The Express.
London, England, 1851-03-11 00:00:00

he greatly to the advantage not only of the government hut England, but he would not my whether they found the
of the merehante, the dealers, and the public, if this great prices adequate to their wishes. (Cheer.) Ile for one had
question wan settled for ever on prineipks of justice to every never used an ounce of chicory in his own trade until he was
party concerned ; and all they asked the minister to do, was obliged to do so. (Cheers and cries of " Oh.") He could
that he afoul.' take into consideration all the facts of the say with an honest face that it was two or three year. after
CAW, and give a judgment which might be considered the treasury order had been issued before he haul chicory
just toward, the producer, the retailer, and the con.umer. on his premises at all. (Hear, hear.) It was not until his
(Cheers.) lie concluded by bespeaking for all alio might customers complained one after :mother—ay, and until
address the meeting a fair hearing, in onler that the rem- they left him ,me after another for the purpose of
lotions they might come to might be treated by the minister I-attaining mixed—that he found himself, in pore self-
and by the country with attention and respect. 1..01uil defence, under the necessity of using chicory in his
cheers.) coffee. (Cheers.) lie believed that he was may speak-
Mr. MOFFAT, 31. P., was received with mingled cheers tug the experience of ninety-nine out of every hundred
and hisres. The chairman had well stated the inroad oh. in the grocery trade when he said this. (Cheers.) There
jests of the meeting, and hr shoold therefore travel a little wen• gentlemen occupying a high petition whom he saw
further situ detail*. Chicory had Indy been introduced into around him on the platform, and who hail accused the
this country to any noticeable cotton during the last 20 grocers of being dishonest men. (Cries of " No, no.") He
years. It tint became an object of consideration to the g... believed that the grocers were anxious to set ILYhouestly..as
yernment iu Itt32, and at that time a treasury minute war any other tradesmen. (Cheers.) Before he used the mix-
issued, overriding two previoue arts of parliament by which tore, the bulk of his trade was 2*. coffee; and he was ter-
growers were permitted to sell chicory, but not to mix it tunny nut gaining now any more profit than he did then.
with coffee. the promoters of the pre ....it meeting wished (Oh, oh.) Well, then, he would reverse the argument.
the grocers to 'stain the right to sell chicory undisturNsl— Ile would suppose that he was getting enormous profits:
(0,,,, and a voice oWe wita..)....hut it was the present' what these gentlemen proposed was, that they should raise
sestent of mixing that was considered so obnetiortable. the price of coffee to 2s. (Cries of "No, no,"
(t'nsets, and uproar.) It was admitted on all hands " False," and uproar.) That WWI the natural in-
that there war now a large cronrutnption of chichory. Sonne &manse from their own arstumente. (No, no.) Now
people liked it better than coffee, and some liked it tart the poor man could get half a pound for fel., and it
mixed. 'they therefore did not desire to institute an logo'. i wooled last hi, family a week. It would give hint a whole.
sitorial excise surveillance, or to withdraw from Ktna,coo • some and nutrit ttttt . beverage, and one that was to his taste;
the right to sell chicory. All they sought was simply, as a but if they were obliged to Nell pure coffee, he would have
matter of justice to the importer, of protection to the fair. to give le. for his half pound—(No, no)—and it would
dealing answer, and ofjustiee to the revenue, that a distine- only last hint till Wednesday instead of till Saturday ; for it
Coot shoulol he made in the sale of articles, one of which was notorious that chicory when milted with coffee added to
ula d a rode-nide duty, while the other paid none. its strength. (Laughter.) One of the gentlemen who had
(Cheers
and uproar.) No argument that he had ever heard spoken had observed that he must not talk of the interests
instilled a departure from that rule in this ease, while it of the poor man. Now, it was precisely those in-
was maintain, din every other. (Cheers.) Well, in 1840 tercets that he (Mr. Newsome) was advocating. (Cheers.)
