room of the dear bought, far fetched beaver, the adulterators -adorn John’s pate with a strange combination of wool and the homely -and cheaply purchased fur of the rabbit and mole. This, it must be -admitted, is cruel usage of the good old gentleman, and must, as -the witty author of the Indicator says, bring to his mind an odd -association of ideas, (namely, of cheatery and forgiveness,) in one -of those communings with his hat’s lining, while, like a polite -worshipper, he is whispering his preparatory ejaculations, before he -turns round with due gravity and composure, and makes a bow of genteel -recognition of the Mr. and Mrs A. and the Misses B. who have assembled -in the pew before him. - -Nor is he better treated by his clothier or man’s mercer. Not to -mention the slight texture of the articles, and the substitution -of inferior materials for the “_best superfine_ Spanish” and the -“_super-extra_ Saxony,” the sly varlet artfully stitches the selvage -of broad cloths, kerseymeres, and ladies’ “extra superfine,” dyed of a -permanent colour, to the edge of cloth dyed with a fugative or fading -dye; and this operation is performed with so much skill and nicety as -to elude John’s most penetrating optics. - -Neither are Mrs. Bull and her “lovely daughters” more exempt from the -knaveries of the linen-draper, the dealers in laces, veils, silks, -“Cashmere shawls,” French cambrics, and the other paraphernalia of -the female wardrobe: they are all sophisticated, and often no more -like the native article than “the moon is like green cheese.” Like -“a true bred knight,” I shall not forget to furnish the female part -of Mr. Bull’s family with the means and criteria for judging of the -goodness of those commodities, in the work which, as I have before -said, I have nearly ready for press. Nor shall I omit to take notice in -the same publication, to give directions for the proper selection of -the articles of furniture of the old gent’s house; such as feathers, -blankets, carpets, &c. &c. - -While gallantly professing my knight-errantry in the cause of Mrs. Bull -and “her lovely daughters,” I find that I have made an unpardonable -omission—not a word on laces and muslins! To propitiate their “kind -consideration,” I hurry to supply the unpardonable omission. Let -then every “lovely fair one” know that laces are now generally made -from single cottons (instead of good double thread, as was formerly -the case), and in order to make them look fine and clear, they are -stiffened with starch, which occasions the delusive articles, as soon -as they are washed, to fall to pieces. In some articles of lace, -particularly veils, many of the springs and flowers are fastened on -with gum, which, as soon as they are wetted, immediately fall off and -betray the cheatery. Caps and other articles of female habiliments sold -in the streets, are often united together in the most ingenious manner -by means of gum or paste. - -Muslins are not free from sophistication-ingenuity. Poor, thin, rough -specimens are rendered stiff, high glazed, and thick with a quantum -sufficit of pipe-clay, &c.; sometimes a paper-pulp is spread over the -deteriorated article; and the fibres of the cotton which ought to be -dressed off, are left in order to hold the composition put in. - -Stockings are often rendered stiff and thick to the feet, by bleaching -them with brimstone. And coarse woollen cloth receives the addition of -large quantities of fuller’s-earth to give it body and closeness; while -the right or pressed side is finished off with oil, in order to give -the cloth a fine, soft, and smooth appearance. Never choose woollen -cloth which is glossy and stiff. - -“The frauds committed in the tanning of skins, and their conversion -into leather; and in the manufacture of cutlery and jewellery,” -says Mr. Accum, “exceed belief.” And I can assure my readers that -that gentleman is not mistaken in his assertion; and, had he added -that of cabinet wares and silver plate of all sorts, he would not -have over-stepped the limits of truth. To those acquainted with the -manufacture of silver goods, it is well known that you cannot always -be sure that the various costly articles are of the legal standard -with which Pride and Vanity, Luxury and Fashion, when they “set up -for _Gentry_ and _Stylish_ people,” and have a desire for “_shewing -off_,” gratify their whims and fantastic notions of gentility, and -their ambition of “_outplating and outdishing_” their friends and -neighbours. The prosecution instituted some years ago against a -“legitimate” son of Crispin for the manufacture of shoes, the soles -of which were ingeniously united to the welts by only six stitches in -each shoe, while the external parts of the soles exhibited evident -traces of a multiplicity of stitches rivalling the number of the stars -of the firmament of the heavens in extent and variety, and their exact -mathematical precision seemed to display the exertion of the genius of -a Euclid, cannot have slipped the recollection of all my readers. - -And to complete the climax of sophistication, even the paper on -which John gives birth to his “winged words,” and expresses his -indignant feelings at the extent and the audacity of the frauds and -impositions practised on his good-nature and credulous disposition, -is sophisticated. In the manufacture of paper, a large quantity of -plaster of Paris is often mixed up with the paper-stuff, instead of -its consisting of good linen rags only, and the foreign substance is -added to increase the weight of the commodity. Nor is he, when, like -ourselves, desirous of having his thoughts and discoveries rendered -“enduring for ages,” (monumentum ære perennius,) by having them cast -in stereotype, and thus “save a penny,” exempt from the designs and -contrivances of sophistication;—the founder deceives him by casting -his “words that breathe and thoughts that burn” in a metal as soft -and ductile as lollipop. Thus honest Bull is circumvented in all his -intents, and surprised and overpowered at every turn by the Genius of -Sophistication. - - -CONCLUSION. - -Friend Bull! if thou hast carefully and dispassionately (that is, -if thou hast sufficiently divested thy honest mind of its usual -scepticism—videlicet, its unwillingness to be convinced against its -constitutional prejudices,) read my disclosures, I am willing to -believe that thou wilt readily admit that I have established all my -allegations of the frauds and impositions to which thou art subject -in this sophisticating age, and that I have proved the truth and -propriety of the title of my little book, “DISEASE AND DEATH IN THE -POT AND THE BOTTLE.” What remedy (for a good advocate seldom forgets -that prospective part of his duty,) to recommend thee to adopt, -in order to free thyself from the knavery and effrontery of the -sophisticators, I know not, except, hermetically to close thy jaws -so as to prevent the entrance of any of the sophistications into -them, or the more pleasurable remedy of preferring a petition to thy -“gracious Sovereign,” who “can do no wrong,” praying “the omnipotency -of Parliament,”—in its “collective and superlative wisdom” to take -thy deplorable case into consideration,” and to devise some means, in -the plenitude of its conjoint wisdom, to protect thee and thy “little -ones,” in this “land of equal law,” from the arts and devices of slow -poisoning. In the success of thy humble and righteous remonstrance -believe me, thy fellow sufferer, and “enemy of fraud and villany,” -will heartily and sincerely join. - - THE AUTHOR. - - * * * * * - -POSTSCRIPT.—In reviewing my well-meant, and, I trust, useful -denunciations of fraud and villany, I find that I have omitted to speak -of false weights and measures. But as the proverb says, better late -than never. Not to mention the trick of clapping a piece of weight or -other metal underneath the scale in which the commodity to be sold -is weighed; commercial balances are frequently misconstructed for -fraudulent purposes, by making the arm from which the substance to be -weighed is suspended longer than that from which the counterpoise is -hung, thereby giving the substance to be weighed a greater leverage. - - -⁂ _Authenticated_ communications of adulterations thankfully received, -and liberally paid for. - - - - -APPENDIX. - - -Note to page 28. - -I have said at the above mentioned page that “the perfection of -adulteration is in gin;” and on reviewing that passage I have no cause -to modify the expression; but must, with all my heart and soul, assent -to the declaration of honest Jonas Hanway, that it is “a liquid fire;” -and must further agree with the said true-hearted old Englishman, that -“it should be sold only in quart bottles, sealed up with the king’s -seal, with a very high duty, and never sold without being mixed with a -strong emetic.” This I admit is a very harsh prescription, and no doubt -every true lover of “blue-ruin” will exclaim, notwithstanding that he -or she is aware that their “comfort” is in the most abandoned state of -adulteration, and is a rank slow poison, equally ruinous to the health -and the purse;—What! a gin-drinking nation, and yet not a drop of “the -genuine”—of the popular English beverage, the diurnal consumption of -which in the metropolis alone, would inundate the largest parish within -the bills of mortality—not a drop of “the genuine” to be had for money! -Yes, Bull, whether thou beest of the masculine or feminine gender, -this is the truth; and it is a circumstance, the reformation of which -would well become the labours of the informing tribe and the bellowers -of radical reform. Here there would be a fine field for radicalism and -“informing” to exercise themselves in. - - -Note to page 83. - -I have stated at page 83, that fish out of season is unwholesome. The -following fact will confirm the truth of this assertion. It is well -known that in Ireland and Scotland, where great facility is presented -to the country people in catching salmon, both during and after -the spawning season, the eating of the fish in that state has been -productive of very serious consequences to the health of the consumers. -Probably the unwholesome consignments of noxious fish obtained -_exclusively_, as the fashionable fishmongers phrase it, out of season, -and to be purchased only at extravagant prices, often occasion to their -epicurean customers and the legitimate gourmands much of the illness -assigned to other causes. - - -Note to page 87. - -At page 87, I have said that the quantity of tea consumed in this -country is between twenty and thirty millions of lbs. weight; but I -forgot to state that between two and three millions of pounds sterling -are drawn out of the pocket of the public yearly in its purchase, -either in the form of price or of duty. Surely the expenditure of this -enormous sum by the good people of this country, and considering that -tea has become so essential a part of the diet of every person in the -kingdom, imposes an obligation on the sovereign company of tea dealers -in Leadenhall Street to take care that the inhabitants of “this land of -milk and honey,” who pay nearly eight times as much as their neighbours -do for the same article (namely bohea tea), have a good and fresh -commodity, instead of the tasteless, parched, insipid, and scentless -rubbish which they retail out to the public, after having remained in -the warehouse long enough to perish its good qualities even were its -flavour and taste ten times more delicious and grateful than they are. -Would it not, as it has been well said, be to the credit of some of our -genuine members of the legislature to endeavour to procure the sale of -a pure and good article, instead of the trash that is foisted upon the -public at present, and which they cannot appeal from, by introducing a -law into parliament legalizing the purchase of the article from other -hands than the Leadenhall Street monopolists. - - -Note to page 89, &c. - -An experienced friend in the tea trade who has read over and approved -of the various tests I have mentioned at page 89, &c. for detecting the -qualities of tea, has kindly furnished me with the following valuable -communication: - -“As a ready test of black tea being manufactured from old tea-leaves, -dyed with logwood, &c. moisten some of the tea, and rub it on white -paper, which it will blacken when not genuine. If you wish to be more -particular, infuse a quantity of the sample in half a pint of cold soft -water for three or four hours. If the water is then of an amber colour, -and does not become red when you drop some oil of vitriol or sulphuric -acid into it, you may presume the tea to be good. Adulterated black -tea, when infused in cold water, gives a bluish black tinge, and it -becomes instantly red with a few drops of oil of vitriol. - - -Note to page 154. - -I observe that I have forgotten to give “a local habitation and a name” -among the morning water and Sir Reverence doctors, to his _Doctorship -Doctor_ Laing, of Newman Street, Oxford Street. And I have to beg -pardon, most humbly and reverently, for passing over the quondam -Greenwich Crumples, alias _Doctor_ Cameron, alias _Mister_ Coley, in -Berners Street, Oxford Street;—the _Doctor_ to a new patient with his -morning water and “_shiners_” in hand, but _Mister_, when the said -“_humbugged_” patient, having discovered the fraud practised upon him, -returns to “_blow up_” the _Doctor_ for his tricks and ignorance. - - -Note to page 166. - -After all the vapouring and drivelling nonsense that has been said, -sung and trumpeted forth by a certain portion of the Periodical Press -respecting the “Simplicity of Health,” it is really consoling to find -at last a man of sense and critical acumen having spirit and honesty -enough to relieve the public from the delusions under which it is -suffering from the book in question. - -“An immense quantity of drivel,” says the spirited Editor of The -Edinburgh Literary Journal, 1829, “has found its way into books -professing to give an account of the best mode of preserving health; -but of all the drivel it has ever been our lot to peruse, that -contained in the work entitled the “Simplicity of Health,” is the most -pre-eminent.” The ingenious and honest reviewer, after having pointed -out several of the fooleries and extravagancies of the book, adds, “We -have no patience with a piece of humbug like this; we shall not insult -the good sense of our readers with more of this doting nonsense.” -It must be admitted that this sentence is dictated in the strictest -and the justest sense of criticism, and that had all those who have -ventured to laud and recommend that dangerous little book adopted -somewhat of its spirit, much bodily and mental suffering might have -been saved to many people who will become the victims of its misjudged -and culpable directions. - -The burst of indignation and ridicule expressed by the Critic -respecting Hortator’s foolish directions for “_Squirting water briskly -into the eyes_ BY _a syringe_,” is too fraught with truth and utility -to be omitted: “Is it not plain from this, that the poor squirting -wretch must have bleared and blood-shot eyes? Imagine a beautiful girl -at her morning toilette, presenting one of this dirty old booby’s -squirts at her clear blue laughing eyes! But the fact is, this impudent -old wife must be descended from a long line of tailors, who have bred -in and in, till the imbecile race has ended in the scarecrow who has -spawned the “Simplicity of Health.” - -It is with much satisfaction that I am able to support the opinion -which I have expressed at page 166, by so just and judicious a -criticism as the above; had I stood alone in opinion, that opinion -would have been assigned to any other than its true cause—_a sense of -public duty_, which ought with every true patriot to be paramount to -every other consideration. - - * * * * * - -I shall now close my well meant, and I hope I may say, useful and -patriotic little volume, with a few words respecting those pests -and scourges of society, the sharking and extortionate part of the -pawnbroking trade, and those banes of human comfort and existence the -madhouses. - - -PAWNBROKERS. - -It has been well said, that as the poorest, the most distressed, and -the most friendless are those who are compelled to have dealings with, -and are exposed to the “tender mercies” of pawnbrokers, it is of the -utmost consequence that such men as follow the calling should be -honest, correct, and even humane characters. For the sake of honesty it -is to be hoped that there are many of this description; but a little, -and but a little unhappy experience when urgent necessity may compel -the unfortunate to have recourse to shops of this description, will -convince the most thoughtless person alive, that there are numbers -of heartless, griping, and extortionate scoundrels in that trade, -whose conduct and dealings are a disgrace to the most contemptible -sharper and swindler alive,—who by every species of fraud, extortion, -and oppression, rob, harass, and plunder the poor and the miserable, -and add to the distresses of those whose misfortunes have reduced -them to have dealings with the detestable harpies. The taking of -illegal and excessive interest is comparatively the least important -of their delinquencies, though this to the poor and unfortunate is -grinding in the extreme, as these knaves in their dealings with those -who have neither money nor friends, treat the act of Parliament for -the regulation of the Pawnbroking trade as a mere dead letter. The -substitution of articles of inferior description for such as are of a -greater value,—the taking off the gold hands and removing the interior -works of watches, and replacing them with others which resemble them, -of base metal or inferior value,—and the scraping or diminishing -articles of plate and the cases of watches, are well known to those -whose wants or emergencies compel them to send their property on its -travels up the spout of the pop-shop. And through the defect of the -law, and as the poet Crabbe says, “the protection of a drowsy bench,” -sufferers but rarely obtain any redress. A periodical writer, in -expressing his abhorrence of the frauds of these vermin, recommends -the sufferers to lay “incessant informations against the malpractices -of these villains.” But had that kind-hearted man been acquainted with -the fact that informations have been repeatedly laid, and have always -miscarried, and will always miscarry while the law remains in its -defective state, he would, no doubt, have recommended a petition to -Parliament, praying to subject the infamous impostors to the punishment -of transportation for their audacious and daily frauds and swindlings -practised “on the children of sorrow and the heirs of unnumbered woes -and wants.” The fate of informations has been fully proved in the -numerous instances in which a scoundrel in the neighbourhood of Snow -Hill has defeated the purposes of justice by the contemptible quibbles, -evasions, and subterfuges resorted to by his attorney in all cases -in which he has been summoned before the magistrates at Guildhall, -and by whose very disgraceful objections as to technicalities, he has -contrived as hitherto, to laugh at and hold in contempt both Law and -Justice!!! - - -PRIVATE BEDLAMS. - -“Where the noble mind’s o’erthrown.” - -How true is the remark that “the history of the _Red_ and _White -Houses_,” like that of the Red and White Roses, would afford many -interesting though appalling particulars were they collected in a -detailable form. - - “For who to that dread spot consigned, - Amid the maniac’s horrid yell - Has liv’d, and in that den confined, - Could not some secrets of the madhouse tell.” - -“Yes! there still live some few who have escaped perpetual torture and -confinement, which the soothing care of _disinterested friends_ would -have buried alive in those inquisitorial receptacles, but for the acute -discernment of the eye of humanity, which accident or curiosity had -directed to the spot. - -“Of private madhouses there has long been but one prevailing opinion. -The generality of them are instituted as a medium of existence by -talentless and avaricious individuals, who are better, by far, adapted -for the office of turnkeys to Newgate, than for the exercise of such -moral and physical means as would appear calculated to restore lost -reason. They manage these things much better in Paris; but it is not -our intention to enter into particulars as regards the management of -these licensed houses of correction in the home department, where every -fibre of humanity appears paralysed, where victims are left to linger -out their miserable and wretched existence, and to perish by means we -know nothing of.” Instances innumerable are on record of the improper -treatment of the unhappy persons immured in these dreary abodes; the -inquest that sat at the Elephant and Castle, Pancras Road, on the body -of a poor woman named Ann Goldstock, alias Coldstock, in the month of -August, 1828, who came by her death, under singular circumstances, in -the madhouse, otherwise yclep’d the White House at Bethnal Green, -kept by one Warburton, cannot have slipped the recollection of all my -readers. The case of an unfortunate man of the name of Parker confined -in that place for alleged insanity, is also too remarkable to be passed -over in silence. My man-servant importuned me to see the poor fellow. -I accordingly went to him, and must acknowledge, that after a long -interview in which I closely cross-examined him, he gave a statement of -his life and transactions, distinguished for its accuracy, minuteness, -and consistency. I wish the parties concerned in that affair to -recollect, though I have been refused admittance to the unhappy man -by one of the understrappers of that place, that I will not let this -affair pass unheeded, as I have very little doubt but that I shall be -able to bring to justice the knaves who have stripped the poor fellow -and his injured family of their property, and who, to screen their -villany, have consigned him to a madhouse. - - - THE END. - - - LONDON: - MARCHANT, PRINTER, INGRAM-COURT. - - - - - _September 1, 1832._ - - PRACTICAL BOOKS - - ON - - Sporting Subjects, - - _BREEDING AND MANAGEMENT OF LIVE STOCK_, - VETERINARY PRACTICE, AND ON RURAL AFFAIRS, - - PRINTED FOR - - SHERWOOD, GILBERT, & PIPER, - - PATERNOSTER-ROW. - - - JOHNSON’S SPORTSMAN’S DICTIONARY. - -[Illustration: Dogs head carrying hunting equipment] - - -_Just published, in One large Volume, Octavo, illustrated with numerous -highly-finished and emblematical Engravings, price_ £1:11:6, _bound in -cloth_, - - A NEW AND ORIGINAL WORK, - - ENTITLED THE - - SPORTSMAN’S CYCLOPÆDIA; - -Being an Elucidation of the Science and Practice of the FIELD, the -TURF, and the SOD; or, in other Words, the Scientific Operations of the -CHASE, the COURSE, and of all those Diversions and Amusements which -have uniformly marked the British Character; and which are so ardently -cherished, and so extensively followed, by the present Generation: -comprehending the Natural History of all those Animals which are the -Objects of Pursuit, accompanied with illustrative Anecdotes. - - BY T. B. JOHNSON, - - _Author of the Shooter’s Companion, &c. &c._ - -IN offering the present work to the SPORTING WORLD, the Publishers do -not deem any apology necessary, as there is no Book on sale professedly -of a similar character, nor one that will furnish a Sportsman with that -information which he may desire on the various Field Sports of the -present day. - -Under such circumstances, the Publishers conceive that a “_Sportsman’s -Cyclopædia_” will be not only acceptable to those who follow the -_Hounds_, pursue the _Feathered Tribes_, frequent the _Lake_, or the -_Stream_, or attend the _Course_, but also to the Public in general. - -They, therefore, honestly and fearlessly assert that the Author and -Compiler of it is a well-known Sportsman, who has made the various -subjects of the book the business of his life, and whose practical -knowledge of FIELD AMUSEMENTS, in its various ramifications, is -uniformly acknowledged. Nor have they spared either pains or expense in -the Printing or the Embellishments which illustrate and adorn the Work; -their object being to produce, not merely a Book of General Reference, -but a complete SPORTSMAN’S LIBRARY. - -This Work is elegantly printed on Fine Paper, and illustrated with -numerous HIGHLY-FINISHED and EMBLEMATICAL ENGRAVINGS, executed in the -most characteristic Style of Excellence by those eminent Artists, - - LANDSEER, - COOPER, - LAPORTE, - BARRENGER, - CLENNEL, - BROOKE, - HERRING, - FIELDING, - SCOTT, - GREIG, - WESTLEY, - ELMER, - WEBB, - ROBERTS, - &c. &c. - -It is presumed that the alphabetical Arrangement of the Work will -afford every facility to the Reader, and that it will be found to -contain— - -THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HORSE, in all its Ramifications; the most -approved SYSTEM OF GROOMING (particularly of the HUNTER) and STABLE -MANAGEMENT, with copious Notices of the Diseases to which he is liable, -and the most judicious Mode of treating them. - -THE WHOLE ART OF HORSEMANSHIP; OR, THE SCIENCE OF RIDING. - -THE DOG, in all his Varieties, with his Diseases and Manner of Cure, -and Instructions for Breeding, Breaking, or Training Him for the -different Pursuits; with Directions for entering Hounds. - -HUNTING the Fox, Hare, Stag, &c. and the Nature of Scent, as -exemplified in their Pursuit; also, particular Notices of various Packs -of Hounds. The various kinds of Pointers and Setters, and the Method of -Breeding those best calculated for the Sportsman. - -THE SCIENCE AND PRACTICE OF SHOOTING FLYING, as well as every -Information relative to the Use of the Fowling Piece. - -COURSING, with Notices of celebrated Greyhounds; and the most judicious -Plan of Breeding these interesting Animals. - -THE RACE COURSE, with its Operations, in all their Varieties; of -Breeding the Racer, of Training Him, &c. &c. with particular Notices of -the most distinguished Running Horses. - -THE COCK PIT, and Management of Game Cocks. - -THE WHOLE ART OF ANGLING AND FISHING in all their different Forms, &c. -&c. - -⁂ For the accommodation of the public, the Sportsman’s Cyclopædia may -be had in Twelve Parts, by one or more at a time, price 2_s._ 6_d._ -each. The whole Work forms ONE LARGE VOLUME in OCTAVO, closely printed, -and contains as much matter as five ordinary sized Volumes. - - -_Coursing._ - -THE COURSER’S COMPANION; or, a Practical Treatise on the LAWS of the -LEASH, with the defects of the old Laws considered; and a NEW CODE -proposed, with Explanatory Notes. By an EXPERIENCED COURSER. Price -5_s._ Boards. - -“Though small in size, this book is great in value; the author’s name, -Mr. Thomas Thacker, of Derby, who is an old Courser, and which is a -passport to it, is too modestly kept back. To real sportsmen, who read -for solid information, the volume will exhibit unquestionable proofs of -being thoroughly practical on the subject of COURSING.” _Sporting Mag._ - - -_Osmer on Horses._ - -A TREATISE ON THE DISEASES AND LAMENESS. OF HORSES; in which is -laid down the proper METHOD OF SHOEING the different Kinds of FEET: -whereunto are added, some New Observations on the ART OF FARRIERY, -chiefly as relate to Wounds, to Epidemic Distemper, to Surgical -Operations, to Debility, to Tumours, &c. Also, on the Nature and -Difference in the Breeds of Horses. - -By WILLIAM OSMER, Veterinary Surgeon and Shoeing Smith. - -Fifth Edition, newly re-written, with considerable Additions, and a -Treatise on Debility, &c. &c. By JOHN HINDS, V.S. Author of the Groom’s -Oracle, Veterinary Surgery, and Practice of Medicine. - -⁂ “_Osmer’s Treatise on the Horse_, by _J. Hinds_, is among the most -valuable of our recent publications. This and Mr. Hinds’ ‘Grooms’ -Oracle’ ought to be in the possession of every Gentleman, who either -has in possession, or has a chance of possessing, the noble animal -to whose proper treatment the Author has directed his enlightened -researches.”—_Taunton Courier._ - - -_Thompson on Riding._ - -RULES FOR BAD HORSEMEN; Hints to Inexpert Travellers; and Maxims worth -Remembering by the most experienced Equestrians. By CHARLES THOMPSON, -Esq. A new Edition, with modern Additions, by JOHN HINDS, V.S. Editor -of Osmer’s Treatise on the Horse; Author of the Groom’s Oracle, &c. -Price 3_s._ 6_d._ - - -_Hinds’ and White’s Farriery Improved._ - -A COMPENDIOUS POCKET-MANUAL of the VETERINARY ART; being a Practical -Description of the true Symptoms and most rational Treatment of all -Diseases incident to the Horse; adapted to the ready comprehension of -every class of Horsemen, viz. Owners, Farriers, Farmers, Horsekeepers, -Grooms, and Lads. Comprising all that has been usefully said by various -Authors. Revised and corrected, with considerable important modern -Improvements, by JOHN HINDS, V.S. and Others. With illustrative Plates, -price 5_s._ - -⁂ The design of this _multum in parvo_ volume has been to compress -into a small portable manual as large a quantity of really important -useful matter as usually occupies works of much greater magnitude, -whilst adding thereto all the new discoveries in the art. This has been -accomplished by a strict economy in printing, by a singularly terse -style of writing, and the rigid rejection of numerous superfluities. -By these means several new modes of practice, and valuable -Veterinary observations, have been introduced—principally as regards -Constitutional disorders—the Epidemic Distemper of 1832—Inflammation of -the organs of life—Tumours—Liver complaints—Debility—Disorders of the -Eyes—Crib-biting—Lameness—Bleeding—Physicking—Blistering—Surfeits—and -the signs by which to ascertain what illness at any time impends over -the ailing Horse. - -THE GAMEKEEPER’S DIRECTORY, AND COMPLETE VERMIN DESTROYER, containing -easy, but efficacious, Instructions for the PRESERVATION OF GAME, -as exemplified in the Mode of Managing it, particularly during the -Breeding Season. Of Hatching the Eggs of Pheasants and Partridges -which have been mown over, and the best method of Rearing the Young. -Also for taking or killing all kinds of Vermin, as exemplified in the -Mode of Trapping and Destroying them. By T. B. JOHNSON, Author of the -Sportsman’s Cyclopædia, Shooter’s Companion, &c. Price 5_s._ 6_d._ - - -_Brown on Horse-Racing._ - -THE TURF EXPOSITOR; containing the Origin of Horse-Racing, Breeding -for the Turf, Training, Trainers, Jockeys; Cocktails, and the System -of Cocktail Racing illustrated; the Turf and its Abuses; the Science -of betting Money, so as always to come off a Winner, elucidated by a -variety of Examples; the Rules and Laws of Horse-racing; and every -other Information connected with the Operations of the Turf. By C. F. -Brown. Price 6_s._ boards. - - -_Brown’s Anecdotes of Horses._ - -_In a thick Volume, royal 18mo. containing Fourteen Portraits of -celebrated Horses, &c. engraved on Steel, Price 10s. 6d. cloth._ - -BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES AND AUTHENTIC ANECDOTES OF HORSES, and the Allied -Species. - -By Captain THOMAS BROWN, F.L.S. M.R.P.S. M.K.S. &c. &c. - -“We have now before us the pleasing fruit of Captain Brown’s labour -and investigation. Setting out with the early history of the horse, -and tracing it to the present period, the author next goes through the -various breeds, and finally enlivens the whole with the accounts of -feats and other memorabilia, which are well calculated to astonish and -amuse.”—_London Literary Gazette._ - -“Captain Brown’s work is an entertaining and instructive miscellany. -Pleasanter gossip than that of horses we do not know, and richer food -for it cannot be found, than in this volume.”—_Spectator._ - -“Those who have any relish for this noble animal—any wish to know -its history and habits—will find all they want in Captain Brown’s -book. There are nine excellent plates, and nearly 600 pages of -letter-press.”—_New North Briton._ - -“With Captain Brown’s delightful volume of ‘Anecdotes of Horses,’ just -issued, every one who crosses a saddle ought to be intimate.”—_Glasgow -Free Press._ - - -_Conversations on Conditioning._ - -THE GROOM’S ORACLE, AND POCKET STABLE DIRECTORY; in which the -Management of Horses generally, as to Health, Dieting, and Exercise -are considered, in a Series of Familiar Dialogues between two Grooms -engaged in Training Horses to their Work, as well for the Road as the -Chase and Turf. With an APPENDIX, including the RECEIPT-BOOK of JOHN -HINDS, V.S. Second Edition, considerably improved, embellished with an -elegant Frontispiece, painted by S. Aiken, price 7_s._ cloth. - -⁂ This enlarged edition of the “Groom’s Oracle” contains a good number -of new points connected with training prime horses; and the owners -of working cattle, also, will find their profit in consulting the -practical remarks that are applicable to their teams; on the principle -that _health preserved_ is better than _disease removed_. - - -_Blaine’s Farriery._ - -OUTLINES OF THE VETERINARY ART; or, a TREATISE on the ANATOMY, -PHYSIOLOGY, and CURATIVE TREATMENT of the DISEASES of the HORSE, and, -subordinately, of those of NEAT CATTLE and SHEEP. Illustrated by -Surgical and Anatomical Plates. By DELABERE BLAINE. - -The Fourth Edition, considerably improved and increased by the -introduction of many new and important Subjects, both in the Foreign -British practices of the art, and by the addition of some new Figures. -Price 1_l._ 4_s._ _cloth, and lettered_. - - -_Girard on the Age of the Horse._ - -A TREATISE ON THE TEETH OF THE HORSE; showing its Age by the Changes -the Teeth undergo, from a Foal up to Twenty-Three Years Old, especially -after the Eighth Year. Translated from the French by M. GIRARD, -Director of the Royal Veterinary School at Alford, by T. J. GANLY, V.S. -11th Light Dragoons. Price 3_s._ 6_d._ or, with the Plates coloured, -4_s._ 6_d._ boards. - -⁂ This work is strongly recommended by Professor Coleman, in his -Lectures to the attention of persons studying the Veterinary -Profession; and who may wish to be well acquainted with the Horse’s Age. - -“The above useful Treatise is calculated to be of considerable service, -in the present state of our knowledge. We recommend the work to the -Amateur, the Practitioner, and the Veterinary Student.”—_Lancet._ - - -_A Complete Manual for Sportsmen._ - -BRITISH FIELD SPORTS; embracing PRACTICAL INSTRUCTIONS in SHOOTING, -HUNTING, COURSING, RACING, FISHING, &c.; with Observations on the -Breaking and Training of Dogs and Horses; also, the Management of -Fowling-pieces, and all other Sporting Implements. By WILLIAM HENRY -SCOTT. - -⁂ This Work is beautifully printed, on fine paper, and illustrated -with upwards of _Fifty highly-finished Engravings_, Thirty-four on -Copper, executed in the most characteristic style of excellence, by -those Eminent Artists, SCOTT, WARREN, GREIG, TOOKEY, DAVENPORT, RANSON, -and WEBB, from Paintings by REINAGLE, CLENNELL, ELMER, and BARRENGER; -the remainder cut on Wood, by CLENNELL, THOMPSON, AUSTIN, and BEWICK. -The author’s object has been, to present, in as compressed a form as -real utility would admit, Instructions in all the various Field Sports -in Modem Practice; thereby forming a Book of General Reference on the -subject, and including in one volume, what could not otherwise be -obtained without purchasing many and expensive ones.—In demy 8vo. Price -1_l._ 18_s._ or, in royal 8vo. 3_l._ 3_s._ boards. - -“It gives us pleasure to observe the respectability of the Work -entitled ‘British Field Sports.’ In this kingdom, the Sports of the -Field are highly characteristic and interesting: as gentlemanly -diversions they have been pursued with an avidity as keen, and a taste -as universal, as the relish of Nature’s beauties: a corresponding -value is set on them, and an appropriate polish is added by time -and practice: the various minutiæ in the knowledge of which and -the technical distribution of this knowledge, together with Facts, -Instructions, and Anecdotes, form the basis of this valuable -publication.”—_Farmers’ Journal._ - - -_Laporte’s Horse._ - -THE CONFORMATION AND PROPORTIONS OF A HORSE, with the Terms generally -made use of to denote his various Parts, engraved from an Original -Painting of G. H. LAPORTE, Esq. size 10 Inches by 8. Price 1_s._ 6_d._ -accurately coloured. - - -_Johnson on Hunting._ - -THE HUNTING DIRECTORY; containing a compendious View of the Ancient and -Modern Systems of the Chase; the Method of Breeding and Managing the -various kinds of Hounds, particularly Foxhounds; their Diseases, with a -certain Cure for the Distemper. The pursuit of the Fox, the Hare, the -Stag, &c. The nature of Scent considered and elucidated. Also, Notices -of the Wolf and Boar Hunting in France; with a variety of illustrative -observations. By T. B. JOHNSON, Author of the Shooter’s Companion. -Printed in 8vo. price 9_s._ boards. - - -JOHNSON’S SHOOTER’S ANNUAL PRESENT. - -[Illustration: Man with gun, dog and brace of birds] - -_Just Published_, THIRD EDITION, _very considerably Improved, and -Illustrated with numerous Cuts. Price 9s. bound in Cloth._ - -THE SHOOTER’S COMPANION; or, a Description of POINTERS and SETTERS, &c. -as well as of those Animals which constitute the Objects of Pursuit; of -the BREEDING of POINTERS and SETTERS, the Diseases to which they are -liable, and the Modes of Cure. TRAINING DOGS for the GUN. Of Scent, -and the Reason why one Dog’s Sense of Smell is superior to another’s. -The FOWLING PIECE fully considered, particularly as it relates to the -use of Percussion Powder. Of Percussion Powder, and the best Method of -making it. Of Gunpowder. Shooting Illustrated; and the ART OF SHOOTING -FLYING or RUNNING, simplified and clearly laid down. Of WILD FOWL and -FEN SHOOTING; as well as every information connected with the use of -the Fowling Piece. The Game Laws familiarly explained and illustrated. -By T. B. JOHNSON. - -“This is a well-written and well-arranged production; containing much -interesting information, not only to the professed sportsman, but to -those who may occasionally seek this fascinating recreation. It is not -the production of any ordinary sportsman, but of one who can enjoy the -pleasures of the library as well as those of the field.”—_Literary -Chronicle._ - -“We now take leave of the work, recommending it, in comparison -with most others on the same subject, as luminous to a degree; and -reflecting on the talents, experience, and feeling of the author, the -highest credit.”—_Sporting Magazine._ - - -_Blaine on the Diseases of Dogs._ - -CANINE PATHOLOGY; or, a Description of the DISEASES of DOGS, -Nosologically Arranged, with their Causes, Symptoms, and Curative -Treatment; and a copious Detail of the RABID MALADY: preceded by a -Sketch of the NATURAL HISTORY of the DOG, his Varieties and Qualities; -with practical Directions on the Breeding, Rearing, and salutary -Treatment of these Animals. Third Edition, Revised, Corrected, and -Improved. Price 9_s._ boards. By DELABERE BLAINE. - - -_Stevenson’s Cattle Doctor._ - -THE SPORTSMAN’S, FARMER’S, AND CATTLE-DOCTOR’S VADE MECUM, containing -Practical Hints and Receipts for preventing and curing the most -prevalent Diseases of BLACK OR NEAT CATTLE, SHEEP, DOGS, HORSES, PIGS, -&c. with a very copious List of the most valuable Veterinary Medicines -and the manner of preparing them for Animals of every Description. By -JOHN STEVENSON, Esq. Price 5_s._ - - -_Lawrence on Live Stock._ - -A GENERAL TREATISE ON CATTLE—THE OX, SHEEP, AND SWINE; comprehending -their Breeding, Management, Improvement, and Diseases; with Remedies -for Cure. By JOHN LAWRENCE, Author of the “New Farmer’s Calendar.” -Second Edition. In one large vol. 8vo price 12_s._ boards. - -“If the Author had not already recommended himself to the Public by his -‘New Farmer’s Calendar,’ and other works, the judicious observations -and useful hints here offered would place him in the list of those -rural counsellors who are capable of giving advice, and to whose -opinion some deference is due. His sentiments on general subjects -expand beyond the narrow boundaries of vulgar prejudice; and his good -sense is forcibly recommended to us by its acting in concert with a -humane disposition.”—_Monthly Review._ - -Mr. James White, in his work on Veterinary Medicine, says, “Mr. -Lawrence’s _General Treatise on Cattle, the Ox, the Sheep, and the -Swine_,” ought to be in every one’s hands, who is interested in the -subject. - -LAWRENCE’S PHILOSOPHICAL AND PRACTICAL TREATISE ON HORSES; -comprehending the Choice, Management, Purchase and Sale of every -Description of the Horse, the Improved Method of Shoeing, Medical -Prescriptions, and Surgical Treatment in all known Diseases. Third -Edition; with large Additions on the Breeding and Improvement of the -Horse, the Dangers of our present Travelling System, &c. In 2 vol. -price £1:1:0, boards. - - -_By the same Author_, - -1. THE NEW FARMER’S CALENDAR; or, MONTHLY REMEMBRANCER OF ALL KINDS OF -COUNTRY BUSINESS. Fifth Edition, with Additions. In 1 vol. large 8vo. -price 12_s._ boards. - -2. THE MODERN LAND STEWARD; in which the Duties and Functions of -Stewardship are considered and explained, with its several Relations to -the Interest of the Landlord, Tenant, and the Public. In 1 vol. price -10_s._ 6_d._ boards. - -HINTS TO DAIRY FARMERS; being an Account of the Food and extraordinary -Produce of a Cow; with economical and easy Rules for rearing Calves. By -W. CRAMP. Second Edition. Price 2_s._ - -THE GRAZIER’S READY RECKONER; or, A USEFUL GUIDE FOR BUYING AND SELLING -CATTLE; being a complete Set of Tables, distinctly pointing out the -Weight of Black Cattle, Sheep, and Swine, from Three to One Hundred and -Thirty Stones, by _Measurement_; with Directions showing the particular -Parts where the Cattle are to be measured. By GEORGE RENTON, Farmer. -Eighth Edition, corrected. Price 2_s._ 6_d._ - - -SCOTT’S DELINEATIONS OF THE HORSE AND DOG. - -[Illustration: A horse] - -_Beautifully printed in 4to. embellished with Forty highly-finished -Copper-Plate Engravings, and numerous Wood-Cuts, Part I. and II. price -5s. each, of_ - -THE SPORTSMAN’S REPOSITORY, comprising a Series of highly-finished -Engravings, representing the Horse and the Dog, in all their Varieties, -accompanied with a Comprehensive Historical and Systematic Description -of the different Species of each, their appropriate uses, Management, -Improvement, &c.; interspersed with interesting Anecdotes of the most -celebrated Horses and Dogs, and their owners; likewise a great Variety -of Practical Information on Training, and the Amusements of the Field. -By the Author of “British Field-Sports.” - -It would be difficult to imagine any selection from the great -storehouse of Nature more likely to merit general attention, or to -excite general interest, than the one to which we now invite Public -Notice. Of all the animals in Creation, (with the exception of those -which minister to our carnivorous appetites,) it would be impossible -to name two which are so intimately associated with our wants, our -pleasures, and our attachments, as the HORSE and the DOG. To the former -we are indebted for the power of transporting ourselves from place -to place, with speed and comfort, and for the means of participating -in the manly and healthful Sports of the Field; while the labours of -Agriculture, and the pursuits of Commerce, are no less indebted to it -for increased activity and productiveness. - -But it is not on this ground alone that it aspires to patronage. It -takes a wider range, and, by including in its design, the history, the -qualities, and the different breeds of the DOG—that half-reasoning -friend and companion of man—it enlarges its claims to general -reception. Who is there that has not, at some period of his life, -acknowledged the influence of an attachment between himself and his -dog? Who is there that does not recognize in this faithful, vigilant, -sagacious, humble, and silent friend, the possessor of qualities, which -are not always to be found in the human and more talkative friend? - -It is only necessary further to observe, that the literary execution -and graphic embellishment of this work are not unworthy of the subjects -delineated. With respect to the latter, the Proprietors confidently -anticipate that the names of the Artists employed are a sufficient -guarantee; while the former is the production of an experienced -Sportsman. - -_The following are the Subjects of the Plates which embellish the -Sportsman’s Repository_:— - - -_Horses._ - - 1.—GODOLPHIN ARABIAN, the Property of Lord Godolphin. - - 2.—ARABIAN, the Property of the Right Hon. Henry Wellesley. - - 3.—ECLIPSE and SHAKSPEARE, two celebrated Racers. - - 4.—KING HEROD and FLYING CHILDERS, the Property of the Duke of - Devonshire. - - 5.—STALLION, _Jupiter_, the Property of Lieut.-Col. Thornton. - - 6.—CHARGER, the Property of Major-General Warde. - - 7.—HUNTER, _Duncombe_, the Property of George Treacher, Esq. - - 8.—RACER, _Eleanor_, the Property of Sir Charles Banbury, Bart. - - 9.—HACKNEY, _Roan Billy_. - - 10.—COACH-HORSE, the Property of Henry Villebois, Esq. - - 11.—CART-HORSE, _Dumpling_, the Property of Messrs. Horne and Devey. - - 12.—PONIES, _Shetland_, _Forester_, and _Welsh_, the Property of Jacob - Wardell, Esq. - - 13.—A MULE, the Property of Lord Holland—and an ASS. - - -_Dogs._ - - 1. Shepherd’s Dog. - - 2. Newfoundland Dog. - - 3. Greenland Dog. - - 4. Pointer. - - 5. Spanish Pointer. - - 6. Setter. - - 7. Springer. - - 8. Water Spaniel. - - 9. Stag Hound. - - 10. Fox Hounds. - - 11. Greyhound. - - 12. Irish Greyhound. - - 13. Italian Greyhound. - - 14. Blood Hound. - - 15. Southern Hound. - - 16. Beagles. - - 17. Harrier. - - 18. Terriers. - - 19. Lurcher. - - 20. Water Dog. - - 21. Bull Dog. - - 22. Mastiff. - - 23. Dalmatian. - - 24. Pugs. - - 25. Bloodhound’s Head. - - 26. Portraits of Five Stag Hounds, of the Hatfield Hunt. - - 27. Alpine Mastiff. - -The Work complete comprehends Ten Parts, price 5_s._ each: or with -Proof Impressions of the Plates on India Paper, price 7_s._ 6_d._ -forming a splendid Volume in Quarto—price £2:12:6, in Boards, or -with the Plates on India Paper, price £4, neatly Half-bound, Russia, -the whole illustrated with Forty Copper-plates, all engraved in the -Line manner by Mr. JOHN SCOTT and Mr. THOMAS LANDSEER, from Original -Paintings by those eminent Animal Painters, MARSHALL, REINAGLE, GILPIN, -STUBBS, COOPER, and EDWIN LANDSEER. They are executed in the very first -style of excellence, and may justly be considered as _chefs d’œuvres_ -in the Art. Every species of the Horse and Dog is comprised in the -Collection; and the Proprietors do not hesitate to challenge a similar -Exhibition in the whole Sporting World. - -For the accommodation of Admirers of the Fine Arts, and Gentlemen -forming a Cabinet Collection of Sporting Pictures, a limited number -of Impressions is taken off, for the purpose of Framing, or, for the -Portfolio; any of which may be had separately. Price of the Proofs, on -India Paper, 4_s._ and Prints, 2_s._ each. - -TEN MINUTES’ ADVICE TO EVERY PERSON GOING TO PURCHASE A HORSE. By JOHN -BELL. Price 1_s._ - -THE GENTLEMAN’S POCKET FARRIER; showing how to use a Horse on a -Journey. By JOHN BELL. Price 1_s._ - -SPORTING ANECDOTES, including numerous Characteristic portraits of -Persons in every Walk of Life, who have acquired Notoriety from their -Achievements on the Turf, at the Table, and in the Diversions of the -Field; the whole forming a complete Delineation of the Sporting World. -By PIERCE EGAN. New Edition, with coloured Plates and Illustrations, -price 12_s._ in boards. - -THE SPORTSMAN’S PROGRESS; a Poem; Descriptive of the Pleasures derived -from Field Sports. Illustrated with Thirteen appropriate Cuts. Price -1_s._ - -THE ANGLER; a Poem, in Ten Cantos; comprising Proper Instructions in -the Art, with Rules to choose Fishing-rods, Lines, Hooks, Floats, -Baits, and to make Artificial Flies, Receipts for Pastes, &c. By T. P. -LATHY, ESQ. With upwards of Twenty Wood-cuts. Price 8_s._ boards. - -SONGS OF THE CHACE; or, SPORTSMAN’S VOCAL LIBRARY; containing nearly -Four Hundred of the best Songs relating to Racing, Shooting, Angling, -Hawking, Archery, &c. Handsomely printed in foolscap 8vo. with -appropriate Embellishments. Second Edition. Price 9_s._ boards. - - -_Dobson on Training the Spaniel or Pointer._ - -KUNOPÆDIA; being a Practical Essay on the Breaking and Training the -English Spaniel or Pointer. To which are added, Instructions for -attaining the Art of Shooting Flying; more immediately addressed to -_young_ Sportsmen, but designed also to supply the best means of -correcting the errors of some _older_ ones. By the late W. DOBSON, Esq. -of Eden-Hall, Cumberland. In One Volume, 8vo. Price 12_s._ boards. - - -_Curtis on Grasses._ - -PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE BRITISH GRASSES, especially such as are -best adapted to the laying down or improving of Meadows and Pastures: -likewise an Enumeration of the British Grasses. By WILLIAM CURTIS, -Author of the “Flora Londinensis,” &c. Sixth Edition, with considerable -Additions. In 8vo. illustrated, with coloured Plates. Price 9_s._ in -boards. - - -_Skellet’s complete Cow-Doctor._ - -A PRACTICAL TREATISE ON THE BREEDING COW, AND EXTRACTION OF THE CALF, -BEFORE AND AT THE TIME OF CALVING; in which the question of difficult -Parturition is considered in all its bearings, with reference to -facts and experience; including Observations on the Disease of Neat -Cattle generally. Containing profitable Instructions to the Breeding -Farmer, Cowkeeper, and Grazier, for attending to their own Cattle -during Illness, according to the most approved modern Methods of -Treatment, and the Application of long known and skilful Prescriptions -and Remedies for every Disorder incident to Horned Cattle. The -whole adapted to the present improved state of Veterinary Practice. -Illustrated with Thirteen highly-finished Engravings. By EDWARD -SKELLETT, Professor of that part of the Veterinary Art. Price 18_s._ -plain, £1:7:0 coloured. - -“We have now before us a work which will be found a very useful -addition to the Farmers’ Library; it is communicated in a plain and -familiar style, and is evidently the result of long experience and -observation, made by a practical man; every person connected with Live -Stock should be acquainted with its contents, but to the Veterinary -Practitioner it is invaluable.”—_Farmers’ Journal._ - - -_A Complete Farm-House Library._ - - _In Two large Volumes, in Quarto, price Four Guineas in Boards, - illustrated with upwards of One Hundred Engravings, (Thirty of which - are coloured from Nature,) representing improved Implements, the - various Grasses, and the principal Breeds of Sheep and Cattle, from - Original Drawings,_ - -A COMPLETE SYSTEM OF PRACTICAL AGRICULTURE; including all the Modern -Improvements and Discoveries, and the Result of all the Attention and -Inquiry which have been bestowed on this important Science during -the last Fifty years: the whole combining and explaining, fully and -completely, the PRINCIPLES and PRACTICE of MODERN HUSBANDRY, in all its -Branches and Relations. By R. W. DICKSON, M.D. Honorary Member of the -Board of Agriculture, &c. &c. - -This Work includes the best Methods of Planting Timber of every -Description, and the improved Management of Live Stock, with a -Description of Implements and Buildings; the Theory of Soils and -Manures; the best Methods of Inclosing, Embanking, Road-making, -Draining, Fallowing, Irrigating, Paring, and Burning; the improved -Cultivation of Arable Lands, and of all kinds of Grain, artificial -Grasses, &c.; presenting the most useful and comprehensive Body of -Practical information ever offered to the Public on the interesting -Science of Agriculture. - - -_Extracted and abridged from the above Work, by the same Author, in -royal_ 8vo. - -THE FARMER’S COMPANION, being a Complete System of Modern Husbandry; -including the latest Improvements and Discoveries, in Theory and -Practice. - -The leading feature of excellence by which this Work is distinguished, -is that minuteness of practical detail, which renders it singularly -adapted to the purposes of Agriculture. The whole scope of its contents -has a constant and immediate connexion with the daily pursuits of -the Farmer, the Implements of Husbandry he employs, the Modes of -Agriculture he adopts, and the System of Pasture and Feeding he -pursues. These multifarious topics are all treated with simplicity and -clearness; so that the Work presents an ample, but distinct display -of every subject connected with the practical objects of a Farm. It -is illustrated with upwards of One Hundred Engravings, representing -improved Implements for Farming, various Breeds of Cattle, Sheep, &c. -Price 1_l._ 16_s._ boards. - - -_Sir John Sinclair on Agriculture._ - -THE CODE OF AGRICULTURE; including Observations on Gardens, Orchards, -Woods, and Plantations. By the Right Hon. Sir JOHN SINCLAIR, Bart. -Fourth Edition, in one large vol. 8vo. price 1_l._ in boards. This -Edition is considerably improved by a number of valuable Remarks, -communicated to the Author by some of the most intelligent Farmers in -England and Scotland. - -The Subjects particularly considered, are - - 1. The Preliminary Points which a Farmer ought to ascertain, before he - undertakes to occupy any extent of Land. - - 2. The Means of Cultivation which are essential to ensure its success. - - 3. The various Modes of improving Land. - - 4. The various Modes of occupying Land. - - 5. The Means of improving a Country. - - -MOUBRAY ON POULTRY, PIGS, AND COWS. - -[Illustration: A farmyard] - -A PRACTICAL TREATISE ON BREEDING, REARING, AND FATTENING ALL KINDS -OF DOMESTIC POULTRY, PHEASANTS, PIGEONS, AND RABBITS; including, -also, an interesting Account of the Egyptian Method of Hatching Eggs -by Artificial Heat, with some Modern Experiments thereon; also, on -Breeding, Feeding, and Managing Swine, Milch Cows, and Bees. By -BONINGTON MOUBRAY, Esq. A New Edition, being the Sixth, enlarged by a -TREATISE on BREWING, making CIDER, BUTTER, and CHEESE, adapted to the -Use of Private Families. Price 7_s._ 6_d._ in boards. - -⁂ “Mr. Moubray’s little book on the breeding, rearing, and fattening -all kinds of domestic poultry and pigs, is unquestionably the most -practical work on the subject in our language. The author’s aim -seems to have been to avoid scientific detail, and to convey his -information in plain and intelligible terms. The convenience of a -small poultry-yard—two or three pigs, with a breeding sow—and a cow -for cream, milk, butter, and cheese—in an English country-house, -appears indispensable; and to point out how these may be obtained, -at a reasonable expense, seems to have been Mr. Moubray’s object. By -adopting the plan of his work, any family may furnish their table with -these luxuries at one-third of the price they are obliged to pay at -the markets; and the farmer and breeder may render it the source of -considerable profit.”