The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-02-08 00:00:00

HOW ADULTERATION IS PUNISHED
IN FRANCE.

Dr. Hassid writing to the Editor .4th. says :
The discussion which has just taken lilac* in the
Times on the subject of dinners lost turned mainly on
the variety and cooking of our food. while but few
observations 11/IVC beets mode upon its iju.dity and
genuineness ; awl yet it is obvious thst we cannot have
really good dinners unless the food and drink used be
themselves good, unadulterated, wholesome, and nutri-
tious. It is on this branch of the subject that I wish to
inske a few_brief_remarks.

A copy of the French paper afuerle des Tribusaar for
the 22iiil of January has just been plaited in suy hands.
It contains the sentences pronounced by the Correctional
Tribunal, at the instance of the public prosecutor,
against a number of shopkeeper* found guilty of adult..
ration. These judgments are full of interest for the
English public, especially now that Parliament is about
to meet, and that it will be called upon to legislate on
the subject of adulteration. A few of these indolent& I
will primed to iluote, as they NerVe to show the manner
iii which the fraud of adultorat is dealt with under
the Fnmch law :

" M. salad, milkman, at Clichy, I, Rued. Courcellea ;
falsification of milk by the addition of :10 per Gent. of
water.—lt, dap' impriammient [matfett line.
"M. Phariaien, milkman, 32, Rue fit. Benoit ; milk
falailleal by the aulatraction of cream and the addition
of water.—Mit day.' impriminnent and MC fine.
" The widow Ilainably, milk woman to the Chapel St.
Denis, 11, Moe ale I imp Moulin* ; the came crime
(already condemned three &nem for the amine thing).—
Three •no,ullaa ivaai.riaontaaant ciii M. fine.
"31. Carette, milkman at Clicley, village Levelled's, 6,
Hue lit. Louis ; MM. Lefevre, 44. flue d'Anisteralain,
anal M. &Habitue. 19. Hue alaa Milan, weaociattal in the
the t:ade of a wholeaale dairy, mipplying M. l'arette ;
the aflame offenal.—Carette to six alayat' impriou tttttttt
anal 3fif. line ; Lefevre, who law! already lersone Nur
comb:moat' for the falaificetion of al' ntary sub.
stances --the find to aim n ttttt the imprimonment anal
2,101 t. fine, the 'second and the third to eight month.'
imprimatiniciat anal 3,0001. fine, the fourth to NW. fine,—
im alio condemned to four tine Mari*" tttt lent and to
lacer aix placard* of the judgment laa.teal UP ; hotly. M.
Si. Ikanillieux to one month's ttttt lent 411. i :W.

Oiedier. wine mereltlitt, 14, Rue iloutehrie ;
wine falsified by the in.l4litioo of water.—ehs days'
iiiiiirbeiniurtit and NIL hiie.
" M. Villin. grocer, Rue Paiiineourt ;
coffee falsified with chicury.---rii: days' insprisnnment
aolral. fin,"

The Aimee penaltic. are annicient to *how the grave
light in which adulteration is viewed in France. It
will be ohaereed that the falsification% thus aeverely
puilidied are among those which in this country would
ba• held to be of the leaat importance -namely. that
wine and milk with water, and of coffee with chicmy.
. .

_
The I nts awanled for adulteration, it will be
iiliserv“l, are of three kinds—imprisonment, fine, and
the publication by means of placards of the name of the
offender, the nature of the offence, and the sentence
imposed, one of the placards being nasally pueteil up
beaide the door of the offending shopkeeper. Of these
three punishment* it has been found that by far the
st effective ic the publication of the name of the
adulterater. and it is this penalty chiefly which I wish
to are inflicted in tide country for adulteration.
The use of false weights and measurer.., the sale of
articles deficier.t either in weight or measure, and the
sale of corrupt and unwholesome food of all kinds, are
all visited with the same penalties at the instance of
that useful functionary, the public prosecutor.
Many persons who read this letter may be f opinion
that the French laws against adulteration are too strin•
gent ever to be enforced in this country. hut this surely
i* no reason for leaving matters in their present state,
and allowing those guilty of the great crime of adulte-
ration to escape, as they do now, punishment altogether.
Trusting that when Mr. Scholefield introduces his
Rill against adulteration into tie HOU*, of iiiii ons
early in the ensuing wasion you will aid his endeavours
with your all-poweiful support.