The interests of the poor man were the very
another Treasury minute was issued, by which grocers
were permitted to mix chicory with roffee. (Ch.ars and gist of his argument. (Ilear, hear.) The poor man
great confusion, the speaker being assailed with a perfect had aright to have his coffee mixed with chicory if he liked
hurricane of exclamation., such a. " thrall'', it is an ins. it. (A Yoke : .. Let him do it himself, then," and cheers.)
proorement"—. Becours everybody like. it"—" Ile cause The puny man had mot the conveniences for mixing it him-
they couldn't prevent it," lie.) Mr. Moffat proceeded— self. (Oh, oh.) Ile could not go to the baker's shop for
Ashaittiug, for the rake of the argument, that it was an ins- an ounce or two of chieury, it would be ton much trouble.
provement, it was not propmed to prevent its being sold— (" Oh, oh!" and a voice: "Let's hear something about
all they wished war that coffee should he sold ae coffee and the canister.") But look at the state of thing* before the
chicory as chicory. (Cheers.) Referring to the treasury issuing of the treasury urder of 1100. When the grocer
initiate-melee which the grocers obtained this privilege, he kept chicory, it was impossible to prevent him mixing it
found that the condition upon which they were permitted with his coffee. Moire of laughter, and cries of " Honest
to self coffee and chicory mixed had not been complied men.") Ile should like to know if they were not
with; it was, that it should be permitted onlywo long fIA the to be placed under the surveillance of the excise,
chicory paid a proper duty. In 1810, then'n• war scarcely how they who were called fraudulent dealers were to be
any chicory grown in this country, and the duty upon it presented ? (Hear, hear.) The act of parliament was
loving fool. per lb., a considerable revenue was mired upon directed against the renown infornter, and none but the
that article. Now, thanks to (be ingenuity and skill of the excise themselves were authorised to take proceedings.
British Crams:, scarcely any foreign chicory at all was Wen• they then to have a daily visit to examine their
brought here, mud it was almost exclusively produced upon stocks? (Cries of " No.") Bon if they were not, how
our own soil, and paid no fluty at all. Ile repeated that it were the honest to be distinguished from the dishonest ?
would he meat invidious to attempt to impose an exrisc (Cheers.) Ile declared, from lair own experience, that if a
duty ; that he utterly repudiated ; but he was anainus that grwer had chicory on hi premises, he would find that it
they rhoouhl return to the treasury minute of 1832, that the was impossible to resist the demands of the public. (Oh!
public *lambi know what they bought; ond that the vendor oh !) the should therefore second the amendment. (Cheers
should not put a fraud or eolourahle deception upon the and hiseo...)
goods he geld. (Great disapprobation.) lie wished them Mr. PAYNE, of Regent-street, had only heard of this
to sell articles by their right names. (.. No, no," awl coon- meeting a few minutes before he came into the room, and no
fusion.) Ile hoped same of thou. gentlemen who sac loudly sooner had he become aware that it was to be held than he
dissented would give their reasons. (A voice, ".end their had determined, unwell us he was, to attend and oppose the
names at the same time." Laughter.) That war the pre- meeting. (Cheers.) He was well known to them, and he
meat state of affairs ; the revenue was injured ; the trade at had exerted himself to serve their society both at the expense
large was injured ; and also the producer of coffee. (Great of his pocket and of time and trouble. (('heers.) At all
laughter.) It moot he recollected, however, that this meet- timer he had been most anxious to benefit their interests as
bog did not originate with the producers of coffee; hut with retail grocers. (Loud cheers.) Having mid thus much,
the trade and those most largely intervend in the retail he was compelled to declare that, after hearing the proceed-
branch. (.. Oh," and laughter.) In proof of leis assertion, nom his opinion was changed, for he had thought the
he mentioned several parties engaged in drawing up the meeting was firon entirely different object. (Cheers and
re-Notation/1, amongst which, as we understood, were Mr. hisses.) lie was is free trailer, and opposed to all metric-
Peke, of the firm of Peke, Borhera, and Co.; Mr. Waterhouse times, but he hail always been, and he ever would
of the firm of Duke and Co. ; and Mr. Quirk. What they be as long as he 'lived, in favour of selling
'imposed was desired he believed by the volition,. generally, the public that article which it professed to be,
who are maxima. to return to a more honest system. (.. No, (Loud cheers and hirers.) The mover of the amendment
no," and confusion.) It was a clear grievance to the con- had told them a tale which he was very sorry to hear from
sumer and producer, and a manifest disadvantage to the so elderly and respectable a gentleman. lie told them that
reVegUlf. (No, no) How, then, did they account for the he was like a young woman: it took a good deal too seduce
coffee duties producing 17 per cent. less last year than the him, but at fast he was seduced. (Laughter.) Then his
year before ? (Uproar.) Ile concluded by moving the first sceonder told them that it took a good deal to reduce hint ;
resolution to the effect that the permission given by the but he, too, was seduced. (Laughter.) What the mover
treasury minute of 1840 to adulterate coffee was contrary complained of was, that he chid nut get so much after his
to net of parliament, and of serious injury to the grower seduction as he did before; lout that was the natural result
and retailer of coffee, who was constrained, contrary to the of not doing what WAX right. (Loud cheers and laughter.)