—_Farmer’s Journal._ - - -_Bucknall on Fruit-Trees, and the Husbandry of Orchards._ - -THE ORCHARDIST; or, A SYSTEM OF CLOSE PRUNING AND MEDICATION FOR -ESTABLISHING THE SCIENCE OF ORCHARDING; containing full Instructions -as to Manure, preventing Blight, Caterpillars, and Cure Canker, as -patronized by the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, -and Commerce. By the late T. S. D. BUCKNALL, Esq. M.P. In 8vo. price -5_s._ boards. - -⁂ This Work obtained for the Author the Prize Medal and Thanks of the -above Society. _Only very few copies remain on hand._ - - - - - BOOKS - - PRINTED FOR - - SHERWOOD, GILBERT, AND PIPER, - - 23, PATERNOSTER-ROW. - - -_Jennings’s Code of Useful Knowledge._ - -1. THE FAMILY CYCLOPÆDIA: a Dictionary of Useful and Necessary -Knowledge in Domestic Economy, Agriculture, Chemistry, and the Arts; -including the most approved Modes of Treatment of Diseases, Accidents, -and Casualties. By JAMES JENNINGS, Esq. In one large vol. 8vo. price -1l. 7s. in boards. - - This very useful work contains upward of fourteen hundred closely - printed pages, comprising as much matter as is frequently contained - in six ordinary-sized volumes. The following are the opinions of the - Reviewers on its merits:— - - “As a book of daily reference, the FAMILY CYCLOPÆDIA is really - invaluable: it forms a portable Library of Useful Knowledge, of easy - reference, and contains a great variety of information not to be found - in other works of similar pretensions, and of greater magnitude.” - - “It contains a large mass of information on subjects connected with - the Domestic Economy of Life. In matters of Science and the Arts, the - selections are all from sources of the best authority, and treated - in a clear and familiar manner. As a book of daily reference in the - common concerns of life, its great practical utility will, no doubt, - ensure it a ready introduction, and a favourable reception in every - intelligent family.” - - “The able manner in which this work is executed, affords satisfactory - evidence that the editor is thoroughly acquainted with the subject. It - is a valuable _multum in parvo_.” - - -_Moubray on Poultry, Pigs, and Cows._ - -2. A PRACTICAL TREATISE on BREEDING, REARING, and FATTENING all kinds -of DOMESTIC POULTRY, PIGEONS, and RABBITS; also, on Breeding, Feeding, -and Managing Swine, Milch Cows, and Bees. By BONINGTON MOUBRAY, Esq. -Sixth Edition, enlarged by a Treatise on BREWING, on making CIDER, -BUTTER, and CHEESE: adapted to the Use of Private Families. Price 7s. -6d. cloth boards. - - “This is unquestionably the most practical Work on the subject in our - Language, and the Information is conveyed in plain and intelligible - Terms. The convenience of a small POULTRY YARD—two or three PIGS, - with a breeding Sow, and a Cow for CREAM, MILK, BUTTER, and CHEESE—in - an English Country House, appears indispensable; and to point out - how these may be obtained, at a REASONABLE EXPENSE, seems to have - been Mr. Moubray’s object. He is evidently a good practical Farmer, - thoroughly conversant with Rural Economy in all its branches; his Book - is written in a light, lively, Kitchener style, and, like the works of - that celebrated Gastronome, conveys, at least, as much amusement as - information. Were any testimony wanted, as to its practical utility, - it would be found in the declaration of an eminent Rural Economist, - SIR JOHN SINCLAIR, who pronounces it ‘the best work hitherto printed’ - on the subject of which it treats.”—_Farmer’s Journal._ - - -_Scott’s Village Doctor._ - -3. THE VILLAGE DOCTOR; or, FAMILY MEDICAL ADVISER, adapted to Domestic -Convenience, and intended for the use of Country Clergymen, Conductors -of Schools, Parents, and Heads of Families. By JAMES SCOTT, Surgeon. -Sixth Edition, considerably improved, price 5s. - - ⁂ This little work contains such information as may be often wanted - in the hour of need: it is a monitor that points out the remedy in a - moment of alarm; a pilot that directs the progress of diseases with - care; a beacon that shows the shoals upon which health may be wrecked; - and a friend that removes the doubtful anxiety of ignorance, by - explaining the present, and showing the probabilities of the future. - - -_Dickson’s Law of Wills._ - -4. PLAIN INSTRUCTIONS AND ADVICE TO TESTATORS, EXECUTORS, -ADMINISTRATORS, AND LEGATEES; being a Practical Exposition of the -LAW of WILLS, with Observations on the Consequences of Intestacy; to -which are added, Directions respecting the Probate of Wills, and the -taking out of Letters of Administration; Tables of the Stamp Duties -on Probates, Administrations, Legacies, and Residuary Shares; the -Method of obtaining a Return of the Administration and Probate Duty, -if overpaid, or on the ground of Debts; and forms of Inventories to -be taken by Executors and Administrators; with Precedents of Wills, -Codicils, Republications, &c. _Including the Act of Will. IV._ c. 40, -“_for making better Provisions for the Disposal of the Residues of the -Effects of Testators_.” By RICHARD DICKSON, Esq. of the Honourable -Society of Gray’s Inn. Price 5s. 6d. - - “To the very important branch of Law relative to Wills, Mr. Dickson - appears to have paid considerable attention; and, viewing the whole - subject, we scarcely know a question of common occurrence that can be - proposed, for which he has not provided some judicious advice, if not - a satisfactory answer.”—_Imperial Magazine_, May, 1830. - - -TO HEADS OF FAMILIES. - - -_A Valuable Present for Servant Maids._ - -5. THE FEMALE SERVANT’S GUIDE AND ADVISER; or, THE SERVICE INSTRUCTOR. -Illustrated with Plates, exhibiting the Methods of setting out Dinner -Tables, price 3s. - - This Work has an emphatical claim to the sanction of Masters and - Mistresses, as, by its directions and instructions, Servants - are enabled to perform the various occupations of service in an - efficient and a satisfactory manner, and are informed of the methods - of occasioning _large savings in the management and use of their - Employer’s Household Property and Provisions_: in fact, it embraces - the interests and welfare of the great family of mankind—MASTERS and - SERVANTS. - - “By the present of a copy of the Work to each of their Servants, - Employers may safely calculate on the saving of many pounds a year in - their expenditure.”—_Taunton Courier_. - - -TO THE CLERGY, CHURCHWARDENS, AND OVERSEERS, OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. - - -_Shaw’s Parish Officer’s Guide._ - - A New and Practical Work on the Laws relative to Parish Masters, - calculated for general Information, and to furnish all Persons - liable to serve the office of Churchwarden, Overseer, &c. with full - instructions for their legal and efficient discharge, entitled, - -6. THE PAROCHIAL LAWYER; or, CHURCHWARDENS’ and OVERSEERS’ GUIDE: -containing the whole of the STATUTE LAW, with the Decisions of the -Courts of Law and Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction, on the Duties and Powers -of those Officers, embodying all that is practical and operative -in Dean Prideaux’ Instructions to Churchwardens. By JAMES SHAW, -Esq. of the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple. Third Edition, -considerably improved, with the New Acts of 1 and 2 of William IV. -price 5s. 6d. - - The Work is divided into Four Parts: the _first_ and _second_ relate - to the Duties, Powers, and Responsibility of Churchwardens and - Overseers, with the Management, Relief, and Employment of the Poor, by - _Select Vestry_, _Guardians_, _or Trustees_. The _third_ and _fourth_ - Parts embrace the Law, Practice, and Proceedings of Open and Select - Vestries, with some necessary Information respecting the Offices of - VESTRY CLERK, PARISH CLERK, CONSTABLES, SEXTONS, &c. - - -Also, by the same Author, - -1. THE DOMESTIC LAWYER; or, a PRACTICAL and POPULAR EXPOSITION of the -LAWS of ENGLAND, containing the requisite Legal Information relative -to every possible Circumstance and Situation in which persons can be -placed in the ordinary occurrences of Trade and Social Life. Including -the Important Acts of last Sessions. Price 9s. bound in cloth. - -2. THE CONSTABLE and POLICE-OFFICER’S COMPANION and GUIDE. Price 4s. - - -_Dubrunfaut on Rectification and Distilling._ - -7. A COMPLETE TREATISE ON THE WHOLE ART OF DISTILLATION, with PRACTICAL -INSTRUCTIONS for preparing SPIRITUOUS LIQUORS from CORN, POTATOES, -BEET-ROOTS, and other Farinaceous and Sugary Vegetables; particularly -Useful to Maltsters, Brewers, and Vinegar Makers. Also, the ART of -RECTIFICATION, in which is particularly treated the Nature of ESSENTIAL -OILS, as the influential causes of the Tastes and Flavours of Spirits. -From the French of DUBRUNFAUT, by JOHN SHERIDAN. To which is prefixed, -the DISTILLERS’ PRACTICAL GUIDE, with genuine Receipts for making RUM, -BRANDY, HOLLANDS, GIN, and all sorts of _Compounds_, _Cordials_, and -_Liqueurs_. Price 12s. in cloth, illustrated with numerous Cuts of -improved Apparatus used in Distillation. - - -_Tingry’s House-Painter’s Manual._ - -8. The HOUSE-PAINTER’S and COLOURMAN’S COMPLETE GUIDE: or, EVERY MAN -HIS OWN PAINTER; being a Practical and Theoretical Treatise on the -Preparation of Colours, and their Application to the different kinds -of Painting, in which is particularly described the whole Art of HOUSE -PAINTING. By P. F. TINGRY, Professor of Chemistry, &c. Third Edition, -corrected and very considerably improved. Price 7s. cloth. - - -_Packer’s Dyer’s Guide._ - -9. THE DYER’S GUIDE; being a Compendium of the Art of Dyeing Linen, -Cotton, Silk, Wool, Muslin, Dresses, Furniture, &c.; with the Method -of scouring Wool, bleaching Cotton, &c.; and Directions for un-gumming -Silk, and of whitening and sulphuring Silk and Wool; and also an -Introductory Epitome of the leading Facts in Chemistry, as connected -with the Art of Dyeing. By THOMAS PACKER, Dyer and Chemist. Second -Edition, corrected and improved, price 6s. - - -_Siddons’s Cabinet-Maker’s Manual._ - -10. THE CABINET-MAKER’S GUIDE; or, Rules and Instructions in the Art -of Varnishing, Dyeing, Staining, Japanning, Polishing, Lackering, and -Beautifying Wood, Ivory, Tortoise-shell, and Metal; with Observations -on their Management and Application. By G. A. SIDDONS. Fifth Edition, -improved and enlarged, by the addition of several new Articles, -Receipts, &c. Price 3s. 6d. - -“We strongly recommend this as a _vade-mecum_, which should be in the -pocket of every Cabinet-maker.”—_Critical Gazette._ - - -_King’s Law of Auctions._ - -11. THE AUCTIONEER’S LEGAL GUIDE AND ADVISER; containing a practical -Exposition of the Law of Auctions, viz. - - 1. Qualifications, Responsibility, Rights, Duties, and Obligations of - Auctioneers. - - 2. The Mode of conducting Sales. - - 3. Directions for making Excise Returns, Delivery and Passing Account, - and Payment of Duty. - - 4. Property and Effects subject to and exempt from Payment of Duty. - - 5. The relative Rights of Vendors and Vendees at Auctions. - -With Rules and Directions for the Valuation of Lands and Fixtures: to -which are added, the Qualifications and Duties of Appraisers; with a -copious Appendix of Precedents. (Originally written by T. WILLIAMS, -Esq.) Fifth Edition, considerably improved. By WILLIAM KING. Price 7s. -bound in cloth. - - * * * * * - -Transcriber’s Notes - -Obvious typographical errors have been silently corrected. Variations -in hyphenation have been standardised but all other spelling and -punctuation remains unchanged. - -The repetition of the "Author's Address to the Reader" has been removed. - -The sequence of section numbers in Part II of the original is I-VI, -VII, VII, VIII, XI. This has been corrected. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Deadly Adulteration and Slow Poisoning Unmasked - Disease and Death in the Pot and Bottle - -Author: Anonymous - -Release Date: June 29, 2016 [EBook #52434] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DEADLY ADULTERATION *** - - - - -Produced by deaurider, Les Galloway and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="transnote"> -<p>Transcriber’s Note</p> - -<p>The original begins with a 22 page catalogue of “PRACTICAL BOOKS ON -Sporting Subjects”. This has been moved to the end.</p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<div class="figcenter" > -<img src="images/i_title.jpg" alt="Title Page" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h1> -DEADLY ADULTERATION<br /> - -<span class="xs">AND</span><br /> - -<small>SLOW POISONING UNMASKED;</small><br /> - -<span class="xs">OR,</span><br /> - -Disease and Death<br /> - -<small>IN THE POT AND THE BOTTLE;</small></h1> - -<p class="center"><span class="xs">IN WHICH</span><br /> - -THE BLOOD-EMPOISONING AND LIFE-DESTROYING<br /> -ADULTERATIONS</p> - -<p class="center"><span class="xs">OF</span><br /> - -<small>WINES, SPIRITS, BEER, BREAD, FLOUR, TEA, SUGAR, SPICES, CHEESEMONGERY,<br /> -PASTRY, CONFECTIONARY MEDICINES, &c. &c. &c.</small><br /> - -ARE LAID OPEN TO THE PUBLIC,</p> - -<p class="center"><span class="xs">WITH</span><br /> - -TESTS OR METHODS<br /> - -<small>FOR ASCERTAINING AND DETECTING THE<br /> -FRAUDULENT AND DELETERIOUS ADULTERATIONS<br /> -AND THE GOOD AND BAD QUALITIES</small><br /> - -<i>OF THOSE ARTICLES</i>:</p> - -<p class="center"><span class="xs">With an Exposé of Medical Empiricism and Imposture, Quacks and<br /> -Quackery, Regular and Irregular, Legitimate and Illegitimate: and<br /> -The Frauds and Mal-practices of Pawnbrokers and Madhouse-keepers.</span><br /> - -NEW EDITION.<br /> - -BY AN ENEMY TO FRAUD AND VILLANY. -</p> - -<p><span class="xs">“The Workshop of the Distillery [and of the Wine and Spirit Compounder] is -the Elaboratory of Disease and of Premature Death.”—<cite>Manual for Invalids.</cite></span></p> - -<p><span class="xs">Devoted to disease by baker, butcher, grocer, wine-merchant, spirit-dealer, -cheesemonger, pastry-cook, and confectioner; the physician is called to our assistance; -but here again the pernicious system of fraud, as it has given the blow, -steps in to defeat the remedy; the unprincipled dealers in drugs and medicines -exert the most diabolical ingenuity in sophisticating the most potent and necessary -drugs, (viz. peruvian bark, rhubarb, ipecacuanha, magnesia, calomel, castor-oil, -spirits of hartshorn, and almost every other medical commodity in general -demand;) and chemical preparations used in pharmacy. <cite>Literary Gazette.</cite></span></p> - -<p class="center"> -LONDON:<br /> -PUBLISHED BY SHERWOOD, GILBERT AND PIPER,<br /> -PATERNOSTER ROW.<br /> -</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<p class="center spaced">LONDON:<br /> - -<small>MARCHANT, PRINTER, INGRAM-COURT.</small></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2><a name="THE_AUTHORS_ADDRESS" id="THE_AUTHORS_ADDRESS">THE AUTHOR’S ADDRESS</a><br /> - -<span class="xs">TO</span><br /> - -<small>THE READER.</small></h2> - - -<p>The catalogue of frauds and enormities exhibited in -the following pages will, no doubt, excite the abhorrence -and indignation of every honest heart. Its author is, -however, convinced that he will find that he has undertaken -a very unthankful office—that his book will -be the dread and abhorrence of wicked and unprincipled -dealers and impostors of all kinds; and himself -exposed to their utmost rancour and bitterest maledictions. -But the die is cast: he has discharged a public -duty, and sincerely hopes that the Public may be benefited -by his disclosures.</p> - -<p>It has been justly said, that all attempts to meliorate -the condition of mankind have, in general, been coldly -received, while the artful flatterers of their passions and -appetites have met their eager embraces. And it is -no less true, that it has always been the fate of those -who have attempted any great public good, to be obnoxious -to such as have profited by the errors of mankind. -The divine Socrates, whose life was a continued -exertion to reprove and correct the overweening and -the vicious, died a victim to the Heathen Mythology, -on account of his maintaining the unity and perfections -of the Deity, and exposing the doctrines and -pretensions of the heathen priesthood and the Sophists, -and their mercenary views; and, in later times, -Galileo would have met a similar fate, had he not -bowed to error, and renounced a sublime truth, clear -as the glorious orb that was the object of it, and which, -soon after, was universally acknowledged. Even the -Divine Founder of our Faith and Religion was stigmatized -as the broacher of false opinions, and one who -misled the people, by his ignorant and malicious accusers, -whose frauds and delusions it was the object of -his mission to confound and overthrow, as well as to -free mankind from the bondage of their errors. But -without having the presumption or impiety to compare -himself with those benefactors of mankind, or to put his -humble endeavours in competition with their godlike -attempts, or to expect a similar result from them, it -will be a great consolation to the Author of this book, -when life is departing the frail tenement of his body, to -reflect that he has brought “deeds of darkness to -light,”—that he has been the humble means of unmasking -to public view the frauds and villanies that -are daily and hourly practised on the Public Health -and Welfare; and in that “trying hour” his most grateful -feeling and homage to English Law will be, that it -secures to every man the liberty of expressing his honest -indignation and abhorrence of palpable and disgusting -fraud and imposture.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“Hail to the Press!—</div> - <div class="verse">Vast artery of life, through which the stores</div> - <div class="verse">That feed the growth of Truth, Opinion pours;</div> - <div class="verse">The mighty lens through which she points the rays</div> - <div class="verse">That kindle Error’s records into blaze.—</div> - <div class="verse">Gigantic engine! power that supersedes</div> - <div class="verse">The long prescriptive <em>Use</em> that Folly pleads.—</div> - <div class="verse">O happy England!</div> - <div class="verse">Land of my fathers! may thy children keep.</div> - <div class="verse">E’en as they guard the empire of the deep,</div> - <div class="verse">The free, unshackled press, that best secures</div> - <div class="verse">Their rights, and liberty to truth assures.”</div> -</div></div></div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Mem.</span>—I have stated at p. 11, on the authority of the -author of “<cite>The Oracle of Health and Long Life</cite>,” -that the many sudden deaths that are daily happening in -and about the metropolis, are no doubt assignable to the -unprincipled and diabolical adulterations of food, spirits, -malt liquors, and the other necessaries of life. Since -that extract was printed in the pages of “<cite>Deadly Adulteration -and Slow Poisoning Unmasked</cite>,” I am sorry -to say, that I have observed numerous instances of the -sudden deaths of persons in apparently perfect health, -detailed in the London and country newspapers, and -even at the very moment that I am penning this remark, -I observe, in the columns of the Herald newspaper, -accounts of two persons in the prime of life and in good -health, whose deaths happened in a similar way.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2><a name="CONTENTS" id="CONTENTS">CONTENTS.</a></h2> - - - - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr> - <td align="left"> </td> - <td class="tdrb"><small>Page</small></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Introduction</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_3">3</a> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Wines and Spirits, Adulteration of,</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_12">12</a> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">————————— Tests of,</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_40">40</a> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Beer and Ale</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_50">50</a> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Bread and Flour</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_68">68</a> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Meat and Fish</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_78">78</a> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Tea, Coffee, Chocolate, and Sugar</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_83">83</a> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Spices</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_98">98</a> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Pickles</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_104">104</a> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Vinegar</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_105">105</a> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Olive Oil</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_107">107</a> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Salt and Mustard</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_108">108</a> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Anchovy Sauce and Mushroom Catsup</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_109">109</a> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Isinglass</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_110">110</a> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Blue and Soap</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_111">111</a> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Candles and Starch</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_113">113</a> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Bees’ Wax</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_114">114</a> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Butter</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_115">115</a> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Cheese, Bacon and Hams</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_116">116</a> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Milk and Cream</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_118">118</a> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Potatoes, Fruit, &c.</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_119">119</a> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Confectionary and Pastry</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_122">122</a> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Perfumery, Cosmetics, Hair Oils, Bear’s Grease, &c.</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_126">126</a> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Medicines, Medical Empiricism, Quacks, and Quackery</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_133">133</a> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Coals</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_170">170</a> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Colours, Hats, Broad Cloths, Laces, Kerseymeres, Linens, Cambrics, Silks, Jewellery, Stationery, &c.</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_176">176</a> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Conclusion</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_181">181</a> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Appendix</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_183">183</a> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">——— Gin, “Comfort” or “Blue Ruin”</td> - <td class="tdrb">ib.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">——— Fish</td> - <td class="tdrb">ib.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">——— Tea</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_184">184</a> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">——— Some more Morning Water and Sir Reverence Doctors</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_186">186</a> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">——— Noodle Medical Book-wrights</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_187">187</a> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">——— The Frauds and Mal-practices of Pawnbrokers and Madhouse Keepers</td> - <td class="tdrb"><a href="#Page_187">187</a> </td> -</tr> -</table></div> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>DEADLY ADULTERATION AND SLOW POISONING -UNMASKED; with Tests for Ascertaining and Detecting the -Fraudulent and Deleterious Adulterations, and the good and bad -qualities of Wines, Spirits, Beer, Bread, Flour, Tea, Sugar, -Spices, Cheesemongery, Pastry, Confectionary, Medicines, &c. &c.<br /> -Price 5<i>s.</i> bound in cloth.</p> - - -<p class="center"><i>Critical Opinions of the Work.</i></p> - -<div class="small"> - -<p>“We are always happy to meet with such true-hearted reformers as the enemies -to fraud and villany. Detesting the impositions of every form and variety to which -the simple inhabitants of this metropolis are daily made victims, our author in a -tone of ardent indignation, and disdaining to mince his expressions at a crisis so full -of peril, denounces in forcible language the scandalous practices of adulteration, from -which no material of food or luxury seems to be exempted. The style, however, -is occasionally diversified, and no sooner have we been roused into a sympathetic -feeling of anger with the author against this set of impostors, than we are called -on to unite with him in a hearty laugh at the ridiculous plight into which, by a -humourous and amusing term of expression, he puts another community of base -adulterators. We have not met, lately, with a volume of this compass, which -contains more useful information and amusing matter than the present one.”—<cite>Monthly -Review</cite> for Nov. 1830.</p> - -<p>“We honestly recommend this eventful volume.”—<cite>New Monthly Magazine</cite>, -Jan. 1831.</p> - -<p>“To go over all the subjects which this admirable volume embraces, would fill -many pages of our work; we must, therefore, refer our readers to the work -itself; and we shall be greatly astonished, if, after having perused it, they do not -thank us for the advice.”—<cite>Monthly Gazette of Health</cite>, for Oct. 1830.</p> - -<p>“This is a volume of intense and surpassing interest; its use and excellence -should be known to every person who values health and life; it should form an -appendage to every family library.”</p> - -<p>“This interesting book is evidently the production of a man of considerable -talents.”—<cite>Lancet</cite>, Jan. 1831.</p> - -<p>“This is a work of great public utility, and in author, whose honesty and -public spirit have placed him in the foremost rank of benefactors to the public -welfare, is richly entitled to the gratitude of the community.”</p> - -<p>See also <cite>Imp. Mag.</cite> for Dec. 1830; <cite>Home Missionary</cite>, for Oct. 1830; <cite>News</cite>, for -Jan. 1831; <cite>Atlas</cite>, for Jan. 1831; <cite>United Kingdom</cite>, Jan, 1831, &c. &c.</p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span></p> - - -</div><div class="chapter"> - -<p class="half-title">Deadly Adulteration,<br /> - -<span class="xs">AND</span><br /> - -SLOW POISONING;<br /> - -<span class="xs">OR,</span><br /> - -DISEASE AND DEATH<br /> -<span class="xs">IN</span><br /> -<small>THE POT AND THE BOTTLE.</small></p> - - -<hr class="small" /> - - - -<h2><a name="INTRODUCTION" id="INTRODUCTION">INTRODUCTION.</a></h2> - - -<p>The able and patriotic Editor of the Literary Gazette, -No. 156, in the course of his review of Mr. Accum’s -meritorious work on Culinary Poisons, makes the following -just and striking remarks:</p> - -<p>One has laughed at the whimsical description of the -cheats in Humphrey Clinker, but it is too serious for a -joke to see that, in almost every thing which we eat -or drink, we are condemned to swallow swindling, if -not poison—that all the items of metropolitan, and -many of country, consumption are deteriorated, deprived -of nutritious properties, or rendered obnoxious -to humanity, by the vile arts and merciless sophistications -of their sellers. So general seems the corruption, -and so fatal the tendency, of most of the corrupting<span class="pagenum" id="Page_4">4</span> -materials, that we can no longer wonder at the prevalence -of painful disorders and the briefness of existence -(on an average) in spite of the great increase of medical -knowledge, and the amazing improvement in the -healing science, which distinguish our era. No skill -can prevent the effects of daily poisoning; and no man -can prolong his life beyond a short standard, where every -meal ought to have its counteracting medicine.</p> - -<p>Devoted to disease by baker, brewer, grocer, wine-merchant, -spirit-dealer, cheesemonger, pastry-cook, confectioner, -&c. the physician is called to our assistance; -but here again the pernicious system of fraud, as it has -given the blow, steps in to defeat the remedy: even the -physician’s prescription is adulterated!</p> - -<p>Mr. Accum’s account of water (i. e. the Companies’ -water—the filthy and unwholesome water supplied from -the Thames, of which the delicate citizens of Westminster -fill their tanks and stomachs, at the very spot -where one hundred thousand cloacinæ, containing every -species of filth, and all unutterable things, and strongly -impregnated with gas, the refuse and drainings of -hospitals, slaughter houses, colour, lead, and soap -works, drug-mills, manufactories, and dung-hills, daily -disgorge their abominable contents) is so fearful, that -we see there is no wisdom in the well: and if we then -fly to wine, we find, from his analysis, that there is no -truth in that liquid; bread turns out to be a crutch to -help us onward to the grave, instead of being the staff<span class="pagenum" id="Page_5">5</span> -of life; in porter there is no support, in cordials no consolation; -in almost every thing poison, and in scarcely -any medicine, cure!</p> - -<p>That this denunciation of fraud and villany is not -mere assertion, the terrific disclosures that I am about -to make (some of which are to be found in Mr. Accum’s -book, and in greater detail than the space I have prescribed -myself allows) will fully prove to the contrary, -and show that it is the duty of the government to protect -the public by some legislative provisions, and to prohibit -and render penal the nefarious practices in daily use for -the diabolical and deleterious adulteration of the necessaries -of life, practices which are destructively inimical -to the public health and welfare. As Mr. Accum has -pointedly said in the preface to his work, “as the eager -and insatiable thirst for gain is proof against prohibitions -and penalties, and the possible sacrifice of a fellow -creature’s life is a secondary consideration among unprincipled -dealers,” nothing short of subjecting the -offence to the operation of the criminal law seems -likely to suppress the wicked and diabolical practices, -and secure the public from the silent and unobserved -effects of being slowly poisoned: transportation ought -to be the mildest punishment of the iniquitous offender. -Is it not, as the same gentleman justly observes, a reflection -on English law, that “a man who robs a fellow -subject of a few shillings on the highway should be -sentenced to death, while he who distributes a slow -poison to a whole community should escape unpu<span class="pagenum" id="Page_6">6</span>nished,” -at most with only the infliction of a trifling -fine, which proves to him the inefficiency of the law to -restrain him from a continuance in his iniquitous practices? -The inefficacy of fines, however large, in deterring -offenders from a commission or repetition of the -crime is evident, from the inadequacy of the large -penalties to which the adultering brewer, grocer, coffee-manufacturer, -&c. are subject when detected. For, besides -the difficulty of detecting this species of fraud and -iniquity, the large profits, which are often several hundreds -per cent. enable the culprits to meet the trivial -loss which attends a detection, and speedily reimburses -them the penalty of a conviction.</p> - -<p>“Plures crapula quam gladius,” says the old adage, -which, in a free translation, may be paraphrased “Cookery -depopulates like a pestilence.” To those versed in -the business of disease it is well known that this is no -exaggeration. But, dismal as is the destruction of human -life from this source, it is by no means equal to -that occasioned by the effects of the nefarious traffic in -the adulteration of the necessaries of life; the pernicious -and destructive mixtures and combinations to which -they are subject have produced greater ravages on health, -and given a greater empire to death than the united -scourges of famine and the sword in combination with -the refinements of cookery and the increase of gastrophilism:—they -occasion the loss of tens of thousands -of human lives every year in the metropolis alone. -It has with truth been said that to so alarming an extent<span class="pagenum" id="Page_7">7</span> -have the illicit practices of poisonous adulteration arrived, -“that it would be difficult to mention a single -article of food which is not to be met with in an adulterated -state; and there are some substances which are -scarcely ever to be procured genuine.”</p> - -<p>These spurious mixtures and counterfeit articles are -combined and manufactured with so much skill and ingenuity, -as to elude and baffle the discrimination of the -most experienced judges. And, for the purpose of ensuring -the secrecy of the nefarious traffic, “the processes -are distributed and subdivided among distinct -operators, and the manufactures are carried on in separate -establishments.” The tasks of proportioning the -ingredients and that of their composition and preparation -are assigned to distinct persons. In fact, “the -traffic in adulterated commodities finds its way through -so many circuitous channels as to defy the most scrutinizing -endeavour of individual exertion to trace it to -its source.” And the frequency of the act has rendered -the conscience of the offenders callous and indifferent -to the consequences. The man who would -shudder at the idea of giving a dose of arsenic to a -single individual sleeps soundly in his bed, though he -knows that he administers as fatal, though a slower, -poison to thousands every day. And such a man is -the baker, the miller, the wine-merchant, the brewer, -the publican, the druggist, the tea-dealer, and every -dealer who adulterates an article of food. And yet, -those thoughtlessly wicked men suffer their consciences<span class="pagenum" id="Page_8">8</span> -to be seared and bribed to silence through their self-interest -and craving appetite for unreasonable and unrighteous -gain!</p> - -<p>With respect to those “filthy nuisances” the gin-shops -and workshops of the wine and spirit dealers, -which have not inaptly been termed “the elaboratories -of disease and of premature death,” the following remarks, -which appeared in the New Monthly Magazine -for February, 1828, are dictated in the justest spirit -of criticism and of public duty. It is to be wished -that all journalists were disposed, in like manner, to denounce -fraud and imposture.</p> - -<p>“While there is so much prating and preaching about -the morals of the people; while the increase of crime -is grossly exaggerated, and the necessity of instruction -is loudly talked about! when even the lotteries, which -of late years did no harm at all, have been given up to -the prevailing fashion of affected sanctity, it is quite -preposterous that such filthy nuisances as the numerous -gin-shops of London should not merely be tolerated, -but sanctioned and encouraged by the legislature. We -do not speak of regular public-houses, but of those -places which are devoted only to the sale of spirits by -retail. They cannot be necessary for the purpose of -refreshments, and can only, as they do in fact, serve -to produce evils of the most lamentable nature.” Who, -that has a spark of feeling and integrity in his nature, -does not coincide in opinion with the ingenious and -accomplished editor of the distinguished periodical,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_9">9</span> -from which this spirited and sensible passage is extracted?</p> - -<p>But the truth is, as has been well observed by the -author of “The Manual for Invalids,” that it would be -difficult to discover any thing in social life that is more -virtually neglected than Public Health, which ought to -be an object of the greatest concern to all wise and paternal -governments, as well as to every influential and -well-disposed individual in the nation. “The Public -Health and the Public Morals,” as the same excellent -writer sagaciously observes, “should be the object of -the greatest solicitude on the part of every government, -instead of extracting a profit from deception and villany, -ignorance and vice. Were the various descriptions -of liquors in which alcohol bears so predominant -a part taxed to prohibition, there would be less of felony, -less of moral degradation, less employment for police -magistrates and judges, and less occasion for the executioner. -There would be a counterpoise in the reduction -of the parochial burthens, and a greater value -given to the moral character of the people; but, unfortunately, -the produce to the revenue is such as—while -it does not prevent the injurious use of spirituous -liquors, it enriches the coffers of the nation; and the -sacra auri fames has, as well in government matters -as in those of the quack, the adulterator, and the impostor, -the power of making that appear relatively right -which is absolutely wrong.”</p> - -<p>Nor is the general and immoderate use of ardent spi<span class="pagenum" id="Page_10">10</span>rits -only destructive to the body, but it acts eminently -as powerful incentives to vice of every kind. Does the -robber pause in his vocation? Does the murderer hesitate -to deprive his fellow-creatures of life? They are -presently wound up to a reckless sense of their crimes -at the gin-shop.—Has the seducer tried all his arts in -vain to despoil his unsuspecting victim of peace and innocence? -The seductive liquor offers him an easy prey, -and leaves his immolated victim polluted, disgraced, -and lost to society. The brothel is more indebted to -this source than to all the lures of seduction. In fact, -the seductive productions of the distillery and the winepress -impair the physical strength of the country, and -induce incorrigible habits of vice and intemperance.</p> - -<p>A reflecting writer has expressed an opinion that the -life of man would generally be extended to a hundred -years were it not for his excesses and the adulteration -of his food; and when we consider how many attain -even a greater age, under every disadvantage, we must -allow that there is probability in this opinion. When -we observe the early disfigurement of the human form, -the swollen or shrunk body, the bloated and self-caricatured -face, with the signs of imbecility and decrepitude -which we continually see, at an age when life -should be in its fullest vigour;—when, at every turn -we meet the doctor’s carriage; in every street, behold -a rivalry of medical attraction; it is impossible not to -feel a conviction that something must be essentially -wrong in our way of living. This is principally assign<span class="pagenum" id="Page_11">11</span>able -to our improper and unwholesome diet, but more -especially to the vile adulterations to which every article -of diet is now impudently and wickedly subjected. As -the author of the “Oracle of Health and Long Life” -observes, in a note to page 31, “it is no doubt to the -unprincipled adulterations of food, spirits, malt liquors, -&c. that a great number of the sudden deaths, which -are constantly happening in and about the metropolis, -is assignable. The adulteration, it is true, is not sufficient -to cause instant death, but it operates slowly, and -silently, and imperceptibly; so as not to excite sufficient -suspicion and inquiry respecting the cause. This is not -an idle or a random remark, but one founded on much -observation and on very probable grounds. It is hoped -that it will awaken public attention and inquiry respecting -these nefarious transactions.” Following this valuable -advice, I will exert myself to the utmost to promote -and call into action this necessary duty, and with -this intent the following pages were composed, for the -collection of the materials of which I have had singular -opportunities afforded me.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_12">12</span></p> - -</div><div class="chapter"> - -<h2>PART I.<br /> - -<small>WINES AND SPIRITS</small>.</h2> - - -<p>I shall divide this interesting portion of my work into two sections; -first, the Adulteration of Wines and Spirits, and the Tricks of Wine -and Spirit Dealers; and, secondly, the Tests or Methods of ascertaining -the Good and Bad Qualities of Wines and Spirits.</p> - - - -<h3><span class="smcap">Section I.</span>—<i>The Adulteration of Wines and Spirits, -and the Tricks of Wine and Spirit Dealers.</i></h3> - - -<h4>1. WINES.</h4> - -<p>The frauds and malpractices in use among the wine -and spirit brewers and compounders of the metropolis, -and the noxious and deleterious ingredients with which -those unprincipled men “make up” the poisonous compounds, -that they are daily vending to the public, under -the names of wines and spirits, exceed the devices, -and are, if possible, of a more deadly operation than -the sophistications and vitiated manufactures palmed -upon the public by the wicked and avaricious cozeners -of all other adulterating trades.</p> - -<p>The art or mystery of manufacturing spurious and -counterfeit wines and liquors forms a regular trade -of great extent in this metropolis, and is carried on -with so much skill and ingenuity, and has attained so -great perfection, as to render the irony of the witty<span class="pagenum" id="Page_13">13</span> -author of the Tatler no longer figurative; namely, that -“the transmutation of liquors under the streets of London -was so perfect, that the operators by the power of -magical drugs could convert a plantation of northern -hedges into a vineyard; could raise the choicest products -of the hills and valleys of France under the streets of -London; could squeeze Bourdeaux out of the sloe, and -Champagne from the apple.”</p> - -<p>Nor has the reprobation of the contaminations of -wines and spirits with substances deleterious to health -been confined to former times; they have been stigmatised -on account of their alarming and deadly increase -in numerous recent publications. I quote the following -artless lines, in which an honest country lad is represented -as expressing his abhorrence of his relative, a -London wine-merchant’s sophistications, not for the elegance -of the poetry, but as conveying an important -truth in a plain garb; perhaps its unaffected satire is not -ill adapted to awaken attention:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“So I buss’d Luke and mother, and, vastly concern’d,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Off I set, with my father’s kind blessing,</div> - <div class="verse">To our cousin, the wine merchant, where I soon learn’d</div> - <div class="verse indent2">About mixing, and brewing, and pressing;</div> - <div class="verse">But the sloe-juice and rat’s bane, and all that fine joke,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Was soon in my stomach a-rising,</div> - <div class="verse">Why, dang it! cried I, would you kill the poor folk?</div> - <div class="verse indent2">I thought you sold wine, and not poison!”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>But the particular histories of the corruptions of wines -and spirits will be more acceptable to those who are<span class="pagenum" id="Page_14">14</span> -desirous of preserving their health and enjoying their -existence comfortably, than quotation; for, were wine -and spirit bibbers aware of the abominable and fraudulent -processes of adulteration in use among wine and -spirit dealers and gin-shop keepers, they would not only -heartily join in the exclamation of the “poet of Nature,” -“Oh! that men should put an enemy in their mouths -to steal away their brains!” but they would be convinced -that it is not only high time that the fraud and villany -of their selfish and secret poisoners should be unmasked, -but also punished and suppressed. For this purpose I -shall detail some of the noxious compositions of the -wine and spirit dealers of newspaper notoriety, and of -the placarding gin-shop keepers, whose gaudy premises, -as well as those of other puffers at cheap prices, are designed -to catch the eye and arrest the attention of the -heedless and unwary. And thus I am inclined to believe -that my readers will heartily agree with one who -has materially and honourably contributed to expose the -villany of adulterators of all kinds, that, in the deterioration -and pernicious sophistication of the necessaries -and comforts of existence, it may with truth be said, in -a civil as well as in a religious sense, that “in the -midst of life we are in death.”</p> - -<p>Factitious wines are generally, in the slang phraseology -of the adulteration trade, “doctored” or “cooked,” -in order to give them particular flavours, and render -them similar to the wines they are intended to represent. -Thus bitter almonds (or the leaves of cherry laurel,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_15">15</span> -which are cheaper) are added to give a nutty flavour; -sweet briar, orris-root, clary, cherry-laurel-water, and -elder-flowers to form the bouquet of high-flavoured -wines; alum to render young and meagre red wines -bright; cake of pressed elderberries and bilberries to -render pale faint coloured port [or red sumach, &c. to -tinge spoiled white wines red] of a deep rich purple -colour;<a name="FNanchor_A_1" id="FNanchor_A_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_A_1" class="fnanchor">[A]</a> oak saw-dust, [sloes,] and the husks of filberts, -to give additional astringency to unripe red wines; -and a tincture of the seeds of raisins to flavour factitious -port wine; [with a variety of other ingredients, such as -spice, &c. to render wine pungent]. (The Vintners and -Licensed Victuallers’ Guide, p. 259.) And in the same -work, p. 225, among other deleterious ingredients, “sugar -of lead”<a name="FNanchor_B_2" id="FNanchor_B_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_B_2" class="fnanchor">[B]</a> is directed to be used for fining or clearing<span class="pagenum" id="Page_16">16</span> -cloudy white wines. That book and works of a similar -kind are the accredited repositories of the arcana of -sophistication for the publican and small wine and spirit -dealer, and gin-shop keeper; but, as Mr. Accum (Culinary -Poisons, p. 87) says, the more wholesale adulterators -and “large capitalists,” whether wine and spirit -brewer or ale and beer brewer, obtain, on payment of a -considerable fee, a manuscript from the brewers’ and -spirit-dealers’ druggist, containing the whole mystery of -managing and drugging wines, spirits, beer, or ale; or -they may be initiated in the respective crafts and mysteries, -by oral instruction, and practical demonstration, -on payment of a handsome douceur.</p> - -<p>The above is the general method of doctoring or -“cooking” wine and spirits. The following are the particular -and more ingenious methods of sophistication in -use among the advertising and placarding venders of -“genuine old Port” and “amber-coloured” or “fine -pale Amontillado Sherry.” Both sorts are generally -compounded of a small quantity of the real article either -in a good or a deteriorated state, according to the taste -or conscience of the compounder, with the necessary -proportions of Cape wine, cider, sal tartar, colouring -matter, brandy or rum cowe, or other adulterating slops, -which are calculated to form a tolerable basis, and to -bear a resemblance in colour and flavour to the wine -desired to be imitated. As the communication of the -particular ingredients of which these factitious wines are<span class="pagenum" id="Page_17">17</span> -composed cannot but be acceptable to my readers, I shall -give a particular account of each of the processes.</p> - -<p>Factitious, or fabricated port wine is usually made -by mingling or blending together in large vats Benecarlo, -or black strap, which is a strong coarse Spanish -wine of inferior quality; Red Cape; a sufficient quantity -of Mountain to soften the mixture and give it the -appearance of richness; a portion of sal tartar and gum -dragon (the object of the first ingredient is to cause the -wine to crust soon when bottled; of the second, to impart -a fullness and roundness of flavour and consistence of -body); colouring matter, or berry-dye, which is an extract -of German bilberries; brandy or rum cowe, which -is the rinsings of casks containing those liquors, obtained -by throwing in a few gallons of water into them after -the liquor is drawn off, and leaving it closely bunged up -till the cask has imparted the flavour of the liquor to the -water; and a quantity of spoiled cider, of which many -thousand pipes are annually brought to the metropolis -for this purpose. Sometimes a small quantity of port is -made use of, with rectified spirits and coarse brandy, -and, instead of the colouring articles above mentioned, -red saunders wood, or the juice of elderberries or of -sloes is employed. According to the Mechanics’ Magazine, -the chemical analysis of a bottle of cheap port -wine was as follows: spirits of wine, three ounces; -cider, fourteen ounces; sugar, one and half ounce; -alum, two scruples; tartaric acid, one scruple; strong -decoction of logwood, four ounces. And this is the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_18">18</span> -“genuine old port,” of unrivalled flavour and quality, -of the London fabricators and compounders. “Amber-coloured -Sherry,” or “the fine pale Amontillado -Sherry,” of the advertising wine-factor and placarding -gin-shop keepers is manufactured of coarse highly-brandied -brown Sherry, Cape wine, and brandy cowe; to -which are added extract of almond-cake or gum benzoin, -to impart a nutty flavour; cherry-laurel-water, to give a -roundness of flavour; lamb’s blood, to fine the mixture -and clear or decompose its colour; and oyster-shells and -chalk, for the purpose of binding and concentrating the -whole; and this delectable composition the knavish adept -in the art of deleterious combination palms on the credulity -of the public under the inviting title of “fine -pale Sherry, of peculiar delicacy and flavour.” Had the -late Dr. Kitchiner been aware of these sophistications -he would not have said “that, of the white wines, -Sherry is the most easy to obtain genuine, and is the -least adulterated.”</p> - -<p>The “fine old East-India Madeira, at unprecedented -cheap prices, for ready money only,” of these worthies -is a commixture of a portion of East-India Madeira -with Teneriffe, Vidonia, or Direct Madeira,<a name="FNanchor_C_3" id="FNanchor_C_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_C_3" class="fnanchor">[C]</a> and East-India -Cape.<a name="FNanchor_D_4" id="FNanchor_D_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_D_4" class="fnanchor">[D]</a> The “fine old soft-flavoured West-India<span class="pagenum" id="Page_19">19</span> -Madeira, <em>of capital quality</em>,” and, of course, at <em>exceedingly -low prices</em>, is manufactured from a portion of -genuine West-India Madeira and a sufficient modicum -of old thin Direct Madeira; and should the precious -commixture be approaching to acidity the kindness of -the sophisticating compounder obliges the palate of his -poor gulled customer with the insertion of a few ounces -of carbonate of soda. The genuine colour of pure -Madeira (one of the best off-hand methods of forming -an opinion of the goodness of Madeira is, as the author -of <cite>The Private Gentleman and Importing Merchants’ -Wine and Spirit Cellar-Directory</cite> judiciously says, by -its colour) is much paler than that of Sherry. When -it has a pinkish hue it is a sign of its having been adulterated -with Teneriffe.</p> - -<p>“The Old London Particular,” or any other imposing -and dainty appellation extracted from the adulterating -vocabulary of the artful sophisticator, is generally composed -of a combination of cheap Vidonia, common dry -Port, Mountain, and Cape wine, properly fined and reduced -to the requisite colour by means of lamb’s blood.</p> - -<p>The Cape wine generally sold to the public is com<span class="pagenum" id="Page_20">20</span>posed -of the drippings of the cocks from the various -casks, the filterings of the lees of the different wines in -the adulterators’ cellars, or from any description of bad -or spoiled white wines, with the addition of brandy or -rum cowe and spoiled cider. “The delicately pale Cape -Sherry, or Cape Madeira, at astonishingly low prices,” -and, of course, for <em>ready money</em>, is composed of the -same delicious ingredients, with the addition of extract -of almond cake, and a little of that delectable liquor, -lamb’s blood, to decompose its colour, or, in the cant -phraseology, to give it “complexion.”</p> - -<p>In fact, the impositions practised in regard to this -species of wine fully justifies the reprobation of the -writer in the 43d number of the Quarterly Review. -“The manufactured trash,” says the judicious critic, -“which is selling in London under the names of Cape -Champagne, Burgundy, Barsac, Sauterne, &c. are so -many specious poisons, which the cheapness of the common -and inferior wines of the Cape allows the venders -of them to use as the bases of the several compositions, -at the expense of the stomach and bowels of their customers.” -By mixing these wines with the lees of other -kinds, and fining and compounding them with various -drugs, they endeavour to counterfeit the more costly -vintages of Spain and Portugal, and even France.</p> - -<p>It is unnecessary to state that the “Old Vidonia -Wines,” the “Fine old delicately-pale Bucellas,” and -the “Unequalled and beneficial Tent,” for the <em>sick and -infirm, and the offices of our holy religion</em>, “sold re<span class="pagenum" id="Page_21">21</span>markably -cheap, for ready money,” by those honest and -tender-conscienced gentry, are base substitutes for the -genuine articles. To say nothing worse, Tent, Mountain, -Calcavella, &c. is Port wine, transmuted by the -addition of capillaire, &c. And, from the report of a -late case which came on before the Court of King’s -Bench, it appears that the scarce and costly Tokay, the -Lachryma Christi, and La Crême Divine, are seldom any -other than identical Sicilian wines of an inferior description; -the current price of which in the market is about -twelve pounds sterling per hhd. Oh! friend Bull, how -the sophisticating rogues trifle with thy dainty palate! -Hadst thou not better rest contented with thy soul-stirring, -heart-cheering, <i lang="la">vinum Britannicum</i>,—thy home-brewed -ale, and Sir John Barleycorn, instead of filling -thy <em>dear</em> stomach with a medley of foreign slops. Oh, -John, when wilt thou learn wisdom and find a loyal -pleasure in paying thy quota of tax on articles of home -manufacture! Alas! Johnny, thou art a sadly wayward -fellow! there is more hope of “the wild ass’s -colt” than of thee, when thy longings after foreign -luxuries seduce thy palate and blind thy understanding!</p> - -<p>Nor are the costly French wines less exempt from the -devices and sophistications of the imps of the “Father -of Deceit.” The “super-excellent” or “genuine Claret -of exceedingly fine description and of the choicest quality” -of the advertising and placarding dealers, is a -composition of inferior claret and a <i lang="la">quantum sufficit</i> of -Spanish red wine and rough cider, with the colouring<span class="pagenum" id="Page_22">22</span> -berry-dye. The colouring process is sometimes performed -by the agency of “black sloes,” “a dozen new -pippins,” or a “handful of the oak of Jerusalem,” are -often kindly introduced to improve its quality; and to -tickle the taste of the consumer of this wine, or of Port, -“an ounce of cochineal” is considerately thrown into a -hogshead of liquor “to make it taste rough.”</p> - -<p>When one views this goodly enumeration of items, it -must be admitted that the burthen of the old song does -not appear overcharged:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“One glass of drink, I got by chance,</div> - <div class="verse">’Twas claret when it was in France,</div> - <div class="verse indent4">But now from it moche wider;</div> - <div class="verse">I think a man might make as good</div> - <div class="verse">With green crabbes, boil’d in Brazil-wood,</div> - <div class="verse indent4">And half a pinte of cyder.”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>And it gives us cause to be satisfied of the truth of -Milton’s remark:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“Of deaths, many are the ways that lead</div> - <div class="verse">To his grim cave—all dismal.”