The National Register.
London, England, 1818-07-19 00:00:00

.11 PLY

Is easy,.nnd is becoerng general. The consequence is, that
the puolie, in some pal Ave withuitt mercy t tic
beer is the most vapid, nauseous stuff. that can be conceived
—the rive is a penny eer qnart higher than in London, and
the ,unsure not more than twcothircts of the legal quantity.
The Report declares a very just opinion—"'f hot a brewery.
supported by purchased public-houses, would deteriorate
the quality of their beer." It proceeds to state, that 4" the
liquor then becomes inferior—private families supply them-
selves:lmm their own breweries, smaller societies brew from
molasses, in tea-kettles; but the poor, who have none of tHase
resources. Malt be content with such liquer as is retailed at
the licensed houses, whatever may be the qttaliey,, the rice, oe
the measure."
This was, racist true, and tv fcarfnl truth it was. The labour-
ing poor of England must be content with such tiptoe as is
retailedat the licensed houses, whatever may he the quality,
the prier, or the measure. And ye•t the House of Commons
countenancesthe continuance of a syetent wMe h reducesitein
to this condition,. With the conviction' tans expressed of the
injury to the pooroftitielieestsing sestent,no recommendation
is made for restoring to them the [state& of the competition
afforded by a free paste. But the report concludes with the
hollow echo of a piece of advice given in the police report,
which earnestly calls on the mag6►stracy Ito lead their aul to
break down a confederacy *lrish is so injerious to the in.
terests of the poor and' middling classes of society. Isrpon
the detection of Me nsc of nnlawfal ingredients, the report
observe', they And, both from the ICZCiat returns, and from
the seizing officers, that dregs of a eery nauseous, and some
of • very uerniciotts quality, are dill ♦ended by persona as a
trade, aud bought by the lesser brewers and by the publicans.
Thiu, with ether observations, mishit lead the public to sup-
' pose that Ilse lesser brewers and publicans were the only
persons who used unlawful ingrediest's, and tn acquiesce its
the plan for' crustal,* the smatter breweries, so as to (Ism-
, plete the monopoly system. The piddle inner lot be misled
un this. point. It ought to be known dim •vidrnee of eon.-
viction of the great brewer* was mtered, ao well as of the
lesser owes, arid refused. It was objected, that the petition
was in thepresree tense, and that the convictions were In the
past, the greater past of the consictions of the great houses
being upwards of six years old—(great applause.)—But, said
Mr. Beaumont, wink I state lids, I think it right to add, that
I hove no itiformatiows of convictions whieli have been in any
instance produced artiost the houses of Whitbread, Coombe,
Goodwin. the Gokien•lane, or Elliot. But it is not only by the
tiara drugs that beer is rendered inferior. The report notices
a eters ietion of one of the great brewers for swing alkaline
salt fa neutralize acidity in young beer. To neutralise the
avidity, alkali is added. The liquor Wes formed has none of
the hearteniog and strengthening qualities of the old beer.—
Labouring wen, %Moth-ink beer nut for amusement, ise their
superiors du, bur to enable them to bear up under their great
tails are usithrably deceived by these saline mixtures. Such
beer rather weakens then strengthens. Where men already
labour under disease, their complaint wilt, be aggravated, not
healed, by swels chink. This is the most general adulteration
of modern beer, and perhaps the most injurious. That the
price of porter is materially increased in consequence of the
licensing system, does not admit of a doubt ; but I would fain
hope that the great men of the nation are not aware of the
extent of this enormous price and of its effect on the labour-
ing poor. I am thoroughly convinced, front a patient ex-
amination of this subject, that in the price of pertcr and ale,
at least a penny per quart In the metropolis, acid two or three
pence per quart in many parts of the country, are sacrificed
to the licensing system. Mr. Beaumont then entered into
some other details respecting the arleistery and interested
coodeet of the brewers, and cortetnefed with eaylng, that
thosiglt -the preeeedings of the late House of Contemns were
ewes discouraging, he trusted that some beneficial measure
would be adopted its the new.
Mr. Jflrlea Burdett, who had entered the room towards the
close of Mr. Beatttnones statement, then rose and said, that
he attended on the part of Sir F. Burdett, to state his regret
that he could not attend the meeting to day. He hoped, that
the great fatigue which he had tondergone yesterday would
be received as an apology. At the name lime, Sir F. Bur.
deg had desired him to say, that he should be happy to pro-
mote the object of the greeting; that at present, he was not
acquainted with the subject, but he should be glad to re.
eeive any information which the Committee might think
proper to send him.
The following resolution was then read from the chair, and
carried mot ' asly.
" 'fiat, from what has acetified in the late House of Com-
mons, respecting the arbitrary system:of iicensing public-
houses, this Meeting frit theinAlves jusistied in persevering
in their exertions to obtain a permanent seined), to coons
teract the numetons grievances which result from that
system.'
The next resolution was—
" That it is the opinion of this :Meeting, that a due rw
gard for the health► and property of his Majesty's subjects
requite that it full disclosure he made of all convictions pf
brewers, alto have been detected in having its their posses-
sion deletes-Ours or redesignl ingredients ?or the making o 6
beer ; and That the representatives in parliament for West.
manatee be respectfolly solicited to move tia the priuting oil
the same, together with the evidence lately 'alert by the com-
mittee on the public breweries."
Me, Barry said, the object oh this resolution sear, in plaint
Isms, to prevent the infusion of poison into beet. To the•
present arbitrary system of licensing, we had to ascribe the
use of the most pernicions drugs. He had lately seen aku ge
table at the Excise Board revered with samples of the must
deleterions ingredients; some, substitutes for malt ; (lma,
for colons ing ; others, for giving a false head to the beer..
The brewer, in whose house these ingredients were found,
suffered tire penalties imposed by law ; but what satisfaction
was that to the persons whose health was so greatly impair tat
by drinking the noxious liquor? (applause.) This, it was
title, was only one case, but it was a ease at which lie WO
pi esent, and from what he had slake heard and seta' respect ies ;
the practices of the brewers, he would venture to say, "
use lased ummes." In his practice, in the 'eschew Debtot s'
Court, he daily saw iustaticee of pour 'robberies being sacri-
ficed by the [newer* with whom they dealt ; and in fact, the
oppression of the brewer was such, that the publican could
only be considered as Isis pot•boy. It was the retiree of tie
brewer not to give credit to the I•ubliese without a a atarr ant
of agonies, which Vila bled him to put it in exelevlion
ever lit pleased. Upon the whole, hone the %astral' whirls
ono prevailed, both the publican and the piddle were sacri-
ficed to the• interests of the bseir. tr.

3lr. Driary,was proceeding to enter into some Jetting re-
sra'rling the rate Yr lakes. as c iiiii lowed with a former str.ie-
mein made by Mr. lteannienot, nhen he was called to order .•y
.eyeral gentienien, who considered these colt:illations q . !,!
to the busineso of the day. d, atid,