principles, of fair dealing, to sell spurious mixture* (great He liked the poor man to have his chicory, and he rejoiced
uproar), under the name of coffee, in order to compete with that it woe now grown in England ; but he did not wish the
the less scrupulous and fraudulent dealer, and also that a poor man to have chicory sold tohim as coffee. 'These were
very serious and unneeemary logs was thus caused to thr two very distinct questions. (Hear, hear.) The present
revenue, the deliveries of collie in the year WO having state of the retail grocery trade—(Mr. Morton : "Is
been 6,245,913 lbs. less than in the wear 1817, while the awful.") Their adulterations of coffee, cocoa, and arrow-
consumption of every other article of large and general use root were blazoned abroad, and if they did not take care all
bad materially increased. the trade would slip out of their hands. (Cheers and
Mr. FRITH, of Landon, seconded the motion. The ad- hisser.) The Loners hod taken the matter up, and the
mined that he was a producer of coffee. (Great uproar.) Dispatch was about to follow its example; and they would
The Chancellor of the Exchequer had misled the public by oasuredly—(Here the speaker was interrupted by loud hoot.
otating that the admixture of chicory had been beneficial jags, and he retired amidst moulder-cheers and cries of
to the consumption of coffee. (Renewed uproar.) /le had " Shame" from gentlemen on the platform.)
no ojection to the grocers selling, if they pleased, chicory, Mr. J. C. QUICK, of Fenchurch-street, observed that
acorns, horse chestnuts, or any of the various sulotanees when he come into the room it was being stated that the
mixed with coffee, but he wished them to be sold under meeting had been gut up for the purpose of raising the
their right names. Ile did not begrudge anything which price of Ceylon coffee; and he noticed that remark because
might benefit the agriculturists of England, but he did he considered that it contained a very ungentlemanly
not think it fair that productions costing 1101. or 9.1. per lb., allusion to their worthy chairman. (Cheers.) The fart
should he sold with another costing Is. or I'.. 4d. (Uproar, was, Mr. Baring was waited upon by himself and otherseon-
and a voice—. It's false.") The proof he thought was fleeted with thetradc, amongrtwhom were the representatives
pretty easy, judging from a pamphlet he helot in his hand. of the firms of Ridgway and Sydney, and it was only after
It was no use he 11111.1/oled saying anything of it as a poor very great eolicitation indeed that he consented to preside.
man's question. (Great uproar, which lasted for some The originators of the meeting did not wish to prevent the
time, in the millet of which Mr. Frith sat down.) grocers front selling either chicory or any other article they
Mr. CONI)EIt, of the firm of Evan. Crmair, and Thorn, pleased ; hut they did wish to prevent their selling chicory
now came forward, and was received with loud cheers. ; for what it was not. (Cheers and hisses.) They did not wish
lie fearlessly asserted that the admixture of chi-. that the per man should pay Is. for what was only worth
curs was an advantage to the planters of Ceylon. 41d. (Here the speaker was interrupted for some minutes.
(Cries of " No, no," " Yes, yes.") Could they deny When the chairman had with difficulty restored order, he
that the average price of native Ceylon toffee had p.meeeded.) It had been said that they could not keep
without adulterating coffee with it ; but did '-

been higher since . the Treasury order than it wax be- chieot7 - they
fore ? (Cheers.) Did Mr. Frith suppose that without this keep ground rice withotit—using it to adulterate pepper ?
