The Sun.
London, England, 1855-10-09 00:00:00

ROYAL POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTION.

ADULTERATION OF FOOD AND DRUGS.

Mr. Jacob Bell gave a lecture to a crowded audience
at the Rcyal Polytechnic Institution, last evening, upon
the adulteration of food and drugs. Be alluded to the
recent discussion on this matter, and expressed his
opinion that the public had been frightened more than
was necessary about the impurity of the different articles
which they consumed. He did not pretend to justify
the conduct of those dishonest persons who substituted
one article ,or another, by a fraudulent imitation or ad-
mixture ; but there were, in some instances, a demand
for the mixed article, which was preferred by the taste
of the public ; in other cases the impurity was acciden-
tal, and could not be well avoided in the course of manu-
facture, and same commodities, in an absolutely pare
state, would not be practically fit for use, and required
a certain admixture. He then went into particulars,
Taking bread first, he said that it was most frequently
made unwholesome by the use of bad flour, but he
thought the quantity of alum in it had been greatly
exaggerated ; the bread was certainly less wholesome
with alum in it. Pea meal was sometimes used in the
bread to absorb more water, and so to increase the
weight. He did not consider the German yeast un-
wholesome, as was alleged. In bread made with muria-
tic acid and carbonate of soda, instead of yeast, there
was some danger, as the muriatic acid of commerce con-
tained a portion of arsenic. The baking powders con-
sisted of carbonate of soda and tartaric acid. The
adulteration of arrowroot and other starches, by
mixing one kind with another, might be detected
by the microscope, from the different shapes
and sizes. of the grains. He then referred to
the colouring of cheese with anetto, and of butter- and
jellies with different matters. After describing the
manner in which the Chinese disguise their tea with
Prussian blue and turmeric, Mr. Bell exposed the false-
hood of bright green pickles, several specimen bottles of
which he bad upon the table. These acquired their
colour by being boiled in copper pans, and were very
pernicious to health. Sugar plums and comfits which
were coloured green contained the dangerous poisons of
arsenic and copper. In regard to mustard, the most re-
spectable dealers made no secret of the fact that they did
not sell the pure black mustard, which would be too
bitter for any one's taste, but mixed it with another kind
and with some flour, sa as to make it fit for the table
The lecturer alluded to the controversy which was raised
some time ago about bitter beer, and the celebrated puffs
which were got up in favour of a particular firm. The
assertion that strychnia was put in bitter beer was
never believed, he said, by persons acquainted with the
subject, and the public were now convinced that it might
be drunk with perfect safety. He made some remarks
upon the abuse of chemical certificates by tradesmen,
who would forward a sample of a pure article to some
scientific person for his opinion, and would afterwards
apply that written approval to the spurious article, in
which they usually dealt. With regard to the mixture of
coffee with chicory, he observed that it had been sup-
posed that purchasing the coffee in the berry would be a
safeguard against it, but that was not absolutely the effect,
I for a machine had been invented to make up chicory
and other ingredients in the shape of coffee berries,
so that, with a little glazing on their outside, they might
be taken for coffee. Of the adulteration of medical drugs
the lecturer did not say very much. He spoke of opium
and scammony, and mentioned the adulteration of senna
which was compiained of Some years ago, but which had
been quite discontinued, he believed, in consequence of
the publicity which waagiven to the matter. He thought
the best means of preventing such practices would be
found in the exposure of those tradesmen who were
guilty of them, and in the exercise of a proper degree of
caution and discrimination on the part of their customers.
After the lecture a few words were said by Dr. Nor-
mandi, one of the witnesses before the parliamentary
committee, who did not admit that Mr. Bell was cor-
rect in his opinion about the quantity of alum which was
sometimes mixed in bread. Dr. Normandi said he had
himself found as much as 500 grains of alum in a 41b
loaf, and some of the alum was in the form of pieces of
crystal. He had also seen the tea-chests in the ware-
, houses emptied out through the small hole in the leaden
top which was made for the sample, and their contents
heaped on the floor, to be mixed with various other mat-
, tern, and to be afterwards _ crammed into the chests

again ; and he knew that whitesmiths were employed to
solder up the chests, as if they had not been opened.
After some observations from Mr. Pepper, and from
Mr. Bell in reply, the audience were left to the otha
• eatertaiumentg of the institution.