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>O ye gulled Jacky Bulls, who revel in bibbing -“costly French wines,” how angry you will be with -me when I tell you that while you think you are sipping -“Genuine Sparkling Champagne,” you are titillating -your exquisite gullets with merely plain home-made -English gooseberry wine; or, what may be more alarming -to you, with worthless Champagne wine of very<span class="pagenum" id="Page_23">23</span> -dangerous and deleterious quality and tendency; whose -effervescence or sparkling is produced by disengaging -the carbonic acid of the wine by the agency of sugar. -To gain this end, the solid sugar is corked up in the -bottle, so that the disengaged gas is retained under the -pressure of the cork, ready to fly out whenever it is -removed. The agency of litharge of lead, in its worst -form, is often invoked in the manufacture of Champagne, -as well as of other white wines, in order to correct and -render bright such wines as have turned vapid, foul, or -ropy, or to prevent the progress of any ascescent quality -that they may have acquired. The least pernicious -mode of manufacture of this wine is by adding to the -spoiled Champagnes, a portion of the low, or “third -quality” wines from the indifferent vineyards, and occasioning -the admixture to undergo a fresh fermentation, -by the action of strong chemical agents; and then it is -vended as “<em>prime</em> still Champagne.”</p> - -<p>Some estimate may be formed of the extent of the -adulteration of this costly wine by the following notice -in Dr. Reece’s Monthly Gazette of Health for 1829.—“A -company of Frenchmen,” says that honest abominator -of roguery and quackery of all kinds, “have -contracted with some farmers in Herefordshire for a -considerable quantity of the fresh juice of certain pears, -which is to be sent to them in London, immediately -after it has been expressed, or before fermentation has -commenced. With the recently expressed juice they -made last year an excellent brisk wine resembling the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_24">24</span> -finest sparkling Champagne; and we are told that the -speculation was so productive, that they have resolved -to extend their manufactory.” To this account I can, -from a knowledge of the concern, perfectly assent, except -that the Anglo-French manufacture does not -exactly represent the first quality of Champagne wine, -as it is quite impossible for any imitative preparation to -represent that quality of wine.</p> - -<p>Many thousand dozens of wines are sold in the course -of the year in London as old wines, under names which -have scarcely any other title to the appellation of wine -than similarity of colour. “A particular friend of -mine,” says a correspondent to the Monthly Gazette of -Health, “purchased at a public sale by the hammer, a -quantity of ‘super-excellent’ claret, at the rate of 50<i>s.</i> -per dozen, which, on delivery, his butler discovered to -be the same wine he had exchanged with a wine -merchant at the rate of 20<i>s.</i> per dozen, being what is -termed <em>pricked</em>. The worthy Baronet complained of -the imposition, but the auctioneer would not listen to -him. He had tasted it previously to bidding for it, and -that was enough for him.”</p> - -<p>Another source of great profit to the cheap dealers, -the gin-shop keepers, and the advertizing wine-men, -arises from the size of the bottles in which they vend -their compounds and mixtures, ycleped “wine.”</p> - -<p>In the bottle-trade six various sizes are sold, namely:</p> - -<p>The full quart, of which twelve contain three gallons -of liquid, old measure.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_25">25</span></p> - -<p>The thirteens, of which there must be thirteen to -contain three gallons of liquid, old measure.</p> - -<p>The fourteens, of which there must be fourteen to -contain three gallons of liquid, old measure.</p> - -<p>The small fourteens, of which there must be fourteen -and a half, to contain three gallons of liquid, old -measure.</p> - -<p>The fifteens, of which there must be fifteen, to contain -three gallons of liquid, old measure.</p> - -<p>The sixteens, of which there must be sixteen, to contain -three gallons of liquid, old measure.</p> - -<p>The two last sizes are those sold to the gin-shops and -cheap wine venders.</p> - -<p>The above are the frauds practised by wine-dealers, by -vending bottles of inferior dimensions to the legal wine -quart, which contains thirty-two ounces; but many of -the bottles imposed on unwary purchasers do not contain -more than twenty-four ounces, and few more than -twenty-six ounces.</p> - -<p>The readiest way of detecting the fraud is by measuring -the suspected wine-bottle by Lyne’s graduated -glass measure, which holds half a pint, and is divided -into ounces, &c. Or, if you have not a measure of the -kind by you, weigh the contents of the suspected bottle -and compare the weight ascertained with the following -corresponding weights:</p> - -<p>1 legal wine quart = 32 ounces; or, 256 drachms.</p> - -<p>By subtracting the weight of the contents of the sus<span class="pagenum" id="Page_26">26</span>pected -bottle from this weight, you may precisely ascertain -the deficiency.</p> - - -<h4>2. SPIRITS.</h4> - -<p>In the adulteration of spirituous liquors, the advertising -and placarding compounder exerts equal ingenuity -and fraud, and obtains an equally lucrative traffic as -from wines. The “Curious old soft flavoured Cogniac, -ten years old,” of those nefarious dealers, is compounded -of Spanish or Bourdeaux brandy, neutral flavoured -rum, rectified spirits, British brandy, British brandy -bitters, cherry-laurel-water, extract of almond cake, -extract of capsicums, or of grains of paradise, burnt -sugar or colouring matter. But more generally that -“<em>medicinal</em>” compound British brandy is palmed on the -public, for real Cogniac brandy. This diabolical farrago -of mischievous ingredients, which was held forth to the -public by interested individuals concerned in the undertaking, -as calculated “entirely to supersede the use of -Cogniac brandy,” and “likely to prove of great benefit -to the <em>health</em> and <em>comfort</em> of the poorer and middling -classes of society,” is compounded of oil of vitriol, -vinegar, nitrum dulce, tincture of raisin stones, tinctura -japonica, cherry-laurel-water, extracts of capsicums or of -grains of paradise, orris-root, cassia-buds, bitter almond -meal, colouring matter, &c. from which enumeration of -“<em>neat</em>” articles it appears that this “almost superior -brandy to Cogniac,” as its modest manufacturers term -it, is a slow poison, and equally deleterious in its effects,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_27">27</span> -if not more so, than that vile composition—“cheap gin.” -That this is not an unfounded insinuation against “the -pure and unadulterated” article, sold, no doubt, “at astonishingly -low prices, and for ready money,” will appear -from the clear statement of the process of each manufacture -given by the author of The Wine and Spirit Adulterators -Unmasked, pages 179 and 198. “British -brandy,” says the honest Unmasker, “is <em>composed</em> of -drugs, gin only <em>flavoured</em> by them. In the manufacture -of gin, the ingredients are put into the still, with a -spirit which has been previously rectified, and the condensed -evaporation which is derived from the whole -constitutes the article gin. In the preparation, however, -of British brandy, the mixture is made without any -process through a still, being compounded more like a -quack doctor’s nostrum. The only part of the manufacture -wherein distillation is concerned, consists merely in -rectifying either rum or malt whiskey, to deprive them -of their essential oils, so that they may be reduced to -a state as tasteless as possible, and thereby more -readily receive the spurious flavours intended to be imparted -to them.</p> - -<p>“The other articles are added in their raw state.—Should -it be inquired why the same process as is -adopted in the manufacture of gin, should not succeed -in making British brandy, the answer is, because, in -distilling the necessary drugs with the rectified spirit, -the flavour would neither retain the sufficient predominancy, -nor be sufficiently fixed to enable the article<span class="pagenum" id="Page_28">28</span> -to sustain the desired likeness to brandy, besides that -the effect of several of the ingredients, such as the oil -of vitriol, and nitrum dulce, which are used to impart -a resemblance of the vinosity possessed by genuine -French brandy, would be completely destroyed.”</p> - -<p>“Fine old Jamaica rums of peculiar softness and -flavour” are manufactured of low-priced Leeward-island -rum, ale, porter, or shrub, extract of orris-root, cherry-laurel-water, -and extract of grains of paradise, or of -capsicums. Sometimes the composition consists of low-priced -Jamaica rums, rectified spirits of wine, and the -Leeward-island rums, with the necessary acid vegetable -substances, to give them false strength and pungency -and the requisite flavour; and thus the purchaser is -accommodated by the “caterers of <em>comfort</em>,” with -a rum which “<span class="smcap">cannot</span>” be adulterated, of exceedingly -fine and superior flavour, <em>remarkably cheap and for -ready money only</em>. The ripe taste which rum or brandy -that has been long kept in oaken casks obtains, is imparted -to new brandy and rum, by means of a spirituous -tincture of raisin-stones and oak saw-dust. And the -water distilled from cherry-laurel-leaves is frequently -mixed with brandy and other spirituous liquors to impart -to them the flavour of the cordial called Noyeau. -Sugar of lead not unfrequently forms part of the flavouring -ingredients of the retailers’ rums.</p> - -<p>But the perfection of adulteration is in gin,—cheap -gin—“the <em>real</em> comfort,”—patronized by the poor for -its supposed <span class="smcap">genuineness</span>! This infernal compound<span class="pagenum" id="Page_29">29</span> -of combustibles is distinguished from the other slow -poisons to which a large portion of the population of -“the queen of cities,”—our “modern Carthage,” -make themselves the willing victims, by the poisonous -nature of the ingredients of which it is composed.<a name="FNanchor_E_5" id="FNanchor_E_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_E_5" class="fnanchor">[E]</a> -These are the oils of vitriol, turpentine, juniper, cassia, -carraways, and almonds, sulphuric ether or phosphorus, -extracts of orris-root, angelica-root, capsicums or grains -of paradise, sugar, and heading. The aid of lime-water -and of spirits of wine is also invoked in the course of -the operation. The purposes of these mischievous ingredients -are as follow: The oil of vitriol is to impart<span class="pagenum" id="Page_30">30</span> -pungency and the appearance of strength, when the -liquor is applied to the nose, while the extract of capsicums -or of grains of paradise is designed to perform -the same office for the taste. The extracts of orris and -angelica roots give a fulness of body and the coveted flavour -called cordial to the large proportion of the compound, -which consists only of water. The remaining oils are -to give strength, the sugar to sweeten the composition, -and the lime to unite the oils with the spirit; while the -sulphuric ether, phosphorus, and heading are intended -to give the semblance of being highly spirituous from -the fiery taste, and the appearance of the light bead -which is caused to appear and remain for some time on -the surface of the noxious compound. The introduction -of the white arsenic is intended to promote an -irritable and feverish thirst, so that the poor deluded -consumer may be compelled to have recourse to fresh -potations of the “liquid fire.” The Hollands of the -gin-shop keepers and advertising dealers is a commixture -of a small portion of the genuine article with rectified -spirits, peppermint, cloves, &c. The cordial, -called Shrub, says Mr. Accum, Culinary Poisons, -p. 257, frequently exhibits vestiges of copper, which -arise from the metallic vessels employed in the manufacture -of the liquor. But, had that ingenious gentleman -been thoroughly acquainted with the manufacture -of shrub in the cellars of spirit dealers, he would not -have been quite so moderate in his remarks respecting -this seductive “<em>cordial</em>.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_31">31</span></p> - -<p>Such is a list of the detestable articles palmed on the -public, by the avaricious and unprincipled dealers and -cozeners in the factitious wines and spirits on constant -and extensive sale throughout every quarter of the metropolis. -The credulity and infatuation of the public in -the consumption of the deadly draughts are truly astonishing, -and are a verification of the sarcasm that were -the vision of death to appear to the tippler in each glass -of liquor that he puts to his lips, yet he would still persevere -in habits which are inevitably destructive of health -and comfort, and eventually productive of disease and -death. “Oh blindness to the future!—” Surely old -Jeremy Taylor’s observation respecting Apicius is equally -applicable to the inveterate consumer of wines and spirits—“It -would have been of no use,” says that orthodox -old divine, “to talk to Apicius of the secrets of -the other world, and of immortality; that the saints -and angels eat not! The fat glutton would have stared -awhile and fallen a-sleep. But if you had discoursed -well and knowingly of a lamprey, a large mullet, or a -boar, animal propter convivium, and had sent him a -cook from Asia to make new sauces, he would have -attended carefully, and taken in your discourses greedily.” -The same feeling I expect will be displayed -towards this book by the inveterate dram-drinker: he -or she will curse the author, as a busy-body, for his -intermeddling with, and abusing their “<em>dear</em> comfort.” -People are apt to conclude that a practice sanctioned -by time and numbers must be right; but there cannot<span class="pagenum" id="Page_32">32</span> -be a conclusion more fallacious. The grossest possible -absurdities have been sanctioned for the same reasons. -No doubt some will defend their practice of dram-drinking -and immoderate potations of wines, and of -malt and spirituous liquors by the unsound plea that -they find no ill effect from their self immolation from -drinking the deadly draughts; but reasoners so deluded -should recollect that, though there are persons who are -insensible to the immediate effects from strong liquors, -either spirituous or malt, yet to those who seldom or -ever use them, they act as quick poisons; not waiting -their tedious operation in the form of fever, gout, stone -and gravel, dropsy, bile, rheumatism, head-ache, scurvy, -cancer, asthma, consumption, palsy, brain fever, apoplexy, -mania, and a long list of other frightful and -loathsome diseases. In truth, as the author of “<cite>The -Oracle of Health and Long Life</cite>” forcibly observes, -“they paralyze the nervous system and the heart’s -action; and the tremulous hand, the palsied limbs, the -bloated and inflamed countenance, and the faltering -tongue, super-induced by their immoderate use, indicate -that premature death lays claim to his deluded and -self-destroying victim!”</p> - -<p>Nor is this the worst consequence of the immoral -and unsocial act: for the unhappy wretch who is addicted -to the habitual and vicious use of ardent spirits, -besides subjecting himself to the attack of “the whole -army of diseases” which assault the human frame from -intoxication, often exhibits a more awful demonstration<span class="pagenum" id="Page_33">33</span> -of the consequences of violating the laws of morality -and social decency: I allude to the extraordinary fact -of the spontaneous combustion of the body, which has -often terminated the existence of old and inveterate -drunkards.</p> - -<p>This combustion is occasioned in such persons from -the whole fabric of the body being so changed, by the -constant practice of spirit-drinking, with inflammable -matter (probably hydrogen); or, chemically speaking, -it acquires so powerful an attraction for oxygen, that it -suddenly takes fire, (in some instances spontaneously, -in others from the flame of a candle or too powerful a -heat of the fire,) and the body is reduced to a cinder.</p> - -<p>The persons in whom this dreadful visitation of apparently -supernatural punishment for the violation of -the laws of nature has occurred, have been chiefly women. -In some cases the unhappy sufferers have been -found burning, “sometimes with an open flame flickering -over the body, sometimes with a smothered heat or -fire, without any open flame whatever; whilst the application -of water has occasionally seemed rather to -quicken than impede the combustion.</p> - -<p>“In no instance has the fire or flame thereby excited -in the body been so powerful as essentially to injure the -most combustible substances immediately adjoining it, -as linen or woollen furniture.</p> - -<p>“The event has usually taken place at night, when -the sufferer has been alone, and has commonly been -discovered by the fœtid penetrating scent of sooty films,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_34">34</span> -which have spread to a considerable distance. The unhappy -subject has in every instance been found dead, -and more or less completely burnt up.”</p> - -<p>The above awful account is quoted from Dr. Mason -Good’s “Study of Medicine;” but relations of numerous -cases of the above horrid termination of existence may -be found in the Philosophical Transactions, Vols. 63 and -64, in Dr. Young’s “Medical Literature,” and in a variety -of Foreign Journals, medical as well as general.</p> - -<p>Let all those who are addicted to habitual intoxication -and the consumption of the infernal compositions -of nefarious dealers in spirits, read and re-read the above -quotation, and may they take warning, and renounce -that unhappy propensity.</p> - -<p>It is true that wine and malt liquors, and even occasionally -spirits, are far from prejudicial, when properly -made, and used with discretion; but as it is almost -impossible to find them in that state, except when -home-made or home-brewed, there is certainly much -risk in drinking them. Yet, strange to say, though the -stoutest among us has no predilection for the “King -of Terrors,” inclination and habit are so strong and -seductive, that the greater part of mankind still persevere -in habits with a perfect knowledge of their inevitable -consequences,—that they are destructive of -health and inductive of death. For the purpose of -awakening the attention of those who are under this -unhappy delusion, is the design of the present publication. -The most grateful sensation to a well disposed<span class="pagenum" id="Page_35">35</span> -heart is the salvation of a fellow creature from misery -and perdition. I beseech heaven that I may be successful -in my undertaking.</p> - -<p>But the base and iniquitous adulterations of wines -and spirits are not the whole of the “illicit doings” of -the advertisers and placarders, and their worthy compeers, -the commission-men, the wine-hawkers, and the -dock wine-merchants. “Among the deceptions practised -by this class of dealers,” says the author of Wine -and Spirit Adulterators Unmasked, p. 157, and he is no -indifferent authority on the subject, “may be reckoned -the delivering of a less quantity of wine than is charged -for in the invoice, the disposing of a wine with a false -description of its being of some particularly fine and noted -vintage; the sending of another wine, of an inferior quality, -as the one which had been tasted and sold; together -with a variety of other peculations. The gin-shop-keepers -and advertising dealers in spirits not only -give short measure of their adulterated ingredients, but if -they sell any thing like the genuine article they dilute -it much below (often one hundred per cent.) the legal -strength, namely, seventeen per cent. below proof, according -to Sykes’s hydrometer.”</p> - -<p>For the following valuable information respecting the -ingenious devices of the “<em>gentlemen</em>” wine-merchants, -I am indebted to the pages of “<cite>The Private Gentleman -and Importing Merchant’s Wine and Spirit -Cellar Directory</cite>:”—A work replete with the most -useful information on the subject, as containing the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_36">36</span> -best and most practical instructions on the selection, -purchase, management, medication, and preservation of foreign -wines, of any work extant in any language. It has -been well said by a judicious critic, “No book is more -wanted than a good, practical, and complete one on this -important subject: it would be worth its weight in gold, -and its author would be a public benefactor to his country. -More than nine-tenths of the wine imported into -this country is either spoiled or impoverished by the -ignorance or mismanagement of the wine-dealer or the -purchaser; as at present conducted, the management of -a wine-cellar is, in most cases, all random, hap-hazard, -and guess-work. Ought we to be surprised at the result, -the consequent loss or injury of the wine? It is, therefore, -with considerable satisfaction we recommend this -little work as a valuable addition to our domestic economy.”</p> - -<p>“As many people place reliance on the genuineness -of wines purchased in the Docks, and think that such -purchases are more exempt from fraud and imposition -than if obtained from the dealer’s shop or vaults, and -that they will have them ‘<em>neat as imported</em>,’ it is -necessary to caution them to be on their guard in respect -of the persons with whom they deal. Inferior -articles, false descriptions, substitutions for the one -selected, and various other peculations, take place there -as frequently as is the case when wines are purchased -at the dealer’s shop, &c. Other impositions of as flagrant -a nature consist in transferring wines of a <em>most</em><span class="pagenum" id="Page_37">37</span> -inferior sort into pipes recently emptied, and originally -filled with wine of the best vintages and flavour; and as -the outside of the cask bears the marks of the foreign -houses of character, from whose vintages the wines contained -in the casks were furnished, this fraud is found -to turn to very good account. By delusions of this -kind, the most detestable trash ever vended under the -name of wine is frequently foisted on purchasers. But -if this statement is not sufficient to satisfy those who -fondly suppose that by making their purchases in the -‘Docks’ that they will always have their expectations of -obtaining unadulterated wine fulfilled, they should recollect -that the owners of wines in the ‘Dock’ are at liberty -to mix them in whatever manner and proportions they -please, provided they come under one denomination as -to colour and pay the same duty. These remarks will, -I trust, satisfy my readers that ‘an extensive range of -counting-houses,’ ‘numerous clerks employed’ and -professions of ‘the high character of the house,’ should -not supersede the necessity of making a <em>little</em> inquiry -as to the <em>fair dealing and integrity</em> of the vender.”</p> - -<p>The foregoing “<i lang="fr">exposé</i>” of trickery and fraud, and -the shameful latitude and extensive means afforded designing -and iniquitous men, of practising their roguery -on the credulity and folly of the public, as well as to the -loss of the revenue, evidently shows that our present -system of excise-laws is defective and absurd: indeed, -it is disgraced by the most perfect anomalies; for, while -the brewer and vender of spices, &c. are subjected to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_38">38</span> -the strictest survey of the excise, and the frauds and -adulterations used in those trades are punished, (when detected, -though it must be acknowledged that that happy -consummation of justice is rather of rare occurrence even -with those sophisticators,) in the most prompt and efficient -manner, the venders and compounders of “seductive -poison,” in the form of drams, are allowed to manufacture -and sell their deleterious inventions to an enormous -extent, and with an effrontery disgraceful to civilized -society. But, perhaps, the old artful plea of the -“immense wealth,” and “the great value of the property,” -of “the large capitalists” engaged in the nefarious trade, -(the worst and most futile of all pretentions,) have entitled -the “deputations” of wine and spirit dealers and -compounders and distillers that have, from time to time, -waited on the Chancellors of the Exchequer, to “undoubted -consideration;”<a name="FNanchor_F_6" id="FNanchor_F_6"></a><a href="#Footnote_F_6" class="fnanchor">[F]</a> and where the worthies have<span class="pagenum" id="Page_39">39</span> -been detected (a chance which but seldom happens) in -their iniquitous practices a prudent private compromise, -or sum-total-fine, for the offence and the expenses of the -Excise-solicitor, “have shrouded the offenders and their -misdeeds in impenetrable secrecy from the public eye.”</p> - -<p>Another lame and false doctrine that prevails in -“<em>government logic</em>” is, that where extensive concerns, -whether brewery, distillery, wine-factories, or quack-medicine-factories, -yield an important contribution to -the revenue, no strict scrutiny needs to be adopted in -regard to the quality of the article from which such contribution -is raised, provided the excise and customs do -not suffer by the fraud. “But,” as that intrepid advocate -of fair dealing, Mr. Accum, forcibly and justly observes, -“the principles of the constitution afford no -sanction to this preference, and the true interests of the -country require that it should be abolished; for a tax -dependent on fraud must be at best precarious, and must -be, sooner or later, diminished by the irresistible diffusion -of knowledge. Sound policy requires that the law -should be impartially enforced in all cases; and if its -penalties were extended to abuses of which it does not -now take cognizance, there is no doubt that the revenue -would be abundantly benefited.”</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“O England! model to thy inward greatness,</div> - <div class="verse">Like little body with a mighty heart,</div> - <div class="verse">What would’st thou do that honour would thee do,</div> - <div class="verse">Were all thy children kind and natural?”</div> -</div></div></div> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_40">40</span></p> -<p>Were they all influenced by the same honest, bold, -and disinterested motives as the ill-fated Accum, who -has been offered a vindictive sacrifice on the altar of -trading cupidity and fraud. Every honest man must -allow that <em>the expatriation of that gentleman is a -disgrace to the country which he has adorned and -benefited by his talents, and ought to be deplored as -a loss to the real interests of science and humanity</em>.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h3>SECTION II.<br /> - -<i><small>The Tests, or Methods of ascertaining the Good or -Bad Qualities of Wines and Spirits.</small></i></h3> - - -<p>Though there are many tests in use for the discovery -of the presence of mineral poisons, such as litharge -and other preparations of lead, or pungent vegetable -nostrums, namely extract of capsicums, &c. in -wines and spirits, yet it must be admitted that there are -no efficient tests for detecting the presence of the foreign -agents above mentioned in either wines or spirits, except -by chemical analysis; because, in the fraudulent combination -which takes place, those articles bear the largest -proportions which possess the same chemical properties -as do the wines and spirits with which they are compounded. -The injurious tendency of the vegetable poisons -which form a component part of the spurious compositions -which are vended under the denomination of -cheap wines and spirits, and their injurious and linger<span class="pagenum" id="Page_41">41</span>ing -effects are so imperceptible on the human constitution, -that, as the author of “The Oracle of Health and -Long Life” observes, they must be deadly indeed to -produce immediate injury, so as to give suspicion of -their presence.</p> - -<p>The presence of sugar of lead, or any other deleterious -metal in wine, may be detected by filling a glass -with wine, and adding a few drops of Harrowgate-water, -or melted brimstone, when the wine will with the last -mentioned ingredient becomes blackish, and with the -other it will immediately produce a black sediment; but -if it be unadulterated it will only lose its clearness, taste, -and colour. Or the adulteration may be discovered by -adding one part of water saturated with sulphuretted -hydrogen gas, acidulated with a small portion of muriatic -acid, to two parts of wine, or any other liquid, -in which the presence of lead is suspected, when a -blackish coloured precipitate will settle at the bottom of -the vessel, which, being dried and fused by means of the -blow-pipe, will yield a globule of metallic lead. The -prussiate of potash is occasionally employed for the same -purpose: a drop or two being sufficient to show a white -or greyish precipitate in any fluid in which lead is contained. -When white wines have an unusual degree of -sweetness, are of a darker colour than their age and -body seem to warrant, and particularly when their use, -or that of the red wines, is followed by pains in the -stomach, it may be concluded that they have been -adulterated with lead.</p> - -<p>The process to detect the presence of alum in wine,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_42">42</span> -is to take some fresh prepared lime-water, and to mix -the suspected wine with it, in about equal proportions; -if after the mixture has stood about a day, a number -of crystals is found deposited at the bottom of the vessel, -the wine is genuine; but, if alum is present in the wine, -there will be no crystals, but a slimy and muddy precipitate. -Or the presence of alum may be detected, by -dropping some solution of subcarbonate of potash into -the wine, when, if the alum be present, there will be a -violet coloured precipitate, or at least cloudiness, which -will vanish again if a few drops of caustic, potash, or of -muriatic acid are added to the mixture.</p> - -<p>Where artificial colouring matter is suspected in wine, -put a quarter of a pint of the liquor into a phial, with -an ounce of fresh charcoal finely pulverized. Then -shake the mixture well for a few minutes, when, if the -wine is impregnated only with its own natural colouring, -that colour will be chemically destroyed, and the wine, -when filtered, will yield a clear limpid fluid; but, if the -wine is artificially coloured, such artificial colours will -not be acted on by the charcoal, and the mixture will -appear unchanged.</p> - -<p>Extraneous colours in wines may also be detected by -means of acetate of lead. If this test produces, in red -wine, a greenish grey precipitate, it is a sign that the -wine is genuine. Wine coloured with the juice of bilberries, -or elderberries, or Campeachy wood, produces, -with acetate of lead, a deep blue precipitate; and fernambouk -wood, red saunders, and the red beet, produce -a red precipitate by the agency of the acetate of lead.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_43">43</span></p> - -<p>According to Cadet (Dictionnaire de Chimie, art. -Vin.) this species of adulteration may be detected by -pouring into the suspected wine a solution of sulphate of -alumine, and precipitating the alum by potash. If the -wine is pure, the precipitate will have a bottle green colour, -more or less dark, according to the natural hue of -the wine. But if the colour has been artificial the -following will be the results:—</p> - - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr> - <td align="left">Tournesol</td> - <td align="left">will give a precipitate of</td> - <td align="left">a bright yellow colour.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Brazil wood</td> - <td></td> - <td align="left">a brownish red colour.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Elderberries or privet</td> - <td></td> - <td align="left">a brownish violet colour.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Wortleberries</td> - <td></td> - <td align="left">the colour of dirty wine lees.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Logwood</td> - <td></td> - <td align="left">a lake red colour.</td> -</tr> -</table></div> - -<p>But Dr. Henderson says, in his learned work, entitled -“The History of Ancient and Modern Wines,” p. 342, -that the simple test pointed out to him by his friend -Dr. Prout is equally satisfactory, and may be applied -either to red or white wines. “On adding ammonia to -wines, which had the appearance of being genuine, he -observed that the precipitate was of an olive green colour; -shewing the analogy between the colouring principle -and the vegetable blues, most of which are rendered -red by acids, and green by alkalis. This conjecture is, -in some measure, confirmed by the recent discovery of -M. Breton, professor of chemistry in Paris, with respect -to the cause of that disorder in wines known by the -name of <i lang="fr">tournure</i>. Wine thus affected acquires a disagreeable -taste and smell, loses its red colour, and assumes -a dark violet hue, which changes are found to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_44">44</span> -proceed from the presence of carbonate of potash, in -consequence of the decomposition of the tartar contained -in the liquor. To restore the natural colour and flavour, -if the disease be not of long standing, it is only necessary -to add a small quantity of tartaric acid, which, -combining with the potash, forms cream of tartar, as is -shown by the subsequent deposition of crystals. Revue -Encyclopedique, November, 1823. In genuine wines, -the colouring matter seems to partake of the character -of a lake, partly held in solution by the excess of acid -present, and partly combined with the earthy phosphates; -for, in the precipitates obtained from these wines -by means of ammonia, it appears in union with the -triple phosphate of magnesia. Even the white wines -of Xeres, Madeira, and Teneriffe, exhibit this mixed -precipitate; their colouring matter being probably derived -from the red grapes which enter into their composition. -In fictitious wines, on the other hand, such as those -procured from the black currant, gooseberry, orange, &c. -the last mentioned salt was thrown down by ammonia, -but more gradually, in less quantities, and without any -admixture.”</p> - -<p>The method of ascertaining the strength, or quantity -of spirit or alcohol in wines is by the following process, -for the discovery of which the public is indebted to -Mr. Brande.</p> - -<p>“Add to eight parts, by measure, of the wine to be -examined, one part of a concentrated solution of subacetate -of lead; a dense insoluble precipitate will ensue; -which is a combination of the test-liquor with the co<span class="pagenum" id="Page_45">45</span>louring, -extractive and acid matter of the wine. Shake -the mixture for a few minutes, pour the whole upon a -filter and collect the filtered fluid. It contains the -brandy, or spirit, and water of the wine, together with -a portion of the subacetate of lead. Add, in small -quantities at a time to this fluid, warm, dry, and pure -subcarbonate of potash, (not salt of tartar, or the subcarbonate -of potash of commerce); which has previously -been freed from water by heat, till the last portion -added remains undissolved. The brandy or spirit contained -in the fluid will become separated; for the -subcarbonate of potash abstracts from it the whole of -the water, with which it was combined; the brandy or -spirit of wine forms a distinct stratum, which floats -upon the aqueous solution of the alkaline salt. If the -experiment be made in a glass tube, from one half inch -to two inches in diameter, and graduated into a hundred -equal parts, the per centage of spirit, in a given -quantity of wine, may be read off by mere inspection. -In the same manner the strength of any wine may be -examined.”</p> - -<p>The following is the proportion, or per centage, of -alcohol or spirit in some of the most common wines and -spirituous liquors. But such of my readers as may wish -to gain more extensive information on the subject, I -refer them to the first volume of the Journal of Science -and the Arts, p. 290.</p> - - - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr> - <td align="left">Madeira</td> - <td align="right">24.42 to 19.24</td> - <td align="center">average</td> - <td align="right">22.77</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left"><span class="pagenum" id="Page_46">46</span>Sherry</td> - <td align="right">19.81 to 18.25</td> - <td align="center">average</td> - <td align="right">16.17</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Claret</td> - <td align="right">17.18 to 12.91</td> - <td align="center">average</td> - <td align="right">15.10</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Port</td> - <td align="right">25.83 to 19.96</td> - <td align="center">average</td> - <td align="right">22.99</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Champagne</td> - <td align="right">13.80 to 11.30</td> - <td align="center">average</td> - <td align="right">12.61</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Cider, highest average</td> - <td align="right">9.87</td> - <td align="right">lowest do.</td> - <td align="right">5.21</td> -</tr> -</table></div> - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr> - <td align="left">Brandy</td> - <td align="right">53.39</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Rum</td> - <td align="right">53.68</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Gin</td> - <td align="right">54.32</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Whiskey (Scotch)</td> - <td align="right">54.32</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Whiskey (Irish)</td> - <td align="right">53.90</td> -</tr> -</table></div> - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr> - <td align="left">Ale (Burton)</td> - <td align="right">8.88</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">—— (Edinburgh)</td> - <td align="right">6.20</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">—— (Dorchester)</td> - <td align="right">5.50</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">London Porter (average)</td> - <td align="right">4.20</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td align="left">Small Beer (average)</td> - <td align="right">1.28</td> -</tr> -</table></div> - -<p>The above proportional quantities of alcohol contained -in the different kinds of wine are extracted from Mr. -Brande’s experiments detailed in the work before mentioned; -but as it appears that that gentleman made -his experiments on samples of wine into which adventitious -alcohol had been introduced, he seems in some -instances to have assigned a greater degree of spirituosity -to some wines than the subsequent analysis of -Dr. Prout will justify, in the case of experiments made -on genuine wines. To those who are desirous of informing -themselves accurately on the subject, a reference -to the Table at pages 363 and 364 of Dr. Henderson’s -work on the History of Ancient and Modern Wines, -in which the results of the experiments of Mr. Brande,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_47">47</span> -Dr. Prout, and Mr. Zist, an able chemist residing at -Mentz, are detailed, is recommended.</p> - -<p>The quantity of astringent matter, or tannin, contained -in wine, may readily be ascertained by dropping -a solution of isinglass into it, when a gelatinous precipitate -takes place in proportion to the tannin, whether -it be Port, Claret, or Burgundy.</p> - -<p>The adulteration and false strength of spirituous -liquors, as brandy, rum, and malt spirit, are detected -by diluting the suspected liquor with water, when the -acrimony of the capsicum, or the grains of paradise, or -pepper, may be easily discovered by the taste. Or by -taking about a quart of the suspected liquor, and pouring -it into a retort, or small still, and boiling it gently, -until the whole of the spirituous part is evaporated, the -residuum, if capsicum, grains of paradise, &c. have been -present in the liquor, will retain a hot pungent taste. -A ready way of detecting aqua-fortis, or oil of vitriol, in -spirits, is, by dropping into a glass of the suspected -liquor, a bit of chalk about the size of a pea, when the -liquid, if spurious, will become like milk, but, if genuine, -the chalk will lie at the bottom.</p> - -<p>The adulteration of brandy with British molasses or -sugar spirit, is ascertained by rubbing a portion of the -suspected liquor between the palms of the hands, when -the spirit, as it evaporates, leaves the disagreeable -flavour which is peculiar to all British spirits. Or the -liquor may be deprived of its alcohol, by heating a portion -of it in a spoon over a candle till the vapour ceases<span class="pagenum" id="Page_48">48</span> -to catch fire on the approach of a lighted taper. The -residue thus obtained, if genuine brandy, possesses a -vinous odour, resembling the flavour of brandy, whilst -the residue produced from sophisticated brandy, has a -peculiarly disagreeable smell, resembling gin, or the -breath of habitual drunkards. The purity of spirits -may also be easily ascertained by setting fire to a little -of the suspected article in a spoon, when, if they be -unadulterated, they will all burn away, without leaving -any moisture behind. The presence of lead, or any of -its preparations, in spirituous liquors, may be detected -by the same method as has been stated in the case of -wine. Where gin has been highly sweetened with sugar, -by evaporating some of the suspected liquor in a spoon -over a candle, the sugar will appear in the form of a -gum-like substance when the spirit is volatilized.</p> - -<p>The presence of lead as a component part of cider or -perry, whether happening accidentally from the leaden -bed of the press, or inserted intentionally for the purpose -of neutralizing the super-abundant acid of the liquor, -may be tested by putting a solution of molybdate of -potash into the suspected liquor; when a white precipitate -will take place, even though the lead should exist -in the smallest possible quantity. It is needless here to -enumerate the various tricks of “the knowing ones” -for giving a factitious crust to wine bottles,<a name="FNanchor_G_7" id="FNanchor_G_7"></a><a href="#Footnote_G_7" class="fnanchor">[G]</a> by means of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_49">49</span> -Brazil wood and potash; or the colouring and eating -away of wine corks,<a name="FNanchor_H_8" id="FNanchor_H_8"></a><a href="#Footnote_H_8" class="fnanchor">[H]</a> to represent long residence in the -neck of the bottle, though perhaps only driven in yesterday. -Nor is the crusting even of the wine-casks, -which is accomplished by means of crystals of the super-tartrate -of potash, to be trusted to.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_50">50</span></p> - -<p>Those who wish to know the <em>allowable secrets</em> of the -adulteration trade will find them fully explained in -“<cite>The Private Gentleman or Importing Merchants’ -Wine and Spirit Cellar Directory</cite>,” with many other -“Secrets Worth Knowing” by cozeners; but it may -be observed that the older port wine is, the less of the -tartar, or super-tartrate of potash is contained in it, -and the greater the deposition on the sides of the cask -or bottle. But new wine may be put into old casks or -old bottles. Therefore, to ascertain the quantity of the -salt, take a pint of wine, and boil it down to one-half, -into which drop a solution of muriate of platina, when -a precipitate will take place, greater or less, in proportion -to the quantity of salt contained in the wine.</p> - - - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h3>SECTION III.<br /> - -<small><i>Beer and Ale.</i></small></h3> - - -<p>“The nutricious and strengthening<a name="FNanchor_I_9" id="FNanchor_I_9"></a><a href="#Footnote_I_9" class="fnanchor">[I]</a> beverage” of -the English, “their own native old Sir John Barley<span class="pagenum" id="Page_51">51</span>corn,” -is not exempt from the sophistications and corruptions -of the adulterator! Ye topers of “<em>pure</em> extract -from malt and hops,” do you hear this? That -your own sweet proper suction—your ancient and legitimate -accompaniment of the sirloin and the plum-pudding, -is composed of every thing else than what it -ought to be,—in fact, that it is one of the slowest and -most fatal poisons with which your good friends “the -<em>honest</em> English brewers” are continually entertaining -you. Aye, John, it is the truth—and the whole truth. -But should you, with your usual “well-clothed stupidity, -and sneering ignorant scepticism,” feel inclined to -doubt my assertion, a reference to the “Minutes of the -House of Commons, appointed for examining the price -and quality of beer,” will furnish you with a goodly -list of nearly two hundred Excise prosecutions and convictions -(between the years 1812 and 1819), of wholesale -and retail brewers, publicans, and brewers’ druggists, -for the nefarious adulterations of your favourite -beverage, or for having in their possession, or selling<span class="pagenum" id="Page_52">52</span> -the poisonous ingredients for the purpose; in which -there are several instances of penalties of £500, with -costs having been inflicted on the offenders. Since that -time, seizures of illegal and poisonous articles have also -been often made by the Excise, and convictions have -taken place. During the latter end of the last year, -and at the commencement of the present year, seizures -have been made, and convictions have taken place, -nearly equal in number to those before stated: indeed, -as a writer on the subject truly observes, “scarcely a -week passes without witnessing the detection of some -wicked greedy wretch,” who has been sporting with the -lives and health of his fellow-creatures. And, when -you have satisfied your incredulous understanding of -your “<em>honest</em>” countrymen’s dealings with you, you -may, perhaps, by reading the following extract from -Mr. Accum’s book on Culinary Poisons, p. 189, be -satisfied that you are not exactly swallowing a “cordial -balsam,” or “the elixir of life,” when you are pouring -into your portly stomach that delectable mixture, in the -composition of whose combustible materials the brewer’s -(or “<em>gentleman</em>”) druggist, the brewer, and the publican -have kindly and humanely exerted their honest -and patriotic skill.</p> - -<p>“That a minute portion of an unwholesome ingredient, -daily taken in beer,” (says the intrepid advocate -of offended justice, whose civil death to science and -suffering humanity is to be sincerely deplored,) “cannot -fail to be productive of mischief, admits of no doubt:<span class="pagenum" id="Page_53">53</span> -and there is reason to believe that a small quantity of a -narcotic substance daily taken into the stomach, together -with an intoxicating liquor, is highly more efficacious -than it would be without the liquor. The effect -may be gradual; and a strong constitution, especially -if it be assisted with constant and hard labour, may -counteract the destructive consequences, perhaps for -many years, but it never fails to show its baneful effects -at last.”</p> - -<p>But, perhaps, friend John, you will say that this is -all talk, and a mere bug-a-boo of the “radicals” to -annoy you in your daily potations of your “favourite -beverage,”—thy own native nutritious liquor. And -you will call for something like proofs, or an enumeration -of the deleterious substances or ingredients which -have been found in the possession of brewers and publicans, -and for the admixture of which with their -“<em>neat article</em>,” they have been subject to the Law’s -angry visitations. This is a reasonable request, and it -shall be satisfied to the best of my power.</p> - -<p>Know then, friend Bull, that the following <em>harmless</em> -and <em>invigorating</em> ingredients have been found in the -possession of thine honest fellow-countrymen, the -brewers, according to the list of the Excise prosecutions -detailed in the Minutes of the Committee of the House -of Commons, appointed for examining the price and quality -of beer in the year 1819.</p> - -<p>1. Cocculus Indicus, or, as it is vulgarly called, -occulus Indian berry. This is a powerfully narcotic,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_54">54</span> -and most intoxicating and deleterious drug. In its -mildest form, it produces excruciating head-aches and -distressing sickness, when the beer is over-dosed. So -great was the demand for this poisonous drug, that it -rose, as Mr. Accum says, within the space of ten years, -from 2<i>s.</i> to 7<i>s.</i> per lb. The extract or poisonous principle -obtained from the berries is so abundant as to be -easily separated from the substance, and is called by -the chemist picrotoxin, a term derived from two Greek -words, namely, πιχρος, bitter; and τοξιχον, poison. What -thinkest thou of this, friend John? In India, the berries -are thrown on the surface of the water for the purpose -of intoxicating the fish, when they float on the -water, and are easily taken by the hand.</p> - -<p>2. Black Extract, or, as it is called, in the slang -phrase of the Adulterating Vocabulary, Hard Multum, -which is also an extract of the poisonous Indian berry, -or a composition of opium and other ingredients.</p> - -<p>3. Nux Vomica and St. Ignatius’s Bean, which are -both poisonous; but the first is so extremely deleterious -a drug, ten or twelve grains of it being sufficient to kill -a dog, that it is now expunged from the Pharmacopeias. -Yet, although no one ever hears of its application, -except for poisoning rats, it is imported in large quantities, -and tons of this deadly poison are ground every -year in the drug-mills of the metropolis. The bitter -bean, or, as it is more commonly termed by the tender-conscienced -gentry, who sport with the health and lives -of their fellow-creatures, St. Ignatius’s bean, in order,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_55">55</span> -no doubt, to appease the qualms of conscience under a -sanctified name, is no less injurious to health.</p> - -<p>4. Opium, Tobacco, Extract of Poppies, Henbane, -Bohemian Rosemary, and Coriander seed, which are -all highly dangerous when improperly used. Chemical -experiment has proved that less than one pound of the -last-mentioned ingredient equals in strength and stupefactive -quality one bushel of malt.</p> - -<p>5. Essentia Bina, or Double Essence; that is, sugar -boiled down to a black colour and an empyreumatic -flavour. But, instead of the concentrated essence, the -intent of which is to produce the requisite colour in -porter, the colouring matter now generally used by the -more respectable part of the trade is malt roasted in -iron cylinders until it is black like coal. In this state -it is called patent malt, and is not prohibited by the -Excise.</p> - -<p>6. Heading Stuff, that is green copperas, or, as it -is vulgarly called, Salt of Steel. This poisonous ingredient -is used for the purpose of giving the beer a -frothing head; sometimes used alone; sometimes it is -mixed with alum.—In the hands of one adulterator, -310lbs. of copperas and 560lbs. of hard multum were -found and condemned. A sufficient dose for slowly -poisoning half a generation!</p> - -<p>7. Capsicum, grains of paradise, carraway seeds, -treacle or molasses, liquorice root, &c.</p> - -<p>8. Wormwood, aloes, quassia, bitter oranges, &c.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_56">56</span></p> - -<p>9. Lime, marble dust, powdered oyster shells, hartshorn -shavings, jalap, spirit of maranta, &c.</p> - -<p>These ingredients, nocuous and innocuous, are intended -to produce the following effects:</p> - -<p>1. To give a factitious strength and intoxicating quality -to the beer.</p> - -<p>2. To increase the bitter principle, and consequently -to save hops.</p> - -<p>3. To add a stimulating aromatic flavour.</p> - -<p>4. To produce a fine mantling head to porter, and -strike a fine nut brown colour over the froth.</p> - -<p>And, 5. To prevent acidity, or to diminish or destroy -it when formed.</p> - -<p>“It is absolutely frightful,” exclaims Mr. Donovan, -(Domestic Economy, p. 201,) “ to contemplate the list of -poisons and drugs with which malt liquors have been (as -it is technically and descriptively called) <em>doctored</em>. -Opium, henbane, cocculus indicus, and Bohemian rosemary, -which is said to produce a quick and raving -intoxication, supplied the place of alcohol. Aloes, quassia, -gentian, sweet scented flag, wormwood, horehound, and -bitter oranges, fulfilled the duties of hops. Liquorice, -treacle, and mucilage of flax seed, stood for attenuated -malt sugar. Capsicum, ginger, and cinnamon, or rather -cassia-buds, afforded to the exhausted drink the -pungency of a carbonic acid. Burnt flour, sugar, or -treacle, communicated a peculiar taste which porter drinkers -generally fancy. Preparations of fish, assisted in -cases of obstinacy with oil of vitriol, procured trans<span class="pagenum" id="Page_57">57</span>parency. -Besides these, the brewer had to supply himself -with potash, lime, salt, and a variety of other -substances, which are of no other harm than in serving -the office of more valuable materials, and defrauding -the customer.” In this extract it is observable that that -ingenious gentleman has drawn up his account in the -past tense, as if there were no adulterations now!!! The -author of “The Art of Brewing,” in the Library of -Useful Knowledge, has adopted a juster and a more -honourable course; besides giving a fuller list of poisonous -articles, he has spoken boldly and truly, and tells -us that poisonous adulterations are “still used extensively” -by those who “sport with the lives of their fellow -creatures for the sake of gain,” and that “the seizures -and convictions that have been so often made, and are -still making by the Excise,” are proofs of the fact. It -is, however, with much satisfaction (for no other motive -influences me in making the horrific disclosures detailed -in this volume than a regard for the public welfare and -for public justice) that the statement made in that -publication respecting the introduction of gypsum into -the manufacture of Burton Ale has been disproved in -the recent application made to the Court of King’s Bench -by the Burton Ale Brewers, who assert that the peculiarity -of flavour belonging to their liquor is occasioned -by the water from which it is made running over a rock -of gypsum, and thus impregnated with that substance.</p> - -<p>In the year 1807, a paragraph appeared in almost all -the London daily papers, asserting that porter, brewed in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_58">58</span> -London, contained deleterious drugs. The London porter -brewers, indignant at the “<em>unjust</em> and <em>causeless</em>” -accusation, had a meeting, and one and all agreed to -prosecute the offending journalists. They of course made -affidavits, and complied with all the requisites of the law -to establish their “<em>innocence</em>.” They moved the Court -of King’s Bench for criminal informations against three-fourths -of the daily press, and their Counsel made long -speeches on “the guilt and unfounded and malicious -libels of their accusers.” All looked well for obtaining -a verdict of guilty against the denouncers of fraud and -villany, and establishing the <em>purity</em> and <em>justice</em> of “the -brewing interests,” by the verdict “of an impartial and -intelligent jury,” had not the late Lord Ellenborough declared -the affidavits of the swearing-brewers insufficient, -as the cunning varlets had only denied the introduction -of deleterious ingredients <em>in</em> brewing; whereas, to ground -their application and entitle them to the rule, they -should have denied having used them <em>after</em> the beer -was brewed. But as the pillory might have stared the -honest gentry in the face had they made this “<em>hard</em>” -assertion in their affidavit, the <em>knowing</em> folks here broke -down; they could go no further. After making the -town echo with the cries of “the infamous press,” they -prudently dropped all proceedings against the proscribed -journalists. The inference to be drawn is not difficult -to surmise; but the fact is, that the publicans, who have -of late been so sharply prosecuted by the Excise for -adulterating their beer, can best answer the question:<span class="pagenum" id="Page_59">59</span> -From whom did they learn the respectable art of beer-sophistication? -Was it not from their “betters,” the -“beer-mongers?”