Treasury order they ought to have these Ceylon coffees at ! (Cheers.) Depend upon it, it was to their own interest not
46a. ?—(Mr. Horton : " We don't want them ut all.")—He to act as they were doing, for it would make the public
had been fur 40 year+ actively engaged in the coffee trade. i think they were wronged much more than they were.
(A voice: " And chicory.') Yes, and chicory. (Great (Cheers and hisses.) This would go forth, and they would
cheering.) And being engaged in that trade, he had never be charged with every species of fraud and imposition,
yet done the thing that was illegal. (Cries of "Shame,' , which they did not practise. (Uproar.) Mr. Quick eon-
and loud Laughter.) In order to show that if he wanted' eluded by thanking the meeting for the very patient hearing
wisdom he did not want experience he might mention that • which he hail received. (Loud laughter.)
the firm to which he had the honour of belonging had I Mr. NEWSONIE. amidst mueheonfusion, explained that
roasted and delivered to grocers in the country for the last what he meant to say with respect to the imieweibility of
15 er 20 years one-fittik•th of the whole coffee that paid duty grocers keeping chicory and not mixing it with coffee was
in this country. (Cheers.) Thirty years ago, tam after that it would be impossible to keep those who were disposed
the war, Englishmen were very fond of going over to from doing so.
France, and the chicory ground in Belgium, France, and I A Gentleman then rose, and, on being called on for his
Holland was largely used at that time on the continent. name, created some amusement by calling out, " DEAN,
He recollected having thirty years ago hail small parcel of 4 and 5, Shorediteh-12 yeara a grocer, butte years be-
d chicory sent him for trial and since that time it bail hind the counter." He called upon the meeting to protect.
gradually crept into the trade. In 1832 cam' the first not the interests of the trade mere'', but those of
Truaikury order, and so much was the government of that mankind at large. (Cheers.) Last "week nn intel.
day impresied with the importance of chicory, that they ligent man came into his shop and asked, " Is Mr.
allowed the gruers to keep it on their premises. In 1810 Dean within ?" On replying in the nflirmative the man
they went a little further, and it was allowed to be noised handed him an article fur inspection. lye looked at it and
with coffee. He should have been most happy if the Trea- found that it was composed of—first, burnt peas • secondly,
scary order had never been issued, and that hem arm could dog biscuit—(Laughter)—that was not all ; thirdly, burnt
have gone on in the straightforward and tolerably pros- • earth—(Laughter)—and, fourthly, of a substance which
porous course it had pursued fur so many years ; hut after he would not describe— it was too horrid to name, (Con-
the Treasury order had taken effect the public began fusion.) Oh, there was plenty of it. There were four tons
to like the taste of chicory. (Laughter.) Gentle- ready at that time. (Cheers and hisses.) It was used as a
men might laugh, but it was a fact. (Cheers.) substitute for chicory—(Laughter)—and snuff. (Great
Ile would now come to another matter of fact, and that confusion.) He wi.khk:d to ask them one plain question—
was that if himself and his partners had continued to resist how could honest men stand the competition of men who
the introduction of chicory into their coffee, they would were grinding tons and tons (pointing to a solid lump of
have lost one-half of their trade. (A voice—" Self again !" a not very wholesome looking or smelling compound that lay
and laughter.) If the hon. gentlemen would suggest any on the table) of this evi•ry week. He had never addressed a
means by which the adulteration of chicory itself might be meeting before, but if these were the last words he hail to
prevented, they would be doing good service to the trade utter he would me, " May the present system perish."