COLOGNE, Oct. 4.—The incidents of yesterday
will be long remembered in this ancient and famous
city. The King's visit was accompanied by events
of appropriate significance, and - the manner in
which he has been received, here as elsewhere in
the vicinity of the Rhine, may have some influence
in dispelling an illusion that prevails with a certain
domineering party at the seat of Government. The
tour in the Rhenish provinces, crowned, as it was,
by the demonstrations at Cologne, can hardly fail,
indeed, to produce an impression. It is patent to
every one that the reactionary Russian clique at
Berlin—which, unhappily, exerts an influence out
of all proportion with its number and importance
—has no particular affection for the populations of
the Rhine towns. Their liberal opinions are con-
demned as " revolutionary," and their liberal ten-
dency, which springs from the prodigious impulse
given to commerce and industry, is considered dan-
gerous in the extreme. It is the conviction of in-
telligent people here that the party alluded to is
sufficiently stupid and unpatriotic to wish that
Prussia may lose the Rhenish provinces altogether
sooner than conciliate their love of constitutional
freedom. Every possible means are used to bring
about suspicion, mistrust, and even hatred, and
not seldom with success enough to create a little
bad humour on both sides. Happily, the King
has had a good opportunity of judging for himself
what credit should be attached to insinuations
levelled against his faithful subjects on the Rhine.
Great dissatisfaction has, howenr; arisen from the
-noraiDation of a gentleman from `Pomerani—lieff
Kleist-Retzow—to the Government of the Rhenish
provinces. Although a well-meaning man,, he is
accused of narrow views, puritanical pettiness, and
ignorance both of, men and manners in these parts.
Herr Kleist-Retzow is anxious, according to all
accounts, to change the spirit, sentiments, 'cus-
toms, and what not, of the inhabitants ; but it
would appear ho has only succeeded in shackling
and tormenting the press in a style that a Russian
administrator would not disavow. It is the general
belief that matters would go on much better if there
was an authority at Coblentz enjoying only half the
amount of popularity which is wanting to Herr
Kleist ; and the visit of the King has not passed
away without leading many to a secret hope that
some change may take place shortly, to satisfy not
only the majority of the inhabitants, but the other
GovernMent presidents of the provinces, who are
for the greater part, up to a certain point, en-
lightened and inclined to liberalism.

Of one thing a very short time spent on the
Rhine can leave no doubt whatever. The bourgeoisie
—and they constitute the dominant party—are anti-
Russian to a degree. The same may be asserted,
if we may believe the prevalent conviction, of the
rest of Germany. Germany, to hear them talk
here, is more disinclined to Russia than England
herself. Besides, though Russia might wish to
dispute the empire of the world with the Western
Powers, she could never be in a condition to ap-
propriate their provinces to herself. With respect
to Germany she has been able to both, while Eng-
land looked on indifferent. Prussia, therefore,
they insist, hates Russia, and has a reason for
hating her. To go to war, they contend, is another
question. At the commencement of the struggle
it was unanimously the popular desire that Prussia
should arm to take part in it, but the allies spent
so much time in doing nothing (had Prussia
nothing to say to that ?) that the desire evaporated,
and to enthusiasm succeeded the cold reflection
that, after all, if Prussia were to join in the war le
jcune vaudrait pas la chandelle. " What have we
to gain," they ask, " on the shores of the Euxine ?
and what have we to fear for a marine that we
do not possess ?" From another point of view,
the frontiers of Prussia, on the Russian side, are
so extended and unprotected that, with the best
chances of war in her favour, she would have to
submit inevitably to great misfortunes. The ulti-
mate advantage of an Angle-French alliance to
Prussia is thoroughly understood ; " but we live
un, peu," they add, "from day to day, and are well
content not to lose the strength and manhood of
the nation on the field of battle, while we are able
in tranquillity to project and accomplish great
commercial and industrial works, without being
called upon to pay taxes." The old bugbear of
France and the rive gauche are, of course, fre-
quently adduced, coupled with the argument that,
although Prussia—not so much on account of the
extent of her territory and the number of her
population as of her advanced civilisation and her
admirable civil and financial administration—is en-
titled to rank among the great Powers, she could
never be strong enough to defend herself against
France and Russia at the same time, which, were
she to quarrel with the latter, might one day hap-
pen to be her fate. How much egotism and short-
, sighteduess exist in this reasoning, and how much
real patriotism and good sense, it is not for me to
discuss ; but I cannot help thinking that it allows
the justice of a cause to stand for nothing, while