</p> - -<p>If the foregoing statement of ingredients contained -in the above infernal list is not sufficient to induce thee, -friend Bull, to lay aside thy incredulity, and open thy -eyes to the frauds that are daily practised on thy unsuspecting -nature, I can only add that one of the -“craft” (see Child, on Brewing, p. 18) tells thee that -porter cannot be made of the necessary flavour and taste -to suit the Londoner’s appetite, and of the proper colour -to tickle his fancy by its appearance, of wholesome malt -and hops, and that those simple ingredients would not -furnish a profit sufficient to satisfy the modern brewer’s -cupidity. Well may the old ladies exclaim (and no -doubt, Mr. Bull, thou hast a penchant for displaying thy -Latinity) O <em>trickery</em>! O <em>mouthes</em>!</p> - -<p>But supposing, dear Bull, that all the above “horrid -array” of poisoning and stupefying ingredients was -“mere fudge,” and that you should have the fortune to -deal with a brewer and publican, who have the “fear of -the Lord” before their eyes, and who “wax strong in -well doing,” recollect that the present manufactured -“<em>entire</em> beer” of the most <em>honest</em> trading brewer alive -is a very heterogeneous mixture—a composition of all -the waste and spoiled beer of the publicans, the bottoms -of their butts—the leavings of their pots—the drippings -of their machines for drawing the beer—the remnants -of beer that lay in the leaden pipes of the brewery, with -a portion of brown stout, bottling beer, and mild beer.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_60">60</span> -So admits that “paragon of brewers,” Mr. Barclay. -(See Parliamentary Minutes, p. 94.) Surely, John, it -is not courteous and loving treatment of thy “better -half” and her “dutiful daughters” to expect them to -sully their delicate throttles with the leavings and hawkings -of some bearish beast of a coal-heaver or a night-man! -This, friend John, is one of the “indicia” of -the necessity of thy cultivating the clean and wholesome -“home brewery” of thy forefathers; and in the promotion -of this laudable and necessary undertaking I hope -I shall be able to assist thee in my projected work, -“<span class="smcap">The Family Brewing Oracle</span>,” and that, by its -means, thou wilt be enabled to drink a wholesome and -nourishing beverage, either ale or porter, at the trifling -cost of from five farthings to three halfpence per pot, after -the tasting of which thou wilt never allow a drop of -brewers’ or public-house porter, or intermediate beer, -or any other vile or new-fangled substitution for -the home-brewed liquor of thy ancestors, to enter thy -chaps.</p> - -<p>But, in your honest sincerity and “usually naive -manner,” you will exclaim “but we have methods and -tests for detecting the adulteration of our native liquor—our -vinum Britannicum—our own Sir John Barlycorn.” -Aye, have you, Old Gentleman! then I give you joy of -your discovery, and hope thou wilt put it into constant -practice every day of thy life before thou takest a sup -of the delectable and heart-cheering composition. But, -for my part, John, give me leave to say that I have -always understood that the detection of the adulteration<span class="pagenum" id="Page_61">61</span> -of beer with vegetable substances deleterious to health -is extremely difficult, if not beyond the reach of chemical -agency or analysis; and in most cases, particularly -where cocculus indicus, or its extract, has been used, -quite impossible. The tests for ascertaining the admixture -of sulphuric acid are more determinate, and are -ably detailed in Mr. Accum’s work, p. 193.</p> - -<p>Among the minor crimes of fraudulent brewers is -the art of converting new beer (that is beer that is just -brewed) into old or entire beer; and this operation -(which, in the cant phraseology of the trade, is called -<em>bringing the beer forward</em>, or <em>making it hard</em>) is performed -by an easy, expeditious, and economical method: -an imitation of the age of eighteen months is produced -in an instant, or, as modern statesmen, versed in the -<em>wonderful</em> arcana of political science, would phrase it, -“As soon as you could say Jack Robinson.” To put -into execution this rare feat of “brewers’ art” you have -nothing more to do, in order to convert any wishy-washy -slop into an old entire beer, and, consequently, to -render it “<em>rich, generous, of a full-bodied taste, without -being acid, and of a vinous odour</em>,” than to throw -in a quantum sufficit of sulphuric acid.<a name="FNanchor_J_10" id="FNanchor_J_10"></a><a href="#Footnote_J_10" class="fnanchor">[J]</a> Stale, half<span class="pagenum" id="Page_62">62</span> -spoiled, or sour beer, may as easily be converted into -mild beer, by the proper quantity of alkali, or alkaline -earth, oyster-shell-powder, subcarbonate of potash or -soda; which substances have the effect of neutralizing -the excess of acid.</p> - -<p>Another of the less culpable adulterations by both -brewer and publican is the admixture of small with strong -beer. According to the evidence of the solicitor of the -Excise (Mr. Carr), given before the Committee of the -House of Commons, appointed for examining the price and -quality of beer, in the year 1819, (see Minutes of the -House of Commons, p. 32, &c.) the retailers of beer -in London and its neighbourhood, purchase stale table-beer, -or the bottoms of casks, from a set of men who -go about and sell such beer at table-beer price to mix in -the publicans’ cellars with the new beer they receive -from the brewer. Among some of the trade it is the custom -to mix the poor low-priced country ales with porter.</p> - -<p>But, O John, thou lover of a “<em>cauliflower head!</em>” -art thou aware how this object of thy admiration, and -indeed natural property of good beer is produced? No -doubt thou wilt be hard of belief in this respect; but -I must be candid with thee, and tell thee that the “fine -frothy head,” the ne plus ultra of thy admiration and -test of good porter, is produced by thy honest friend and -crony, the publican, by the simple admixture of the -delectable and harmless article “<em>beer heading</em>” with<span class="pagenum" id="Page_63">63</span> -the “genuine stuff” he receives from his worthy compeer, -the brewer. When thy “gentle friend” observes -the frothy property of the beer to be lost by his admixture -of the legitimate modicum of small beer or “aqua -pura,” molasses, extract of gentian-root and isinglass, -(all which ingredients, no doubt, good soul, he adds for -thy better health, and to save it from the injurious effects -of too strong potations,) he prudently throws in his -beer-heading, which is a composition of common green -vitriol, or copperas, alum, and salt. The publicans are -supplied with this article either by the <em>regular</em> and <em>accredited</em> -manufacturer, or they are instructed in its -manufacture by those vile and infamous publications in -circulation, known by the name of Publicans or Vintners’ -Guides, Directors, Friends, &c.—I have carefully gone -through those pestiferous books, and examined their -farrago of mischievous receipts and instructions for the -adulteration and “making up” of wines, spirits, beer, -&c. and can safely say that more infernal ingenuity, -and a more reckless want of honesty and humanity have -never been displayed in the basest concoctions of fraud -and villany than is the case in those wretched publications. -It is, however, but fair to exempt from this censure -a work which has recently appeared, entitled “<cite>Clarke’s -Publican and Innkeeper’s Guide, and Wine and Spirit -Dealer’s Assistant</cite>;” which, though not entirely exempt -from objection, is evidently the production of a skilful, -and, what is of greater importance to the public, of an -honest man, and possesses the great recommendation of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_64">64</span> -instructing the trade in all the <em>allowable</em> secrets of the -craft, without endangering the health and lives of the -consumers; while it enables its readers to obtain better -and more efficient results by its directions than can possibly -be obtained by following the deadly and inefficient -receipts of its predecessors.</p> - -<p>I have now, friend Bull, brought my disclosures respecting -thy favourite beverage—thy fondly but mistakenly -imagined “<em>pure</em> extract from malt and hops,” to a -close; but, shouldst thou still be hard of belief, I recommend -thee to put thy tongue into the enchanting -cauldron of some brewer-friend of thine; but, remember -that I cannot ensure thee that thou will redraw it quite -as unaffected or renovated as the tragic poet describes -Æson to have sprung from the cauldron of Medea.</p> - -<p>In the above detail of adulterations in the public -brewery of this country, no personality is intended in -the tone of reprehension assumed on the subject; the -remarks are intended to be applied only to “the most -worthless part of the trade, to such as disgrace the -name of brewer, by sporting with the lives of their fellow -creatures for lucre’s sake.” Those odious and detestable -wretches deserve the severest castigations, and -every member of the community should lend his hearty -co-operation to their exposure and punishment. But -while it is the duty of every man whom nature has gifted -with a heart capable of feeling for his fellow creatures, -to expose the monsters who secretly poison the human -race, it must be admitted that the very heavy and inju<span class="pagenum" id="Page_65">65</span>dicious -taxation to which brewers are subject has compelled -even many of the more conscientious of the trade -to have recourse to measures which are not quite agreeable -to the dictates of honesty, and to draw immense -lengths of wort from the least possible quantity of malt, -so that the liquor is neither of a nutritive nor a relishing -quality. But the error in this case arises from the -same cause as it does in that of wines—the incompetency -of the persons (who were either the favourites, the dependants, -or the retainers of the existing ministry of -the day) appointed to frame the statutes regulating -those trades; and, laughable to say, those precious -legislators have prohibited the use of articles which are -not only innoxious, but occasionally advantageous.<a name="FNanchor_K_11" id="FNanchor_K_11"></a><a href="#Footnote_K_11" class="fnanchor">[K]</a> In<span class="pagenum" id="Page_66">66</span> -the statute of Charles the Second, which regulates the -management of foreign wines, the blunder is singular; -by that act several substances are forbidden to be mixed -with wine, which, in themselves, are not only innocuous, -but are highly conducive to its purity and right -preservation, and give it the necessary brightness and -perfection!</p> - -<p>Oh, Bull, when will thy law-makers and law-concocters -learn <em>a little</em> of that old-fashioned and much neglected -commodity,—<span class="smcap">common sense</span>. Were the same -good sense and knowledge of the subject, and of the condition -of society, indicated by them as are displayed -by the more unassuming but efficient department of the -state machinery—the dispensers of our laws (of course I -cannot be mistaken to mean the justices of the peace!) -the country would not be put to the expense of making -laws one day which are to be repealed the next, and -there might appear some just pretension for the high-sounding -titles of “English Justinians,” and “heaven-born -legislators,” with which a portion of the periodical -press is idly and continually bespattering certain members -of the executive department of the government.</p> - -<p>As my printer tells me that a few lines are wanting<span class="pagenum" id="Page_67">67</span> -to complete this page, and being desirous to give my -readers all I can afford for their money, a word or two -on the legislative mania which seems to have taken hold -of some honourable members “of the noblest assembly -of freemen in the world,” may not be misplaced. And -for the sake of brevity, I shall adduce, as an example, the -memorable attempt to modify the Quarantine Laws on -the advice, testimony, and <em>experience</em> of the renowned -Dr. M’Lean. When arguments being taken as facts, and -the absurdities of reasoning as the evidence of experience, -the whims and reveries of that gentleman, who -was described by one (a member of St. Stephen’s) of -the anti-contagionists as “one of those extraordinary -persons who will be pointed out by the finger of the -future historian,” would have received the stamp and -authority of law, and we should have had the blessing -of plague being as common in our houses as measles, -coughs or colds, had not “the ignorance of those who -attempt to mislead the public, and the indiscretion of -those who are inclined to believe them,” been exposed -and refuted by the late Dr. Gooch, in his invaluable -paper “Is the Plague a Contagious Disease?” which -appeared at the time (anno 1825), in <cite>The Quarterly -Review</cite>, and is now appended to his <cite>Account of Female -Diseases</cite>.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_68">68</span></p> - -</div><div class="chapter"> - -<h2 id="PART_II">PART II.</h2> - - -<p class="center"><i>A Word or Two, by way of Introduction.</i></p> - -<p>I have told thee, friend Bull, while discoursing of -the little slips and sleights of hand in use among thy -good and ancient friends, the wine and spirit dealer, the -gin-shop keeper, the brewer, and the publican, that thou -wouldst be satisfied that “Death was not only in the -Bottle,” but that thou wouldst find that the complaint -of the sons of the prophet, “There is Death in the -Pot” ought not to have been confined to the narrow -limits of Gilgal, but that it extends in all its operations -to the illicit doings in thy own “dear native little island”—the -“land of the <em>good</em> and the <em>wise</em>.” I shall -now proceed to unfold to thee this part of my duty, and -then I apprehend that thou wilt lay aside thy usual -scepticism and incredulity, and acknowledge that I have -made out to thy satisfaction the truth of my horrific -title “<span class="smcap">Deadly Adulteration and Slow Poisoning; -or, Disease and Death in the Pot and -the Bottle</span>.” I shall begin with the “<em>Staff of Life</em>.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h3>SECTION I.<br /> - -<small><i>Bread and Flour.</i></small></h3> - - -<p>Good bread is light, porous, and spongy; of a sweet -nutty smell; and when pressed with the finger is tough<span class="pagenum" id="Page_69">69</span> -and resists the pressure like sponge, recovering with a -spring its original texture as soon as the finger is removed: -if any fracture appears, it is a sign of adulteration. -The more numerous and large the cells or little -holes are in it, the more perfectly is the bread made, and -the better adapted for digestion.</p> - -<p>Bread to be good, should be made of wheat flour; -but the adulteration trade in this prime article of human -consumption display no less ingenuity in the art of -fraud and deception than their rivals in iniquity do in -the wine and spirit and beer sophistications: convictions -are on record of bakers having used pulverised -gypsum or plaster of Paris, whiting, slacked lime, -chalk, finely powdered granite, pipe-clay, particularly -the white Cornwall clay, the flour of garden peas and -horse beans, potatoes, bone-ashes, alum, spirits of vitriol, -ammonia, magnesia, &c. They allege that, as -they are often supplied by the mealmen with flour made -from the worst kinds of foreign damaged wheat, and -which is frequently mixed with a variety of other cereal -grains in the course of grinding, they cannot produce -bread of a sufficient degree of whiteness, lightness, -and porosity, to please the caprice of the London palate, -without having recourse to the conjoint aid of -alum, ammonia, and potatoes.<a name="FNanchor_L_12" id="FNanchor_L_12"></a><a href="#Footnote_L_12" class="fnanchor">[L]</a> This is the allegation<span class="pagenum" id="Page_70">70</span> -made by the <em>respectable</em> part of the trade, and those who, -with sufficient disposition to wickedness, are deficient -in the knowledge of the art of slow and imperceptible -poisoning. What excuse the <em>irrespectable</em> part of the -trade can make for their nefarious traffic in the remaining -portion of the enumerated articles must be left to the -tender and honest consciences of those gentry.</p> - -<p>“The baker,” says Mr. Accum, in his Preliminary -Remarks, p. 11, “asserts that he does not put alum -into bread; but he is well aware that, in purchasing a -certain quantity of half spoiled flour, he must take a -sack of <em>sharp whites</em>, (a term given to flour contaminated -with a quantity of alum,) without which it would -be impossible for him to produce light, white, and -porous bread, from a half spoiled material.</p> - -<p>“The wholesale mealman frequently purchases this -spurious commodity, (which forms a separate branch of -business in the hands of certain individuals,) in order -to enable himself to sell his decayed flour.</p> - -<p>“Other individuals (namely, the “<em>gentlemen</em>” druggists) -furnish the baker with alum mixed up with salt, -under the obscure denomination of <em>stuff</em>. There are -wholesale manufacturing chemists, whose sole business -is to crystallize alum in such a form as will adapt this -salt to the purpose of being mixed with crystals of common -salt, to disguise the character of the compound.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_71">71</span></p> - -<p>The mixture called <em>stuff</em> is composed of one part of -alum, in minute crystals, and three of common salt.”</p> - -<p>I omit to object to the adulteration of flour produced -by the sand, which is unavoidably occasioned by the -rubbing of the mill-stones together. The author of the -“History of Inventions,” vol. i. p. 98, estimates that -every person swallows 6lbs. yearly, in the quantity of -flour and bread which he consumes.</p> - -<p>The foregoing statement of <em>artist</em> ingenuity displayed -by the Messieurs “Crust,” must be allowed to be liberal -treatment of poor Mr. John Bull, in comparison with the -acts of their rivals in the noble art of sophistication, the -gin-shop-keeper, the brewer, the publican, and the other -“trading interests of the nation.” But it will be better -treatment to furnish the old gentleman with a test or -two to enable him to detect the frauds of his said good -friends, Messieurs les Crust and their compatriots, the -mealmen.</p> - -<p>The ready tests or methods for ascertaining those -adulterations are: If an undue proportion (for bakers -contend that the bad quality of the flour sold to them -by the miller renders the addition of potatoes advantageous -to the purchaser as well as to the baker) of -ground or grated potatoes has been used, the bread -will be moist, have a sourish smell, and, when stale, if -a pressure be made upon it with the finger, a fracture -will appear in the bread, that is, it will not recover its -texture as sponge will do when compressed. Also, it -will not keep, but in a few days become mouldy. Where<span class="pagenum" id="Page_72">72</span> -bean-flour has been used, which bakers generally prefer, -on account of the great portion of gluten which it contains, -(and for this reason it bears a higher price in the -market than flour itself,) the bread will soon dry and -crack; or the fraud may be discovered by the smell on -toasting a slice of the bread before the fire. The adulteration, -by means of flour of peas is more common -among bakers, and more difficult of detection than that -of beans: the only means for ascertaining the fraud, -by inspection, that I am aware of, are those of its -drying and cracking soon, and being more heavy and -considerably less porous than bread made entirely of -wheaten flour. The admixture of clay, gypsum, chalk, -whiting, slacked lime, bone-ashes, &c. is to be ascertained -by the close texture, brittle or crumbly nature, -undue weight, smell, and taste of the article. But -analysis in each case is the truest test; and this may be -performed in the following manner.</p> - -<p>Cut the crust of the loaf into very thin slices, and, -breaking these into pieces, put them into a glass cucurbit, -with a large quantity of water; set this into a -sand furnace, and let it stand therein with a moderate -warmth for about the space of twenty-four hours. By -this time the foreign ingredients will have separated -from the genuine flour; the alum will have dissolved -in the water, and may be extracted from it in the usual -way. The jalap, if any have been used, (for it is not -all the fraternity or brotherhood that have the consideration -or humanity to introduce it into their life-destroy<span class="pagenum" id="Page_73">73</span>ing -compositions,) will swim upon the top in the form -of a coarse film; and the other ingredients, being heavy, -will sink quite to the bottom, while the genuine flour -will remain above them in the consistence of pap, which, -being drawn off, will leave the adulterated articles in the -form of a white powder at the bottom.</p> - -<p>But as cucurbits and sand-furnaces are not “a part -and parcel” of every family’s household chattels, if the -off-hand tests above mentioned are not satisfactory, slice -the loaf as before directed, and, putting the slices, with -a sufficient quantity of water, into a pipkin, over a gentle -fire, you will find in the course of a little time that the -bread will be reduced to a pap, and, on drawing that off, -the bone-ashes and other adulterating ingredients may -be found in the form of a white powder at the bottom.</p> - -<p>The pernicious ingredients, alum and spirits of vitriol, -used by bakers in the manufacture of bread, are intended, -in the cant phrase of the trade, “as binders and whiteners.” -Few persons will credit the fact that this last-mentioned -article is made use of in the manufacture of -bread; but, if any person feels himself aggrieved by the -assertion, I am prepared to verify my information, and -point out the culprits. By the insertion of these ingredients, -tens of thousands of children, under three years -of age, are annually consigned to the grave in this -“happy” country; and to their cause, in conjunction -with the horrid articles before stated, are to be assigned -the number of sudden deaths that are daily occurring,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_74">74</span> -and a large portion of the diseases under which mankind -are suffering.</p> - -<p>The presence of alum may be detected by immersing -a small piece of the crumb of new baked bread in a -quantity of cold water sufficient to dissolve it; when, if -a pernicious quantity of alum be present in the composition -the water will acquire a sweet astringency to the -taste; the more astringent of course the greater has -been the quantity of alum used. Or a heated knife may -be thrust into a loaf before it has grown cold; if the -bread be free from alum, scarcely any alteration will be -visible on the blade; but, should alum have been made -use of, as soon as the knife cools, a slight aluminous incrustation -will appear upon it. But this last method is, -as Mr. Accum properly observes, but an equivocal test, -on account of the impurity of the common salt used in -making bread. When spirits of vitriol, diluted with -water, have been used, the only test to detect this most -pernicious and unprincipled adulteration is by chemically -analysing the suspected article.</p> - -<p>But the adulteration-trade observing that the insertion -of the “horrid array” of pernicious articles, which -their diabolical ingenuity substituted in the stead of -wholesome meal or flour, had an astringent effect on the -human constitution, and, fearing the consequences of a -detection, have lately had recourse to the introduction of -jalap into their sponge, in order to give their mischievous -composition a laxative or purgative effect on the consti<span class="pagenum" id="Page_75">75</span>tution -of their deluded customers. The best test of the -insertion of this drug is its effects. Others counteract -the constipating effects of the alum by the addition of -subcarbonate of potash, which neutralizes the excess of -the sulphuric acid of the alum, and promotes the disengagement -of the carbonic acid gas, whereby the particles -of the flour are more minutely divided, and the bread -rendered lighter.</p> - -<p>Having stated the ready methods of ascertaining the -good or bad qualities of bread, it is a necessary consequence -that I should not be silent about those of flour.</p> - -<p>The following are the usual tests for ascertaining the -quality of flour. Grasp a handful briskly, and squeeze -it for half a minute; if pure and unadulterated, it preserves -the form of the cavity of the hand in one piece -when placed upon the table, although it may be roughly -set down. Adulterated flour, on the contrary, soon -falls down. That mixed with whiting, white clay, or -the like materials, is the most adhesive, though it soon -gives way; but if the adulteration be ground bones, -gypsum, or plaster of paris, it almost immediately falls. -Where there is the presence of much bran, the grasped -specimen will soon crumble, and this fraud may, also, -be discovered by the colour and feel. It may also be -observed that genuine flour will retain the impression of -even the grains of the skin longer than that which is -adulterated, the latter soon throwing off the fine marks. -Also, let a person, having a moist hand, rub flour briskly -between the palms of both hands; if there be whiting<span class="pagenum" id="Page_76">76</span> -in it, he will find resistance; but none, if the flour is -pure. Or, partially dip the fore-finger and thumb into -a little sweet oil, and take up a small quantity of the flour -between them; if it is pure it may be rubbed for any -length of time, and will not become sticky or adhesive, -and the substance will turn nearly black; but if whiting -is present, it will soon be worked up into the -consistence of putty, and its colour but little altered. -Lemon juice, or vinegar, dropped upon flour, will also -show the presence of whiting or plaster of paris; if -the flour is pure it will remain at rest; but if it is adulterated -an immediate commotion takes place. Where -there is time to try the unsoundness of flour, put a -table-spoonful into a basin and mix it with cold water, -until it is of the consistence of batter pudding; then -set a small pan upon the fire containing half a gill of -water, and when the water is hot, pour in the batter just -before it boils, and let it boil for about the space of -three minutes. If sound, the flour will unite like a good -pudding does; if unsound it breaks, curdles, and appears -somewhat watery. By observing it while it is -warm, some judgement may be formed of its different -degrees of unsoundness. The usual test of people in -the flour-trade is to knead a small quantity of the -article; if good, an adhesive, ductile, and elastic paste -is immediately formed, which may be elongated and -drawn in every direction, without being entirely separated. -The only ready test for the detection of <em>sharp -whites</em> and <em>stuff</em> is by the taste.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_77">77</span></p> - -<p>When the farina of potatoes, or, as it is commonly -termed, potatoe-starch, is mixed with flour, the fraud -may, according to M. Chevalier, a French chemist, be -discovered by sprinkling a little of the suspected article -on black paper, when through a powerful lens, or microscope, -the farina or starch may be discovered by the -brilliancy of its particles.</p> - -<p>To ascertain the presence of insects in flour, examine -it in a good light, and if your suspicion be correct, -you will observe the whole surface in motion, and on a -nicer inspection there will be found in it a great number -of little animals of the colour of flour, and of an -oblong and a slender form. When they have once taken -possession of a parcel of this commodity, it is impossible -to drive them out; and they increase so fast, that the -only method of preventing the total loss of the whole -parcel, is to make it into bread as soon as possible. -The only known way of preventing those insects from -breeding in flour is to preserve it from damp; to effect -which it should be always carefully and thoroughly -dried before it is put up, and the barrels, also, should -be carefully dried before the flour is stored in them, and -placed in a room tolerably warm and dry.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_78">78</span></p> - - - -<h3>SECTION II.<br /> - -<small><i>Meat and Fish.</i></small></h3> - - -<p>The Butcher has his arts and sophistications. To -make meat weigh as heavy as possible he checks the -full bleeding of the victim of his knife, and to make it -appear plump and white and glistening, particularly -joints of veal and lamb, he inflates the cellular membrane, -by blowing into it with all his might, the breath -respired from his lungs: by means of which practice, -should he be infected with any loathsome disease, his -customers stand a very good chance of being inoculated -with “the blessing.” The distension of the cellular -membrane is the sign of meat having received the benefit -of this operation.</p> - -<p>Among other deceits in use among the “knights of -the cleaver” is, the doctoring of joints of animals which -have died of disease, by the skilful introduction of slips -of fat into different parts of the joint, so as to give it -the appearance of meat which had been killed in a -healthy state. A recent occurrence at Guildhall has -proved this practice in all its enormity, and shown that -it is carried on to no trifling extent. From the same -transaction it came out in evidence that the art is sufficiently -extensive to employ a certain part of the “butchering -craft” in its distinct mysteries. Probably by<span class="pagenum" id="Page_79">79</span> -“professors of the knife and cleaver” it is considered as -the <i lang="la">ne plus ultra</i> of butcher-skill, and has its appropriate -honours and rewards. But this is known only to -the initiated in the “<em>profession</em>.”</p> - -<p>While discoursing of this feat of butcher-ingenuity, -it seems not misplaced to observe that the sausages in -London are often made out of the carcases of animals -that have died. This fact, also, was brought to Mr. -Bull’s knowledge, in the course of the evidence in the -before-mentioned case. And I can assure my readers, -that even when they are not favoured with sausages -made of this savoury food, they do not often get meat -in sausages better than carrion; and that more than one -half of all sausage-meat consists of bone, gristle, and -bread, reduced to almost an impalpable powder by -means of the machine, and then worked up with a due -modicum of water. Nor is this the least part of the -evil. From accidental causes and the frauds of the -vender, they are often poisonous. Dr. Paris has well -observed, in his useful work on diet, that the viscera and -intestines of animals, and also their livers, are often -poisonous, while the meat of the animal is perfectly -wholesome. This proves, as that gentleman well observes, -that sausages are not deserving of that general -use in which they are held in London: for the integument -which encloses the sausage is often highly injurious -to health, while the meat possesses no deleterious -quality whatever. The poisonous nature of sausages -arising from fraud is partly occasioned by the careless<span class="pagenum" id="Page_80">80</span>ness -of the manufacturer in regard of the vessels in -which he keeps his meat, but more generally from the -quality of the meat which he uses. Some years ago a -German chemist discovered, on analysing German sausages, -that they contained a portion of prussic acid (the -most potent poison known); from the eating of which -several persons died. Could the exact cause have been -ascertained, it would probably have been found that they -were made from the meat of dead animals.</p> - -<p>The goodness of meat depends much on the season of -the year. Thus the flesh of most full grown quadrupeds -is in the highest season during the first months of -winter. Beef and mutton are in the greatest perfection -in the months of November, December, and January. -Pork is only good in winter; during the summer months -it is not wholesome. Venison is in the highest season -from the middle of June to the beginning of September. -Lamb and veal during the summer months.</p> - -<p>The distinguishing sign of young and old meat is, -that in the latter the fat is chiefly collected in masses, -or layers external to the muscles; while in the former -it is more interspersed among the muscular fibres, giving -the flesh a marbled appearance.</p> - -<p>The quality of animal food is also considerably influenced -by the sex; that of the female (which sooner -attains perfection) being always more delicate and finer -grained than that of the male, whose fibres and flavour -are stronger and more rank. But this rule prevails -only during the early age of the female; for, as it grows<span class="pagenum" id="Page_81">81</span> -older, it gets tougher, instead of mellowing by age as the -male does.</p> - -<p>Over fat meat should not be chosen; as sheep in the -first stage of the rot, or about four weeks after becoming -tainted, feed inordinately, and are much disposed to -fatten; which propensity graziers and butchers omit no -opportunity to promote, in order to increase their profits. -Excessive fatness is, therefore, no bad sign for judging -of the unwholesomeness, or rather rottenness of mutton, -as it is generally produced artificially.</p> - -<p>Meat that has been over driven, and killed, as the butchers -term it, <em>on the drift</em>, should be always rejected -as unwholesome; besides, it weighs heavier than if the -animal had been killed while its blood was in a healthy -state; for, by the over-driving the blood has been so -diffused in the cellular membrane, that it cannot be -drawn off by bleeding; and the meat is heavier to the -benefit of the butcher, but to the loss of the consumer. -The florid colour of meat is a sign of the blood not having -been properly drawn away.</p> - -<p>The whiteness of the flesh of lamb and veal is often -produced by feeding the animal with milk in which -chalk is mingled, or by tying it up in a stall with a -piece of chalk covered with salt constantly before it to -lick. Sometimes calves are suspended by their hind -legs with the head downwards for hours together, and -then bled to death slowly, for the purpose of whitening -the flesh. And, among the other complicated and -lengthened acts of cruelty, to which avarice resorts to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_82">82</span> -extract the largest possible price from the sufferings of a -poor harmless creature, is the tying of calves together -by the hind legs, and suffering them to remain suspended -across the back of a horse, with their heads -downwards, for hours together, in their way from market; -a practice adopted by butchers for the purpose of -rendering the meat of the body as white as possible.</p> - -<p>Nor are fishmongers less crafty and dishonest than -the other dealers in the necessaries of life. Sea-fish, -particularly cod, haddock, and whiting, are subject to the -operation of inflating the cellular membrane, in order to -make them look plump, and increase the bulk of the fish. -The imposition is detected by pressing each side of the -orifice at the belly of the fish between the thumb and -finger, when the air will be perceived to escape.</p> - -<p>The signs that fish are fresh are the firmness or stiffness -of the fish, the redness of its gills, and the brightness -of the eyes. Whiteness of muscle and the absence -of oiliness and viscidity are also signs of wholesomeness -of this species of food. Flakiness and opaque appearance, -with a layer of white curdy matter interspersed -between the flakes, after the fish has been cooked, are -signs of the goodness of turbot, cod, whiting, haddock, -flounder, and sole.</p> - -<p>The gills should also smell sweet, the fins be tight up, -and the eyes not sunk. The reverse of any of these -signs shows that it is stale. Thickness of flesh generally -shows the good condition of fish.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_83">83</span></p> - -<p>Fish out of season, that is after spawning, are unwholesome; -and for this reason the legislature has -found it necessary to fix the periods at which the fishing -of salmon and the dredging of oysters shall be lawful.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h3>SECTION III.<br /> - -<small><i>Tea, Coffee, Chocolate, and Sugar.</i></small></h3> - - -<h4>TEA.</h4> - -<p>No article of consumption is more subject to adulteration -than the pleasant one which forms the principal -ingredient of the tea-table. It is not only adulterated -by the Chinese vender, but it undergoes sophistication -by the Chinese artist. By the former several vegetable -productions, particularly a kind of moss, are mixed -among genuine tea, and often sold by the <em>antemundane</em> -subjects of “the Brother of the Sun and Moon, and -The Light of Nations,” in its stead.</p> - -<p>Among the manufacturers and venders of tea in our -“fair isle”—“the land of the wise, the eloquent, the -free,”—the dried leaves of the birch, ash, or elder tree, -and particularly those of the privet or white thorn, and -the black thorn or sloe, (both which last-mentioned specimens -possess more of the qualities of the tea leaf -than any other known vegetable,) are manufactured<span class="pagenum" id="Page_84">84</span> -and fabricated to represent this delicious article of -English female consumption: and the colouring, dyeing, -and staining process is accomplished by the agency -of terra japonica, logwood, verdigris, copperas, Prussian -blue, carbonate of copper, Dutch pink, &c. by the -English, and, it is said, even by the Chinese artist; -which ingredients (namely, the five last-mentioned,) -are among the most potent poisons. According to Mr. -Accum’s testimony (Culinary Poisons, p. 220, note,) -Mr. Twining, the eminent tea-dealer, asserts that -“the leaves of spurious tea are boiled in coppers with -copperas and sheep’s dung.” And it is a known fact -that tea-leaves are purchased, from the London coffee -houses and shops, by a regular set of men, who make -their weekly rounds for the purpose, to be re-dried and -coloured.</p> - -<p>As it may be interesting to my readers to be informed -of the progress of the “march of intellect” in the -imitative process of preparing sham tea, and to have an -opportunity of <em>admiring</em> the ingenuity of fraud and -villany displayed in the fabrication, I shall endeavour -to gratify their reasonable curiosity.</p> - -<p>The white thorn and the sloe, or black thorn, as I -have already said, are the principal leaves employed in -the fabrication of the sham or imitative teas, on account -of their possessing more of the qualities of the tea-leaf -than any other known vegetable. From the white -thorn is manufactured the green tea; and from the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_85">85</span> -black thorn, or sloe, the black variety. These leaves -are gathered and collected from the hedges around the -metropolis, by a number of agents hired by the fabricators; -and these sub-imps in the “black art” are rewarded -for their honest labours with a remuneration of -from one penny to twopence a pound. I have been told -by one of those worthies that he is able to make between -two and three pounds a week by his “vocation,” -and has not “hard labour too;” for he likes, as he says, -“to play oft at times a bit of the gentleman.” And, -by a tea-leaf collector, I was once informed that his -usual returns, or rather clear gains, were between six -and seven pounds per week, and this “for only mornings’ -work.” Of course, I suppose, like other large -“capitalists” and “the moneyed interests,” he put on his -silk stockings in the evenings, and exhibited his “sweet -person” at “Almacks,” or some of the fashionable -“Hells,” or “Evening,” or “Musical parties” at the -“West End.” But, as to the indisputable reality of -this “<em>transmogrification</em>,” your deponent knoweth -not.</p> - -<p>But to the subject in hand. The sloe, or black thorn, -leaves are first boiled; then, when the water is squeezed -from them in a press, they are baked on a flat iron plate; -and, when dry, rubbed between the hands to produce -the curl of the genuine tea. The colour is then produced -by the application of Dutch pink, and a small -quantity of logwood; when, “<i lang="la">mirabile dictu!</i>” “<em>good,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_86">86</span> -wholesome, nutritious</em> black tea” is produced equal to, -and probably surpassing the specimens of the monopolists -of Leadenhall-street.</p> - -<p>The process is equally rapid and efficacious in the -fabrication of green tea; the leaves being boiled, -pressed, and dried in the same manner as I have described, -takes place with the black imitation-tea, only -that the drying process is performed on plates of copper. -The blueish hue or bloom observable on genuine tea is -produced by mixing with the leaves Prussian blue or -Dutch pink, in fine powder, while the leaves are heating -upon the plates, and verdigris is added to complete -the operation. The leaves are then sifted, to separate -them from the thorns and stalks; and should there not -be a “quantum sufficit” of the fine green bloom (the indubitable -criterion of genuineness in the estimation of -our “fair countrywomen,”—the ancient, as well as -“the bewitching;”) the operator kindly and generously -adds, more verdigris and Dutch pink or Prussian blue. -And again “<em>pure, genuine, exhilarating</em>” green tea is -produced as quick as thought, and that even in the darkness -of a town cellar, some few feet under ground.</p> - -<p>The profits on these transmutations are enormous; -Mr. Accum, at p. 205 of his useful book, says that it -has been stated to be from £300 to £600 per cent. -And the extent to which the nefarious traffic is carried -is still more surprising. According to a report of the -Committee of the House of Commons in the year 1783,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_87">87</span> -it is stated that “the quantity of fictitious tea which -was annually manufactured from sloe and ash-tree leaves, -in different parts of England, to be mixed with genuine -teas, was computed at more than <em>Four Millions of -Pounds</em>.” This computation was made when the genuine teas, -sold by the East-India Company, at their -sales, amounted to only six millions of pounds annually. -What then must be the amount of the illicit traffic -now, when the Company’s sales are about thirty millions -of pounds annually! This proves that the ingenious -author of the following lines, which appeared in the -Literary Journal, vol. 1, p. 14, cannot be supposed to be -“much out in his reckoning:”</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“<em>China</em> and <em>Porto</em>, now farewell;</div> - <div class="verse">Let others buy what you’ve to sell,</div> - <div class="verse indent4">Your Port and your Bohea;</div> - <div class="verse">For we’ve our native sloe divine,</div> - <div class="verse">Whose <em>fruit</em> yields all our <em>Porto wine</em>,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Whose <em>leaves</em> make all our <em>Tea</em>.”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>But John, “with all his easy gullibility,” will, no -doubt say, “this is all stuff; show me proofs.” Well, -John, thou art a good creature, thou wilt never believe -“aught against thy enemy,” until he hath robbed -thee of thy senses, and what is dearer to thee, thy -“<em>stuff</em>.” But to prevent a too frequent repetition of -thy misfortune, I will open the budget to thy admiring -eyes. Look, John, over thy files of the London News<span class="pagenum" id="Page_88">88</span>papers, -particularly the “Times” and “Courier,” from -March to July, in the year 1818, and there thou mayest -entertain thy optics and cerebral nerves with a goodly -array of prosecutions and convictions of manufacturers -and venders of factitious tea. In one instance, thou -wilt read of £840 damages being given against one -culprit. Nor is this all of the illicit doings, John. -There have been many prosecutions and convictions -since the time specified, with which I recommend thee -to recreate “thy often infirmity” of incredulity. Mr. -Accum, at page 203 of his work, says that, in Scotland -and Ireland, the penalties imposed for this offence -“amounted, during a few months, to more than fifteen -thousand pounds!”</p> - -<p>With respect to the medicinal or deleterious effects -of tea on the animal economy, it would be misplaced to -occupy the pages of a work of this nature with their -discussion. To such of my readers as may wish to -inform themselves on this subject, I recommended the -perusal of “The Oracle of Health and Long Life; or, -Plain Rules for the Preservation and Attainment of -Sound Health and Vigorous Old Age. By Medicus;” -as the intelligent author of that publication has discussed -the matter with great ingenuity, and furnished a variety -of hints and information calculated to be of essential -service to the consumers of this most important article -of Asiatic imports. Here it will be more useful to detail -the ready tests or methods of detecting its adultera<span class="pagenum" id="Page_89">89</span>tion. -For it is an undoubted fact, as “Medicus” observes, -that many of the noxious qualities attributed to -tea, arise from the two-fold sophistication which it is -frequently doomed to undergo both from the Chinese -and English adulterator before it reaches the hands of -the consumer.</p> - -<p>Where it is suspected that tea is adulterated with the -leaves of other shrubs, the fraud, if not discoverable by -the appearance and fragrant odour of the article, may -be detected by putting a grain and a half of blue vitriol -into a cupful of the infusion, when, if it be genuine -green tea, and set in a good light, it will appear of a -fine light blue. If it be genuine bohea, it will turn to a -deep blue, next to black; but when an adulteration has -been made in either case, a variety of colours, as green, -black, yellow, &c. will be seen in the samples submitted -to the experiment.</p> - -<p>Where the damaged and ordinary green teas or tea -leaves have been prepared with japan earth, or other -adulterating ingredients, for the purpose of giving the -leaves the colour, and the infusion the tincture of bohea -tea, the fraud may be detected by either of the following -tests or methods: 1. A less quantity of this dyed -tea will give a deeper colour to the same proportion of -water than if the experimented articles were genuine. -2. The colour it gives the water will also be of a reddish -brown, whereas, if the article be genuine, it should be -dark. 3. When the leaves have been washed, by stand<span class="pagenum" id="Page_90">90</span>ing -a little, they will look greener than good bohea. -4. This dyed tea is generally much larger than the -genuine specimens; it is, therefore, always advisable to -buy the small leaved bohea; remembering to examine -whether the ingenuity of the artist has not been at work -to break or crumble it into pieces, so as to disguise the -size of the leaves: for the adulterator’s wits are always -at work in “the black art.” 5. The liquor drawn off, -which should be smooth and balsamic to the palate, -tastes rougher and harsher than the genuine tea does. -6. If milk is poured into it, it will rise of a reddish colour, -instead of a dark or blackish brown. 7. A little -copperas put into this last-mentioned liquor will turn -it to a light blue, instead of a deep blue inclining to -black. 8. Spirits of hartshorn make good tea of a deep -brownish colour, after it has stood awhile, similar to new -drawn tincture of saffron; but the same effect does not -appear when the tea is bad.</p> - -<p>When green tea is counterfeited by dyeing bad bohea -with green vitriol the cheat may be detected by the following -means: 1. By putting a piece of gall into the -infusion it will turn it to a deep blackish colour, which -would not be the case were vitriol or copperas not present. -2. If the infusion made of this tea be of a pale -green, and incline to a blueish dye, it is bad. 3. Spirit -of hartshorn will give it a slight purple tinge, and precipitate -a small sediment, instead of a deep greenish -yellow after it has stood about half a dozen minutes.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_91">91</span> -4. Where the adulteration has been made with carbonate -of copper, the fraud is detected, by shaking up a -tea-spoonful of the suspected article in a phial with two -tea-spoonsful of liquid ammonia, diluted with half its -bulk of water; when the liquor, if copper be present, -will exhibit a fine blue colour. Mr. Accum in his work, -p. 219-221, gives other methods for testing adulterated -tea.</p> - -<p>As a general and ready test to distinguish genuine -tea from the sloe, or black thorn, and the white thorn -leaf, make an infusion of it in the common way, and -then spread out some of the largest leaves to dry; when, -if the tea be genuine, the leaf will appear to be narrow -in proportion to its length, and deeply notched or serrated -at the edges, and the end or extremity acutely -pointed; while the sloe, or black thorn leaf is notched -or jagged at the edges very slightly, and is obtusely -pointed. Another distinction also is, that the genuine -leaf is of a lively pale green colour, its surface smooth -and glossy, and its texture very delicate; while the -adulterated leaf is of a dark olive green colour, its -texture much coarser and surface more uneven. The -leaves of the white thorn, when moistened and spread, -have a less resemblance to the genuine tea-leaf than is -the case with the sloe-leaf. The leaves of the other imitative -or sham teas have still a less resemblance, and for -this reason they are but seldom used. With respect to -the different kinds of tea imported from China the -shape of the leaf is the same in all of them, though its<span class="pagenum" id="Page_92">92</span> -size varies; for all the varieties are the produce of the -same plant; the difference of quality and properties -depend chiefly on the difference of climate, soil, culture, -age, time of gathering, and mode of drying the leaves. -The difference of the size of the leaf is occasioned in a -great measure by the different seasons at which it is -gathered.</p> - - -<h4>COFFEE.</h4> - -<p>Several substitutes are vended by the grocers and -coffee-dealers, instead of the coffee-berry, when purchased -in a ground state, or allowed to pass through -the vender’s mill. Among many others may be mentioned -ground dried acorns, horse-chestnuts, horse-beans, -pigeon-beans, peas, nuts, barley, rice, wheat, parsnips, -carrots, &c. but the best imitation of the real berry is -obtained by roasting blue succory, or rye, with the addition -of a few almonds. As all these articles, however, -have but little resemblance in flavour to real coffee, except -what they acquire from the torrefaction, and their empyreumatic -oil, they are seldom vended solely by themselves, -except to the coffee-shops of London, or those -whom the dealers consider as “a plucked pigeon,” but -are ingeniously mixed with a portion of the genuine berry.</p> - -<p>Friend John will, no doubt, as usual, call to his assistance -his native incredulity, and ask for proof against -his “pals,” the grocer and coffee-dealer. To satisfy -his just curiosity let him look to the same file of papers -to which he was referred respecting tea, and there he<span class="pagenum" id="Page_93">93</span> -will have no reason to be longer hard of belief. He -will there find that one “<em>gentleman</em> grocer,” disliking -the trouble of grinding horse-beans, pigeon’s beans, &c. -proceeded by short hand, and threw in a dash (not a -<em>pinch</em>) of gravel or sand; for which act of kindness towards -his customers he was convicted in the penalty -of £50. See the case of The King against Chaloner, -a tea and coffee dealer.</p> - -<p>But, probably, John, when he finds himself no longer -able to cling to his strong hold—incredulity—will exclaim, -shew us, then, your chemical test and analysis.—Ah! -John, the coffee sophisticator is too much for us; -his art is beyond the reach of short or long tests, or of -hard or easy ones: he may do as he likes, unless thou -canst put thy hoof upon some of his nicely packed-up -parcels; and to accomplish this purpose thou, or thy -representative, the poor, badly-paid, half-starved, ill-requited -Excise-officer, must detect him in his machinations -on his own proper “dominium” or “natale -solum:” scarcely any other detection will satisfy that -old lady’s scrupulosity and exactness—that “golden -calf” of thy idolatry—that “all perfect and superhuman -mass of incongruity and intricacy”—<span class="smcap">the law</span>. -Thou, therefore, seest plainly that the only certain way -to have a drop of the “pure stuff” is to purchase the -berry in its raw state and roast it, and what is still more -important, <em>to grind</em> it thyself. But, if thou dost not -understand all these processes to a-t—, thou mayst find -them, with some other very interesting arcana of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_94">94</span> -science, detailed in a work which I shall shortly publish -for the instruction and guidance of housekeepers of all -kinds and descriptions, and which I shall entitle “<cite>The -Housekeepers’ Guide to Domestic Comfort, Household -Management, and Practical Economy</cite>.” This, John, -I intend shall be a rare work—quite a tit-bit for thy -fancy; and the price a mere “four-penny matter.” It -shall not be a “marrowless collection of shreds and -patches, and cuttings and pastings,” selected or stolen -out of old useless books, but a collection of practical -facts, conducing to domestic comfort and real economy.</p> - -<p>As I must, friend John, have, by the foregoing particulars, -alarmed thy coffee-drinking propensities, it is -but fair to let thee into the secret of ascertaining good -coffee.</p> - -<p>Know then, friend Bull, and all ye little Bulls, who -may have the satisfaction of deriving your paternity -from that ancient and honourable stock, that coffee, -commercially considered, is of three sorts: the Arabian, -or Mocha coffee, the East-Indian coffee, and the West-Indian -coffee. Of these, the Mocha, or Turkey, coffee -is generally esteemed the best, and is so stated by all -the writers on the subject; but this is not the case: for -the Java coffee is considered, by all competent judges, -to be superior, as it contains a considerably larger proportion -of oil. Among the East-Indian species, that of -Bourbon is preferred. Of the West-Indian produce, -the growth of the French colonies is most esteemed,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_95">95</span> -particularly that of Martinique. The coffee of Surinam, -Berbice, Demerara, and Cayenne, is the least valued. -The inferiority of the coffee of the British colonies is -supposed to be occasioned by its being put to dry in -houses where sugar and rum are kept, or by being set -in vessels freighted with those commodities, or other -substances of a strong scent, from which the coffee imbibes -the flavour.