The National Register.
London, England, 1818-06-14 00:00:00

BOARD- OF EXCISE.

TIICRSDAY. JUNE
The Commissioners sat, in their Judicial Chamber,
to hear and decide upon certain intimations against
sec.,n-al brewers residing in the metropolis, for using
catakl ingredients in making beer IN.Tatinst the statute.

TVE KING V. i.VILE tYONS.
The defendant is a brewer, and was brought up,
under an indictment, containing seven different counts,
-charging him with having made use of various deleteri-
ous drags in his breweiy, among which were capsicum,
liquorice-root. coriander seeds, copperas, araage-pow4er, .
and Spanish liqnorice.
William Wells, an Officer Of the Excise, stated, that
on the 30th of July, 1_ g 17, he went, in company with
Middleton. a publican, to the house of the defendant.
The reside:nee of Mr. Lyons was in Dean-street, St.
Shadwell. Witness had.a warrant with him to
search thr drugs. Between one and two o'clock on the
day mentioned he saw the ddendant, and told him that
ballad information that there were drugs in the house,
seal that he had a warrant to search fa. them. The
defendant said, that witness should not scan h, unless
he pointed out the particular room. The officer, hm..
over, persisted in searching every loom, and the Wen•
dint began locking several of them op. After gag
through many of the rooms, followed by Mr. and Mrs.
Lyons, and Mr. Lyons, jun. witness went into a bed-
room, which he believed was that of the defendant, and
in a cupboard near the fire place he found one pound et
capsicum, two pounds of liquorice rot ground, two
pounds of coriander spear:, one pour:'. (-?1 copperas, eight.
pounds of orange powder, anti a r.roall quantity c Spa-
nish liquorice. The defendant immediritely said that
he did not know it was there ; but afterwards observed
that the drugs had been there ever since a fire which
And happened some time back. In mother rcem wit
mess found a sack :containing betwc.ca twc and three
bushels of dry buy lea% es, such as Spanish liquorice is
usually parked up in, and out of this sack he picked two
or three pieces of Spanish liquorice. The defendant
said,-" It is a pity to take such small things as these.
-R will be the ruin of invself and my family." He
added, " I think it may' 1;2 amicably settled without
going to the Board." In the brewhouse witness found
two kilderkins, containing alana 21 gallons of colcur-
ing ; it was placed under a rat in the store-cellar.
Charles Angus, a chytnist, was next called, to prove
the qualities and effect of the drugs. The liquorice-
powder,-he Alia, was used as a substitute- for malt ;it
bad more saccharine matter in it, and was much cheaper.
The orange-powder was also used as a :substitute fcr
lash, and was intended particularly to gi..e a flavour
and a colouring to the beer: it had nothing pernicious
:in it. The capsieum produced a heating effect similar
to cayenne; the coriander seed was used for the parpose
of keeping the beer up, to prevent:its turning gray or
amr ; the copperas bad the effect of showing off bad
kter to advantage, and to preserve it-from turning sour,
but would not supply the place of malt, having none of
its spirit. The defeadant wariconvieled in the penalty
of 4201.
Richard Bowman a .brewer,living in Wapping, was
charged with having in his •possession a quantity of
multum and copperas, :for the purpose of mixing with
beer, and was fined ..:001.
Crown. Dansic, a brewer of Crosby Ilow, Snow's
Yields, was convicted of having in his Fosses:ion seven
pounds of molasr.es, and was fined .211
Thomas .Evans of Great ("; trildford.street, in the Bo-
rough, cooper, was fined :qov. for having forty seven
:tasks of stale unpalatable beer in his possession.

SirVicary Gibbs, we are sorry .to state, was on
Thursday taken ill, while trying closes in the Common
Pleas, and obliged to retire from „Court—sit is again
reported that Lord Ellealmough meant to retire.
Accounts fromrien. Morillo's army have been published
in this country, giving a statement of victories obtainoal
IV him, which it is declared terminated in the capture
of the ptincipal Chief and Leader of the Revolution-
ists, Genctal Bonen.