the consequences of its issue, successful or other-
wise, to the happiness and liberty, of the world
seem to be ignored as unimportant. In spite of all
this, however, the sentiment of the German people

is manifestly in favour of the allies, and even the
war against Russia, it is admitted, might easily be
rendered popular, since, " though England never
loses sight of its interests, and the ruling passion
of France must always be ambition," it is equally
true that civilisation fights on one side against bar-
baric despotism on the other. Somewhat truer it
may be urged, if the enormous self-sacrifices which
both France and England have so generously im-
posed upon themselves count for anything.
The events of yesterday were certainly not cal-
culated to disturb the pacific disposition of his
Majesty of Prussia. He saw only works of peace,
heard only words of peace, and it may be be-
lieved that during the progress of the interesting
and animated demonstrations the Crimea and Se-
bastopol were almost forgotten. At 9 o'clock in
the morning of yesterday the King reached the
railway station from Bruhl, accompanied by the
Prince of Prussia, Prince Frederick, and the wife
and daughter of the former. The Royal party,
who were welcomed as at Aix-la-Chapelle, pro-
ceeded at once, amid the cheering of the crowd,
to the Government-house, where the President of
the district of Cologne resides. Here a reception
was given by the King to the civil and military
authorities, the heads of the great establishments
of commerce and industry, Ssc. A great many
ladies were present, which by no means made the
solemnity less attractive. At 11 o'clock the King
and his party assembled on the Frankenwerft,
near the banks of the river, where the cere-
mony of laying the first stone of the new bridge
was appointed to take place. The quay was ap-
propriately decorated. On the side nearest the
town was a sort of tribune, in form of an amphi-
theatre, where upwards of 1,000 ladies, the elite of
Cologne, were accommodated with seats. Oppo.
site this tribune was another for the Royal visi-
tors, where the King sat under a dais, surmounted
by a golden crown, upon which was perched a re-
presentation of the Prussian eagle. • In the midst
was the spot destined to receive the grundstein,
which could be seen close by, surrounded with
flowers and crowns. After a short address, in
which the President of the Cologne-Minden Rail-
way Company, to whose enterprise the undertaking
was originally due, endeavoured to impress upon
his Majesty the fact of its importance—not merely
to Cologne, but to the whole of Northern Germany
and the adjacent countries—Herr Lohse, the archi-
tect of the bridge, read, first, a history of the acts
and negotiations, terminating in the realisation of
the project, and then the following commemorative

document :
"To-day—Wednesday, Oct. 3, A.D., 1855—in the
16th year of the glorious reign of his Majesty Frederich
Wilhelm IV., of Prussia, his Majesty the King, her
Majesty the Queen, their Royal Highnesses the Prince
and Princess of Prussia, in presence of the high military
and civil functionaries, the burgomaster and deputies of
the Municipality of the cities of Koeln and Deutz, the
members of the Council, and of the direction of Koeln-
Minden Railway, under the benedictions of numerous
persons assembled, condescended to lay in this spot the
foundation stone of a solid stone bridge between Koeln
and Deutz, the construction of which is confided to the
Koeln-Deutz Railway Company. In eternal comme-
moration of the event this document bas been made
duplicate, and signed by their Majesties, as well as by
the high personages present (anwesenden) and the repre-
sentatives of the railway company, with the understand-
ing that one copy, annexed to the historical notice of
the architect, shall be deposited in the hollow of the
stone, and the other in the archives of the railway com-
pany. May Heaven bless the newly-commenced work,
and permit it to be completed, in order that it may re-
spond to the high expectations which the country enter-
tains from the solid and lasting connection of the two
shores of the great German rivers ! " (Here follow the
signatures.)
While the signatures wore being affixed, a society
of amateur singers (natives of Cologne) sang au
appropriate piece, in chorus, written for the occa-
sion, in which frequent allusions were made to the
blessings of peace. The architect then addressed
the King, begging his Majesty to consecrate the
foundation of the bridge with the same hammer
i which ho had used at the ceremony of laying the
first stone for the continuation of the Cologne CA,