</p> - -<p>Mocha, or Turkey, coffee (namely, in a raw or unroasted -state) should be chosen of a greenish olive hue, -fresh and new, free from any musty smell, the berries of -a middling size, and clean and plump. Good West-Indian -coffee should also be of a greenish cast, fresh, -free from mouldy smells, and the berry small. East-Indian -coffee is of a pale, and partly of a deep yellow -colour. Java coffee is distinguished by its being a -large, light, yellow berry.</p> - -<p>These are the general tests or methods for ascertaining -the quality of raw coffee; those for roasted are -similar as to the size of the berry: the other criteria -are that it should not be too much roasted, but of a -bright chestnut colour, and of a fresh fragrant smell.</p> - -<p>I cannot, I apprehend, close this article more appropriately -and serviceably, than by exhorting my readers -to recollect that the presence of any of the adulterating -ingredients in coffee is of the greatest prejudice to -health, and is apt to cause a distressing weight on the -stomach if the adulterated coffee be used daily for some -time. The detail of the beneficial and injurious effects<span class="pagenum" id="Page_96">96</span> -is ably stated in “<cite>The Oracle of Health and Long -Life</cite>.”</p> - - -<h4>CHOCOLATE.</h4> - -<p>Chocolate is frequently adulterated with noxious ingredients, -particularly vanilla and castile soap; the -first article is used for giving it a fragrant odour, and -the second for causing it to froth when it is dissolved -in the water: a large proportion of flour, also, instead -of the kernel of the cocoa-nut, makes up the composition.</p> - -<p>Chocolate, to be good, should be of a brown colour, -inclining to red; when broken, it should appear of a -smooth and uniform consistence in the fracture, without -any granulated particles, and should melt easily in the -mouth, leaving no roughness or astringency, but rather -a cooling sensation upon the tongue; which last quality -is the most decisive criterion of its genuineness.</p> - - -<h4>SUGAR.</h4> - -<p>Considerable ingenuity is exerted in the adulteration -of sugar. The moist sugars are mixed up with sand, -salt, flour, and a variety of other ingredients of little or -no cost. The loaf, or lump sugar receives the addition -of lime, chalk, gypsum, plaster of paris, or any white -material which will save expense to the “<em>refiner</em>.”</p> - -<p>Lump, or loaf sugar, to be good, should be close, -heavy, and shining: though, by the bye, some of the craft -have lately contrived to introduce some sparkling par<span class="pagenum" id="Page_97">97</span>ticles -of marble, to produce the shining appearance. -That which easily breaks, and appears porous or spongy -and of a dull cast, has not been properly manufactured, -and has an undue proportion of lime, &c. in its composition. -Of the moist kind, chuse that which is distinguished -by the sharpness, brightness, and loose texture -of the grain, and which, when rubbed between the -finger and the thumb, is not easily pulverized: those -kinds are to be preferred which have a peculiar grey -hue, in conjunction with the brightness and other -criteria just mentioned. The soft and close grained -sugars, though of a good colour, should be rejected as -saturated with too much earthy matter. The East -India varieties do not contain so much saccharine -matter as the produce of the West India colonies. -Neither is the <em>crush-lump</em>, which is manufactured from -treacle and employed by grocers for mixing with the -common sorts of brown sugar, equal to the West India -produce in sweetening power. Adulterated sugar is -readily discovered by the taste and sediment left at the -bottom of the vessel in which it is dissolved. The presence -of <em>crush-lump</em> may be recognized by the uniformity -of the appearance of moist sugar.</p> - -<p>Rules for the choice of currants, raisins, rice, and -other articles of grocery, are detailed in “<span class="smcap">Domestic -Comforts and Economy</span>,” a work containing a -store of information for the economizing and skilful -management of household expenditure.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_98">98</span></p> - -<h3>SECTION IV.<br /> - -<small><i>Spices.</i></small></h3> - - -<h4>PEPPER.</h4> - -<p>Pepper is subject to adulteration, like most other -articles of consumption. The spurious pepper consists -of chalk, flour, ground mustard-seed, &c. mingled with -a certain portion of the genuine berry, a quantity of -pepper dust, or the sweepings of the pepper warehouses, -mixed with a little Cayenne pepper; the whole being -made into a cohesive mass by means of mucilage. Even -the whole berry has not been able to escape the ingenuity -of sophistication. The adulterated berry is -manufactured of the hulls of mustard-seed, or oil-cakes -composed of the residue of lint-seed, from which the -oil has been pressed, glue, common clay or chalk, and a -certain quantity of stuff known and purchased in the -market under the name and cabalistical abbreviations -of P. D. or D. P. D., the first mentioned of which delectable -ingredients is the dust which falls from the -pepper-corns by their rubbing against each other in -their voyage from the place of their growth to that of -their importation; the other is the sweepings or refuse -of the pepper warehouses. The first abbreviation signifies -<em>pepper dust</em>; the second, <em>dirt of pepper dust</em>. -The mode of manufacturing these inviting ingredients<span class="pagenum" id="Page_99">99</span> -is to granulate the mass by pressing it through a sieve, -and then to roll the grains about in a cask until they -take a globular form. “Artists” are then employed -to stick into each pepper-corn little sprigs, in order to -simulate the appearance of the genuine berry. This -practice was long carried on in London, without the -least interruption or suspicion of the fraud on the public -and the revenue, until the collection of the duties was, -in the year 1819, transferred from the Customs to the -Excise; when, on that occasion, several convictions of -the offenders took place, which may be seen in the newspapers -published about that period.</p> - -<p>Pepper is of two kinds, the black and the white. -Black pepper should be chosen large, heavy, firm, and -not much shrivelled. White pepper is either factitious -or genuine: the former is the ripe and perfect berry, -prepared by steeping in sea-water and urine the best -and soundest grains of black pepper for about the space -of a week, when the skin or rind bursting, they are -taken out and exposed to the heat of the sun until -the skin or outer bark loosens, when they are rubbed -with the hand till the rind falls off. The internal kernels -are next perfectly dried in the sun, and then they -are fit to be ground or manufactured into white pepper, -together with such foreign ingredients as the conscience -or ingenuity of the adulterator may suggest. The -genuine white pepper consists of the blighted or imperfect -berries of the same plant as produces the black -pepper; but as it does not possess a strength and pun<span class="pagenum" id="Page_100">100</span>gency, -even when not adulterated, equal to the common -black pepper, it is by no means preferable to that variety -for domestic purposes, except where appearance is consulted, -as in the case of its being brought to table. In -fact, white pepper is always, whether genuine or factitious, -inferior in flavour and quality to black pepper; -and where it is factitious, its peculiar flavour and pungency -are nearly lost.</p> - -<p>Where the berries are supposed to be factitious, the -readiest way of detecting the fraud, (independent of the -deterioration of quality and flavour, which must be evident -to every judge of the genuine article,) is to throw -a few of the pepper-corns into a little water; when the -artificial produce will swell up and soon become soft and -sticky, and on the least degree of agitation will dissolve -or fall to powder, while the genuine corns will remain -whole and unaffected.</p> - -<p>The same precaution that I have said should be observed -by the purchasers of coffee—namely, never to -let it pass through the mill of the grocer or vender, -should also be observed in the purchase of pepper. -When the cunning varlets have none of the adulterated -pepper-corns by them, they will be sure of exerting -some sleight-of-hand in slipping into the mill some of -the before-mentioned sophisticating articles, or flour, -or powdered hemp-seed or rape-seed cake, or ivory black, -or the hieroglyphical P. D. or D. P. D. (if they are not -already patiently waiting in the mill to lend their -services as make-weights;) notwithstanding the poor<span class="pagenum" id="Page_101">101</span> -purchaser may suppose himself lynx-eyed, and proof -against imposition.</p> - -<p>Another article of the pepper kind, friend John, with -which thou art fond of tickling thy delicate appetite, -and of exhibiting on “gaudy days,” as the sons of -Alma Mater phrase it, in thy well polished castors, -to thy admiring guests, like a sparkling star to be -found only in the remotest part of the heavens, is -the subject of sophisticating roguery. What thinkest -thou, John, of the “dear bought,” “far fetched,” -“long sought,” “gentleman-like” Cayenne pepper, -which thou often wrappest up in as many folds of paper -as an onion hath coats, that it should not lose its virtue, -being adulterated with “red lead,” to prevent the delectable -mass of which it is composed from becoming -bleached on exposure to the light. I was thinking, friend -Bull, to furnish thee with a test for discovering the -fraud, but as I know of no one better than that given -by thy expatriated countryman, the much injured -Accum, I must refer thee to his book, 4th edition, -p. 247. Perhaps the following extract from that excellent -work, (the only book on cookery extant, that can -be safely trusted to; for the genius of cookery is, -believe me, John, in colleague with the spirit of sophistication -against thy health; and for a confirmation of -this assertion thou needest only look to the formulæ -given in cookery books for imparting a fresh and lively -green colour or hue to pickles—not to mention the con<span class="pagenum" id="Page_102">102</span>sequences -of the concentration of the virtues of certain -articles, which, though harmless, while used in their -original and simple state, are, as the author of the -“<span class="smcap">Oracle of Health and Long Life</span>” observes, -in their concentrated state, potent poisons;) the <cite>Cook’s -Oracle</cite>, by the late Dr. Kitchener, will be better adapted -to thy wants and taste.</p> - -<p>“We advise those who are fond of Cayenne not to -think it too much trouble to make it of English chillies—<em>there -is no other way of being sure it is genuine</em>.—They -will obtain a pepper of much finer flavour without -half the heat of the foreign; and a hundred chillies -will produce two ounces. The flavour of the chillies is -very superior to that of the capsicums. Put them in a -warm place to dry, then rub them in a mortar, as fine -as possible, and keep them in a well stopped bottle.”</p> - -<p>Wholesome and economical receipts for making most -of the other articles vended in oil shops will be found -in the same useful work. Buy the work, John, thou -wilt have no reason to begrudge the price; it is equally -valuable to the man of “high” or “low estate;”—to -him to whom dinner is the chief business of the day, -who merely lives to eat, than eats to live—who seeth -the sun rise with no other hope than that he should fill -his belly, before it sets, who is not satisfied till he is -surfeited; as well as to the man who lives according to -old English hospitality, and eateth merely to satisfy -nature and his better health.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_103">103</span></p> - - -<h4>CLOVES.</h4> - -<p>Great fraud is often practised by the vender in the -sale of this commodity, either by depriving the cloves -of their oil, which is easily drawn from them either by -distillation or by simple pressure, or by causing them to -imbibe or absorb a quantity of water a short time previous -to their sale. When the oil has been extracted, -the fraud may be discovered by the cloves appearing -shrivelled, light, of a paler colour than their usual dark -brown hue when perfect, without the ball or knob at -the top, and with little taste or smell. When they have -been forced to imbibe water for the purpose of increasing -their weight, the adulteration may be detected by -pressure between the fingers, and by the flavour and -fragrance of the exudation. When good and bad cloves -have remained long intermingled, the bad gradually -absorb oil from the good, in which case the fraud becomes -difficult of detection.</p> - -<p>The clove to be in perfection should be large sized, -plump, heavy, of a fine fragrant smell, and a hot aromatic -taste, not easily disappearing off the tongue; -easily broken, and when pressed between the thumb and -finger should leave an oily moisture upon them, producing -a slight sensation of smarting.</p> - - -<h4>CINNAMON.</h4> - -<p>Cinnamon is adulterated by either mixing cassia bark -with it, or a portion of the genuine article, which has -been deprived of its essential oil by distillation.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_104">104</span></p> - -<p>Good cinnamon is smooth and thin, not much thicker -than royal or stout writing paper, and rather pliable; of -a light yellowish cast, inclining to red, a fragrant aromatic -smell, and an agreeable sweetish taste. Thick, -hard, brownish coloured specimens, of hot, pungent, or -a bitter taste, should be rejected.</p> - -<p>The cassia bark, which bears a great resemblance to -cinnamon, is thicker, of a coarser texture, breaks short -and smooth; whereas cinnamon breaks fibrous and -splintery. The best method, however, of distinguishing -cinnamon from cassia is by the taste. Thus, when cassia -is taken into the mouth, it forms a sweet mucilage, and -seems, when good, to dissolve almost entirely, whereas -cinnamon has a bitter taste, and produces a bitter dryness -in the mouth.</p> - -<p>Criteria for judging of nutmegs, ginger, mace, &c. -will be found in “<span class="smcap">Domestic Comforts and Economy</span>.”</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h3>SECTION V.<br /> - -<small><i>Pickles, Vinegar, Oil, Mustard, Anchovies, Catsup, -Isinglass, Soap, Candles, Blue or Indigo, Starch, -Bees Wax, &c.</i></small></h3> - - -<h4>PICKLES.</h4> - -<p>Among the poisonous articles daily vended to the -public, none are of more potent effect than the pickles -sold by unprincipled oilmen. For the purpose of giving -a fresh and lively green colour or hue to those stimulants -of the palate, they are intentionally coloured by means of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_105">105</span> -copper or verdigris, or at least placed for a considerable -time in copper or brazen vessels for the purpose of allowing -the articles to be impregnated by the joint action of -the metal and the vinegar. The cookery books (save and -except “<cite>The Cook’s Oracle</cite>”) in vogue also direct the -“lovers of good cheer” to boil their pickles in <em>bell metal -or copper pots</em>, or to boil <em>halfpence</em> or <em>a bit of verdigris</em> -with them, in order to impart a green colour! Ought -not the authors, whose gender seems “<em>doubtful</em>,” and -Messieurs les Bibliopoles, of those pests, to be indited for -a nuisance and malice prepense to the <em>loving</em> subjects of -our late “<em>good old king</em>?”</p> - -<p>The ready way to detect the presence of copper in -these articles is to pour a little liquid ammonia, diluted -with an equal quantity of water, over a small quantity of -the suspected pickle reduced into small pieces, and -placed in an enclosed phial or vessel; when, if the -pickles contain the minutest quantity of copper, the -ammonia will assume a blue colour.</p> - - -<h4>VINEGAR.</h4> - -<p>Vinegar is adulterated with sulphuric acid, muriatic -acid, nitric acid, oil of vitriol, a variety of acrid vegetable -substances, and frequently contains metallic impregnations -of lead, tin, pewter, iron, and copper, from the stills -or vessels in which it is made. Its more harmless adulteration -is a considerable dilution with water.</p> - -<p>Vinegar is prepared from a variety of substances; but -its common preparations are from wine, fruits, malt,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_106">106</span> -sugar, and wood. The vinegar made from wood is the -strongest, containing at least eight times the strength -of the common preparations. It is perfectly colourless, -and its taste is very pungent and grateful. But the -vinegar generally prepared for sale in this country is -made from malt; which to be good should be of a pale -brown colour, perfectly transparent, of a pleasant and -rather pungent acid taste, but without acrimony, and a -fragrant grateful odour. These are the readiest and -best tests of good vinegar. But as a false strength is -frequently given to it by adding oil of vitriol, sulphuric -acid, or the extract of some acrid vegetable, as pellitory -of Spain, capsicum, &c. or metallic extracts, the tests -for ascertaining these foreign substances are as follow: -If it is suspected that vinegar is adulterated with oil of -vitriol, put three or four drops of acetate of barytes into -a glass of vinegar; filtrate the white precipitate thereby -produced through paper, and heat the powder or residuum -remaining in a tobacco-pipe until it is red hot. -Then put it into spirit of salt or diluted aqua-fortis; if -the precipitate dissolves, the vinegar is genuine; if not, -it is adulterated. But if metallic adulteration is suspected, -add liquid ammonia to the vinegar, until the -odour of the ammonia predominates; if the mixture -assumes a blackish tint, it is a sign that copper is present -in the article. If the presence of lead be suspected, add -water impregnated with sulphuretted hydrogen to the -suspected vinegar; if the mixture becomes black or yields -a black precipitate, your suspicion is well founded.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_107">107</span></p> - - -<h4><span class="smcap">OLIVE, or FLORENCE OIL.</span></h4> - -<p>Olive oil is frequently adulterated by mixing with it -the oil of poppy seeds or a decoction of cucumbers, -which latter ingredients easily unite with the oleaginous -substances. It is frequently impregnated with lead, -from the circumstance of the fruit which yields the oil -being compressed between leaden plates, and the oil being -suffered to remain in pewter or leaden cisterns in order -to become clear before it is offered for sale. This last -injurious quality is communicated afresh to the commodity -by the retail venders, who frequently keep a pewter -vessel immersed in the oil, for the purpose, as they assert, -of preserving the liquid from becoming rancid. It is -however proper to state that the metallic contamination -by the wholesale manufacturer chiefly belongs to the -Spanish produce: the French and Italian manufacture is -usually free from the impregnation.</p> - -<p>The presence of lead or any metal deleterious to -health is detected, by shaking in a stopped phial some of -the suspected oil with a quantity of water impregnated -with sulphuretted hydrogen, in the proportion of one -part of the former to two parts of the latter ingredient; -when the oil, if adulterated, will become of a dark brown -or black colour. When the oil of poppy seed, or the -decoction of cucumber, is supposed to have been made -use of in the adulteration, their presence may be ascertained -by exposing the mixture to a freezing temperature, -when the olive oil will become frozen, while the adulterating -ingredient will remain fluid.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_108">108</span></p> - -<p>The best olive oil is of a bright pale amber colour, -somewhat inclining to a greenish cast; free from sediment, -bland to the taste, and without smell.</p> - - -<h4>SALT.</h4> - -<p>Salt is frequently adulterated with sulphate of lime, -for the purpose of making it weigh heavier, appear -lighter, and less liable to become moist.</p> - - -<h4>MUSTARD.</h4> - -<p>“Genuine mustard,” says Mr. Accum, (Culinary -Poisons, p. 330) “either in powder, or in a state of paste -ready made, is perhaps rarely to be met with in the -shops.” Whether “<em>patent</em>,” “<em>best Durham</em>,” or of -any other pretty and imposing name, it generally consists -of a composition of mustard flour and wheaten flour; -only for the additional cost of the “patent mustard” of -the respective manufacturers, the purchaser is treated -with a little cayenne pepper, a large quantity of bay salt, -and a quantum sufficit of “aqua pura.” Turmeric is the -grand adulterant of the merchant for giving the yellow -colour to factitious mustard. The <em>flour</em> of mustard of -the shops generally consists of the produce of mustard -seed, cayenne pepper, wheat flour, and turmeric; and -the <em>essence</em> of mustard of the fashionable oilmen is composed -of camphor and oil of rosemary, dissolved in oil of -turpentine, with the addition of a little of the <em>flour</em> of -mustard!</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_109">109</span></p> - - -<h4>ANCHOVY SAUCE.</h4> - -<p>Anchovy sauce is frequently contaminated with the -pigments denominated Venetian red or Armenian bole, -which are rubbed into the mass, while the operator is -triturating the anchovy in his mortar. The Venetian -red, which is frequently adulterated with red lead, affords -the deepest and finest colour, and is accordingly used by -the <em>fashionable</em> oilman; the aid of the Armenian bole is -invoked by his more conscientious and less aspiring -brethren.</p> - -<p>But the anchovy itself is not exempt from the sophisticating -ingenuity of the trade; for sprats are frequently -prepared and sold for anchovies. The best way of discovering -the fraud is by the appearance of the back bone, -which in the anchovy is triangular for some space from -the head, while that of the sprat is flat.</p> - -<p>The test for detecting the fraud practised in the manufacture -of anchovy sauce is the same as that which -will be presently stated for discovering the adulteration of -mushroom catsup.</p> - - -<h4>MUSHROOM CATSUP.</h4> - -<p>This common article of consumption is frequently contaminated -by copper. This deleterious quality it obtains -from the mode of its manufacture, as well as from the -articles from which it is manufactured.</p> - -<p>The usual way in which it is prepared is by boiling -in a copper the residue left in the still of the vinegar -manufacturer, with a decoction of the outer green shell<span class="pagenum" id="Page_110">110</span> -of the walnut (previously prepared also by having been -boiled in a copper, in combination with common salt;) -together with a portion of allspice or pimento, pepper -dust, (or cayenne pepper, should the manufacturer be a -<em>man of taste</em>;) and garlic.</p> - -<p>The method of detecting the fraud is detailed at page -294 of Mr. Accum’s book: it is too long for insertion -here.</p> - - -<h4>ISINGLASS.</h4> - -<p>Isinglass, which is prepared from the air-bladders of -the sturgeons, is the subject of sophistication. The dried -bladders of horses, the skins of soles, and the intestinal -membranes of calves and sheep are frequently sold for it. -The fraud may be detected by boiling the shreds in -water; when, if the article is adulterated, the spurious -ingredients will obtain only an imperfect insolubility, -whereas genuine isinglass is almost perfectly soluble in -water.</p> - -<p>Isinglass to be good, should be white, perfectly transparent, -dry, fibrous, and of a faint odour and insipid -taste. The best variety occurs in the form of a lyre or -horse-shoe; the worst, flat, in the form of a pancake. -The saltish taste of fictitious isinglass is also another of -the criteria for judging of its goodness.</p> - - -<h4><span class="smcap">BLUE or INDIGO.</span></h4> - -<p>This article is subject to great adulteration by the introduction -of foreign ingredients into its manufacture. The<span class="pagenum" id="Page_111">111</span> -easiest and speediest test of its genuineness is by dissolving -or cutting it. By the first method, if good, it dissolves -easily, while that of a coarse or an adulterated kind dissolves -with difficulty, and settles at the bottom of the vessel. -By the second method, (and which is the best criterion -of its goodness,) when cut with a knife, it exhibits a -red copper-like appearance. Where this shade is absent -or only very slight, the indigo is of an inferior quality.—Other -signs of its goodness are that it should be light, -of a close texture, break easily, float on water, be free -from white specks or sand, and from white adhesive -mould externally, and when rubbed with the nail, it -should have a shining copper-like hue.</p> - - -<h4>SOAP.</h4> - -<p>Soap is subject to great adulteration, as every person -is aware who has had an opportunity of witnessing the -specimens made twenty years ago, before “Messieurs -les Artistes” had made their prodigious advances, as our -“<span class="smcap">Yankee</span>” brethren across the Atlantic phrase it, -“in the <em>progressing</em> knowledge of the age.”</p> - -<p>Good mottled soap is hard, but not brittle, well mottled, -and without any rancid, tallowy, or unpleasant -acrid smell. If any of this smell should be present, -there has been an undue portion of soda or potash -used in the manufacture. A quantity of fuller’s earth -is often used to conceal the imperfections and add to the -weight of the article, by enabling it to imbibe a large -quantity of water. Rancid tallow also is often used in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_112">112</span> -soap and candle-making, which has had a portion of its -substance quite destroyed by putrefaction. Of course -the articles from which it is made are of a very inferior -quality. Those specimens which have a disagreeable -odour are made of horns of animals, woollen rags, &c. -instead of oil, clay often supplies the place of tallow.</p> - -<p>There are several methods for proving the quality -of soap. The author of “<span class="smcap">The Maidservant’s Companion -and Directory</span>” informs us that there are -“some people who can ascertain it by the taste.” But -as the same gentleman observes, as it is not likely that -many persons will feel a pleasure in making the experiment, -a more pleasant method is to slice an ounce or two -of the soap very thin into a basin, and having poured -boiling water upon the slices, to stir them well till they -are quite dissolved; then place the basin and contents -before the fire for the space of about twelve hours. -When the mixture is quite cold, turn it out of the basin; -if no sediment appears at the bottom, it is a sign -of the goodness of the soap. Or the adulteration of -the soap may be detected, by pouring upon a little of the -suspected article, thinly sliced into a bottle, rectified spirit -of wine, in the proportion of one part of soap to six -parts of spirit: then, when the bottle, being slightly -stopped, has remained a short time in a warm place, the -adulterated parts of the soap will appear unacted upon -by the agent; but if the soap be genuine, it will have -become wholly dissolved.</p> - -<p>To those who are desirous of economizing the con<span class="pagenum" id="Page_113">113</span>sumption -of soap, many useful hints may be found in -“<span class="smcap">The Maidservant’s Companion and Directory</span>;” -a work which every sensible master and mistress -should cause to be carefully and attentively perused by -their domestics.</p> - - -<h4>CANDLES.</h4> - -<p>Nor are candles exempt from the sophisticator’s art. -Tallow candles, to be good, should be made of equal -parts of bullock’s and sheep’s fat; which is discoverable -by their being of a firm texture, a good white colour, -and not an obnoxious smell. When made of hog’s fat, -they gutter, emit an ill smell, and a thick black smoke. -If alum or pulverized marble has been mingled with -the tallow, for the purpose of giving a white appearance -and a hard consistence, the wicks burn with a -dead light, and the alum spits or emits slight explosions -from the wick as it burns.</p> - -<p>Some useful directions respecting the management and -the economizing of the consumption of candles, whether -wax, mould, or dips, are to be found in “<span class="smcap">Domestic -Comforts and Economy</span>.”</p> - - -<h4>STARCH.</h4> - -<p>This commodity is subject to much adulteration by -the manufacturer. When good, it is dry, easily reducible -to powder, tasteless, and without odour. In -its use in the laundry, there is no good housewife but -can distinguish, by its effects on her “lavatory occu<span class="pagenum" id="Page_114">114</span>pations,” -the difference between good and bad starch: it -is therefore unnecessary to detail tests.</p> - - -<h4>BEES’ WAX.</h4> - -<p>Bees’ wax is frequently adulterated with rosin, tallow, -pease-meal, potatoe-starch, and a mixture of oil and -litharge. The introduction of rosin into it may be discovered -by its hardness, brittleness, and want of tenacity. -When adulterated with tallow, the fraud may -be detected by scratching the finger over the surface; -when its clamminess and adhesiveness to the fingers will -indicate the presence of that ingredient. In the purchase -of cakes of bees’ wax the cake should be broke, in order -to ascertain whether the impurities called foot, are not -ingeniously <em>encased</em> in a shell of pure wax. White wax -is adulterated with carbonate of lead and white tallow, to -increase its weight.</p> - -<p>Bees’ wax, when good, is of a compact substance, somewhat -unctuous to the touch, but not adhering to the -fingers or to the teeth when it is kneaded or chewed: and -when scratched by the finger-nail, no obstruction is met -with, and but little indentation or fissure made; it also -has an agreeable smell partaking of a slight odour of -honey, and a clear fresh yellow colour. Its texture is -also granular.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_115">115</span></p> - - -<h3>SECTION VI.<br /> - -<small><i>Butter, Cheese, Milk, Cream, and Potatoes.</i></small></h3> - - -<h4>BUTTER.</h4> - -<p>Butter is not exempt from adulteration: the inferior -kinds are frequently mixed up with hogs-lard which has -lost its flavour and appearance; and not unfrequently -kitchen-stuff forms a portion of the bulk.</p> - -<p>Good butter is hard and firm; therefore that butter -which is often sold in the shops in London, that adheres -to the knife when applied to, or stuck into it, is factitious, -that is, manufactured in a machine, of the following -materials—viz. rancid fresh butter, the cheap unsaleable -Scotch butters of various hues and dyes, and a quantity -of salt, well rummaged and pomelled together. This -spurious commodity is of a white cast, and generally sold -under the denomination of “Dorset.” It should be -recollected that the cheesemongers never beat the good -butters, as the beating injures the flavour; they bestow -their friendly castigations only on the worthless commodity -for the purpose of extracting a portion of its rancidity -and obnoxious smell.</p> - -<p>Butter should be bought by the taste and smell. -Both fresh and salt butter should smell sweet, and be of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_116">116</span> -an equal colour throughout; if veiny and open, it has -been mixed with a staler or an inferior sort. The quality -of tub butter is ascertained by putting a knife into the -butter; and if, on drawing it out, any rancid or unpleasant -smell should attach to the knife, the butter is not -good; but, perhaps, the best criterion is to taste the -butter near the sides of the tub, for the middle is often -sweet when the parts near the sides of the tub are quite -rank.</p> - -<p>Hogs-lard is adulterated with the skimmings of the -liquor in which pork or bacon has been boiled. Lard -thus adulterated has a grey colour, a soft consistence, and -a salt taste; whereas lard, when pure, is white, granular, -and rather firm in texture.</p> - - -<h4>CHEESE, BACON, AND HAMS.</h4> - -<p>When annatto is dear, or of inferior quality in appearance, -it is customary with the venders of the article to -adulterate it with vermilion or red lead. This contamination -has chiefly been confined to the Gloucester cheese; and -may be detected by macerating a small quantity of the -suspected article in water impregnated with sulphuretted -hydrogen, acidulated with muriatic acid; which will immediately -cause the cheese to assume a brown or black -colour, if the minutest portion of lead be present. I am -informed by a respectable dealer, that cheese, especially -old Stilton cheese, is frequently <em>greened</em> in particular<span class="pagenum" id="Page_117">117</span> -parts with verdigris, in order to assume the appearance -of age.</p> - -<p>The best cheese is that which is of a dry compact -texture, without holes in it; of a whitish colour, and -which, on being rubbed between the finger and thumb, -almost immediately becomes a soft and somewhat greasy -mass. Nor is a moist smooth coat a bad criterion of its -quality. It should also be of a moderate age; for neither -very decayed, nor decaying cheese, is wholesome; nor -is that which is new, adhesive, and ropy, when heated by -the fire, of a good kind. Cheshire cheese which crumbles -and tastes bitterish has been made of bad milk. Though -cheese is generally chosen by the taste, this is by no -means a criterion of its nutritive qualities; as the flavour -generally depends on the nature of the food which -the cows eat, and often on the mode of management in -the manufacture of the cheese.</p> - -<p>In the purchase of bacon and hams, pray bear in -mind, friend John, that many more thousands of tons -of those articles are sold annually in the metropolis of -this land of “<em>just and equal dealing</em>” as “fine, new -Hampshire bacon and fine Yorkshire hams,” than are -received from those counties altogether; and that though -the bacon merchants are supplied with bacon from Ireland, -none sell <em>Irish</em> bacon. The large Irish hams are -also dried and sold for “fine fresh” Yorkshire or Westmoreland -varieties, to tickle the fancy of the “Bull -Family” for rarities and expensive purchases.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_118">118</span></p> - - -<h4>MILK AND CREAM.</h4> - -<p>The usual sophistication of milk is a liberal quantity -of warm water, and to give consistence to the mixture, -and correct the colour, a composition of flour and yolks -of eggs is added; but should there not have been sufficient -time for the operation, the immediate aid of the -cock or the pump is invoked. But some of the more -skilfully initiated “<i lang="fr">artistes au lait</i>” dissolve the common -cheese dye, annatto, which occasions a mixture of -milk and water to assume the colour, and nearly the consistence -of cream. Among some of the less expert a -composition of treacle and salt supplies the place of the -annatto; but this mixture does not combine so well as -the annatto with the milk. Pure milk is of a dull white -colour, and a soft sweetish taste; adulterated milk is of -a bluish appearance and thin consistence.</p> - -<p>Cream receives a copious addition of skimmed milk, -flour, starch, rice-powder, or arrow-root boiled together, -to increase the “milk-merchant’s” profits. But arrow-root -is the substance which is best adapted, and most -employed for the purpose. The generally received opinion -that milk is adulterated with chalk and whitening is, as -Mr. Accum observes, erroneous; for neither of those -ingredients could be held in solution in the milk, and -would therefore be useless to the adulterator, as they<span class="pagenum" id="Page_119">119</span> -would sink to the bottom of the pail while the manufacturer -was doling out his composition to his customers. -But the practice of putting the milk into leaden pans, or -vessels made of that metal, to occasion the milk to throw -up a larger portion of cream, is sufficiently authenticated, -and deserves exposure, from the liability of having the -milk impregnated with particles of lead.</p> - -<p>Perhaps some of my readers may be lovers of curds -and whey; if so, I recommend them to endeavour to get a -sight of the calf’s maw, from which the rennet is made -before it is boiled. I have had the fortune of being -“blessed” with “the captivating sight” more than once; -and in each instance I absolutely saw the bladder moving -alive with maggots.</p> - - -<h4>POTATOES, FRUIT, &c.</h4> - -<p>Even the humble green-grocer exerts his ingenuity -and “tact” in the art of sophistication: to augment the -weight of his “murphies,” and “make them <em>tell</em>,” he -soaks “the dear <em>cratures</em>” in water during the night -previous to their sale.</p> - -<p>While discoursing of the little peccadilloes of the -honest tradesmen of “this land of Christianity,” I -never apprehended that it was possible to sophisticate -fruit. But at the very moment I was about to consummate -my bold, and I hope it will prove, patriotic under<span class="pagenum" id="Page_120">120</span>taking, -by affixing the important and consolatory, -though little word, “<span class="smcap">Finis</span>,” a new discovery presented -itself to my astonished optics! Can you believe me, John? -I happened to pop in rather inopportunely, that is to -say, a-la-mode Paul Pry, on a fruit-artist, who was -preparing some stale plums for sale, and giving them -all the bloom and fragrance of having been just plucked -from the tree. This recondite feat of <em>fruitist</em>-ingenuity -consists in anointing certain parts of the fruit with -gum water, and then shaking a muslin bag containing -finely powdered blue upon the prepared parts of the -fruit, which are laid uppermost upon a board, to receive -the precious unction.—From the honest tradesman whom -I thus found patriotically engaged in furthering “the -trading and commercial interests of his dear native -land,” I also learned that some of the more skilful and -enterprizing artists soak plums in water, when they -have become shrivelled, in order to plump them out, and -make them, as it is fashionably phrased, en-bon-point.</p> - -<p>What an age of intellect do we live in! Could our -good old Druidical ancestors have supposed that their -puny and degenerate offspring would be endowed with -the extraordinary gift of being able to rejuvenize old -worm-eaten nuts? Rare and sublime discovery! What, -John, may we not next expect? Surely, we have -reached the millenium of the march of intellect and the -perfection of sophistication. But I must not keep the -reader longer in suspense.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_121">121</span></p> - -<p>The rejuvenization of Old Nuts! Just as I had -finished writing the above article, an old and almost -forgotten friend called on me, one who has long and -scientifically been patriotically engaged, “in this age -of intellect,” in rejuvenizing old, rotten, worm-eaten -walnuts and almonds, of each last year’s growth, and -giving their “externals” all the whiteness and beauty of -the lily-white hand of a “fine lady,” and their “internals” -all the plumpness and en-bon-point admired by -his “most moral majesty,” our late “gracious and beloved -sovereign,” in his “fair defects of nature.” By -this scion of “the trading interests” I am informed -that old nuts of all kinds are first soaked in water in -order to plump them out, and then they are fumigated -with sulphur for the purpose of rendering the shells -white and clean.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_122">122</span></p> - - -<h3>SECTION VII.<br /> - -<small><i>Confectionary, Pastry, and Perfumery.</i></small></h3> - - -<p>The confectionary-artist is not behind his compeers -in trade in the honourable vocation of sophistication. -There are few articles which owe their paternity to his -handy-work, that partake wholly of the ingredients to -which they bear resemblance in name and appearance: -all, almost all, here is the work of “the black art.”</p> - -<p>But this is not the worst part of the business. Were -any person to be admitted into the “elaboratorical -pandemonium” of a pastry-cook or a confectioner—were -he to see the disgusting appearance of the vessels -in which they manufacture their articles—many of them -containing the ingredients with perfect rims of cupreous -matter surrounding them—were he to regale his eyes -with the sight of the most rancid butter bleaching for the -purpose of making pastry, as I have seen, I am sure that -he would hold the productions of the confectioner and -pastry-cook’s shop in abhorrence, and would not consider -Dr. Paris’s denunciation of them, in his useful -work on Diet, p. 247, as “an abomination.” A lady -with whom I am acquainted, and who lodged at different -times in the houses of confectioners and pastry-cooks, -had so good an opportunity of witnessing <em>the cleanliness -and wholesomeness</em> of their operations, that for many<span class="pagenum" id="Page_123">123</span> -years she has not tasted any commodity that comes out -of their manufactories; and I verily believe that she -would die of hunger before she could induce herself to -allow a scrap of their <em>delicacies</em> to enter her mouth.</p> - -<p>But these “artists” not only endanger the health and -lives of their customers by the carelessness and nastiness -of their conduct in their compositions, but they -employ preparations of copper, and also of red lead in -colouring their fancy sweet-meats. In the preparations -of sugar-plumbs, comfits, and other kinds of confectionary, -especially those sweat-meats of inferior quality, -frequently exposed to sale in the open-streets, for the -allurement of children, Mr. Accum, p. 288, informs us, -that the greatest abuses are committed by means of -powerful poisons. The white comfits, called sugar-peas, -are chiefly composed of a mixture of sugar, starch -and Cornish clay (a species of very white pipe-clay); -and the red sugar drops are usually coloured with the -inferior kinds of vermillion or sap green, and often, instead -of those pigments, with red lead and copper. -As a yellow colour, cromate of lead is used, and prussiate -of iron as a blue. The stuff called “<em>hard rock</em>,” -“<em>hard bake</em>,” “<em>white lollypop</em>,” and other baby attracting -names, is of an equally deleterious quality. -Nor are the ginger-bread or sweet cakes of the ginger-baker -less injurious to the health of children, especially -the “gilt ginger-bread” as it is termed, which is covered -with Dutch leaf,—a composition consisting of an alloy -of copper and zinc, or brass and copper. Indeed, all pa<span class="pagenum" id="Page_124">124</span>rents -should, as the author of “<span class="smcap">The Oracle of Health -and Long Life</span>” observes, anxiously instruct their -children never to buy any thing offered for sale in the -streets: among my acquaintance more instances than -one have occurred in which lamentable results would -have been the consequence had not timely aid been afforded -the little sufferers. And for the same reason it -seems necessary to caution parents never to give painted -toys (which are always coloured with red lead, verdigris, -and other potent poisons,) to children, who are -apt to put every thing, especially if it gives them pleasure, -into their mouths.</p> - -<p>The mischievous consequences occasioned by the use of -sugar confectionary, coloured with metallic and vegetable -poisons, are provided against by the French Government, -by being under the surveillance branch of the police, entitled -the Council of Health, by whom an ordonnance is -issued, that no confectionary shall be sold, unless -wrapped up in paper, stamped with the name and address -of the confectioner; and the ordonnance further provides -that the vendors shall be held responsible for all accidents -occasioned by confectionary sold in their shops. M. Chevallier -has, in the Journal de Chimie Médicale for -Jan. 1831, discussed this subject with considerable -ability.</p> - -<p>“The foreign conserves, such as small green limes, -citron, hop-tops, plumbs, angelica roots, &c. imported -into this country, and usually sold in round chip boxes, -are frequently impregnated with copper.” Indeed, most<span class="pagenum" id="Page_125">125</span> -of the <em>delicacies</em> and “good things” to be obtained in -confectioner’s shops, are tinted with all the colours of the -rainbow, by the agency of lead, copper, brass, arsenic, -or some other poisonous metal.</p> - -<p>The presence of lead and copper is readily detected -by pouring liquid ammonia over the article suspected -of being adulterated with the first mentioned metal, which -will acquire a blue colour; and sulphuretted hydrogen, -acidulated with muriatic acid, where the second -article is suspected to have been made use of in the -adulteration, when the article will assume a dark brown -or black colour. The adulteration by means of clay -may be ascertained by dissolving the suspected article -in boiling water, when the sediment or precipitate at the -bottom of the vessel ready discovers the fraud.</p> - -<p>For the purpose of communicating an almond or a -kernel flavour to custards, blanc-mange, and other productions -of his art, and to render them grateful to the -palates of his customers, the pastry-cook flavours them -with the leaves of the poisonous plant, the cherry-laurel. -And the basis of his favourite blanc-mange often consists -of the shreds of the dried bladders of horses, the -skins of soles, and other animal membranes, as cheap -substitutes for isinglass. Among his less objectionable -sophistications may be mentioned, his fabrication of -creams, custards, tarts, and other kinds of pastry, from -rice powder and skimmed milk.</p> - -<p>The negus and lemonade made by pastry-cooks, and -the punch of public and coffee-houses, are made of tar<span class="pagenum" id="Page_126">126</span>taric -acid, as a cheap substitute for citric or lemon -acid.</p> - -<p>The perfumers, the keepers of the “emporiums and -bazaars of fashion,” the manufacturers of the “best -genuine bears’ grease,” of the “incomparable Macassar -Oils”—of the “Kalydors”—of “Les Cosmetiques -Royales”—of the “Red and White Olympian Dews,” and -other prodigiously grand and etymological titles “breathing -the spirit of patriotic rivalry,” have all exerted their -respective wits in the art of economising expense and -“saving a penny.” In fact the tooth-powders, the -dentrifices, the ottars of roses, the musks, the cosmetics, -the lotions, the balsams, the Hungary waters, the Eaus -de Cologne, as well as all the other frenchified <em>eaus</em>, the -<em>milks</em> and <em>creams</em> of roses, the pomades divines, the -blooms, the pearl-waters, the lip-salves, the perfumes,—the -Naples almond and beautifying soaps,—the cephalic, -Macouba, and other-hard named snuffs, are all vile sophistications, -and (to omit speaking of their injurious properties -to the health and the skin,) contain but little of the -ingredients of which the artists profess that they are made. -On this subject I shall address myself especially to -my fair readers: craving leave to premise, that it is -strange that British ladies, to whom Nature has been -so bountiful, should destroy their native charms and -have recourse to the wretched substitutes of art, which -<span class="smcap">are destructive of beauty</span>, and <span class="smcap">produce real -deformity</span>.</p> - -<p>As many ladies attempt to improve their complexions<span class="pagenum" id="Page_127">127</span> -by the use of the pernicious cosmetics, which are continually -and unblushingly advertised as beautifiers of the -skin, most of which are either worthless or dangerous, -(for if they have any effect, it is that of conveying mercury, -lead, or bismuth into the system, and too frequently -laying the foundation of diseases which are often -dangerous, and sometimes fatal;) I cannot refrain from -advising those “fair ones” who have been in the habit of -using trash of so villainous a nature, that if they have any -of it by them, to throw it away at once, and to be persuaded -that the best cosmetics are exercise in the open air, an -active attention to social and domestic duties, regular -hours of repose at night, and cheerful hilarity and tranquility -of mind, and that those cheap and <span class="smcap">wholesome</span> -remedies will not, as the author of “<span class="smcap">The Toilette -Companion</span>” well observes, fail to animate their countenances -and beautify their complexions beyond the -blooms and the balsams, the Grecian and the Egyptian -Waters, the Kalydors and the Macassar Oils, the Gowland’s -Lotions and the Pearl Powders, the Cosmetiques -Royales, the Red and White Olympian Dews, the Essences, -the Eaus, and the Pomades Divines, the Essences -Apolloniennes or Tyrian, and the Tonic Wines, and all the -other puffed and delusive nostrums, that knavery, cupidity, -and effrontery, have ever palmed upon a credulous -public, by which dull and lustreless eyes, sallow and -shrivelled skins, lifeless and cloudy complexions, and -impaired and ruined health, are infallibly super-induced:<span class="pagenum" id="Page_128">128</span> -or those simple and easily purchased ingredients, with -a strict attention to cleanliness, that is, well washing the -skin every day, and drying it with a course towel,—or -when the head, neck, or face perspire, rubbing it dry -with a towel of the like description, will, as the author -of “<span class="smcap">The Oracle of Health and Long Life</span>” says, -more effectually beautify the complexion, preserve -the skin pure, soft, and pervious, and consequently the -health firm and unaffected, than all the frauds that have -ever been contrived to cheat and deceive the unwary or -the inexperienced. Cold water, however, should not be -used when the skin is warm, nor very warm water when -it is chilled. For as the author of that clever little work -“<span class="smcap">The Toilette Companion</span>, or <span class="smcap">The whole Art of -Beauty and of Dressing</span>,” says, “Many a beautiful -face, neck, and arm, have been spoiled by not observing -this caution.”</p> - -<p>I have mentioned the dangerous consequences from -the use of the repellent cosmetics and other quack nostrums -puffed off in the newspapers; but, as example is -more convincing than precept, I shall present my readers -with a few cases of their lamentable results, which -fell under the observation of the celebrated Dr. Darwin.</p> - -<p>“Mrs. S. being much troubled with pimples, applied -an alum poultice to her face, which was soon followed -by a stroke of the palsy, and terminated in her death. -Mrs. L. applied to her face for pimples a quack nostrum, -supposed to be some preparation of lead. Soon<span class="pagenum" id="Page_129">129</span> -after she was seized with epileptic fits, which ended in -palsy and caused her death. Mr. Y. applied a preparation -of lead to his nose to remove pimples, and it -brought on palsy on one side of his face. Miss S. an -elegant young lady, applied a cosmetic lotion to her face -for small red pimples. This produced inflammation of -the liver, which required repeated bleedings with purgatives -to remove. As soon as the inflammation was subdued, -the pimples re-appeared.” (Darwin’s Zoonomia.) -Every person could enlarge this catalogue from the -sphere of his own acquaintance.</p> - -<p>I am willing to believe that I have (to use a legal -phrase) made out a sufficient case to prove the inefficacy, -nay the <span class="smcap">dangerous</span> consequences of cosmetics, and the -rest of the long list of et-ceteras for <em>beautifying</em> the skin. -It will now be my duty to direct my attention to the -other frauds and impositions practised under the titles of -“hair strengtheners”—“hair beautifyers”—of “best -genuine bears’ grease”—of “incomparable Macassar Oils”—of -“Pommades Divines,”—and the remaining hair -hoaxes and humbugs, played off as hair oils, Russia -oils, and similar puffed nostrums, under pretty and <em>taking</em> -titles, by Prince, Ross and Son, M’Alpine, and the -rest of the bear’s grease and hair-oil men; and I shall -feel a singular pleasure should I be the medium of -saving any “lovely or loveable woman” from becoming -the dupe of imposture and deception.</p> - -<p>Amongst the various cosmetics recommended by the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_130">130</span> -adventurer for the dressing room, it must be admitted -that none seems more harmless than those which profess -to give a fine curl to the hair. But to assert that any -liquid will, of itself, give a permanent or temporary curl -to the hair is fallacious; though it is true that the application -of a weak soap lye, or a solution of caustic potash, -will render the hair more susceptible of adopting the artificial -curl given by putting it into papers. But then it -must be recollected that the effect occasioned by soap lye -or potash is only produced by a complete alteration of -the organic structure of the hair, superinducing a slow -but certain destruction of that beautiful ornament of the -human head. This effect may not be immediately -observed, either in youth or in advanced life; but it is -certain and inevitable.</p> - -<p>Equally destructive are the various liquid dyes so -loudly boasted of, and extensively advertised, by quacks -for colouring the hair; some of them, indeed, do produce -the effect proposed, particularly the black dyes; but they -are all <span class="smcap">injurious</span>, especially the black, as their basis -consists always of nitrate of silver, (that is, silver dissolved -in nitric acid or aqua-fortis) or lunar caustic when in a dry -state; but the operation is destructive of the hair, as -must be evident to any one who has seen the effect of -caustic on warts on the skin. It has been well said -that if we wish to save our hair, we must first save our -money, by abstaining from the whole list of those puffed -and unprincipled recipes and nostrums that stare us in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_131">131</span> -the face in every newspaper, and in almost every shop-window.</p> - -<p>The folly of giving credence to any of the impudent -and disgraceful impostures for the pretended power of -certain ingredients to change the colour of the hair, must, -as the author of <span class="smcap">The Toilette Companion</span> observes, -be evident to every person when he is told that the -hair depends on a peculiar secretion, and that, when that -secretion ceases, which it does from several causes, as -grief, fright, ill health, great mental exertion, age, &c. -the hair becomes grey: “for Nature, like a provident -mother, when she feels the powers of life impaired or -decaying, exerts all her energies to support and preserve -the vital organs, and can no longer, from her limited -means, supply the outposts and ornamental parts of the -system as before, which therefore suffer and are sacrificed.”</p> - -<p>Nor are the deceits of the base nostrum-mongers for -making the hair grow and curl, or for making the bald -pericranium of a nonagenarian vegetate in all the luxuriance -of rejuvenization, the only frauds practised: equally -destructive are the advertised depilatories, the general -basis of which is yellow orpiment, a certain poison if -taken inwardly. It is true that the Turks, with whom -bald heads are in fashion, and also the Chinese, do use -this as an unguent, to save the trouble of frequent -shaving; but it should be recollected that those cosmetics -which may be harmless on the head of a robust -Janissary,—of a bashaw of three tails or a fat Mandarin,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_132">132</span> -do not necessarily become fit adjuncts for the toilette of a -“British fair,”—“the lovely daughters of Albion, Erin, -or Scotia,” or even that of an “Herculean delicate,” a -Lilliputian dandy, or a Bond-street exquisite.