and to the consumers generally. (Cheers.) He knew that (Confusion.) Thee had had the cholera not long since, and
confession was good fur the soul—Oaughter)—and he mast here was one of the causes of it. (Cheers.) It was time
tell them, as a seller of chicory on rather a large scale, our great men saw that they were no longer imposed upon,
that they hail begun to find it exceedingly difficult and that a stop was put to a mode of conducting business
to compete with leas scrupulous dealers who adul• which sent people to an early grave. (Uproar.) It was
tended their chicory ; for he knew experimentally time to put a stop to this practice of selling poor men
that chicory was sold at prices at which the genuine poison; and he knew where tons weight of this stuff lay
article could not be produced. (Cheers.) The hon. gen- ready to be delivered. (Cries of "Name, name.") Ile had
Heenan very kiudly said that they did not want to atop the no doubt that there were many " canister men " there.
ail.• of chicory, and that that was quite out of the question. (More uproar.) He maintained that it was the duty of the
His hon. friend never spoke a truer word: he would find government to see to this, as much as it was that of the father
liked about as easy to stop chicory as to stop the flow of of a family—to see that his children were provided with
the Thames through Landon-bridge. (Cheers.) He had wholesome food. (Cheers.)
Intended to have referred to some of the rather awkward After a few observations from Mr. Horton, of Islington,
oompliments which had been bandied about such as " fraud," Mr. Hawley, and Mr. Oakley, of the firm of Fortman and
" imposition," and the like, but he would refrain, as it alason
might create irritation in the minds of some, and par- Mr. COOPER, of the firm of Ridgway and Co., Ike-
tkularly in those of the two members of parliament. corded(Laughter.) The hon. seconder of the motion said corded the resolution, and another scene of confusion simi-
that he dared sot appeal to them on behalf of lar to that which had previously oceurred ensued. The
motion was in like manner declared to be carried.
the poor man. He was quite right in that
Mr. TWINING moved the third resolution, which was
for the question was certainly how to raise the price of directed
against the lagalisation of a system of adulteration.
Ceylon coffee. (Cheers.) The coffee trade had been driven Carried as before. a
to the use of chicory, it should be remembered, by the
; Mr. SHAD and Mr. SIIARPE, of Liverpool, moved and
wants of the public, and not by their own spontaneous act.
(Cheers.) He concluded by moving an amendment to the seconded
as before. Mr. Sharpe compared the regard for the
quired by the condition of the British grower and the im.d a resolution condemning the treasury minute.effect that to rescind the treasury order of 1840 was not re- Came
poor professed by the retail dealers
about a pot of ointment that might have been to that of Judas, who
porters of colonial coffee; that it would be injurious to the grumbled
dealer and unjust to the public, and that the public revenue sold and the money given to them—not because he really
as well as public morals—(oh, oh)—would suffer by the ex-
eared for them,but because_he.w.
as a [Lief and hailthe bag.-
Ungar° and costly system of inspection which would be re-
rs (Loud cheers and biases.)_,
H• ti wed that out of the co coffee
made for the poor they got 50 per cent. (Cheers.)
quired to prevent the evasion of the law and to carry out ,
a measure eo opposed to the tastes and wishes of the eons- • Mr. J. Ilsamter-alooa, of Liverpool, moved, and Mr.
munity at large. (Great laughter and cheering.)
inquire when
Premier and the Chancellor of
I QUICK seconded a resolution empowering the chairman to
Mr. NEWSO3IE (of the firm of Newsome and Wilsl seek 'a interview
~theniE_exchequke.dr when they would receive deputa-
hams) rose, as • retail dealer (though not exclusively retail),
to second the resolution, and to vindicate • respectable but
voteAurre of thanks. to the chairman, and a counter one of
calumniated trade. (Cheers.) It had been said that the _.. ,we tnen passed by the two parties in the meet-
was to rai.e the price of Ceylon t`
MQ which broke up at nearly half-put 4 o'clock.
object of this meeting
coffee ; whether it were so er not he could not say, but the --ek
Ceylon growers bad certainly had no reason to complain,
fur they had it on the authority of the Chancellor of the
' - •••• himself—(cheers)—that the consumption of

BRISTOL, March 10.

Exchequer , ,
Ceylon coffee in this country had increased in four years 1 Brom Excualcon.—The market to-day was heavy, and
from twenty to thirty million pound. per annum. (Cheers.) bat link Immure. tr.nodetrd. Great Western at 901, 904; South
It could not be affirmed that they did not ace a market in Wales at SU.