</p> - -<p>Snuff-sniffers and tobacco-munchers and puffers, do ye -know what the delectable ingredients which form part of -the articles of your recreation, are? Have you never heard -that snuff is often compounded of pulverised nut-shells, -of the powder of old rotten wood, called powder post; -that the colour is improved by ochre, and the appearance -and feel modified by an addition of treacle or urine? -And have you never been told that the pungency of snuff -is increased by the agency of powdered glass or the -muriate of ammonia? Tobacco smokers and “<em>chawers</em>,” -have ye never been told that your favourite “<em>quid</em>” is -often composed of black hellebore, corrosive sublimate, -dried dock-leaves, and a variety of other <em>innocent</em> ingredients? -Oh, dear! what a deal you have yet to learn -before you “become wise as serpents!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_133">133</span></p> - - -<h3>SECTION VIII.<br /> - -MEDICINES;<br /> - -<small>MEDICAL EMPIRICISM,<br /> - -AND<br /> - -QUACKS AND QUACKERY,<br /> - -REGULAR AND IRREGULAR,<br /> - -LEGITIMATE AND ILLEGITIMATE.</small></h3> - - -<p>Devoted to disease by baker, butcher, grocer, wine-merchant, -spirit-dealer, cheesemonger, pastry-cook, and -confectioner; the physician is called to our assistance; -but here again the pernicious system of fraud, as it has -given the blow, steps in to defeat the remedy;—the unprincipled -dealers in drugs and medicines exert the most -diabolical ingenuity in sophisticating the most potent and -necessary drugs, (viz. peruvian bark, rhubarb, ipecacuanha, -magnesia, calomel, castor-oil, spirits of hartshorn, -and almost every other chemical preparation in -general demand;) and chemical preparations used in -pharmacy; and the fraud has increased to so alarming -an extent, says Mr. Accum, and his assertion is borne -out by the experience of every one familiar with chemistry, -that nine-tenths of the drugs and medicines in -use that are vended by dealers, even of respectability and -reputation, according to the usual interpretation of those -words, “and who would,” as that gentleman emphatically -expresses himself, “be the <em>last</em> to be suspected,” -<span class="smcap">are adulterated</span>. And what tends to aggravate the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_134">134</span> -evil is that manufactories and mills on “an amazingly -large scale” are constantly at work in this metropolis for -the manufacture of spurious drugs. From these licensed -elaboratories of disease, the adulterated articles are vended -to unprincipled druggists, at less than a third of the price -of the genuine article. And as there are no certain tests -or methods of detecting the fraud, the consequence is, -that the physician’s prescription is rendered useless, and -the most consummate skill often baffled in the subjection -of disease. Some idea of the extent of the adulteration -of drugs may be formed, when it is stated that a spurious -peruvian bark is sometimes sold, compounded of mahogany -saw-dust and oak-wood, ground into powder, with a -proper proportion of genuine quinquina; and that magnesia, -even the calcined sort, is adulterated with lime.</p> - -<p>Chemical cunning has even contrived to extract the -quinquina, in which consists the whole virtue of the bark, -leaving it a completely inert mass. And even the -quinine itself is sophisticated, being frequently contaminated -with lime, tallow, sugar, and sulphate of cinchonas.</p> - -<p>It is necessary also to make some little inquiry, and use -some little exercise of one’s understanding, in ascertaining -for what reasons certain physicians recommend particular -druggists, and particular drugs which are manufactured by -the “said particular” druggists. Dr. Reece, in his -Monthly Gazette of Health for August 1829, has tended to -open one’s eyes a little on the subject. He informs us -that the late Ambrose Godfrey, the nostrum-monger, con<span class="pagenum" id="Page_135">135</span>trived -to get his preparation of arrow-root into notice and -sale at double the price for which it might have been obtained -of any other druggist, by accompanying samples of -his commodity with presents of haunches of venison to -certain physicians, and that by judicious repetitions -(“neither few nor far between”) of the said conciliating -haunches of venison, he contrived to maintain the reputation -and supposed superiority of the said arrow-root, -and to keep the monopoly to himself, as all the said -learned and grateful physicians always, as in due allegiance -and duty they were bound, recommended the said -Godfrey Ambrose’s arrow-root as superior to that of all -other simple wights, who supposed that their composition -of arrow-root could be good for any thing, if they forgot, -or were not able, to give character to the commodities by -means of the mute but irresistible influence or eloquence -of the said judiciously disposed-of haunches of venison. -From this account it appears that the “sons of Galen” -and the artificers of “the pestle and mortar” are not behind -their brethren of “the long robe,” and “of the quill -and parchment tribe” in the “art of <em>huggery</em>.” How -often has a “learned barrister” contrived to get into the -good graces of an attorney and secured practice by invitations -to dinner, and judiciously and well timed (for few -persons are better versed in the art of throwing a sprat to -catch a whale than a hungry and briefless, and it must be -admitted, often highly gifted barrister;) presents of game, -by a hearty and unseen shake of the hand in the street, -which he dared not have given at Westminster Hall, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_136">136</span> -by all those ingenious means, to which men of great talent -have before now condescended, and by which men of -little talent have sometimes gained considerable fortunes.</p> - -<p>Nor has the spirit of adulteration allowed even the -accredited patent or quack medicines to escape its ingenuity. -Dr. James’s Fever Powders, and Norris’s -Fever Drops, besides a variety of other popular receipts, -are to be obtained in all possible degrees of strength and -flavours from the various venders and manufacturers of -the articles.</p> - -<p>Even the simple articles arrow-root, worm-seed, Spanish -liquorice, lemon acid, soda water, lozenges, honey, -spermaceti, and a long list of other commodities in -general use, receive the <em>benefit</em> of the sophisticators’ -ingenuity.</p> - -<p>The greater part of the commodity sold under the name -of arrow-root in the shops of the druggists and grocers is -prepared from the fecula or starch of wheat and of dry -mealy potatoes, with a portion of arrow-root. When -good, the grains of arrow-root are very fine, with numbers -of little clots which are formed by the aggregation -of the minuter grains while the commodity is drying, and -when examined by a magnifying glass appear pearly and -very brilliant.</p> - -<p>The seeds of the tansy are often offered for sale, for -worm-seed; but the more <em>conscientious</em> dealer sometimes -treats his customers with an equal portion of the genuine -and the adulterated article.</p> - -<p>The Spanish liquorice juice of the shops is generally<span class="pagenum" id="Page_137">137</span> -composed of the worst kind of gum arabic, called Indian -or Barbary gum, and imported chiefly for the purpose of -making shoe-blacking, with a small portion of the genuine -juice; and the factitious composition, when inspissated, -is formed into rolls, resembling the genuine article imported -from Catalonia, nicely sprinkled or stratified with -particles of dry bay-leaves, and skilfully impressed with the -word “<i lang="es">Solaz</i>,” in the true cast of Spanish engraving. -<em>Refined</em> liquorice is frequently manufactured from Spanish -juice, with an equal quantity of carpenters’ glue or starch. -The specimens of genuine juice are generally small, perfectly -black, brittle, and break with a smooth and glassy -fracture. They are also soluble either in the mouth or in -water, without leaving any residue.</p> - -<p>The lemon acid of commerce is, as I have before said, -a counterfeit; tartareous acid being employed as a cheap -substitute for lemon or citric acid.</p> - -<p>The soda-water on general sale is frequently contaminated -with copper and lead, produced from the action of -the carbonic acid contained in the water on the metallic -substances of which the apparatus in which it is made -is constructed.</p> - -<p>The lozenges of all varieties, hues, flavours, and qualities, -particularly those in the composition of which -ginger, cream of tartar, magnesia, &c. are used, are sophisticated -with a liberal portion of pipe-clay, as a cheap -substitution for sugar; but this fraud is readily detected -by laying one of the suspected lozenges on the pan of a -fire shovel or sheet of iron made red-hot; when, if it be<span class="pagenum" id="Page_138">138</span> -pure, it will readily take fire and be consumed, but if it -be adulterated, it will burn feebly, and a hard strong substance -will remain, resembling the lozenge in form.</p> - -<p>It is well known that but little genuine honey can be -obtained in London. The tests of good honey are its fragrance -and sweetness. When it is suspected to be adulterated -with starch or bean flour, the fraud may be -discovered by dissolving the honey in cold water, when -the flour will be readily seen, as it will not dissolve, but -falls to the bottom of the vessel in powder. If honey -thus adulterated be exposed to heat, it soon solidifies and -becomes tenacious.</p> - -<p>Honey is of three kinds; the first, called <em>virgin honey</em>, -and which is of the finest flavour, is of a whitish cast, -and in a fluid state, about the consistence of a syrup. -The second is that known by the name of <em>white honey</em>, -and its texture is almost solid. The third kind is the -common yellow honey, obtained from the combs, by -heating them over the fire, or by dipping them into hot -water, and then pressing them.</p> - -<p>Manna is sometimes counterfeited by a composition of -sugar and honey, mixed with a small portion of scammony.</p> - -<p>The adulteration of spermaceti is generally effected with -wax; but the fraud may be detected by the smell of the -adulterating ingredient, and by the dulness of the colour; -whereas pure spermaceti is of a semitransparent crystalline -appearance. It is also said that a preparation of the -oil obtained from the tail of the whale is likewise vended<span class="pagenum" id="Page_139">139</span> -for genuine spermaceti; but, as this factitious commodity -assumes a yellow shade when exposed to the air, this -imposition is also of easy detection.</p> - -<p>The adulteration of the essential oils obtained from the -more expensive spices is so common, that, as Mr. Accum -says, “it is not easy to meet with any that are fit for -use,” and so much subtle ingenuity is made use of in the -sophistications, that no known tests or agents exist for the -detection of the fraud. The only certain tests are the -taste or flavour, and the smell.</p> - -<p>It is worth while to attend to the plausible excuses of the -respective “artists” of these sophistications. They allege -that they are obliged to have recourse to the fraud, to -meet the fancies “of those clever persons in their own -conceit who are fond of haggling, and insist on buying -better bargains than other people, shutting their eyes to -the defects of an article, so that they can enjoy the delight -of getting it cheap; and secondly, for those persons, -who being but bad paymasters, yet as the manufacturer, -for his own credit-sake, cannot charge more than the -usual price of the articles, he thinks himself therefore -authorized to adulterate it in value, to make up for the -risk he runs, and the long credit he gives;”—they therefore -are reduced to the necessity of keeping, as they term -it, “<em>reduced articles</em>,” and genuine ones. This is -excellent logic, and no doubt well understood by the -whole sophisticating tribe. The public are indebted to -Dr. T. Lloyd for this information, which he communicated -to the Literary Gazette, No. 146.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_140">140</span></p> - -<p>The ready methods or tests for ascertaining the good -qualities of the most common drugs are:</p> - -<p>Castor-oil, when good, is of a light amber or straw -colour, inclining to a greenish cast. That which has -the least smell, taste, and colour, is considered the -mildest. The necessity of some attention to these signs -may appear, when I state that I once took seven ounces -of this oil in successive doses, and do verily believe that -I might have continued to this present hour taking, -daily, the usual dose furnished from the same quarter, -with as little effect, had not my good genius directed me -to send for an ounce from Apothecaries’ Hall. I recommend -my readers to purchase their drugs, &c. in the -same place.</p> - -<p>Ipecacuanha.—As this drug is sold to the public in a -pulverized state, there is no short or off-hand test for -discovering its purity. It is adulterated with emetic -tartar.</p> - -<p>Opium.—Good opium in a concrete state should be -of a blackish brown colour, of a strong fetid smell, a -hard viscous texture, and heavy; and when rubbed between -the finger and thumb, it is perfectly free from -roughness or grittiness. This drug is liable to great -adulteration, being frequently vitiated with cow-dung, or -a powder composed of the dry leaves and stalks of the -poppy, the gum of the mimosa, meal and other substances. -The flavour alone indicates the goodness of -opium in a liquid state.</p> - -<p>Rhubarb.—The marks of the goodness of rhubarb<span class="pagenum" id="Page_141">141</span> -are the liveliness of its colour when cut; its being firm, -dry, and solid, but not flinty or hard; its being easily -pulverizable, and appearing, when powdered, of a fine -bright yellow colour; and its imparting to the spittle, -when chewed, a deep saffron-colour, and not proving -slimy or mucilaginous to the taste. When rhubarb has -become worm-eaten, druggist-ingenuity is called into -play, by filling up the holes with a paste made of rhubarb-powder -and mucilage; and then the physic-artists roll -the mended pieces in the finest rhubarb powder to give -their handy works a good colour and an appearance of -freshness.</p> - -<p>Senna leaves are frequently mixed and sophisticated -with leaves of argol, box leaves, &c.</p> - -<p>But among the frauds and impositions practised on -the public, none are more odious and unprincipled, and, -at the same time, more loudly call for the prompt and -active interference of the Legislature, than the tricks -and effrontery of impostors, quacks, and empirics in -medicine, both regular and irregular. It cannot -but have been the frequent subject of regret to every -honest and reflecting person that this vile trade should -receive <span class="smcap">a legal sanction and protection</span>, which -it most assuredly does by virtue of the stamp duty -imposed on the villainous trash; and it cannot be sufficiently -deplored that any government should find itself -reduced to straits so deplorable, or be so short-sighted -in its views of enlightened policy, as to be under the -necessity of extracting a paltry and disgraceful profit<span class="pagenum" id="Page_142">142</span> -to the revenue of the state, from the tolerance and encouragement -of ignorance, imposture, and mischief.</p> - -<p>The assertion is true, that those pests of society the -charlatans and nostrum-mongers “<em>quarter</em>” themselves -only on the ignorance and credulity of mankind, and -that their patrons and supporters are wealthy but ignorant -men, and superstitious old women, or profligate -and thoughtless rakes; but this is a miserable excuse, -and but lame kind of reasoning: if it means any thing, -it proves the necessity of public protection from the -abominable and anti-christian nuisance. Can there be -greater libel on the utility and operation of English law, -than that vermin of the description of the “<em>Balsam of -Rackasiri</em>” empirics<a name="FNanchor_M_13" id="FNanchor_M_13"></a><a href="#Footnote_M_13" class="fnanchor">[M]</a> should be tolerated and allowed -to spread their mischief and destruction among the population -of a country professing Christianity and civilization, -and forsooth, to boast of “the thousands they pay<span class="pagenum" id="Page_143">143</span> -yearly to the government and the public press,” in the -form of duty to the one for <em>its sanction and licence</em>, and -to the other in the form of remuneration for giving a -disgraceful and destructive publicity to their nefarious -designs.<a name="FNanchor_N_14" id="FNanchor_N_14"></a><a href="#Footnote_N_14" class="fnanchor">[N]</a></p> - -<p>Nor is the absence of a proper discrimination between -right and wrong of a certain prating brazen-faced</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_144">144</span></p> - -<p>“barrister” less reprehensible. I love and venerate -“the Bar;” but I must be free to say that when a man -can be found so devoid of just and proper feeling as to -appear, for the paltry remuneration of a few pounds, or -for <em>any</em> remuneration however large, in the defence and -propagation of <span class="smcap">naked and disgusting fraud and -peculation</span>—aye, and <span class="smcap">the secret and wide-spreading -destruction of health and life</span> too!—it -evidently proves that there are some members of -that distinguished profession who are not possessed of -the high and honourable feelings which belong to -those who are gentlemen by birth and breeding, scholars -by education, and Christians and honourable men -from moral and religious feeling. But it is to be -hoped that there will never occur again a similar exhibition -to that which took place at Marlborough-street -on the infamous Rackasiri-balsam fraud, practised on -Miss May, by “the <em>learned graduates</em> of Petticoat-lane,” -and “<em>regularly bred physicians</em>,” the Jew -pedlars and old clothesmen “of <em>wonderful abilities</em>,” -the “<em>Doctors</em>” C. and J. Jordan; who “feel <em>awkwardness</em> -in recommending to public notice their <em>uncommon -discoveries and talents</em>.” The more I consider that -transaction, the more I am satisfied that the magistrates -are to blame for having allowed the piece of impudent -effrontery and imposture to have had the semblance of -their sanction, by their singular taciturnity which happened -on that occasion. Of the newspapers which gave -currency and circulation to the artful and fiend-like<span class="pagenum" id="Page_145">145</span> -exculpation, language will not afford terms strong enough -to express one’s abhorrence and indignation. O shame! -where is thy blush? How much human misery and -destruction has the insertion of those disgraceful and -wicked puffs occasioned, by inducing the weak and -credulous to give credit to that as a piece of intelligence -coming from editors of accredited and impartial journals, -which is merely the contrivance and fabrication of wicked -impostors to delude and ensnare the thoughtless and -unsuspecting; and for the giving of its mischievous -publicity, the proprietors and editors of certain newspapers -received large sums of money. But let those -thoughtless men reflect, that it is the very consummation -of cruelty and unprincipled conduct to sanction the -infamous tampering with the lives and happiness of -one’s fellow creatures for the mere sake of lucre. Nor -is the conduct of the magistrates of certain police offices -(particularly those to whom the jurisdiction of the city -of London is entrusted) less reprehensible, and less -fraught with mischievous consequences. What! ought -the frauds and murderous designs of the basest miscreants -alive to receive the solemn and imposing sanction -and authority of an oath made before a judicial tribunal? -Surely a grosser violation of duty and a more stupid -and reckless indifference to the destruction of human -health and life, were never, in the most barbarous country, -and the most uncivilized age, exhibited, than the -want of sense and foresight displayed by some city-magistrates -in allowing affidavits to be made before<span class="pagenum" id="Page_146">146</span> -them of the “wonderful cures” performed on the deluded -and perjured <em>agents</em> and “<em>stalking horses</em>” of the empirics -and impostors; but, fortunately for mankind, the -culpable act will ever remain on record as a stigma and -reproach of city-legislation and moral economy. The -trade of <em>legalized</em> poisoning and destruction of public -health has received greater and more effectual help and -recommendation from that source than from all the arts -and devices of the impostors, though aided by the sanction -of a government duty, and the disgusting and unprincipled -puffs and paragraphs of a certain portion of -the public press. To put an end to these culpable and -mischievous proceedings, either on the part of magistrates -or of editors of newspapers, in future, I wish -those gentlemen to bear in mind that their “misdoings” -shall entitle them to a “niche and an escutcheon of -immortality” in the pages of “<span class="smcap">Deadly Adulteration -and Slow Poisoning Unmasked</span>;”</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent2">“If there’s a hole in a’ your coats,</div> - <div class="verse">E’en from Land’s End to John o’Groats,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">I’d rede ye tent it;</div> - <div class="verse">A chiel’s amang you taking notes,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And faith he’ll prent it:”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>and that no threats or intimidations of “actions” and -“reparations due to the wounded feelings of gentlemen,” -shall deter me from my duty. If I should offend, -of course the courts of justice are open to every injured<span class="pagenum" id="Page_147">147</span> -man, and he will most assuredly receive his due measure -of justice there; but should I give that offence for -which the “<span class="smcap">law of the land</span>” affords no redress, the -man of honourable feelings and conduct shall never have -to complain of my backwardness to give a most prompt -and satisfactory reparation; but, at the same time, I wish -that those who have been privy, whether by overt or -covert acts—whether from their love of “filthy lucre,” -or their natural propensity to fraud—to the destruction -of the lives or health of their fellow-creatures, to recollect -that I shall be prepared to treat them with the scorn -and contempt which their conduct and their misdeeds -may merit.</p> - -<p>It has been well said that it is not easy to determine -whether the fraud and impudence of the empiric or -nostrum-monger, or the folly and credulity of the sufferer, -are the greater. But the fact is that quacks and -impostors of all kinds, whether medical or political, -<em>pædagoguecal</em> or <em>corporational</em>, live and thrive on the -infernal popish maxim, that <span class="smcap">ignorance is the mother -of devotion</span>, that is, in plainer phrase—of <span class="smcap">gullibility</span>. -But to the case of the quacks.—It surely indicates -no ordinary share of dupery, to believe that one -and the same nostrum can cure all and every disorder -contained in the long catalogue of human woes and -miseries; such a belief must incline the victim of its -hallucination to suppose an exact similarity of symptoms -and a perfect identity of nature in all the disorders to -which the frailty of our common nature has rendered us<span class="pagenum" id="Page_148">148</span> -subject. On this momentous subject few persons have -written more forcibly than the admirable author of the -“<cite>Manual for Invalids</cite>.” May the following quotation -from that valuable work awaken the attention of those -who foolishly confide their health and lives to the care of -quacks, nostrum-mongers, jugglers, and impostors!<a name="FNanchor_O_15" id="FNanchor_O_15"></a><a href="#Footnote_O_15" class="fnanchor">[O]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_149">149</span></p> - -<p>“Where dwells the boasted march of intellect when -the understanding is continually insulted with the most -impudent and daring pretensions of impostors, who, -while they pretend to restore your health, are making -a direct attack upon your credulity and your purse. -What encouragement exists for the well educated men,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_150">150</span> -regular graduates of Universities, of high classical and -literary attainments, who have chosen the profession of -medicine or surgery as a business of life, and in order -to practice with credit and character, have directed their -attention, their time, and their property to its studies,—who -have made the nature of diseases and the efficacy -of remedies a study of life—when they find themselves<span class="pagenum" id="Page_151">151</span> -completely superseded by some inspired pretender—some -ignorant quack. Lord Bacon has long since said, -in his work on the advancement of learning, ‘If the -same honours and rewards are given to fools, which -ought to be awarded to the wise, who will labour to be -wise?’ That the ignorant pretender should be encouraged -by the public, is a reproach to the understanding -of any people; but that the revenue of any country -should be supplied by a stamp duty<a name="FNanchor_P_16" id="FNanchor_P_16"></a><a href="#Footnote_P_16" class="fnanchor">[P]</a> on empirical nostrums, -instead of the government taking measures -either of prevention or punishment, can only be explained<span class="pagenum" id="Page_152">152</span> -by exhibiting similar acts of atrocity on the sentiments -of nature; but the truth is, the auri sacra fames has -the power of making that appear relatively right, which -is absolutely wrong.”<a name="FNanchor_Q_17" id="FNanchor_Q_17"></a><a href="#Footnote_Q_17" class="fnanchor">[Q]</a></p> - -<p>“Beware of hypocrisy of every description,” adds -the same excellent writer; “you may as well believe -that the Pope can send you to perdition, as that an advertising -charlatan can, by any empirical nostrum, -restore you to health.”</p> - -<p>But, unhappily, it appears that poor John Bull and “his -hopeful family” are not gifted with the power of being -“beware of hypocrisy,” “advertising charlatans” and -“empirical nostrums;” but that through their proneness -to gullibility and the love of the marvellous, the trade of -quackery is daily increasing, and that hundreds of quacks -swarm in every quarter of the metropolis, and fatten on<span class="pagenum" id="Page_153">153</span> -the murders which they are constantly perpetrating with -their poisons; and to add to the monstrous combination -against the lives and health of the community, that the -aid of even the pulpit is invoked to further the propagation -of the imposture! Instances are on record where -mercenary preachers have been wicked enough to sermonize -and expatiate on the miraculous virtues and -benefits of the poisonous nostrums<a name="FNanchor_R_18" id="FNanchor_R_18"></a><a href="#Footnote_R_18" class="fnanchor">[R]</a> and remedies of the -mountebank jugglers and impostors.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_154">154</span></p> - -<p>But humbug and imposture, as it has been truly said, -is a many-headed monster, and is of very catching influence; -it has worshippers at the corner of every street; -hordes of the most ignorant vagabonds and jugglers are -engaged in its propagation, and announce their impostures -as “prepared and sanctioned by His Majesty’s -august authority;” but to waste my pages with the mention -of the “ladies’ fever” <em>doctors</em> Lamert, Peede, -Davis, Eady, Caton, Courtenay, (alias Messrs. Currie -and Co.) Fiedeberg (alias Sloane and Co. alias Jones -and Co.);—the surreptitious knights, His Carpentership, -Sir Gully Daniels, and his Plastership, White Arsenic -Sir Cancer Aldis;—the firm of Goss and Company, the -consulting Surgeons of Ægis and Hygeiene notoriety;—the -miniature painter, “the learned and celebrated” artful -artist and curer of consumption, Long St. Long,—the -crazy chap who entitles himself the “hygeist”<a name="FNanchor_S_19" id="FNanchor_S_19"></a><a href="#Footnote_S_19" class="fnanchor">[S]</a>—Taylor<span class="pagenum" id="Page_155">155</span> -and Son, the Leake’s pill-men,—Samuel, the syphilis-pill-man,—the -old canting staymaker and life-guardsman, -Gardner, who can manufacture tape-worms wholesale -and of a league in length from the intestines of cats and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_156">156</span> -chickens,—the piddle-taster, or morning water-doctor, -Cameron (alias Crumples,) as also all other quacks, -whether of the masculine or feminine gender, who cure -<em>by proxy</em>, or by simply pronouncing that the disease<span class="pagenum" id="Page_157">157</span> -shall be cured, (for there have been impostors impudent -enough to make such pretensions;) or by any art or delusion, -and who by chalk, chuckling, and chicanery are -battening on the vitals of society, would be an insult to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_158">158</span> -the understanding of my readers, further than to say that -each of those worthies, as well as their honourable compeers -the balsam of Rackasiri vagabonds and impostors, -can, no doubt, recognize the reality of their deeds in the -following quotation from the pages of Hudibras:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent14">“Nor doctor epidemic.</div> - <div class="verse">Stored with deletery med’cines,</div> - <div class="verse">(Which whosoever took, is dead since,)</div> - <div class="verse">E’er sent so vast a colony</div> - <div class="verse">To both the under worlds as he.”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>Perhaps a few words said on the subject of the former -occupations of some of the mountebank impostors, who -are practising, and have practised their frauds and villanies -on the community, may tend to open the eyes of this -very gullable nation as to the extent and quality of their -medical knowledge, unless it should be supposed that -they acquired it by miraculous inspiration or divine influence, -to which high pretensions, indeed, many of -the vermin have had the audacity to lay claim, well -knowing that the bolder their assertions were, the more -gullable they would find their ninny patients.</p> - -<p>Know then that the “groundly learned physicians<span class="pagenum" id="Page_159">159</span>” -—“of superior skill and judgement”—high character -and situation,” the <em>Doctors</em> Mordecai J. and C. Jordan, -were Jew pedlars; (and here, reader, recollect that more -than one half of the mountebanks and impostors who -have gulled and laughed at our gullable nation, are or -were circumcised Jews, either of native or of foreign -breed;)—the renowned <em>Doctor</em> Eady, of cyprianic memory, -and who owed his reputation to the joint exertions -and recommendation of the saints of Providence Chapel, -and the coal-heaving-preaching-and-praying-sinner-saved -Huntingdon, was a bumpkin haberdasher and retailer -of small wares in an obscure country village;—Monsieur -John St. John Long, the celebrated curer of -consumption, was a dauber in the miniature-line;—the -once celebrated, and now warmly nestled and scoffing -Doctors Brodum and Solomon were, by turns, porters -either in a drug warehouse or Jew pedlars; the canting -worm manufacturer in Long Acre was a staymaker and -life-guardsman;—Yankee noodle do Whitlaw and Don -celestial Graham filled the honourable posts of a day -labourer and tom-fool to a strolling company of players;—and -many of the by-gone mountebank vagabonds -were cobblers, tailors, weavers, footmen, blacking-makers, -cat’s-meat men, &c. &c. &c.: but they all, during -their tremulous career of iniquity and canting,</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">“———— Making sanctity the cloak of sin,</div> - <div class="verse">Laugh’d at the fools on whose credulity</div> - <div class="verse">They fattened.”——</div> -</div></div></div> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_160">160</span></p> -<p>The sanction and encouragement given to quacks -and quackery in this country have long and loudly been -stigmatized by foreign writers as a national opprobrium -to Britain; and it must be allowed very justly. -The increase of these vermin and pests of society has -long been a disgrace to the legislature and government -of the country. “They manage these things,” as Sterne -says, “better in France.” How careful our neighbours -are of the health of their community may be gleaned -from the following paper lately read before the Royal -Academy of Medicine, at Paris:—</p> - -<p>“1st. That for several centuries, by the vigilance of -the administration, in concert with the most distinguished -medical men, the strongest efforts have been -made to rid society of the pestilence constantly springing -up from secret remedies. 2dly. That the most favourable -circumstances are at present combined to free them -from the tribute of money and life, which, on no consideration, -ought longer to be tolerated.”</p> - -<p>It is to be hoped that our government will be influenced -by like motives and follow the glorious example -of our neighbours. If they want precedent,—the great -bugbear of improvement either in morals, politics, law, -religion, or even common sense, in our error-ridden nation, -history furnishes us with sufficient examples. -But, while those methods and laws are being planned -and prepared, let us, in the mean time, resort to the -good old practices of correcting and punishing the jugglers -of the present day.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_161">161</span></p> - -<p>In the reign of Edward VI. one Gregg, a poulterer, -in Surrey, was set in the pillory at Croydon, and again -in the Borough of Southwark, during the time of the -fair, for cheating people out of their money, for pretending -to cure them with charms, by only looking at the -patient, and examining his water. In the reign of -James I., an order of council, founded on the statute -of Henry, granted to the College of Physicians, was -issued to the magistrates of the city of London, for the -apprehension of all reputed empirics, to bring them before -the censors of the College, in order to their being -examined as to their qualifications to be trusted either -with the lives or limbs of the subject. On that occasion -several mountebanks, (among others, Lamb, Read, -and Woodhouse,) water casters, ague charmers, and -nostrum venders, were fined, imprisoned, and banished. -This wholesome severity, it may be supposed, checked -the evil for a time; but in the reign of William III. it -became again necessary to put the laws in force against -those vermin; in consequence of which many of them -were examined, and confessed their utter ignorance -even of reading and writing. Some of the miscreants -were set in the pillory, and some were put on horse-back -with their faces towards the horses’ tails, whipped, -branded, and banished.</p> - -<p>In Stowe’s Annals is to be found an account of a water -caster being set on horse-back, his face towards the horse’s -tail, which he held in his hand, with his neck decked<span class="pagenum" id="Page_162">162</span> -with a collar of urinals, and being led by the hangman -through the city, was whipped, branded, and afterwards -banished. One Fairfax, in king William’s time was -fined and imprisoned for doing great damage to several -people, by his aqua celestis. Antony, for his aurum potabile; -Arthur Dee, for advertising remedies which he gave -out would cure all diseases; Foster, for selling a powder -for the green-sickness; Tenant, a water doctor, who -sold his pills for 6l. each; Ayres, for selling purging -sugar plumbs; Hunt, for putting up bills in the streets<a name="FNanchor_T_20" id="FNanchor_T_20"></a><a href="#Footnote_T_20" class="fnanchor">[T]</a> -for the cure of diseases; and many others, were all -punished, and compelled to relinquish their malpractices.</p> - -<p>But it is not only the interloping quack—the irregular -and illegitimate charlatan and self-dubbed doctor -that does mischief and destroys the health of the public, -but the “regular” and legitimate pretender to medical -knowledge, or as they have been significantly and appropriately -termed by Dr. Morrison, the “roturiers,” -or dabblers in physic, often do not much less mischief. -The following extract from the Manual for Invalids is -so much to the purpose, that the wider its circulation -can be promoted, the greater good will be produced to -society at large.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_163">163</span></p> - -<p>“In the restoration of health, the poor often try the -efficacy of the wine vaults and the medical wisdom of -the druggist, who flourishes greatly in low neighbourhoods, -in the metropolis, and even in some large provincial -towns. These men, whose solitary qualification -for this honest mode of existence has been commonly -an apprenticeship behind the counter, have often placed -in imminent peril many a valuable life. Sometimes it -has occurred that a shrewd boy, employed to clean -bottles and sweep out the shop, has received an intuitive -call, and has felt himself fully qualified for the important -office of recovering and regulating the health of many invalids. -The writer has a knowledge of a general practitioner -of this description who was received behind a druggist’s -counter in the manner before related, and perhaps, -learning audacity from his late employer, has obtained, -through the medium of puffing friends, a surreptitious -reputation, and is cried up by those worthies as a very -skilful, even a “delightful” and “fine” man, particularly -for nervous invalids, and more especially for the -disorders of women and children.”</p> - -<p>Thousands and thousands of the population of this -blessedly gifted country in medical science, are killed -by this disgraceful quackery of the drug-shop, and the -iniquitous drug-jobbing of apothecaries. What murders, -what numerous murders have those men to answer for by -their careless and injudicious use of powerful medicines—calomel -and opium! But perhaps they console their -unfeeling and selfish hearts with the miserable subterfuge<span class="pagenum" id="Page_164">164</span> -that they are merely removing that portion of the increasing -population which is the great bugbear, that is -hourly threatening to eat up Mr. Parson Malthus and -his believing disciples by wholesale.</p> - -<p>But the prescribing druggist, the drugging apothecary, -and the soi-disant surgeon are not the only regular -and legitimate quacks; we have quack physicians, who -by the remittance of the enormous sum of £15 to a -Scotch university are entitled, legally and professionally, -to tack the wonder-working cabalistical initials M.D. to -their names, and are then entitled to kill the king’s liege -and loving subjects, “secundum artem,” with licensed -and legitimate potion, pill, and draught; who to return -obligations to their “<em>pals</em>” the apothecary and surgeon, -prescribe draughts by the quart and the gallon—bleeding, -blistering, and purging, ad infinitum. By these -mystified and jabbering doctors, whose little-or-no wisdom -consists in foolish words of little or no meaning, and -dog Latin, or disputes about precedence and the receipt -of fees, the laws of vital existence and the astonishing -functions of the animal economy, are understood by -hearsay and inspiration!</p> - -<p>This statement of the general ignorance of the medical -profession is not exaggerated. “Five sixths of -the medical profession,” says Dr. Morrison, in Medicine -No Mystery, “know little or nothing of the science of -life.” The cause of this lamentable ignorance arises -from the abominable and disgraceful system of medical -education in vogue, according to which the bought and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_165">165</span> -sale prices of the current drugs, and the art and mystery -of dispensing medicines often constitute the whole -and sole knowledge of those who are entrusted with -the health and lives of their fellow-creatures; in whose -bungling and self-interested practice hearsay and precedent -supply the place of experience, and by whom signs -and symptoms are mistaken for causes. Another cause is -the deplorable deficiency of the public in the knowledge -of medicine. Were the principles of medical science -to form a part of general education, the public would -be enabled to select well educated and honest medical -men, and escape the fangs and delusions and murderous -acts of quacks and impostors, whether interlopers, or -those who are enrolled in one or other of the medical institutions -of London. It really seems an anomaly in the -pursuit and attainment of knowledge that a man should -conceive it necessary to be able to judge whether his -shoe or his cravat is made in a good and workman-like -manner, but of that science which treats of himself, -and with which his health, his life, and all his comforts -are so intimately and seriously connected, he should be -in the most abject state of ignorance, and, unhappily, -not hesitate to avow that ignorance! But while it is -an incontrovertible truth that the community in general -should have some knowledge of medicine, in order to -enable them to judge of the qualifications of their -medical attendants, (to the attainment of which knowledge -popular medical writings, such as Dr. Kitchener’s -Art of Invigorating Life; Sir John Sinclair’s Code of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_166">166</span> -Health and Longevity, Dr. Reece’s Medical Guide, and -the Oracle of Health and Long Life, or Plain Rules for -the Preservation and Attainment of Sound Health and -Vigorous Old Age, and a few others, are calculated to -afford the most effectual help;) it must be deeply regretted -by every well disposed member of society, to -observe books got up by rash and inexperienced persons, -professing to give directions for the management of health, -which are filled with the crudest and the falsest instructions, -the nature and consequence of which are decidedly -destructive of health, if not of life itself. And -what must add to that regret, is that the title-page and -covers should be blazoned with the professed sanction and -recommendation of a late eminent medical practitioner. -But surely that gentleman could never have read, -among many other dangerous fooleries and extravagancies, -the silly and monstrous instructions to sleep -with open windows, to swallow as much salt as possible, -&c. &c. &c. or if he did read them, it is but an act of -courteous feeling towards him to suppose that he did not -comprehend their purport. Another circumstance deserving -reprobation respecting the means which have -been taken to get that ill-judged little book into circulation -has been the profuse and repeated attempts of a -portion of the public press to give it notoriety and circulation. -It certainly savours a little of presumption, that -those who have not made the science of medicine a study -or a profession, should venture to give opinions of the -merits or demerits of a work professing to treat of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_167">167</span> -momentous subjects of health and life. These remarks -are not made in any petulant feeling. I believe the -author to be a well-intentioned though a misguided -man, and as he hints that he published his work with -the hope of adding to his income from the profits, I sincerely -wish that he had chosen a subject for which he may -be more competent, as then I should have been relieved -from the necessity of making these remarks, in the expression -of which a sense of public duty has alone actuated -me. It gives me, however, great satisfaction to -draw the public attention to the masterly abstract of -Cornaro’s Treatise appended to the book, and which, -from its disparity of style, is evidently written by another -person. It is no extravagant praise to say that the public -is under infinite obligations to the able and experienced -writer who made that valuable addition to the -book. Comaro’s works may now be read with advantage -by every one, as it is freed from the disagreeable -prosings, tautologies, and incongruities which pervade -that work. It is to be hoped that the proprietor of the -book will favour the community with its publication in a -separate form.</p> - -<p>Considering the severity of the remarks I have made -in the preceding pages on the medical profession, it may -be supposed I have set myself up in opposition to medical -men of all descriptions. I have no such intention. -The intelligent and skilful physician and surgeon I -reverence, and only wish that the following observations<span class="pagenum" id="Page_168">168</span> -were not a true portrait of their often unsuccessful progress.</p> - -<p>It is certain no body of men can produce more noble -instances of integrity, liberality of mind, and strength of -intellect, than the Professors of Physic; but, as with -other bodies of men, this high character will not apply -diffusedly. To find, therefore, a fit person with whom -to intrust our health, is not an easy matter. Fortunately, -however, for the profession, people are not very fastidious -on this point; and if they or their friends are but -sent to the grave in a regular way, they bear the load -of ills which their own follies and the ignorance of the -practitioner may have heaped upon them, with great philosophy, -imputing the whole to the natural order of -things. Indeed, to judge of the merits of a medical -man is extremely difficult; and, when we see one man -ordering away, with contempt, the medicine which another -has thought a specific, and pursuing a totally different -course, we are forced to conclude that education -alone will not make a physician. Reputation is not unfrequently -got without merit, for who is to judge? Accident, -solely, both with the drug and the doctor, has -often been the maker of their fame. This may be exemplified -by an anecdote of a deservedly eminent physician, -which, though perhaps it has been often related, is not -less to the point. The doctor happened to be sent for -one evening, after having indulged at a convivial meeting, -so that by the time he had been whirled to his patient’s -door, he was very ill qualified to decide in a case<span class="pagenum" id="Page_169">169</span> -of difficulty. Having made shift to reach the drawing -room, and seeing a lady extended on a sofa, assisted -by a female attendant, he, by a sort of mechanical impulse, -seized her hand; but finding himself utterly -unable to form an opinion on the case, he exclaimed, -“D—— d drunk, by G—d!” (meaning that he was in -that unfit state) and immediately made the best retreat he -was able. Feeling rather awkwardly at this adventure, -he was not impatient to renew his visit; but being -sent for on some other occasion, he took courage, and -was preparing an apology, when the lady presently removed -his apprehensions, by whispering these words in -his ear—“My dear doctor, how could you find out my -case so immediately the other evening?—It was certainly -a proof of your skill, but for God’s sake not a -word more on that subject.” Thus, the doctor added to -his repute by a circumstance which might have endangered -that of a less fortunate man. This, though a ludicrous -event, may serve, as well as a graver one, to elucidate -the fact that many owe their celebrity, not so much -to any <em>judgement of their own, as to a want of it in -others</em>. As it is with other professions, so it is with -physic. Many of its professors possessing great skill -are doomed to pass their lives in obscurity, whilst they -see others, of inferior knowledge and judgement, rise to -importance. It has been truly said by one who was not -unacquainted with the causes of medical success or -failure, that, “Even among the regularly bred physicians -accident will often accomplish what merit strives<span class="pagenum" id="Page_170">170</span> -for in vain; and those coincidences of circumstances -which frequently elevate one man and depress another -in the medical art, are more the production of what is -called chance, than from any extension of mind, or any -peculiar tact or skill in the art of intellectual combinations.”</p> - - - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h3>SECTION IX.<br /> - -<small>COALS.</small></h3> - - -<p>There are few trades in which greater frauds are practised -than in “the coal trade.” The dealers in the -“black diamonds” are versed in all the <em>allowable</em> legerdemain -and trickery of “<em>auld</em> England’s honest tradesmen:” -the most skilfully initiated in the art of sleight-of-hand -would find himself at fault in attempting to rival -the dexterity of the true “son of the coalshed,” under -the old régime of measuring, in ingeniously tossing his -“spadefuls” into the measure so as to enable “the darlings” -to lie lightly and “go far,” and assume the form -of a solid cone, while the hollow cavity within proved as -treacherous to any one treading on its “well raised summit,” -as if he had put his foot on the surface of a quagmire. -Nor was the well-fed, gaily clothed, richly lodged -coal-merchant, with his “extensive concerns” to be easily -“<em>out-done</em>” in well devised craft and contrivance: nicely -pinched sacks, not foolishly flapping inwards so as to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_171">171</span> -betray the precise amount of their contents,—well planned -deliveries, either so early in the morning that the heads -of the family might prefer the arms of Morpheus to the -hazard of being choked with volumes of coal dust, or so -late in the evening, that there might be a possibility of -their being engaged in the “solid recreation” of their -dinner, were a few of the demonstrations of generalship -frequently exhibited by this portion of “the monied -interest” and “great capitalists of the nation.”</p> - -<p>But to come to the point in hand. An honest writer on -the subject, Mr. Eddington, in his Treatise on the Coal -Trade, p. 94, informs us that the keeper of a coalshed -felt himself dissatisfied with his measure, if in doling out -his article to his poor, half-starved, shivering neighbours, -in pecks, half pecks, or bushels, he could not measure -out at the rate of forty-two bushels from every chaldron -of thirty-six bushels; without taking into consideration -the gain to be obtained from vending the inferior coal, -and the consequent increase of quantity by throwing a -few bushels of sifted ashes, pieces of stone, bones, -or any other commodity which will assume a black form -after having been well rummaged among the heap of coals.</p> - -<p>Another great source of unfair profit arising to the -vender of coals is the “Macadamizing” of them, and -like true “nursing fathers” carefully and sedulously -giving them their due quantum of moisture. For under -the old régime of measuring, the cunning varlets knew -full well that by the greater number of angular points<span class="pagenum" id="Page_172">172</span> -that they were able to produce, they filled their measure -with the least possible quantity of coals. This paternal -fulfilment of the command “to increase and multiply” -they still piously and faithfully observe, as the greater -progeny of small bits and dust that they can produce -from a lonely and solitary lump, the more they will be -able to increase the weight by their considerate and -frequently repeated waterings and drenchings. Accordingly -they set their shoulders to the work, and patriotically -and radically proscribe every rebellious lump in their -shed, by smashing it into as many figures as possible, -often exceeding in number the ever varying mutations of -the kaleidoscope, or <em>Orator</em> Hunt’s <em>two hundred thousand -unity</em> tales. Nor are their “<em>betters</em>” “the merchants” -less skilled in the art. Those considerate and -sharp-sighted gentry, foreseeing that the large masses and -blocks which are delivered out of the ships into their -barges, <em>round</em> as they came from the mine, would be an -inconvenience to their customers, and probable tumble -on some fair and delicate damsel’s toes, kindly set to work, -and smash away; so that when <em>the round coals</em> of every -chamber, containing the ingrain of five chaldron and -a half, have undergone the process of their friendly thumpings -and republican equalization, they will measure out -again from six to six and a half chaldrons. The increase -by breakage appears by the following statement from Dr. -Hutton’s Mathematical Dictionary: “If one coal measuring -exactly a cubic yard (nearly equal to five bolls)<span class="pagenum" id="Page_173">173</span> -be broken into pieces of a moderate size, it will measure -seven bolls and a half; if broken very small, it will measure -nine bolls.”</p> - -<p>And even after the coals have gone through the conjuring -process of being increased in bulk by the aforesaid -smashing or Macadamising art, and have reached their -destination at the wharf, the ingenuity of “the monied -interest” and “the great capitalists” is still at work. -Careful that the purchaser may not be put to the trouble -of wetting his coals to make them cake and burn well, -those considerate and obliging <em>gentlemen</em> relieve him -from the task by <em>scientifically</em> wetting the commodity; -and as a reward for their well intentioned and meritorious -labours they generally contrive to produce, as Mr. Eddington -informs us, “from six to six and a quarter, or -even six and a half, chaldrons from each room,” containing -five and a half chaldron of smashed or “macadamized” -coals. A correspondent to the World newspaper -for September, 1829, who signs himself a Coal Merchant, -says that instances are on record where eighty -and even ninety sacks have been measured out of a room -of coals!</p> - -<p>According to the new régime of weighing, (which has -already proved one of the most deceitful hoaxes that ignorance -and cupidity ever contrived against the interests of -the poor,) the quantity is increased in a like proportion in -favour of the coal dealer.</p> - -<p>Another hint or two on this matter may be of some -service to thee, friend Bull. Always recollect, John, in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_174">174</span> -the purchase of your coals, that you pay attention to the -season of the year; for there is with every article a -cheap season and a dear one, and with none more than -with coals: by purchasing at the proper season, often -from twenty to thirty per cent. are saved. The method -of purchasing should always be considered; for by purchasing -a room of coals, which is called <em>pool measure</em>, -two fourths of a chaldron is often obtained in every five -chaldrons; for a room of coals contains in general -from sixty-three to sixty-eight sacks. Therefore, where -the quantity is too much for the consumption of one -family, two or more should join together in the purchase.</p> - -<p>But the legislature, that is, “the <em>collective wisdom</em> of -the nation,” aware of thy disposition to gullibility, has, -John, taken thy affair of coals into its paternal and law-making -consideration, and has made some regulations, as -to the possibility of thy receiving “<em>good</em> and <em>lawful</em>” -weight. They are as follow:—To ensure <em>lawful</em> weight -to the purchaser, and prevent frauds in the sale and delivery -of coals, the vender of all coals exceeding 560lbs. -is to cause the carman to deliver a paper or ticket to the -purchaser before he shoots any of the coals out of his -cart or waggon, specifying the number of tons, the description -of the coals, and the weight of the sack. And -a weighing machine is to be carried in such cart or waggon, -with which the carman is directed to weigh gratis -the coals contained in any one or more of the sacks which -the purchaser or his servant may require to be so re<span class="pagenum" id="Page_175">175</span>weighed. -But no ticket is necessary to be delivered with -coals purchased at the “<span class="smcap">Coal Market</span>,” or with coals -exceeding 560lbs. purchased in bulk from any vessel or -wharf, if purchasers do not require a ticket. The seller -of the coals not sending a ticket and a weighing machine -with the coals, and the carman not delivering the ticket, -or neglecting or refusing to weigh the coals, are subject -to distinct penalties.</p> - -<p>No less than seventy-seven kinds of sea coal are -brought to the London market; forty-five of which are -imported from Newcastle, and the rest from Sunderland. -The best of the Sunderland produce are Stewart’s main, -Lambton’s main, and Hetley main, or as they are more -generally termed in imitation of the old Russell Walls -End, Stewart’s Walls End, &c. The Scotch and Staffordshire -coals are inferior to the sea coal both in durability -and the heat which they give, being about one-third -less productive in those qualities than the Newcastle -and Sunderland varieties.</p> - -<p>The test of good coal depends on the burning, and -the quantity of bitumen it affords in its combustion; and -no bad signs of its inferiority are that it is dull, small, -stony, or slaty. But the quality of coals is in a great -measure determined by the weight; for there often occurs -a difference of 30lbs. weight in two sacks of different -qualities, though equally filled: largeness of size is no -proper criterion, for the inferior coals are often of the -largest size.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_176">176</span></p> - - -<h3>SECTION X.<br /> - -<small><i>Painters’ Colours or Pigments, Hats, Broad Cloth, -Kerseymeres, Linens, Laces, Cambrics, Silks, -Jewellery, Stationary, &c.</i></small></h3> - - -<p>The spirit of adulteration pursues poor John even -into his domestic arrangements. Should he design to -decorate his dwelling—“his neat suburban cottage”—and -have the walls or wainscot of his drawing-room painted -a delicate pink colour to rival the carnation tints of the -cheek of his “cara sposa,” or those of his breakfast -parlour, to imitate the lively blue of the bright eyes of -his “lovely cherubs,” the vile sophisticators mar all his -wishes, and he is able to obtain nothing else than dull -and darkling daubs. In fewer words, he cannot obtain -genuine colours wherewith to have his house painted. -And this sophistication does not only extend to the common -house-paints, (as where white lead is mixed with -carbonate or sulphate of barytes; vermilion with red -lead, and a long et-cetera;) but should honest John wish -that his hopeful progeny may rival the Zeuxis or Apelles -of antiquity, or confine his paternal longings to the more -modern artists—a Reynolds, a Gainsborough, a Moreland, -or a David,—he has the mortification of seeing his fond -illusions dissipated by the adulterating manufacturers of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_177">177</span> -ultramarine, carmine, lake, Antwerp blue, crome -yellow, Indian ink, and all the other et-ceteras of artist-decoration.</p> - -<p>The covering of even John’s sconce is not exempt from -sophistication. In the room of the dear bought, far -fetched beaver, the adulterators adorn John’s pate with a -strange combination of wool and the homely and cheaply -purchased fur of the rabbit and mole. This, it must be -admitted, is cruel usage of the good old gentleman, and -must, as the witty author of the Indicator says, bring -to his mind an odd association of ideas, (namely, of -cheatery and forgiveness,) in one of those communings -with his hat’s lining, while, like a polite worshipper, he -is whispering his preparatory ejaculations, before he -turns round with due gravity and composure, and makes -a bow of genteel recognition of the Mr. and Mrs A. and -the Misses B. who have assembled in the pew before -him.</p> - -<p>Nor is he better treated by his clothier or man’s mercer. -Not to mention the slight texture of the articles, -and the substitution of inferior materials for the “<em>best -superfine</em> Spanish” and the “<em>super-extra</em> Saxony,” -the sly varlet artfully stitches the selvage of broad cloths, -kerseymeres, and ladies’ “extra superfine,” dyed of a -permanent colour, to the edge of cloth dyed with a fugative -or fading dye; and this operation is performed with -so much skill and nicety as to elude John’s most penetrating -optics.</p> - -<p>Neither are Mrs. Bull and her “lovely daughters<span class="pagenum" id="Page_178">178</span>” -more exempt from the knaveries of the linen-draper, the -dealers in laces, veils, silks, “Cashmere shawls,” French -cambrics, and the other paraphernalia of the female -wardrobe: they are all sophisticated, and often no more -like the native article than “the moon is like green -cheese.” Like “a true bred knight,” I shall not forget -to furnish the female part of Mr. Bull’s family with the -means and criteria for judging of the goodness of those -commodities, in the work which, as I have before said, -I have nearly ready for press. Nor shall I omit to take -notice in the same publication, to give directions for the -proper selection of the articles of furniture of the old -gent’s house; such as feathers, blankets, carpets, &c. -&c.</p> - -<p>While gallantly professing my knight-errantry in the -cause of Mrs. Bull and “her lovely daughters,” I find -that I have made an unpardonable omission—not a word -on laces and muslins! To propitiate their “kind consideration,” -I hurry to supply the unpardonable omission. -Let then every “lovely fair one” know that laces are -now generally made from single cottons (instead of good -double thread, as was formerly the case), and in order to -make them look fine and clear, they are stiffened with -starch, which occasions the delusive articles, as soon as -they are washed, to fall to pieces. In some articles of -lace, particularly veils, many of the springs and flowers -are fastened on with gum, which, as soon as they are -wetted, immediately fall off and betray the cheatery. -Caps and other articles of female habiliments sold in the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_179">179</span> -streets, are often united together in the most ingenious -manner by means of gum or paste.</p> - -<p>Muslins are not free from sophistication-ingenuity. -Poor, thin, rough specimens are rendered stiff, high -glazed, and thick with a quantum sufficit of pipe-clay, -&c.; sometimes a paper-pulp is spread over the deteriorated -article; and the fibres of the cotton which -ought to be dressed off, are left in order to hold the composition -put in.</p> - -<p>Stockings are often rendered stiff and thick to the -feet, by bleaching them with brimstone. And coarse -woollen cloth receives the addition of large quantities of -fuller’s-earth to give it body and closeness; while the -right or pressed side is finished off with oil, in order to -give the cloth a fine, soft, and smooth appearance. Never -choose woollen cloth which is glossy and stiff.</p> - -<p>“The frauds committed in the tanning of skins, and -their conversion into leather; and in the manufacture -of cutlery and jewellery,” says Mr. Accum, “exceed belief.” -And I can assure my readers that that gentleman -is not mistaken in his assertion; and, had he added that -of cabinet wares and silver plate of all sorts, he would -not have over-stepped the limits of truth. To those acquainted -with the manufacture of silver goods, it is well -known that you cannot always be sure that the various -costly articles are of the legal standard with which -Pride and Vanity, Luxury and Fashion, when they “set -up for <em>Gentry</em> and <em>Stylish</em> people,” and have a desire -for “<em>shewing off</em>,” gratify their whims and fantastic<span class="pagenum" id="Page_180">180</span> -notions of gentility, and their ambition of “<em>outplating -and outdishing</em>” their friends and neighbours. The -prosecution instituted some years ago against a “legitimate” -son of Crispin for the manufacture of shoes, the -soles of which were ingeniously united to the welts by -only six stitches in each shoe, while the external parts -of the soles exhibited evident traces of a multiplicity of -stitches rivalling the number of the stars of the firmament -of the heavens in extent and variety, and their exact -mathematical precision seemed to display the exertion of -the genius of a Euclid, cannot have slipped the recollection -of all my readers.</p> - -<p>And to complete the climax of sophistication, even -the paper on which John gives birth to his “winged -words,” and expresses his indignant feelings at the extent -and the audacity of the frauds and impositions practised -on his good-nature and credulous disposition, is sophisticated. -In the manufacture of paper, a large quantity of -plaster of Paris is often mixed up with the paper-stuff, -instead of its consisting of good linen rags only, and the -foreign substance is added to increase the weight of the -commodity. Nor is he, when, like ourselves, desirous -of having his thoughts and discoveries rendered “enduring -for ages,” (monumentum ære perennius,) by having -them cast in stereotype, and thus “save a penny,” -exempt from the designs and contrivances of sophistication;—the -founder deceives him by casting his “words -that breathe and thoughts that burn” in a metal as soft -and ductile as lollipop. Thus honest Bull is circumvented<span class="pagenum" id="Page_181">181</span> -in all his intents, and surprised and overpowered at every -turn by the Genius of Sophistication.</p> - - -<h2>CONCLUSION.</h2> - -<p>Friend Bull! if thou hast carefully and dispassionately -(that is, if thou hast sufficiently divested thy honest -mind of its usual scepticism—videlicet, its unwillingness -to be convinced against its constitutional prejudices,) -read my disclosures, I am willing to believe that thou -wilt readily admit that I have established all my allegations -of the frauds and impositions to which thou art -subject in this sophisticating age, and that I have proved -the truth and propriety of the title of my little book, -“<span class="smcap">Disease and Death in the Pot and the Bottle</span>.” -What remedy (for a good advocate seldom forgets -that prospective part of his duty,) to recommend thee to -adopt, in order to free thyself from the knavery and -effrontery of the sophisticators, I know not, except, -hermetically to close thy jaws so as to prevent the entrance -of any of the sophistications into them, or the more -pleasurable remedy of preferring a petition to thy “gracious -Sovereign,” who “can do no wrong,” praying -“the omnipotency of Parliament,”—in its “collective -and superlative wisdom” to take thy deplorable case into -consideration,” and to devise some means, in the plenitude -of its conjoint wisdom, to protect thee and thy -“little ones,” in this “land of equal law,” from the arts -and devices of slow poisoning. In the success of thy -humble and righteous remonstrance believe me, thy fellow<span class="pagenum" id="Page_182">182</span> -sufferer, and “enemy of fraud and villany,” will heartily -and sincerely join.</p> - -<p class="right"> -THE AUTHOR. -</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p><span class="smcap">Postscript.</span>—In reviewing my well-meant, and, I -trust, useful denunciations of fraud and villany, I find -that I have omitted to speak of false weights and measures. -But as the proverb says, better late than never. -Not to mention the trick of clapping a piece of weight -or other metal underneath the scale in which the commodity -to be sold is weighed; commercial balances are -frequently misconstructed for fraudulent purposes, by -making the arm from which the substance to be weighed -is suspended longer than that from which the counterpoise -is hung, thereby giving the substance to be -weighed a greater leverage.</p> - - -<p>⁂ <em>Authenticated</em> communications of adulterations thankfully received, -and liberally paid for.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_183">183</span></p> - - - -<h2 id="APPENDIX">APPENDIX.</h2> - - -<p class="center">Note to <a href="#Page_28">page 28</a>.</p> - -<p>I have said at the above mentioned page that “the -perfection of adulteration is in gin;” and on reviewing -that passage I have no cause to modify the expression; -but must, with all my heart and soul, assent to the declaration -of honest Jonas Hanway, that it is “a liquid -fire;” and must further agree with the said true-hearted -old Englishman, that “it should be sold only in quart -bottles, sealed up with the king’s seal, with a very high -duty, and never sold without being mixed with a strong -emetic.” This I admit is a very harsh prescription, and -no doubt every true lover of “blue-ruin” will exclaim, -notwithstanding that he or she is aware that their “comfort” -is in the most abandoned state of adulteration, and -is a rank slow poison, equally ruinous to the health and -the purse;—What! a gin-drinking nation, and yet not a -drop of “the genuine”—of the popular English beverage, -the diurnal consumption of which in the metropolis alone, -would inundate the largest parish within the bills of mortality—not -a drop of “the genuine” to be had for money! -Yes, Bull, whether thou beest of the masculine or -feminine gender, this is the truth; and it is a circumstance, -the reformation of which would well become the -labours of the informing tribe and the bellowers of radical -reform. Here there would be a fine field for radicalism -and “informing” to exercise themselves in.</p> - - -<p class="center">Note to <a href="#Page_83">page 83</a>.</p> - -<p>I have stated at page 83, that fish out of season is unwholesome. -The following fact will confirm the truth of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_184">184</span> -this assertion. It is well known that in Ireland and -Scotland, where great facility is presented to the country -people in catching salmon, both during and after the -spawning season, the eating of the fish in that state -has been productive of very serious consequences to the -health of the consumers. Probably the unwholesome -consignments of noxious fish obtained <em>exclusively</em>, as -the fashionable fishmongers phrase it, out of season, -and to be purchased only at extravagant prices, often -occasion to their epicurean customers and the legitimate -gourmands much of the illness assigned to other -causes.</p> - - -<p class="center">Note to <a href="#Page_87">page 87</a>.</p> - -<p>At page 87, I have said that the quantity of tea consumed -in this country is between twenty and thirty millions -of lbs. weight; but I forgot to state that between two -and three millions of pounds sterling are drawn out of -the pocket of the public yearly in its purchase, either in -the form of price or of duty. Surely the expenditure of -this enormous sum by the good people of this country, -and considering that tea has become so essential a part -of the diet of every person in the kingdom, imposes an obligation -on the sovereign company of tea dealers in Leadenhall -Street to take care that the inhabitants of “this -land of milk and honey,” who pay nearly eight times as -much as their neighbours do for the same article (namely -bohea tea), have a good and fresh commodity, instead of -the tasteless, parched, insipid, and scentless rubbish -which they retail out to the public, after having remained -in the warehouse long enough to perish its good qualities -even were its flavour and taste ten times more delicious -and grateful than they are. Would it not, as it has been -well said, be to the credit of some of our genuine members -of the legislature to endeavour to procure the sale of -a pure and good article, instead of the trash that is -foisted upon the public at present, and which they cannot -appeal from, by introducing a law into parliament lega<span class="pagenum" id="Page_185">185</span>lizing -the purchase of the article from other hands than -the Leadenhall Street monopolists.</p> - - -<p class="center">Note to <a href="#Page_89">page 89</a>, &c.</p> - -<p>An experienced friend in the tea trade who has read -over and approved of the various tests I have mentioned -at page 89, &c. for detecting the qualities of tea, has -kindly furnished me with the following valuable communication:</p> - -<p>“As a ready test of black tea being manufactured -from old tea-leaves, dyed with logwood, &c. moisten -some of the tea, and rub it on white paper, which it will -blacken when not genuine. If you wish to be more particular, -infuse a quantity of the sample in half a pint of -cold soft water for three or four hours. If the water is -then of an amber colour, and does not become red when -you drop some oil of vitriol or sulphuric acid into it, -you may presume the tea to be good. Adulterated black -tea, when infused in cold water, gives a bluish black tinge, -and it becomes instantly red with a few drops of oil of -vitriol.</p> - - -<p class="center">Note to <a href="#Page_154">page 154</a>.</p> - -<p>I observe that I have forgotten to give “a local habitation -and a name” among the morning water and Sir -Reverence doctors, to his <em>Doctorship Doctor</em> Laing, of -Newman Street, Oxford Street. And I have to beg -pardon, most humbly and reverently, for passing over -the quondam Greenwich Crumples, alias <em>Doctor</em> Cameron, -alias <em>Mister</em> Coley, in Berners Street, Oxford -Street;—the <em>Doctor</em> to a new patient with his morning -water and “<em>shiners</em>” in hand, but <em>Mister</em>, when the -said “<em>humbugged</em>” patient, having discovered the fraud -practised upon him, returns to “<em>blow up</em>” the <em>Doctor</em> -for his tricks and ignorance.</p> - - -<p class="center">Note to <a href="#Page_166">page 166</a>.</p> - -<p>After all the vapouring and drivelling nonsense that -has been said, sung and trumpeted forth by a certain<span class="pagenum" id="Page_186">186</span> -portion of the Periodical Press respecting the “Simplicity -of Health,” it is really consoling to find at last a -man of sense and critical acumen having spirit and honesty -enough to relieve the public from the delusions under -which it is suffering from the book in question.</p> - -<p>“An immense quantity of drivel,” says the spirited -Editor of The Edinburgh Literary Journal, 1829, “has -found its way into books professing to give an account -of the best mode of preserving health; but of all the -drivel it has ever been our lot to peruse, that contained -in the work entitled the “Simplicity of Health,” is the -most pre-eminent.” The ingenious and honest reviewer, -after having pointed out several of the fooleries and extravagancies -of the book, adds, “We have no patience -with a piece of humbug like this; we shall not insult -the good sense of our readers with more of this doting -nonsense.” It must be admitted that this sentence is -dictated in the strictest and the justest sense of criticism, -and that had all those who have ventured to -laud and recommend that dangerous little book adopted -somewhat of its spirit, much bodily and mental suffering -might have been saved to many people who will -become the victims of its misjudged and culpable directions.</p> - -<p>The burst of indignation and ridicule expressed by -the Critic respecting Hortator’s foolish directions for -“<em>Squirting water briskly into the eyes</em> <span class="smcap">by</span> <em>a syringe</em>,” -is too fraught with truth and utility to be omitted: -“Is it not plain from this, that the poor squirting -wretch must have bleared and blood-shot eyes? Imagine -a beautiful girl at her morning toilette, presenting -one of this dirty old booby’s squirts at her clear blue -laughing eyes! But the fact is, this impudent old wife -must be descended from a long line of tailors, who have -bred in and in, till the imbecile race has ended in the -scarecrow who has spawned the “Simplicity of Health.”</p> - -<p>It is with much satisfaction that I am able to support -the opinion which I have expressed at page 166, by so<span class="pagenum" id="Page_187">187</span> -just and judicious a criticism as the above; had I stood -alone in opinion, that opinion would have been assigned -to any other than its true cause—<em>a sense of public duty</em>, -which ought with every true patriot to be paramount to -every other consideration.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>I shall now close my well meant, and I hope I may -say, useful and patriotic little volume, with a few words -respecting those pests and scourges of society, the sharking -and extortionate part of the pawnbroking trade, and -those banes of human comfort and existence the madhouses.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h3>PAWNBROKERS.</h3> - -<p>It has been well said, that as the poorest, the most -distressed, and the most friendless are those who are -compelled to have dealings with, and are exposed to the -“tender mercies” of pawnbrokers, it is of the utmost -consequence that such men as follow the calling should -be honest, correct, and even humane characters. For the -sake of honesty it is to be hoped that there are many of -this description; but a little, and but a little unhappy -experience when urgent necessity may compel the unfortunate -to have recourse to shops of this description, will -convince the most thoughtless person alive, that there -are numbers of heartless, griping, and extortionate scoundrels -in that trade, whose conduct and dealings are a -disgrace to the most contemptible sharper and swindler -alive,—who by every species of fraud, extortion, and -oppression, rob, harass, and plunder the poor and the -miserable, and add to the distresses of those whose -misfortunes have reduced them to have dealings with the -detestable harpies. The taking of illegal and excessive -interest is comparatively the least important of their delinquencies, -though this to the poor and unfortunate is -grinding in the extreme, as these knaves in their dealings -with those who have neither money nor friends, -treat the act of Parliament for the regulation of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_188">188</span> -Pawnbroking trade as a mere dead letter. The substitution -of articles of inferior description for such as are of -a greater value,—the taking off the gold hands and -removing the interior works of watches, and replacing -them with others which resemble them, of base metal or -inferior value,—and the scraping or diminishing articles -of plate and the cases of watches, are well known to those -whose wants or emergencies compel them to send their -property on its travels up the spout of the pop-shop. -And through the defect of the law, and as the poet Crabbe -says, “the protection of a drowsy bench,” sufferers but -rarely obtain any redress. A periodical writer, in expressing -his abhorrence of the frauds of these vermin, -recommends the sufferers to lay “incessant informations -against the malpractices of these villains.” But had that -kind-hearted man been acquainted with the fact that -informations have been repeatedly laid, and have always -miscarried, and will always miscarry while the law remains -in its defective state, he would, no doubt, have -recommended a petition to Parliament, praying to subject -the infamous impostors to the punishment of transportation -for their audacious and daily frauds and swindlings -practised “on the children of sorrow and the heirs of -unnumbered woes and wants.” The fate of informations -has been fully proved in the numerous instances in which -a scoundrel in the neighbourhood of Snow Hill has defeated -the purposes of justice by the contemptible quibbles, -evasions, and subterfuges resorted to by his attorney in -all cases in which he has been summoned before the -magistrates at Guildhall, and by whose very disgraceful -objections as to technicalities, he has contrived as -hitherto, to laugh at and hold in contempt both Law and -Justice!!!</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_189">189</span></p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h3>PRIVATE BEDLAMS.</h3> - -<p>“Where the noble mind’s o’erthrown.”</p> - -<p>How true is the remark that “the history of the <em>Red</em> -and <em>White Houses</em>,” like that of the Red and White Roses, -would afford many interesting though appalling particulars -were they collected in a detailable form.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent2">“For who to that dread spot consigned,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Amid the maniac’s horrid yell</div> - <div class="verse">Has liv’d, and in that den confined,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Could not some secrets of the madhouse tell.”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>“Yes! there still live some few who have escaped perpetual -torture and confinement, which the soothing care -of <em>disinterested friends</em> would have buried alive in those -inquisitorial receptacles, but for the acute discernment of -the eye of humanity, which accident or curiosity had -directed to the spot.</p> - -<p>“Of private madhouses there has long been but one -prevailing opinion. The generality of them are instituted -as a medium of existence by talentless and avaricious -individuals, who are better, by far, adapted for -the office of turnkeys to Newgate, than for the exercise -of such moral and physical means as would appear calculated -to restore lost reason. They manage these things -much better in Paris; but it is not our intention to enter -into particulars as regards the management of these -licensed houses of correction in the home department, -where every fibre of humanity appears paralysed, where -victims are left to linger out their miserable and wretched -existence, and to perish by means we know nothing of.” -Instances innumerable are on record of the improper -treatment of the unhappy persons immured in these -dreary abodes; the inquest that sat at the Elephant and -Castle, Pancras Road, on the body of a poor woman -named Ann Goldstock, alias Coldstock, in the month of -August, 1828, who came by her death, under singular -circumstances, in the madhouse, otherwise yclep’d the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_190">190</span> -White House at Bethnal Green, kept by one Warburton, -cannot have slipped the recollection of all my readers. -The case of an unfortunate man of the name of Parker -confined in that place for alleged insanity, is also too -remarkable to be passed over in silence. My man-servant -importuned me to see the poor fellow. I accordingly -went to him, and must acknowledge, that after a long interview -in which I closely cross-examined him, he gave a -statement of his life and transactions, distinguished for -its accuracy, minuteness, and consistency. I wish the -parties concerned in that affair to recollect, though I have -been refused admittance to the unhappy man by one of -the understrappers of that place, that I will not let this -affair pass unheeded, as I have very little doubt but that -I shall be able to bring to justice the knaves who have -stripped the poor fellow and his injured family of their -property, and who, to screen their villany, have consigned -him to a madhouse.</p> - - -<p class="center">THE END.</p> - - -<p class="center space-above">LONDON:<br /> - -<small>MARCHANT, PRINTER, INGRAM-COURT.</small></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="footnotes"> - -<h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_A_1" id="Footnote_A_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_A_1"><span class="label">[A]</span></a> Mr. Accum, in his valuable book, enumerates, among the -ingredients for giving the deeper or purple colour to wine, brazil-wood; -but that ingenious gentleman is in error in this respect; for -brazil-wood, as is well known to every practical chemist, has the -property of imparting a blue colour to port wine, which is not quite -the complexion that the wine-manufacturer wishes to give his spurious -commodity.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_B_2" id="Footnote_B_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_B_2"><span class="label">[B]</span></a> The introduction of this deleterious ingredient into wines is to -stop the progress of their ascescency, or to recover ropy wines, or -to clarify and render transparent spoiled or muddy white wines. -As to the deleterious effects and dangerous consequences of this -and other adulterations of wines, &c. see The Oracle of Health -and Long Life; or, Plain Rules for the Attainment and Preservation -of Sound Health and Vigorous Old Age. By Medicus.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_C_3" id="Footnote_C_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_C_3"><span class="label">[C]</span></a> Direct Madeira is that which has been shipped direct from the -island of Madeira, without having the benefit, as it is termed, of -a voyage to the East or West Indies.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_D_4" id="Footnote_D_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_D_4"><span class="label">[D]</span></a> East-India or West-India Cape is that portion of Cape wines -which has had the benefit of a voyage from the Cape of Good Hope to the East Indies, and thence back to London. Cape Sherry is that -portion of Cape wine which bears the greatest resemblance in flavour -to real Sherry. Cape Madeira is so denominated from its resemblance, -in point of flavour, to Madeira. Cape Burgundy, Cape -Hock, Cape Sauterne, Cape Port, Cape Pontac, Cape Champagne, -Cape Barsac, &c. owe their appellations to their supposed resemblance, -in point of flavour, to those wines.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_E_5" id="Footnote_E_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_E_5"><span class="label">[E]</span></a> The respectable author of “The Art of Brewing on Scientific -Principles” has the following note, “Spirits vended by retail are -all adulterated, and some of them to a dreadful extent. Some -months since (his work was published in 1826,) a person having -writing to do that would occupy great part of the night, purchased, -at a liquor shop, in Newgate-street, half a pint of gin; and, during -the night, he drank a goblet-full of grog, which he had made from -it. He was seized with most excruciating agony, spasms of the -stomach, temporary paralysis, and loss of intellect. These he attributed -to some natural cause, and he gave the remainder of the liquor -to a person that called on him in the morning. In about an hour -that person was similarly affected. This induced inquiry; and it -was ascertained that the woman who served the liquor had mistaken -the bottle, and had sold half a pint of the fluid intended to prepare -the adulterations for sale. The last-mentioned person who partook -of the infernal mixture died of its effects.” Similar consequences -have occurred from adulterated beer. Among a thousand other -instances, see the Coroner’s inquest in the Times Newspaper of the -29th of June, 1829.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_F_6" id="Footnote_F_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_F_6"><span class="label">[F]</span></a> According to the testimony of the author of “Wine and Spirit -Adulterators Unmasked” the profits of the wine and spirit compounders -are so great, and the chance of the detection of their -frauds and impositions on the public and the revenue is almost so -impossible, that many of them are to be found “vieing with the nobility -of the land in the splendour of their equipages and expenditure.” -He mentions one gin-shop-keeper (a worthy in the neighbourhood -of St. Luke’s) who “drives his family to <em>church</em>, on a -Sunday, in his carriage and four.” Another, who has a “richly -ornamented state bed.” A third, who is to be found lolling “on -an ottoman, in a French dressing-gown.” And he adds, that it is -usual to give from four to six thousand guineas for the good will -of a gin-shop which has an unexpired lease of eighteen or twenty -years, with the drawback of the purchaser being quite at the mercy -of the magistrates as to the renewal of his license.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_G_7" id="Footnote_G_7"></a><a href="#FNanchor_G_7"><span class="label">[G]</span></a> The crusting of wine in the natural way generally takes place -in about nine months; but, among the artizans of the factitious wine-trade, -it is accomplished in a much shorter time. Those ingenious -gentry line the inside of the bottles they intend to fill with their -compound called wine, by suffering a saturated hot solution of -super-tartrate of potash, coloured red with a decoction of Brazil -wood, to crystallize within them. Others of that honest fraternity, -who dislike trouble, put a tea-spoon full of the powder of catechu -into each bottle, and by this artifice soon produce a fine crusted -appearance of “aged wine.” This simulation of maturity is often -accomplished by the humbler dealer by covering the bottles with -snow, or by exposing them to the rays of the sun, or by keeping -them for a few days in hot water. Where the casks are to be -bottled off by the purchaser, or in his presence, they are stained -in the inside with the artificial crystalline crust of super-tartrate of -potash, as a proof of the age of the wine.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_H_8" id="Footnote_H_8"></a><a href="#FNanchor_H_8"><span class="label">[H]</span></a> To produce the dilapidations of “Father Time” on wine corks, -the dry rot, however injurious to others, is of great advantage to -wine-dealers, as it soon covers the bottles with its mouldy appearance, -and consumes the external part of the cork; so that with a -trifling operation on the bottles after they are filled, and then deposited -in cellars pretty strongly affected with the dry rot, they can -furnish the admirers of “aged wine” with liquor having the appearance -of having been bottled seven or eight years, though it -has not in reality been there so many months. The staining of the -lower extremities of the corks with a fine red colour, produced -from a strong decoction of Brazil wood and alum, to make them -appear “aged,” or as if they had been long in contact with the -wine, is another of the devices of the factitious wine-trade, and -forms a distinct branch of its operations.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_I_9" id="Footnote_I_9"></a><a href="#FNanchor_I_9"><span class="label">[I]</span></a> Among the numerous delusions with which the senses of the -“error ridden” nation of Englishmen—aye, and the “bonnie Scots,” -and the “Sons of the Emerald Isle,” are benighted, is the false and -erroneous opinion that strong stimulating liquors impart strength to -the body. As a very sensible writer observes on this subject,—“To -depend on spirituous liquors for the power to labour, is as wise -as it would be in a man, setting out for York, to get a friend to give -him a kick on the b—— to help him forward. His friend must continue -the same kind office all the way, or he would continually flag.” -No work of the present age has contributed more effectually to remove -these mistaken notions than “<cite>The Oracle of Health and Long -Life</cite>.” May its well-intentioned and judicious author have the consolation -of finding that his important instructions have contributed to -the health and welfare of the community; and may the unqualified -approval of his little volume, by the respectable part of the periodical -press of the country be a stimulus to fresh exertion to render -the work faultless.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_J_10" id="Footnote_J_10"></a><a href="#FNanchor_J_10"><span class="label">[J]</span></a> Mr. Brewer Child’s recipe (see Treatise on Brewing, p. 23) -for making new beer old, is to throw in a dash of vitriol. “A -smack of age,” he likewise adds, at p. 18, “is also given to beer, -by the addition of alum.” Well done, brewer Child; thou art an -expeditious chap! Thou mightest have been of service in the Court -of Chancery, <i lang="la">in tempore</i> Lord Chancellor Eldon, of <em>doubting</em> and -delaying memory.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_K_11" id="Footnote_K_11"></a><a href="#FNanchor_K_11"><span class="label">[K]</span></a> On this subject, Mr. J. D. Williams, the Editor of Sir William -Blackstone’s Commentaries, has rendered no trifling service to -society, by his petition, presented to the House of Commons, by -the Marquess of Blandford, on June 17th, 1830; in which he -prayed the appointment of fit and competent persons for the digestment -and simplification of, or, in the emphatical language of Lord -Bacon, for “the choice and tender business of reducing and harmonizing,” -the hybrid and confused state of the law. As he justly -said, “no useful and beneficial amendment or amelioration can -reasonably be expected; but the Statute Book will still continue to -be disgraced with enactments which will be at variance with common -sense, the first principles of justice, and even nullify the intent -and purport of the enactments themselves, while the concoction of -laws is entrusted to others than persons endowed with a spirit of comprehensive -knowledge, great enlightenment, enlarged and liberal -understandings, and who are acquainted with the nature of the -subjects on which they presume to legislate.” The instances -which that gentleman adduced in his well intended petition of -“the great and singular blunders” as to “erroneous conclusions in -the first principles of science,” committed by some of our law-makers -are really amusing—if any honest man can derive amusement -from his country’s injury and degradation.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_L_12" id="Footnote_L_12"></a><a href="#FNanchor_L_12"><span class="label">[L]</span></a> The addition of the farina or starch of the potato improves -the bread, by counteracting its constipating effects, and by minutely -dividing the particles of the flour during the fermentation; and for -this reason its introduction into home-made bread would, as the -author of “The Oracle of Health and Long Life,” says, be beneficial -to health, as making it more nutritious and digestible.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_M_13" id="Footnote_M_13"></a><a href="#FNanchor_M_13"><span class="label">[M]</span></a> The remarks of the learned editors of the Monthly Gazette of -Health, Nos. 160 and 162, are so much to the purpose, and so deserving -of diffusion among all ranks and classes of the community, -on the exhibition of the jew pedlars, the “<em>groundly learned physicians</em>,” -the “<em>Doctors</em>” J. and C. Jordan, “<em>physicians</em> to the West -London Medical Establishment,” and “proprietors of the <em>celebrated</em> -Balsam of Rackasiri,” and the <em>celebrated</em> “Salutary Detersive Drops,” -as the vagabonds impudently and unblushingly style themselves and -their nostrums; and their redoubtable champion “Mr. <em>Counsellor</em> -Bluster,” that I cannot do a greater service to the cause of truth and -honesty and the discomfiture of roguery of all descriptions, than to -refer my readers to those numbers of that work.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_N_14" id="Footnote_N_14"></a><a href="#FNanchor_N_14"><span class="label">[N]</span></a> These “Hebrew” Jewish knaves having at length been driven -from their strong-hold of delusion, and finding their trade of imposture -in the “balsam” rapidly declining through the patriotic exertions -of “the heroic Miss May” and the Editors of the Monthly -Gazette of Health, have had recourse to a new source of fraud and -villainy, “the celebrated Salutary Detersive Drops”—and as the vermin -have the unblushing audacity to designate their filth—a “most -<em>important discovery</em>, which, by <em>long study</em>, <em>deep research</em>, and at <em>great expence</em>, -they have, <em>fortunately</em> for the human race, brought to a degree -of perfection which <span class="smcap">astonishes</span> themselves!!!” and which “is a -<em>certain</em> and <em>speedy cure</em> for <em>all</em> the most distressing diseases to which -human nature is heir,” when administered “by <em>their superior skill</em> -and <em>judgment</em>” and sanctioned “by <em>their high character and situation -in life</em>!!” And the <span class="smcap">impious</span> and <span class="smcap">blasphemous</span> wretches invoke -the Great God of Nature “that <span class="smcap">he</span> who has the power of doing all -things” may <span class="smcap">further</span> their villainous and murderous designs! But -it is some consolation, though the government of the country may be -silent and indifferent lookers-on to “<em>doings</em>” so nefarious and diabolical, -that there are hearts that feel indignant at the wickedness and imposture -of adventurers and monsters in iniquity, whom the ignorance -of mankind in the principles of life and the science of -medicine has, as Dr. Morrison justly says in <cite>Medicine No Mystery</cite>, -“enabled to possess palaces <span class="smcap">bought</span> and <span class="smcap">constructed</span> with the -<span class="smcap">treasures</span> and <span class="smcap">blood</span> of their victims.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_O_15" id="Footnote_O_15"></a><a href="#FNanchor_O_15"><span class="label">[O]</span></a> That the ignorant, the thoughtless, and the “fashionable,” -should become the dopes of mountebank-imposture is not much to be -wondered at; but that persons of respectability and character, the -heads of the <span class="smcap">Church</span> and of the <span class="smcap">State</span>, (I have not yet ascertained -that that sly old beldam “<span class="smcap">The Law</span>” has stupified herself so much -as to lend her countenance to the imposture,) should give their -sanction and support, and endanger their health and lives, by either -patronizing or using the deleterious compounds of mountebanks, and -thus becoming the dupes of the most groveling imposture and the -vilest quackery, cannot really be reasonably accounted for. The old -worm-mountebank in Long Acre boasts that he has a list of fifteen -hundred “<span class="smcap">Clergymen</span>” who can give testimony of the virtues of -his nostrums. The miraculous powers of Barclay’s Antibilious Pills, -Ching’s Worm Lozenges, and some other articles in the list of quack -medicines, are attested by some “<span class="smcap">Right Reverend Fathers in -God!</span>” Nor was that notorious and impudent mountebank “le -Docteur” James Graham, who cured patients by only breathing the -air of his “Apollo” hall or chamber in the Adelphi, which was -always impregnated (as he said) with celestial æther and influences, -without <span class="smcap">noble and reverend patrons</span>. But the consummation -of dupery was most powerfully displayed in the case of the old New -England quack, <em>Cherokee</em> Whitlaw. In the case of this Yankee quondam -gardener, “<span class="smcap">Royals</span>” (as well of native as of foreign breed), -“<span class="smcap">right honourables</span>,” “<span class="smcap">reverends</span>,” “<span class="smcap">SENATORS</span>,” and -even some gentle “<span class="smcap">ladyships</span>,” were his patrons, and those of his -mountebank-asylum at Bayswater, and the recommenders of his -“American Herb Extracts,” which were a compound of cabbage -water, treacle, turpentine, and Epsom salts, and for a pint of which -the canting old varlet was barefaced enough to demand eight shillings -in lawful British specie, though the cost price of the mixture -did not exceed three half-pence-farthing. But it is a lamentable -fact, as Dr. Morrison observes in his well-intentioned little work, -entitled “<cite>Medicine No Mystery</cite>,” that in nineteen cases out of twenty -(and this, he emphatically remarks, is the proportion that ignorance -bears to knowledge,) the charlatan, with his mysterious phrases -and gestures, is more sought after and more prized than the accomplished -and experienced physician; “so much of the leaven of the -old idea of the connexion between physic and occult and mysterious -sciences still subsists,—of those days when physicians pretended to -judge of their patients’ diseases by seeing their urine; when the -stars were consulted before a dose of physic was taken; when the -king’s evil was supposed to be cured by royal touch; when women -flocked to surround the body of the executed criminal, and rubbed -his hands to their breasts as a cure for cancer or epilepsy, &c.” -</p> -<p> -The mock philanthropy of the contemptible quack Whitlaw, and -the blasphemous, the monstrously blasphemous and diabolical effrontery -of the conventicle and meeting pulpit-charlatans, (the vile tools -of harpyism and religious knavery,) who puffed off this “threadbare -juggler’s” disgusting impostures by an odious comparison of his -selfish and detestable tricks with the enlarged and godlike benevolence -and charity of the Saviour of mankind, deserve the severest -reprobation and chastisement, though sanctioned by the weak and -culpable patronage of royals, nobles, statesmen, M.P.’s, and divines, -and swallowed by the gaping mouths of the ignorant,—of foolish -women, and half witted men. But of the two species of imposture, -the pulpit charlatanry of ignorant and selfish empirics is the most -disgusting. The diabolical farces of those wolves in sheep’s clothing—their -ignorant and designing perversion of the plain practical -morality laid down by the Saviour of mankind in the gospel,—the -brain-turning and mind-deranging fanaticism they inculcate, and -which they profanely and audaciously call soul-searching and -sinner-awakening doctrines, and other like unmeaning and abominable -stuff which they inculcate under the evident chieftainship of the -devil, loudly demands some legislative interference. It has been -well observed, that though the benign spirit of toleration has permitted -religious empiricism—though folly and ignorance have countenanced -medical quackery and imposture—and though there are -persons weak enough to entrust their lives and health, as well as their -moral and religious instruction, to enthusiastic cobblers and tailors; -yet considering the strange infatuation of mankind, and the proneness -of human nature to delusion and imposture, it is the duty of every -wise and paternal government to protect the weak and uninformed -from the designs of the devil’s agents, who, in order to practise their -selfish villanies on their unsuspecting victims, become, to use the -words of Dr. Robertson the historian, “outrageously Christian” in -their professions.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_P_16" id="Footnote_P_16"></a><a href="#FNanchor_P_16"><span class="label">[P]</span></a> -The impolitic and monstrously inconsistent patent medicine -act, which legalizes and sanctions and promotes the sale of quack -poisons, has no doubt annually been the unweeting cause of more -murders, than the joint influence of typhus, small-pox, and consumption. -The tax or stamp-duty on this odious and destructive trash was, no -doubt, at the time of its imposition, intended as a prevention of the -evil which it contemplated to suppress. But this is one of the consequences -of short-sighted and vicious legislation, and of the entrusting -of the concoction of the laws to incompetent persons—in the -emphatic phrase of the most eloquent of human tongues, mere ita -lex scripta est lawyers—men who make a boast of never having read, -or who have had but little or no opportunity of reading any other -kind of books than their musty, ill-written, badly digested law-books; -such as certain “<em>learned</em> gentlemen,” of prodigiously scholar-like -and scientific attainments—men, whom the Times Newspaper -has justly characterised by the style and title of “<span class="smcap">The Mindless</span>;” -and who contrive by the arts of “<em>huggery</em>” and favouritism to deprive -the public of the benefits to be derived from the talents of men -of “high classical and literary, and even legal attainments,” and of -the most enlarged and enlightened philosophy, but who scorn to -court the favour of those in power and “high places” by mean and -dirty practices.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_Q_17" id="Footnote_Q_17"></a><a href="#FNanchor_Q_17"><span class="label">[Q]</span></a> -This kind of doctrine will, no doubt, be unpalatable in <em>a certain -quarter</em>, and the productiveness to the exchequer of the <span class="smcap">disgraceful -revenue</span> arising from the pest, will be adduced as an argument -for its continuance. But it is to be hoped, as Mr. J. D. Williams -said in his meritorious petition to the Commons House of Parliament -on that subject, that the health of the public will be held superior to -any such consideration. The lottery, no doubt, brought into the -state-coffers a considerable revenue; but as it was found to undermine -and ruin the morals of the community, it was abolished. And the -persons at the head of the government at the time have the thanks -and gratitude of every true friend of his country for the act. Surely -the <span class="smcap">health of the public</span> is entitled to the same provision.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_R_18" id="Footnote_R_18"></a><a href="#FNanchor_R_18"><span class="label">[R]</span></a> -The whole farrago of quack or patent medicines is destructive of -health and life, whether cordial or vegetable balsams, tinctures, -syrups, or elixirs,—pectoral or antiscorbutic drops, bile or antibilious -pills, tonic or digestive wines, balms of gilead, guestonian embrocations, -Leake’s pillula salutaria, and a thousand other poisonous and -life-destroying trash. Thousands upon thousands of children under -three years of age are consigned yearly to the tomb in London alone, -by means of the soothing or vegetable syrups, the infants’ balms, the -worm-cakes, the anodyne necklaces, Godfrey’s cordial, Daffy’s -elixir, Dalby’s carminative, apothecaries’ draughts and powders, and -other infernal recipes; which, if they do not cause immediate death, -occasion fits, convulsions, fevers, excruciating gripes, palsy, and often -confirmed idiotcy. Gowland’s lotion, the kalydors, the macassar oils, -the cosmetiques royales, the red and white olympian dews, the -blooms, the various hair dyes, &c. have not only robbed many a female -of her charms and loveliness, but have even produced severe -pains of the bowels and of the brain, have occasioned convulsions, and -laid the foundation of those diseases which have deprived the victims of -life itself. The folly of depending for cure or relief upon the “gout extractors,” -“the metallic tractors,” “animal magnetism,” and “signatures,” -has been at length exploded; it is therefore unnecessary to -say a word on the subject.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_S_19" id="Footnote_S_19"></a><a href="#FNanchor_S_19"><span class="label">[S]</span></a> -The audacity of this fellow exceeds, if possible, the unblushing -and incorrigible effrontery of the other impostors. He undertakes to -cure all kinds of diseases without any kind of medicine; and he -asserts that all difficult surgical operations can be superseded by -merely taking a sup or two of his delectable compound of combustibles. -According to the modest pretensions of this exotic esculapius, -he obtained the knowledge of physic and the power of subduing disease, -by intuition or inspiration: he had no need to learn: there was -no period of infancy in his medical attainments; he at once attained -the highest point and full maturity of medical and chirurgical knowledge! -Was there ever a more audacious piece of imposture attempted -to be palmed upon the credulity of the most credulous of -mortals, Mr. Bull and his progeny? But perhaps the philippics of -this gaunt-looking “hygeist” against surgery and anatomy may produce -some good. It is true that to a certain degree, those arts should -be esteemed and cherished; but after the allowance of suitable consideration, -they should fall into their proper rank, with wholesome -restrictions. Both the arts are overrated in point of real utility. -Were a knowledge of the living laws of the human frame more inculcated -by medical professors than is the case, it would be found of -more essential service than all the coxcombry of the present day -respecting surgical distinctions and anatomical dissections. In many -complaints, indeed, in the principal part to which the human frame is -subject, the inutility of dissection is well known to every well informed -man. But the assumption of the title of “Surgeon,” and -the false importance (not to mention the legal security which it -affords against prosecution, and the facility of exemption from examination -of competency,) it gives the claimant in the estimation of -the ignorant part of mankind, have contributed largely to the propagation -of the erroneous notions which are so anxiously disseminated -on the subject. Though it would be fruitless to attempt to expose -this popular folly of the day, (which like all other follies or fashions -will “have its rage” until its own enormity cures itself,) yet “it is -some consolation to reflect that in another age a more successful practice -of medicine will diminish the false estimation in which surgical -foppery is now held; when to save a limb will be deemed a superior -exertion of skill to its amputation.” -</p> -<p> -Nor is the other branch (namely, that which was once designated -by the now exploded and unfashionable title of <em>apothecary</em>) free -from reprehension. Those “sons of the pestle and mortar,” whose -money-interest induces them rather to encourage disease than to subdue -it, as the longer they keep the patient in hand, the greater number -of phials, pill-boxes, gallipots, draughts and powders they will be -entitled to charge for, are so wedded to routine, that they can seldom -bring themselves to lay aside the lumber and unmeaning farrago of -materia medicas, pharmacopœias, &c. Their prejudices and pertinacity -in favour of received opinions and established usage are so blind -and inveterate, that they will never allow themselves to have recourse -to the simple remedies which Nature points out: all must be -mystery, complication, and conformity to etiquette with them: to -<em>lead</em> nature by simple means would be unprofessional; to practise -“secundum artem,” she must be driven by powerful remedies, as blue -pill, or some active chemical preparation; and they must bring into -play in the simplest ailment to which the human frame is subject that -huge mass of disjointed practices and experiments, which is held together -by no order, and is not capable of any satisfactory application, or -even elucidation. On this subject, the remarks of the editor of the -Monthly Gazette of Health are so deserving of observation, that I -cannot deny myself the advantage of enriching my pages with them. -</p> -<p> -That learned gentleman (who has contributed more to the exposure -of quackery and imposture than any writer of the age) having -introduced to the notice of his readers Dr. Mackie’s communication -of the medicinal virtues of the Guaco plant in cases of hydrophobia -among the Indians of South America, closes his information with the -following striking remarks: -</p> -<p> -“The mode of treating diseases which is generally adopted by the -native practitioners of South America, and the East Indies, by decoctions, -infusions, and the expressed juices of vegetable productions, -has, at any rate, that great recommendation—<em>simplicity</em>; but, -contemptible as it may appear to be to the practitioners of this country, -who suppose that no disease can be successfully combated without -blue pill or calomel, or some active mineral or vegetable poison, -agreeable to some favourite theory, it often proves successful; and, -indeed, from the information which we have received from the intelligent -gentlemen who have spent some years among the natives of -South America and the East Indies, (some of them members of the -medical profession,) we are disposed to believe that in some diseases, -particularly scorbutic and scrofulous affections, and those termed -<em>pseudo-syphilitic</em>, the native surgeons are more successful than the -practitioners of this country. To us, the great difference between -the practice of the former and that of the latter appears to be, that -the one <em>lead</em> nature by simple means, which enable her to correct the -constitution, and to produce a healthy process of mutation in a diseased -part, whilst the other <em>drive</em> nature by powerful remedies, as -blue pill, or some active chemical preparation. Often have we witnessed -the recovery of patients, who had been discharged from a -hospital, under the simple treatment by decoction of an apparently -simple vegetable, and by fomentations under the direction of an old -woman; and whoever considers how simple the operations of nature -are, will not be surprised that such treatment should succeed even in -a formidable chronic disease. Every practitioner of experience and -observation will, we think, admit that many thousand invalids are -annually hurried to their graves in this metropolis, by persevering in -the use of calomel and blue pill, or a drastic purgative, who might -have been cured, or whose lives might have been prolonged many -years, by a mild alterative treatment; and that many a limb might -have been saved by a mild topical treatment of the local diseases, -which has been consigned to the knife. In cases of internal acute -disease, or active inflammation of a vital part, a decisive treatment is -absolutely necessary to save life; but in chronic diseases, attempts -by potent remedies to drive nature but too often distract her. To -the new theory of chronic inflammation, or ulceration of the mucous -membrane of some part of the alimentary canal, thousands have -already been sacrificed.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_T_20" id="Footnote_T_20"></a><a href="#FNanchor_T_20"><span class="label">[T]</span></a> The disgusting practice of having one’s hands and eyes polluted -at every corner of a street with the abominable bills and placards of the -quacking vermin, is past endurance, and loudly calls for suppression.</p></div></div></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> - -<p class="right space-above"><i>September 1, 1832.</i></p> - -<p class="center"><big>PRACTICAL BOOKS</big><br /> - -<small>ON</small><br /> - -Sporting Subjects,<br /> - -<i>BREEDING AND MANAGEMENT OF LIVE STOCK</i>,<br /> -VETERINARY PRACTICE, AND ON RURAL AFFAIRS,<br /> - -<small>PRINTED FOR</small><br /> - -SHERWOOD, GILBERT, & PIPER,<br /> - -<small>PATERNOSTER-ROW.</small></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="center"><big>JOHNSON’S SPORTSMAN’S DICTIONARY.</big></p> - -<div class="figcenter" > -<img src="images/i_f01.jpg" alt="Man with gun, dog and brace of birds" /> -</div> - -<p> -<i>Just published, in One large Volume, Octavo, illustrated with numerous -highly-finished and emblematical Engravings, price</i> £1:11:6, <i>bound in cloth</i>,</p> - -<p class="center">A NEW AND ORIGINAL WORK,<br /> - -ENTITLED THE<br /> - -<big>SPORTSMAN’S CYCLOPÆDIA;</big></p> - -<p>Being an Elucidation of the Science and Practice of the <span class="smcap">Field</span>, the -<span class="smcap">Turf</span>, and the <span class="smcap">Sod</span>; or, in other Words, the Scientific Operations of the -<span class="smcap">Chase</span>, the <span class="smcap">Course</span>, and of all those Diversions and Amusements which -have uniformly marked the British Character; and which are so ardently -cherished, and so extensively followed, by the present Generation: -comprehending the Natural History of all those Animals which are the -Objects of Pursuit, accompanied with illustrative Anecdotes.</p> - -<p class="center"><big>BY T. B. JOHNSON,</big><br /> - -<i>Author of the Shooter’s Companion, &c. &c.</i> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">In</span> offering the present work to the <span class="smcap">Sporting World</span>, the Publishers -do not deem any apology necessary, as there is no Book on sale professedly -of a similar character, nor one that will furnish a Sportsman with -that information which he may desire on the various Field Sports of the -present day.</p> - -<p>Under such circumstances, the Publishers conceive that a “<i>Sportsman’s -Cyclopædia</i>” will be not only acceptable to those who follow the <i>Hounds</i>, -pursue the <i>Feathered Tribes</i>, frequent the <i>Lake</i>, or the <i>Stream</i>, or attend -the <i>Course</i>, but also to the Public in general.</p> - -<p>They, therefore, honestly and fearlessly assert that the Author and -Compiler of it is a well-known Sportsman, who has made the various -subjects of the book the business of his life, and whose practical knowledge -of <span class="smcap">Field Amusements</span>, in its various ramifications, is uniformly -acknowledged. Nor have they spared either pains or expense in the -Printing or the Embellishments which illustrate and adorn the Work; -their object being to produce, not merely a Book of General Reference, -but a complete <span class="smcap">Sportsman’s Library</span>.</p> - -<p>This Work is elegantly printed on Fine Paper, and illustrated with -numerous <span class="smcap">highly-finished</span> and <span class="smcap">emblematical Engravings</span>, executed in -the most characteristic Style of Excellence by those eminent Artists,</p> - - -<ul><li>LANDSEER,</li> -<li>COOPER,</li> -<li>LAPORTE,</li> -<li>BARRENGER,</li> -<li>CLENNEL,</li> -<li>BROOKE,</li> -<li>HERRING,</li> -<li>FIELDING,</li> -<li>SCOTT,</li> -<li>GREIG,</li> -<li>WESTLEY,</li> -<li>ELMER,</li> -<li>WEBB,</li> -<li>ROBERTS,</li> -<li>&c. &c.</li> -</ul> - - -<p>It is presumed that the alphabetical Arrangement of the Work will -afford every facility to the Reader, and that it will be found to contain—</p> - -<p>THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HORSE, in all its Ramifications; -the most approved <span class="smcap">System of Grooming</span> (particularly of the -<span class="smcap">Hunter</span>) and <span class="smcap">Stable Management</span>, with copious Notices of the Diseases -to which he is liable, and the most judicious Mode of treating them.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">THE WHOLE ART OF HORSEMANSHIP; or, the SCIENCE -OF RIDING.</span></p> - -<p>THE DOG, in all his Varieties, with his Diseases and Manner of -Cure, and Instructions for Breeding, Breaking, or Training Him for the -different Pursuits; with Directions for entering Hounds.</p> - -<p>HUNTING the Fox, Hare, Stag, &c. and the Nature of Scent, as -exemplified in their Pursuit; also, particular Notices of various Packs -of Hounds. The various kinds of Pointers and Setters, and the Method -of Breeding those best calculated for the Sportsman.</p> - -<p>THE SCIENCE AND PRACTICE OF SHOOTING FLYING, -as well as every Information relative to the Use of the Fowling Piece.</p> - -<p>COURSING, with Notices of celebrated Greyhounds; and the most -judicious Plan of Breeding these interesting Animals.</p> - -<p>THE RACE COURSE, with its Operations, in all their Varieties; of -Breeding the Racer, of Training Him, &c. &c. with particular Notices of -the most distinguished Running Horses.</p> - -<p>THE COCK PIT, and Management of Game Cocks.</p> - -<p>THE WHOLE ART OF ANGLING AND FISHING in all their -different Forms, &c. &c.</p> - -<p>⁂ For the accommodation of the public, the Sportsman’s Cyclopædia -may be had in Twelve Parts, by one or more at a time, price 2<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i> -each. The whole Work forms <span class="smcap">One large Volume</span> in <span class="smcap">Octavo</span>, closely -printed, and contains as much matter as five ordinary sized Volumes.</p> - - -<p class="center"><i>Coursing.</i></p> - -<p>THE COURSER’S COMPANION; or, a Practical Treatise -on the <span class="smcap">Laws</span> of the <span class="smcap">Leash</span>, with the defects of the old Laws considered; -and a <span class="smcap">New Code</span> proposed, with Explanatory Notes. By an <span class="smcap">Experienced -Courser</span>. Price 5<i>s.</i> Boards.</p> - -<p>“Though small in size, this book is great in value; the author’s name, -Mr. Thomas Thacker, of Derby, who is an old Courser, and which is a -passport to it, is too modestly kept back. To real sportsmen, who read -for solid information, the volume will exhibit unquestionable proofs of -being thoroughly practical on the subject of <span class="smcap">Coursing</span>.” <i>Sporting Mag.</i></p> - - -<p class="center"><i>Osmer on Horses.</i></p> - -<p>A TREATISE ON THE DISEASES AND LAMENESS. -OF HORSES; in which is laid down the proper <span class="smcap">Method of Shoeing</span> -the different Kinds of <span class="smcap">Feet</span>: whereunto are added, some New Observations -on the <span class="smcap">Art of Farriery</span>, chiefly as relate to Wounds, to Epidemic -Distemper, to Surgical Operations, to Debility, to Tumours, &c. Also, on -the Nature and Difference in the Breeds of Horses.</p> - -<p>By <span class="smcap">William Osmer</span>, Veterinary Surgeon and Shoeing Smith.</p> - -<p>Fifth Edition, newly re-written, with considerable Additions, and a -Treatise on Debility, &c. &c. By <span class="smcap">John Hinds</span>, V.S. Author of the -Groom’s Oracle, Veterinary Surgery, and Practice of Medicine.</p> - -<p>⁂ “<i>Osmer’s Treatise on the Horse</i>, by <i>J. Hinds</i>, is among the most -valuable of our recent publications. This and Mr. Hinds’ ‘Grooms’ -Oracle’ ought to be in the possession of every Gentleman, who either has -in possession, or has a chance of possessing, the noble animal to whose -proper treatment the Author has directed his enlightened researches.”—<i>Taunton -Courier.</i></p> - - -<p class="center"><i>Thompson on Riding.</i></p> - -<p>RULES FOR BAD HORSEMEN; Hints to Inexpert -Travellers; and Maxims worth Remembering by the most experienced -Equestrians. By <span class="smcap">Charles Thompson</span>, Esq. A new Edition, with -modern Additions, by <span class="smcap">John Hinds</span>, V.S. Editor of Osmer’s Treatise on -the Horse; Author of the Groom’s Oracle, &c. Price 3<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i></p> - - -<p class="center"><i>Hinds’ and White’s Farriery Improved.</i></p> - -<p>A COMPENDIOUS POCKET-MANUAL of the VETERINARY -ART; being a Practical Description of the true Symptoms -and most rational Treatment of all Diseases incident to the Horse; -adapted to the ready comprehension of every class of Horsemen, viz. -Owners, Farriers, Farmers, Horsekeepers, Grooms, and Lads. Comprising -all that has been usefully said by various Authors. Revised and -corrected, with considerable important modern Improvements, by <span class="smcap">John -Hinds</span>, V.S. and Others. With illustrative Plates, price 5<i>s.</i></p> - -<p>⁂ The design of this <i>multum in parvo</i> volume has been to compress -into a small portable manual as large a quantity of really important useful -matter as usually occupies works of much greater magnitude, whilst -adding thereto all the new discoveries in the art. This has been accomplished -by a strict economy in printing, by a singularly terse style of -writing, and the rigid rejection of numerous superfluities. By these -means several new modes of practice, and valuable Veterinary observations, -have been introduced—principally as regards Constitutional -disorders—the Epidemic Distemper of 1832—Inflammation of the organs -of life—Tumours—Liver complaints—Debility—Disorders of the Eyes—Crib-biting—Lameness—Bleeding—Physicking—Blistering—Surfeits—and -the signs by which to ascertain what illness at any time impends -over the ailing Horse.</p> - -<p>THE GAMEKEEPER’S DIRECTORY, AND COMPLETE -VERMIN DESTROYER, containing easy, but efficacious, Instructions -for the <span class="smcap">Preservation of Game</span>, as exemplified in the Mode of -Managing it, particularly during the Breeding Season. Of Hatching the -Eggs of Pheasants and Partridges which have been mown over, and the -best method of Rearing the Young. Also for taking or killing all kinds -of Vermin, as exemplified in the Mode of Trapping and Destroying them. -By <span class="smcap">T. B. Johnson</span>, Author of the Sportsman’s Cyclopædia, Shooter’s -Companion, &c. Price 5<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i></p> - - -<p class="center"><i>Brown on Horse-Racing.</i></p> - -<p>THE TURF EXPOSITOR; containing the Origin of Horse-Racing, -Breeding for the Turf, Training, Trainers, Jockeys; Cocktails, -and the System of Cocktail Racing illustrated; the Turf and its Abuses; -the Science of betting Money, so as always to come off a Winner, elucidated -by a variety of Examples; the Rules and Laws of Horse-racing; -and every other Information connected with the Operations of the Turf. -By C. F. Brown. Price 6<i>s.</i> boards.</p> - - -<p class="center"><i>Brown’s Anecdotes of Horses.</i></p> - -<p class="center"><i>In a thick Volume, royal 18mo. containing Fourteen Portraits of celebrated -Horses, &c. engraved on Steel, Price 10s. 6d. cloth.</i></p> - -<p>BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES AND AUTHENTIC -ANECDOTES OF HORSES, and the Allied Species.</p> - -<p>By Captain <span class="smcap">Thomas Brown</span>, F.L.S. M.R.P.S. M.K.S. &c. &c.</p> - -<p>“We have now before us the pleasing fruit of Captain Brown’s labour -and investigation. Setting out with the early history of the horse, and -tracing it to the present period, the author next goes through the various -breeds, and finally enlivens the whole with the accounts of feats and -other memorabilia, which are well calculated to astonish and amuse.”—<i>London -Literary Gazette.</i></p> - -<p>“Captain Brown’s work is an entertaining and instructive miscellany. -Pleasanter gossip than that of horses we do not know, and richer food -for it cannot be found, than in this volume.”—<i>Spectator.</i></p> - -<p>“Those who have any relish for this noble animal—any wish to know -its history and habits—will find all they want in Captain Brown’s book. -There are nine excellent plates, and nearly 600 pages of letter-press.”—<i>New -North Briton.</i></p> - -<p>“With Captain Brown’s delightful volume of ‘Anecdotes of Horses,’ -just issued, every one who crosses a saddle ought to be intimate.”—<i>Glasgow -Free Press.</i></p> - - -<p class="center"><i>Conversations on Conditioning.</i></p> - -<p>THE GROOM’S ORACLE, AND POCKET STABLE -DIRECTORY; in which the Management of Horses generally, as to -Health, Dieting, and Exercise are considered, in a Series of Familiar -Dialogues between two Grooms engaged in Training Horses to their -Work, as well for the Road as the Chase and Turf. With an <span class="smcap">Appendix</span>, -including the <span class="smcap">Receipt-Book</span> of <span class="smcap">John Hinds</span>, V.S. Second Edition, -considerably improved, embellished with an elegant Frontispiece, painted -by S. Aiken, price 7<i>s.</i> cloth.</p> - -<p>⁂ This enlarged edition of the “Groom’s Oracle” contains a good -number of new points connected with training prime horses; and the -owners of working cattle, also, will find their profit in consulting the practical -remarks that are applicable to their teams; on the principle that -<i>health preserved</i> is better than <i>disease removed</i>.</p> - - -<p class="center"><i>Blaine’s Farriery.</i></p> - -<p>OUTLINES OF THE VETERINARY ART; or, a TREATISE -on the ANATOMY, PHYSIOLOGY, and CURATIVE TREATMENT -of the DISEASES of the HORSE, and, subordinately, of those -of <span class="smcap">Neat Cattle</span> and <span class="smcap">Sheep</span>. Illustrated by Surgical and Anatomical -Plates. By <span class="smcap">Delabere Blaine</span>.</p> - -<p>The Fourth Edition, considerably improved and increased by the introduction -of many new and important Subjects, both in the Foreign -British practices of the art, and by the addition of some new Figures. -Price 1<i>l.</i> 4<i>s.</i> <i>cloth, and lettered</i>.</p> - - -<p class="center"><i>Girard on the Age of the Horse.</i></p> - -<p>A TREATISE ON THE TEETH OF THE HORSE; -showing its Age by the Changes the Teeth undergo, from a Foal up to -Twenty-Three Years Old, especially after the Eighth Year. Translated -from the French by <span class="smcap">M. Girard</span>, Director of the Royal Veterinary School -at Alford, by <span class="smcap">T. J. Ganly</span>, V.S. 11th Light Dragoons. Price 3<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i> or, -with the Plates coloured, 4<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i> boards.</p> - -<p>⁂ This work is strongly recommended by Professor Coleman, in his -Lectures to the attention of persons studying the Veterinary Profession; -and who may wish to be well acquainted with the Horse’s Age.</p> - -<p>“The above useful Treatise is calculated to be of considerable service, -in the present state of our knowledge. We recommend the work to the -Amateur, the Practitioner, and the Veterinary Student.”—<i>Lancet.</i></p> - - -<p class="center"><i>A Complete Manual for Sportsmen.</i></p> - -<p>BRITISH FIELD SPORTS; embracing <span class="smcap">Practical Instructions</span> -in <span class="smcap">Shooting</span>, <span class="smcap">Hunting</span>, <span class="smcap">Coursing</span>, <span class="smcap">Racing</span>, <span class="smcap">Fishing</span>, &c.; -with Observations on the Breaking and Training of Dogs and Horses; -also, the Management of Fowling-pieces, and all other Sporting Implements. -By <span class="smcap">William Henry Scott</span>.</p> - -<p>⁂ This Work is beautifully printed, on fine paper, and illustrated -with upwards of <i>Fifty highly-finished Engravings</i>, Thirty-four on Copper, -executed in the most characteristic style of excellence, by those Eminent -Artists, <span class="smcap">Scott</span>, <span class="smcap">Warren</span>, <span class="smcap">Greig</span>, <span class="smcap">Tookey</span>, <span class="smcap">Davenport</span>, <span class="smcap">Ranson</span>, and -<span class="smcap">Webb</span>, from Paintings by <span class="smcap">Reinagle</span>, <span class="smcap">Clennell</span>, <span class="smcap">Elmer</span>, and <span class="smcap">Barrenger</span>; -the remainder cut on Wood, by <span class="smcap">Clennell</span>, <span class="smcap">Thompson</span>, <span class="smcap">Austin</span>, and -<span class="smcap">Bewick</span>. The author’s object has been, to present, in as compressed a -form as real utility would admit, Instructions in all the various Field -Sports in Modem Practice; thereby forming a Book of General Reference -on the subject, and including in one volume, what could not otherwise -be obtained without purchasing many and expensive ones.—In demy 8vo. -Price 1<i>l.</i> 18<i>s.</i> or, in royal 8vo. 3<i>l.</i> 3<i>s.</i> boards.</p> - -<p>“It gives us pleasure to observe the respectability of the Work entitled -‘British Field Sports.’ In this kingdom, the Sports of the Field are -highly characteristic and interesting: as gentlemanly diversions they -have been pursued with an avidity as keen, and a taste as universal, as -the relish of Nature’s beauties: a corresponding value is set on them, -and an appropriate polish is added by time and practice: the various -minutiæ in the knowledge of which and the technical distribution of this -knowledge, together with Facts, Instructions, and Anecdotes, form the -basis of this valuable publication.”—<i>Farmers’ Journal.</i></p> - - -<p class="center"><i>Laporte’s Horse.</i></p> - -<p>THE CONFORMATION AND PROPORTIONS OF A -HORSE, with the Terms generally made use of to denote his various -Parts, engraved from an Original Painting of <span class="smcap">G. H. Laporte</span>, Esq. size -10 Inches by 8. Price 1<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i> accurately coloured.</p> - - -<p class="center"><i>Johnson on Hunting.</i></p> - -<p>THE HUNTING DIRECTORY; containing a compendious -View of the Ancient and Modern Systems of the Chase; the Method of -Breeding and Managing the various kinds of Hounds, particularly Foxhounds; -their Diseases, with a certain Cure for the Distemper. The -pursuit of the Fox, the Hare, the Stag, &c. The nature of Scent considered -and elucidated. Also, Notices of the Wolf and Boar Hunting in -France; with a variety of illustrative observations. By <span class="smcap">T. B. Johnson</span>, -Author of the Shooter’s Companion. Printed in 8vo. price 9<i>s.</i> boards.</p> - - -<p class="center">JOHNSON’S SHOOTER’S ANNUAL PRESENT.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/i_f06.jpg" alt="Man with gun, dog and brace of birds" /> -</div> - - -<p class="center"><i>Just Published</i>, <span class="smcap">Third Edition</span>, <i>very considerably Improved, and Illustrated -with numerous Cuts. Price 9s. bound in Cloth.</i></p> - -<p>THE SHOOTER’S COMPANION; or, a Description of -<span class="smcap">Pointers</span> and <span class="smcap">Setters</span>, &c. as well as of those Animals which constitute -the Objects of Pursuit; of the <span class="smcap">Breeding</span> of <span class="smcap">Pointers</span> and <span class="smcap">Setters</span>, the -Diseases to which they are liable, and the Modes of Cure. <span class="smcap">Training -Dogs</span> for the <span class="smcap">Gun</span>. Of Scent, and the Reason why one Dog’s Sense of -Smell is superior to another’s. The <span class="smcap">Fowling Piece</span> fully considered, -particularly as it relates to the use of Percussion Powder. Of Percussion -Powder, and the best Method of making it. Of Gunpowder. -Shooting Illustrated; and the <span class="smcap">Art of Shooting Flying</span> or <span class="smcap">Running</span>, simplified -and clearly laid down. Of <span class="smcap">Wild Fowl</span> and <span class="smcap">Fen Shooting</span>; as -well as every information connected with the use of the Fowling Piece. -The Game Laws familiarly explained and illustrated. By <span class="smcap">T. B. Johnson</span>.</p> - -<p>“This is a well-written and well-arranged production; containing -much interesting information, not only to the professed sportsman, but to -those who may occasionally seek this fascinating recreation. It is not the -production of any ordinary sportsman, but of one who can enjoy the pleasures -of the library as well as those of the field.”—<i>Literary Chronicle.</i></p> - -<p>“We now take leave of the work, recommending it, in comparison -with most others on the same subject, as luminous to a degree; and reflecting -on the talents, experience, and feeling of the author, the highest -credit.”—<i>Sporting Magazine.</i></p> - - -<p class="center"><i>Blaine on the Diseases of Dogs.</i></p> - -<p>CANINE PATHOLOGY; or, a Description of the DISEASES -of DOGS, Nosologically Arranged, with their Causes, Symptoms, -and Curative Treatment; and a copious Detail of the <span class="smcap">Rabid Malady</span>: -preceded by a Sketch of the <span class="smcap">Natural History</span> of the <span class="smcap">Dog</span>, his -Varieties and Qualities; with practical Directions on the Breeding, -Rearing, and salutary Treatment of these Animals. Third Edition, Revised, -Corrected, and Improved. Price 9<i>s.</i> boards. By <span class="smcap">Delabere -Blaine</span>.</p> - - -<p class="center"><i>Stevenson’s Cattle Doctor.</i></p> - -<p>THE SPORTSMAN’S, FARMER’S, AND CATTLE-DOCTOR’S -VADE MECUM, containing Practical Hints and Receipts -for preventing and curing the most prevalent Diseases of BLACK OR -NEAT CATTLE, SHEEP, DOGS, HORSES, PIGS, &c. with a very -copious List of the most valuable Veterinary Medicines and the manner -of preparing them for Animals of every Description. By <span class="smcap">John Stevenson</span>, -Esq. Price 5<i>s.</i></p> - - -<p class="center"><i>Lawrence on Live Stock.</i></p> - -<p>A GENERAL TREATISE ON CATTLE—THE OX, -SHEEP, AND SWINE; comprehending their Breeding, Management, -Improvement, and Diseases; with Remedies for Cure. By <span class="smcap">John Lawrence</span>, -Author of the “New Farmer’s Calendar.” Second Edition. In -one large vol. 8vo price 12<i>s.</i> boards.</p> - -<p>“If the Author had not already recommended himself to the Public -by his ‘New Farmer’s Calendar,’ and other works, the judicious observations -and useful hints here offered would place him in the list of those -rural counsellors who are capable of giving advice, and to whose opinion -some deference is due. His sentiments on general subjects expand beyond -the narrow boundaries of vulgar prejudice; and his good sense is -forcibly recommended to us by its acting in concert with a humane disposition.”—<i>Monthly -Review.</i></p> - -<p>Mr. James White, in his work on Veterinary Medicine, says, “Mr. -Lawrence’s <i>General Treatise on Cattle, the Ox, the Sheep, and the Swine</i>,” -ought to be in every one’s hands, who is interested in the subject.</p> - -<p>LAWRENCE’S PHILOSOPHICAL AND PRACTICAL -TREATISE ON HORSES; comprehending the Choice, Management, -Purchase and Sale of every Description of the Horse, the Improved -Method of Shoeing, Medical Prescriptions, and Surgical Treatment in all -known Diseases. Third Edition; with large Additions on the Breeding -and Improvement of the Horse, the Dangers of our present Travelling -System, &c. In 2 vol. price £1:1:0, boards.</p> - - -<p class="center"><i>By the same Author</i>,</p> - -<p>1. THE NEW FARMER’S CALENDAR; or, MONTHLY -REMEMBRANCER OF ALL KINDS OF COUNTRY BUSINESS. -Fifth Edition, with Additions. In 1 vol. large 8vo. price 12<i>s.</i> boards.</p> - -<p>2. THE MODERN LAND STEWARD; in which the -Duties and Functions of Stewardship are considered and explained, with -its several Relations to the Interest of the Landlord, Tenant, and the -Public. In 1 vol. price 10<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i> boards.</p> - -<p>HINTS TO DAIRY FARMERS; being an Account of the -Food and extraordinary Produce of a Cow; with economical and easy -Rules for rearing Calves. By <span class="smcap">W. Cramp</span>. Second Edition. Price 2<i>s.</i></p> - -<p>THE GRAZIER’S READY RECKONER; or, A USEFUL -GUIDE FOR BUYING AND SELLING CATTLE; being a -complete Set of Tables, distinctly pointing out the Weight of Black Cattle, -Sheep, and Swine, from Three to One Hundred and Thirty Stones, -by <i>Measurement</i>; with Directions showing the particular Parts where the -Cattle are to be measured. By <span class="smcap">George Renton</span>, Farmer. Eighth -Edition, corrected. Price 2<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i></p> - - -<p class="center">SCOTT’S DELINEATIONS OF THE HORSE AND DOG.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" > -<img src="images/i_f08.jpg" alt="A horse" /> -</div> - - -<p class="center"><i>Beautifully printed in 4to. embellished with Forty highly-finished Copper-Plate -Engravings, and numerous Wood-Cuts, -Part I. and II. price 5s. each, of</i></p> - -<p>THE SPORTSMAN’S REPOSITORY, comprising a Series -of highly-finished Engravings, representing the Horse and the Dog, in all -their Varieties, accompanied with a Comprehensive Historical and Systematic -Description of the different Species of each, their appropriate uses, -Management, Improvement, &c.; interspersed with interesting Anecdotes -of the most celebrated Horses and Dogs, and their owners; likewise -a great Variety of Practical Information on Training, and the -Amusements of the Field. By the Author of “British Field-Sports.”</p> - -<p>It would be difficult to imagine any selection from the great storehouse -of Nature more likely to merit general attention, or to excite general -interest, than the one to which we now invite Public Notice. Of all -the animals in Creation, (with the exception of those which minister to -our carnivorous appetites,) it would be impossible to name two which -are so intimately associated with our wants, our pleasures, and our attachments, -as the <span class="smcap">Horse</span> and the <span class="smcap">Dog</span>. To the former we are indebted -for the power of transporting ourselves from place to place, with speed -and comfort, and for the means of participating in the manly and healthful -Sports of the Field; while the labours of Agriculture, and the pursuits -of Commerce, are no less indebted to it for increased activity and -productiveness.</p> - -<p>But it is not on this ground alone that it aspires to patronage. It takes -a wider range, and, by including in its design, the history, the qualities, -and the different breeds of the <span class="smcap">Dog</span>—that half-reasoning friend and -companion of man—it enlarges its claims to general reception. Who is -there that has not, at some period of his life, acknowledged the influence -of an attachment between himself and his dog? Who is there that does -not recognize in this faithful, vigilant, sagacious, humble, and silent -friend, the possessor of qualities, which are not always to be found in -the human and more talkative friend?</p> - -<p>It is only necessary further to observe, that the literary execution and -graphic embellishment of this work are not unworthy of the subjects -delineated. With respect to the latter, the Proprietors confidently -anticipate that the names of the Artists employed are a sufficient guarantee; -while the former is the production of an experienced Sportsman.</p> - -<p><i>The following are the Subjects of the Plates which embellish the -Sportsman’s Repository</i>:—</p> - - -<p class="center"><i>Horses.</i></p> - -<ul><li>1.—<span class="smcap">Godolphin Arabian</span>, the Property of Lord Godolphin.</li> - -<li>2.—<span class="smcap">Arabian</span>, the Property of the Right Hon. Henry Wellesley.</li> - -<li>3.—<span class="smcap">Eclipse</span> and <span class="smcap">Shakspeare</span>, two celebrated Racers.</li> - -<li>4.—<span class="smcap">King Herod</span> and <span class="smcap">Flying Childers</span>, the Property of the Duke of -Devonshire.</li> - -<li>5.—<span class="smcap">Stallion</span>, <i>Jupiter</i>, the Property of Lieut.-Col. Thornton.</li> - -<li>6.—<span class="smcap">Charger</span>, the Property of Major-General Warde.</li> - -<li>7.—<span class="smcap">Hunter</span>, <i>Duncombe</i>, the Property of George Treacher, Esq.</li> - -<li>8.—<span class="smcap">Racer</span>, <i>Eleanor</i>, the Property of Sir Charles Banbury, Bart.</li> - -<li>9.—<span class="smcap">Hackney</span>, <i>Roan Billy</i>.</li> - -<li>10.—<span class="smcap">Coach-Horse</span>, the Property of Henry Villebois, Esq.</li> - -<li>11.—<span class="smcap">Cart-Horse</span>, <i>Dumpling</i>, the Property of Messrs. Horne and Devey.</li> - -<li>12.—<span class="smcap">Ponies</span>, <i>Shetland</i>, <i>Forester</i>, and <i>Welsh</i>, the Property of Jacob -Wardell, Esq.</li> - -<li>13.—<span class="smcap">A Mule</span>, the Property of Lord Holland—and an <span class="smcap">Ass</span>.</li> -</ul> - - -<p class="center"><i>Dogs.</i></p> - - -<ul><li>1. Shepherd’s Dog.</li> - -<li>2. Newfoundland Dog.</li> - -<li>3. Greenland Dog.</li> - -<li>4. Pointer.</li> - -<li>5. Spanish Pointer.</li> - -<li>6. Setter.</li> - -<li>7. Springer.</li> - -<li>8. Water Spaniel.</li> - -<li>9. Stag Hound.</li> - -<li>10. Fox Hounds.</li> - -<li>11. Greyhound.</li> - -<li>12. Irish Greyhound.</li> - -<li>13. Italian Greyhound.</li> - -<li>14. Blood Hound.</li> - -<li>15. Southern Hound.</li> - -<li>16. Beagles.</li> - -<li>17. Harrier.</li> - -<li>18. Terriers.</li> - -<li>19. Lurcher.</li> - -<li>20. Water Dog.</li> - -<li>21. Bull Dog.</li> - -<li>22. Mastiff.</li> - -<li>23. Dalmatian.</li> - -<li>24. Pugs.</li> - -<li>25. Bloodhound’s Head.</li> - -<li>26. Portraits of Five Stag Hounds, of the Hatfield Hunt.</li> - -<li>27. Alpine Mastiff.</li> -</ul> - -<p>The Work complete comprehends Ten Parts, price 5<i>s.</i> each: or with -Proof Impressions of the Plates on India Paper, price 7<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i> forming a -splendid Volume in Quarto—price £2:12:6, in Boards, or with the -Plates on India Paper, price £4, neatly Half-bound, Russia, the whole -illustrated with Forty Copper-plates, all engraved in the Line manner by -Mr. <span class="smcap">John Scott</span> and Mr. <span class="smcap">Thomas Landseer</span>, from Original Paintings by -those eminent Animal Painters, <span class="smcap">Marshall</span>, <span class="smcap">Reinagle</span>, <span class="smcap">Gilpin</span>, <span class="smcap">Stubbs</span>, -<span class="smcap">Cooper</span>, and <span class="smcap">Edwin Landseer</span>. They are executed in the very first -style of excellence, and may justly be considered as <i>chefs d’œuvres</i> in -the Art. Every species of the Horse and Dog is comprised in the Collection; -and the Proprietors do not hesitate to challenge a similar Exhibition -in the whole Sporting World.</p> - -<p>For the accommodation of Admirers of the Fine Arts, and Gentlemen -forming a Cabinet Collection of Sporting Pictures, a limited number of -Impressions is taken off, for the purpose of Framing, or, for the Portfolio; -any of which may be had separately. Price of the Proofs, on -India Paper, 4<i>s.</i> and Prints, 2<i>s.</i> each.</p> - -<p>TEN MINUTES’ ADVICE TO EVERY PERSON GOING -TO PURCHASE A HORSE. By <span class="smcap">John Bell</span>. Price 1<i>s.</i></p> - -<p>THE GENTLEMAN’S POCKET FARRIER; showing -how to use a Horse on a Journey. By <span class="smcap">John Bell</span>. Price 1<i>s.</i></p> - -<p>SPORTING ANECDOTES, including numerous Characteristic -portraits of Persons in every Walk of Life, who have acquired Notoriety -from their Achievements on the Turf, at the Table, and in the -Diversions of the Field; the whole forming a complete Delineation of -the Sporting World. By <span class="smcap">Pierce Egan</span>. New Edition, with coloured -Plates and Illustrations, price 12<i>s.</i> in boards.</p> - -<p>THE SPORTSMAN’S PROGRESS; a Poem; Descriptive -of the Pleasures derived from Field Sports. Illustrated with Thirteen -appropriate Cuts. Price 1<i>s.</i></p> - -<p>THE ANGLER; a Poem, in Ten Cantos; comprising Proper -Instructions in the Art, with Rules to choose Fishing-rods, Lines, Hooks, -Floats, Baits, and to make Artificial Flies, Receipts for Pastes, &c. By -<span class="smcap">T. P. Lathy, Esq.</span> With upwards of Twenty Wood-cuts. Price 8<i>s.</i> -boards.</p> - -<p>SONGS OF THE CHACE; or, SPORTSMAN’S VOCAL -LIBRARY; containing nearly Four Hundred of the best Songs relating -to Racing, Shooting, Angling, Hawking, Archery, &c. Handsomely -printed in foolscap 8vo. with appropriate Embellishments. Second Edition. -Price 9<i>s.</i> boards.</p> - - -<p class="center"><i>Dobson on Training the Spaniel or Pointer.</i></p> - -<p>KUNOPÆDIA; being a Practical Essay on the Breaking and -Training the English Spaniel or Pointer. To which are added, Instructions -for attaining the Art of Shooting Flying; more immediately addressed -to <i>young</i> Sportsmen, but designed also to supply the best means -of correcting the errors of some <i>older</i> ones. By the late <span class="smcap">W. Dobson</span>, Esq. -of Eden-Hall, Cumberland. In One Volume, 8vo. Price 12<i>s.</i> boards.</p> - - -<p class="center"><i>Curtis on Grasses.</i></p> - -<p>PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE BRITISH -GRASSES, especially such as are best adapted to the laying down or -improving of Meadows and Pastures: likewise an Enumeration of the -British Grasses. By <span class="smcap">William Curtis</span>, Author of the “Flora Londinensis,” -&c. Sixth Edition, with considerable Additions. In 8vo. illustrated, -with coloured Plates. Price 9<i>s.</i> in boards.</p> - - -<p class="center"><i>Skellet’s complete Cow-Doctor.</i></p> - -<p>A PRACTICAL TREATISE ON THE BREEDING COW, -AND EXTRACTION OF THE CALF, BEFORE AND AT THE -TIME OF CALVING; in which the question of difficult Parturition is -considered in all its bearings, with reference to facts and experience; including -Observations on the Disease of Neat Cattle generally. Containing -profitable Instructions to the Breeding Farmer, Cowkeeper, and -Grazier, for attending to their own Cattle during Illness, according to -the most approved modern Methods of Treatment, and the Application -of long known and skilful Prescriptions and Remedies for every Disorder -incident to Horned Cattle. The whole adapted to the present improved -state of Veterinary Practice. Illustrated with Thirteen highly-finished -Engravings. By <span class="smcap">Edward Skellett</span>, Professor of that part of the Veterinary -Art. Price 18<i>s.</i> plain, £1:7:0 coloured.</p> - -<p>“We have now before us a work which will be found a very useful -addition to the Farmers’ Library; it is communicated in a plain and familiar -style, and is evidently the result of long experience and observation, -made by a practical man; every person connected with Live Stock should -be acquainted with its contents, but to the Veterinary Practitioner it is -invaluable.”—<i>Farmers’ Journal.</i></p> - - -<p class="center"><i>A Complete Farm-House Library.</i></p> - - -<p><i>In Two large Volumes, in Quarto, price Four Guineas in Boards, illustrated -with upwards of One Hundred Engravings, (Thirty of which are coloured -from Nature,) representing improved Implements, the various Grasses, and -the principal Breeds of Sheep and Cattle, from Original Drawings,</i></p> - -<p>A COMPLETE SYSTEM OF PRACTICAL AGRICULTURE; -including all the Modern Improvements and Discoveries, and -the Result of all the Attention and Inquiry which have been bestowed -on this important Science during the last Fifty years: the whole combining -and explaining, fully and completely, the <span class="smcap">Principles</span> and <span class="smcap">Practice</span> -of <span class="smcap">Modern Husbandry</span>, in all its Branches and Relations. By -<span class="smcap">R. W. Dickson, M.D.</span> Honorary Member of the Board of Agriculture, -&c. &c.</p> - -<p>This Work includes the best Methods of Planting Timber of every Description, -and the improved Management of Live Stock, with a Description -of Implements and Buildings; the Theory of Soils and Manures; the -best Methods of Inclosing, Embanking, Road-making, Draining, Fallowing, -Irrigating, Paring, and Burning; the improved Cultivation of Arable -Lands, and of all kinds of Grain, artificial Grasses, &c.; presenting the -most useful and comprehensive Body of Practical information ever offered -to the Public on the interesting Science of Agriculture.</p> - - -<p class="center"><i>Extracted and abridged from the above Work, by the same Author, -in royal</i> 8vo.</p> - -<p>THE FARMER’S COMPANION, being a Complete System -of Modern Husbandry; including the latest Improvements and -Discoveries, in Theory and Practice.</p> - -<p>The leading feature of excellence by which this Work is distinguished, -is that minuteness of practical detail, which renders it singularly adapted -to the purposes of Agriculture. The whole scope of its contents has -a constant and immediate connexion with the daily pursuits of the -Farmer, the Implements of Husbandry he employs, the Modes of Agriculture -he adopts, and the System of Pasture and Feeding he pursues. -These multifarious topics are all treated with simplicity and clearness; -so that the Work presents an ample, but distinct display of every subject -connected with the practical objects of a Farm. It is illustrated with -upwards of One Hundred Engravings, representing improved Implements -for Farming, various Breeds of Cattle, Sheep, &c. Price 1<i>l.</i> 16<i>s.</i> boards.</p> - - -<p class="center"><i>Sir John Sinclair on Agriculture.</i></p> - -<p>THE CODE OF AGRICULTURE; including Observations -on Gardens, Orchards, Woods, and Plantations. By the Right Hon. -Sir <span class="smcap">John Sinclair</span>, Bart. Fourth Edition, in one large vol. 8vo. price -1<i>l.</i> in boards. This Edition is considerably improved by a number of -valuable Remarks, communicated to the Author by some of the most intelligent -Farmers in England and Scotland.</p> - -<p>The Subjects particularly considered, are</p> - -<p>1. The Preliminary Points which a Farmer ought to ascertain, before -he undertakes to occupy any extent of Land.</p> - -<p>2. The Means of Cultivation which are essential to ensure its success.</p> - -<p>3. The various Modes of improving Land.</p> - -<p>4. The various Modes of occupying Land.</p> - -<p>5. The Means of improving a Country.</p> - - -<p class="center">MOUBRAY ON POULTRY, PIGS, AND COWS.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" > -<img src="images/i_f12.jpg" alt="A farmyard" /> -</div> - - -<p>A PRACTICAL TREATISE ON BREEDING, REARING, -AND FATTENING ALL KINDS OF DOMESTIC POULTRY, -PHEASANTS, PIGEONS, AND RABBITS; including, also, an interesting -Account of the Egyptian Method of Hatching Eggs by Artificial -Heat, with some Modern Experiments thereon; also, on Breeding, Feeding, -and Managing Swine, Milch Cows, and Bees. By <span class="smcap">Bonington -Moubray</span>, Esq. A New Edition, being the Sixth, enlarged by a -<span class="smcap">Treatise</span> on <span class="smcap">Brewing</span>, making <span class="smcap">Cider</span>, <span class="smcap">Butter</span>, and <span class="smcap">Cheese</span>, adapted to -the Use of Private Families. Price 7<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i> in boards.</p> - -<p>⁂ “Mr. Moubray’s little book on the breeding, rearing, and fattening -all kinds of domestic poultry and pigs, is unquestionably the most practical -work on the subject in our language. The author’s aim seems to have -been to avoid scientific detail, and to convey his information in plain and -intelligible terms. The convenience of a small poultry-yard—two or three -pigs, with a breeding sow—and a cow for cream, milk, butter, and cheese—in -an English country-house, appears indispensable; and to point out -how these may be obtained, at a reasonable expense, seems to have been -Mr. Moubray’s object. By adopting the plan of his work, any family -may furnish their table with these luxuries at one-third of the price they -are obliged to pay at the markets; and the farmer and breeder may render -it the source of considerable profit.”—<i>Farmer’s Journal.</i></p> - - -<p class="center"><i>Bucknall on Fruit-Trees, and the Husbandry of Orchards.</i></p> - -<p>THE ORCHARDIST; or, A SYSTEM OF CLOSE -PRUNING AND MEDICATION FOR ESTABLISHING THE -SCIENCE OF ORCHARDING; containing full Instructions as to -Manure, preventing Blight, Caterpillars, and Cure Canker, as patronized -by the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and -Commerce. By the late <span class="smcap">T. S. D. Bucknall</span>, Esq. M.P. In 8vo. price -5<i>s.</i> boards.</p> - -<p>⁂ This Work obtained for the Author the Prize Medal and Thanks of -the above Society. <i>Only very few copies remain on hand.</i></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> -</div><div class="chapter"> - - -<p class="center"><big>BOOKS</big><br /> - -<small>PRINTED FOR</small><br /> - -SHERWOOD, GILBERT, AND PIPER,<br /> - -23, PATERNOSTER-ROW.</p> - -<hr class="small" /> - -<p class="center"><i>Jennings’s Code of Useful Knowledge.</i></p> - -<p>1. THE FAMILY CYCLOPÆDIA: a Dictionary of Useful -and Necessary Knowledge in Domestic Economy, Agriculture, -Chemistry, and the Arts; including the most approved Modes of -Treatment of Diseases, Accidents, and Casualties. By JAMES -JENNINGS, Esq. In one large vol. 8vo. price 1l. 7s. in boards.</p> - -<p>This very useful work contains upward of fourteen hundred -closely printed pages, comprising as much matter as is frequently -contained in six ordinary-sized volumes. The following are the -opinions of the Reviewers on its merits:—</p> - -<p>“As a book of daily reference, the <span class="smcap">Family Cyclopædia</span> is -really invaluable: it forms a portable Library of Useful Knowledge, -of easy reference, and contains a great variety of information -not to be found in other works of similar pretensions, and of -greater magnitude.”</p> - -<p>“It contains a large mass of information on subjects connected -with the Domestic Economy of Life. In matters of Science and -the Arts, the selections are all from sources of the best authority, -and treated in a clear and familiar manner. As a book of daily -reference in the common concerns of life, its great practical utility -will, no doubt, ensure it a ready introduction, and a favourable -reception in every intelligent family.”</p> - -<p>“The able manner in which this work is executed, affords -satisfactory evidence that the editor is thoroughly acquainted with -the subject. It is a valuable <i>multum in parvo</i>.”</p> - - -<p class="center"><i>Moubray on Poultry, Pigs, and Cows.</i></p> - -<p>2. A PRACTICAL TREATISE on BREEDING, REARING, -and FATTENING all kinds of DOMESTIC POULTRY, -PIGEONS, and RABBITS; also, on Breeding, Feeding, and -Managing Swine, Milch Cows, and Bees. By BONINGTON -MOUBRAY, Esq. Sixth Edition, enlarged by a Treatise on -<span class="smcap">Brewing</span>, on making <span class="smcap">Cider</span>, <span class="smcap">Butter</span>, and <span class="smcap">Cheese</span>: adapted to -the Use of Private Families. Price 7s. 6d. cloth boards.</p> - -<p>“This is unquestionably the most practical Work on the subject -in our Language, and the Information is conveyed in plain and -intelligible Terms. The convenience of a small <span class="smcap">Poultry Yard</span>—two -or three <span class="smcap">Pigs</span>, with a breeding Sow, and a Cow for <span class="smcap">Cream</span>, -<span class="smcap">Milk</span>, <span class="smcap">Butter</span>, and <span class="smcap">Cheese</span>—in an English Country House, -appears indispensable; and to point out how these may be obtained, -at a <span class="smcap">Reasonable Expense</span>, seems to have been Mr. Moubray’s -object. He is evidently a good practical Farmer, thoroughly -conversant with Rural Economy in all its branches; his -Book is written in a light, lively, Kitchener style, and, like the -works of that celebrated Gastronome, conveys, at least, as much -amusement as information. Were any testimony wanted, as to -its practical utility, it would be found in the declaration of an -eminent Rural Economist, <span class="smcap">Sir John Sinclair</span>, who pronounces -it ‘the best work hitherto printed’ on the subject of which it -treats.”—<i>Farmer’s Journal.</i></p> - - -<p class="center"><i>Scott’s Village Doctor.</i></p> - -<p>3. THE VILLAGE DOCTOR; or, <span class="smcap">Family Medical Adviser</span>, -adapted to Domestic Convenience, and intended for the use -of Country Clergymen, Conductors of Schools, Parents, and Heads -of Families. By JAMES SCOTT, Surgeon. Sixth Edition, considerably -improved, price 5s.</p> - -<p>⁂ This little work contains such information as may be often -wanted in the hour of need: it is a monitor that points out the -remedy in a moment of alarm; a pilot that directs the progress of -diseases with care; a beacon that shows the shoals upon which -health may be wrecked; and a friend that removes the doubtful -anxiety of ignorance, by explaining the present, and showing the -probabilities of the future.</p> - - -<p class="center"><i>Dickson’s Law of Wills.</i></p> - -<p>4. PLAIN INSTRUCTIONS AND ADVICE TO TESTATORS, -EXECUTORS, ADMINISTRATORS, AND LEGATEES; -being a Practical Exposition of the LAW of WILLS, -with Observations on the Consequences of Intestacy; to which are -added, Directions respecting the Probate of Wills, and the taking -out of Letters of Administration; Tables of the Stamp Duties on -Probates, Administrations, Legacies, and Residuary Shares; the -Method of obtaining a Return of the Administration and Probate -Duty, if overpaid, or on the ground of Debts; and forms of Inventories -to be taken by Executors and Administrators; with Precedents -of Wills, Codicils, Republications, &c. <i>Including the Act of -Will. IV.</i> c. 40, “<i>for making better Provisions for the Disposal of -the Residues of the Effects of Testators</i>.” By RICHARD DICKSON, -Esq. of the Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn. Price 5s. 6d.</p> - -<p>“To the very important branch of Law relative to Wills, Mr. -Dickson appears to have paid considerable attention; and, viewing -the whole subject, we scarcely know a question of common -occurrence that can be proposed, for which he has not provided -some judicious advice, if not a satisfactory answer.”—<i>Imperial -Magazine</i>, May, 1830.</p> - - -<p class="center">TO HEADS OF FAMILIES.</p> - - -<p class="center"><i>A Valuable Present for Servant Maids.</i></p> - -<p>5. THE FEMALE SERVANT’S GUIDE AND ADVISER; -or, <span class="smcap">The Service Instructor</span>. Illustrated with Plates, exhibiting -the Methods of setting out Dinner Tables, price 3s.</p> - -<p>This Work has an emphatical claim to the sanction of Masters -and Mistresses, as, by its directions and instructions, Servants -are enabled to perform the various occupations of service in an -efficient and a satisfactory manner, and are informed of the -methods of occasioning <i>large savings in the management and use -of their Employer’s Household Property and Provisions</i>: in fact, it -embraces the interests and welfare of the great family of mankind—<span class="smcap">Masters</span> -and <span class="smcap">Servants</span>.</p> - -<p>“By the present of a copy of the Work to each of their Servants, -Employers may safely calculate on the saving of many -pounds a year in their expenditure.”—<i>Taunton Courier</i>.</p> - - -<p class="center">TO THE CLERGY, CHURCHWARDENS, AND OVERSEERS, -OF THE UNITED KINGDOM.</p> - - -<p class="center"><i>Shaw’s Parish Officer’s Guide.</i></p> - -<p>A New and Practical Work on the Laws relative to Parish Masters, -calculated for general Information, and to furnish all -Persons liable to serve the office of Churchwarden, Overseer, -&c. with full instructions for their legal and efficient discharge, -entitled,</p> - -<p>6. THE PAROCHIAL LAWYER; or, CHURCHWARDENS’ -and OVERSEERS’ GUIDE: containing the whole of -the <span class="smcap">Statute Law</span>, with the Decisions of the Courts of Law and -Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction, on the Duties and Powers of those -Officers, embodying all that is practical and operative in Dean -Prideaux’ Instructions to Churchwardens. By JAMES SHAW, -Esq. of the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple. Third -Edition, considerably improved, with the New Acts of 1 and 2 of -William IV. price 5s. 6d.</p> - -<p>The Work is divided into Four Parts: the <i>first</i> and <i>second</i> relate -to the Duties, Powers, and Responsibility of Churchwardens and -Overseers, with the Management, Relief, and Employment of the -Poor, by <i>Select Vestry</i>, <i>Guardians</i>, <i>or Trustees</i>. The <i>third</i> and -<i>fourth</i> Parts embrace the Law, Practice, and Proceedings of Open -and Select Vestries, with some necessary Information respecting -the Offices of <span class="smcap">Vestry Clerk</span>, <span class="smcap">Parish Clerk</span>, <span class="smcap">Constables</span>, -<span class="smcap">Sextons</span>, &c.</p> - - -<p class="center">Also, by the same Author,</p> - -<p>1. THE DOMESTIC LAWYER; or, a <span class="smcap">Practical</span> and <span class="smcap">Popular -Exposition</span> of the <span class="smcap">Laws</span> of <span class="smcap">England</span>, containing the -requisite Legal Information relative to every possible Circumstance -and Situation in which persons can be placed in the ordinary -occurrences of Trade and Social Life. Including the Important -Acts of last Sessions. Price 9s. bound in cloth.</p> - -<p>2. THE CONSTABLE and POLICE-OFFICER’S COMPANION -and GUIDE. Price 4s.</p> - - -<p class="center"><i>Dubrunfaut on Rectification and Distilling.</i></p> - -<p>7. A COMPLETE TREATISE ON THE WHOLE ART OF -DISTILLATION, with <span class="smcap">Practical Instructions</span> for preparing -<span class="smcap">Spirituous Liquors</span> from <span class="smcap">Corn</span>, <span class="smcap">Potatoes</span>, <span class="smcap">Beet-Roots</span>, and -other Farinaceous and Sugary Vegetables; particularly Useful to -Maltsters, Brewers, and Vinegar Makers. Also, the ART of -RECTIFICATION, in which is particularly treated the Nature -of <span class="smcap">Essential Oils</span>, as the influential causes of the Tastes and -Flavours of Spirits. From the French of DUBRUNFAUT, by -JOHN SHERIDAN. To which is prefixed, the DISTILLERS’ -PRACTICAL GUIDE, with genuine Receipts for making RUM, -BRANDY, HOLLANDS, GIN, and all sorts of <i>Compounds</i>, <i>Cordials</i>, -and <i>Liqueurs</i>. Price 12s. in cloth, illustrated with numerous -Cuts of improved Apparatus used in Distillation.</p> - - -<p class="center"><i>Tingry’s House-Painter’s Manual.</i></p> - -<p>8. The HOUSE-PAINTER’S and COLOURMAN’S COMPLETE -GUIDE: or, <span class="smcap">Every Man his own Painter</span>; being a -Practical and Theoretical Treatise on the Preparation of Colours, -and their Application to the different kinds of Painting, in which -is particularly described the whole Art of <span class="smcap">House Painting</span>. -By P. F. TINGRY, Professor of Chemistry, &c. Third Edition, -corrected and very considerably improved. Price 7s. cloth.</p> - - -<p class="center"><i>Packer’s Dyer’s Guide.</i></p> - -<p>9. THE DYER’S GUIDE; being a Compendium of the Art of -Dyeing Linen, Cotton, Silk, Wool, Muslin, Dresses, Furniture, -&c.; with the Method of scouring Wool, bleaching Cotton, &c.; -and Directions for un-gumming Silk, and of whitening and sulphuring -Silk and Wool; and also an Introductory Epitome of the -leading Facts in Chemistry, as connected with the Art of Dyeing. -By THOMAS PACKER, Dyer and Chemist. Second Edition, -corrected and improved, price 6s.</p> - - -<p class="center"><i>Siddons’s Cabinet-Maker’s Manual.</i></p> - -<p>10. THE CABINET-MAKER’S GUIDE; or, Rules and Instructions -in the Art of Varnishing, Dyeing, Staining, Japanning, -Polishing, Lackering, and Beautifying Wood, Ivory, Tortoise-shell, -and Metal; with Observations on their Management and -Application. By G. A. SIDDONS. Fifth Edition, improved and -enlarged, by the addition of several new Articles, Receipts, &c. -Price 3s. 6d.</p> - -<p>“We strongly recommend this as a <i>vade-mecum</i>, which should -be in the pocket of every Cabinet-maker.”—<i>Critical Gazette.</i></p> - - -<p class="center"><i>King’s Law of Auctions.</i></p> - -<p>11. THE AUCTIONEER’S LEGAL GUIDE AND ADVISER; -containing a practical Exposition of the Law of Auctions, -viz.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>1. Qualifications, Responsibility, Rights, Duties, and Obligations -of Auctioneers.</p> - -<p>2. The Mode of conducting Sales.</p> - -<p>3. Directions for making Excise Returns, Delivery and Passing -Account, and Payment of Duty.</p> - -<p>4. Property and Effects subject to and exempt from Payment -of Duty.</p> - -<p>5. The relative Rights of Vendors and Vendees at Auctions.</p></blockquote> - -<p>With Rules and Directions for the Valuation of Lands and Fixtures: -to which are added, the Qualifications and Duties of -Appraisers; with a copious Appendix of Precedents. (Originally -written by <span class="smcap">T. Williams</span>, Esq.) Fifth Edition, considerably improved. -By WILLIAM KING. Price 7s. bound in cloth.</p> -</div> - -<div class="transnote"> - -<h3>Transcriber’s Notes</h3> - -<p>Obvious typographical errors have been silently corrected. Variations -in hyphenation have been standardised but all other spelling and -punctuation remains unchanged.</p> - -<p>The repetition of the "Author's Address to the Reader" has been removed.</p> - -<p>The sequence of section numbers in Part II of the original is I-VI, -VII, VII, VIII, XI. This has been corrected. The final entry in the TOC -has also been corrected to page 187.</p> -</div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Deadly Adulteration and Slow Poisoning -Unmasked, by Anonymous - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DEADLY ADULTERATION *** - -***** This file should be named 52434-h.htm or 52434-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/2/4/3/52434/ - -Produced by deaurider, Les Galloway and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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