The Sun.
London, England, 1864-09-14 00:00:00

SHIPPING-THIS DAY,

LONDON, Sept. 14.—Wind this
.day at noon—South-
East; fresh breeze and cloudy.
CARDIFF, Sept. 13.—Wind S.W.—Arrived—Gaffccdo,
from New YJik. Sailed—Alexandre, for Matanzas—Eliza
Nelson, for Bermuda.
BRISTOL, Sept. 13.—Wind N,W.—Arrived.—President
Fil►nore, from New York.
KINGSTON, Sept. 13.—Wind N.W.—Arrived—Orchid,
from Barbadoes.
MILFORD, Sept. 12.—Arrived—Witch of the Wave,
from Liverpool for Buenos Ayres.
PLYMOUTH, Sept. 11—Wind S.W.—Arrived—Matilda,
from Rangoon—Roxburgh Castle, from London and sailed
for Melbourne.
PORTSMOUTH, Sept. 13. —Arrived—Dumietta, from
London for Rio Janeiro. Sailed—Her M,jesty's ship En-
hantress, for Marseilles.

(BY MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH.)
GRAVESEND, Wednesday Morning.

Arrived, Sept. 13.—Adler, from Quebec—Vicking, from
Riga—Flora, from Calcutta—Rengi, from Riga—Sophie,
from Malmo—Marys, from Guernsey—Alphine, from
Wasa—Amor, from Daitzic—Albion, from Horsen—An-
nuneiacion, from Porto Rico--Saxon Ville, from New York
—Pepe, from Porto Rico—Nestor, from Archangel—Reso-
lution, from New York.
Arrived, Sept. 14,—Magnum Bonum, from Colombo—
Citizen, from Prince Edward's Island—Prince Albert, from
Pugwash—Triton, from Wismar—Carrie M. Lord, from
Prince Edward's Island—Frances, from Riga—Albert and
Anna, from Dantsic.
Sailed, Sept. 11—Aurora, for St. Michael's—Boldera
steamer for Konigsberg—Cornelia Gartrud© for Batavia—
Beiv,dere for Madras—Early Dawn for Singapore—Lord
J, Russell and Flandre steamers for Dunkirk.
DEAL, Wednesday Morning.
Passed—John from Quebec for London.
Anchored—Helios from Uleaborg for London—Bengal
from Gala for Port Philip—Orient from London for Mar-
seilles—Mid-Lothian from London for Demerara—lroquis
and Sacramento, American corvettes from the eastward—
Plantagenet from Sunderland to Bordeaux.
Sailed in tow to repair damages sustained by collision—
Solon for the river.

A letter from Mexico, 10th August, says—" The
Emperor left this morning to commence a tour
through his empire. The first journey, however,
will not be a long one, and the expectation is that
his Majesty will return to the capital in about a
month, after having visited Queretaro, Leon, and
Guanajuato. He will return to be present at thefete
of Mexican Independence, which is to be celebrated
on the 16. h September, when he will lay the first
atone of a monument which he has ordered to be
erected in the centre of the open space before the
Palace, in commemoration of that event. His Majesty
will, however, soon after undertake fresh excursions,
particularly to Vera-Cruz at the commencement of
the winter. The Emperor thinks that his presence
in the provinces may materially contribute to pacify
them : in the first place because the measures
adopted to give security to his journey leaves no
point unexplored, and next, because the visit of a
sovereign always induces a certain number of mal-
contents to come over to him. Moreover while the
military and finance commissions are at work, the
presence of the Emperor in the capital is less neces-
sary. During his Majesty's absence the Empress,
being named Regent, will hold the reins of Govern-
ment. Her Majesty, as is well known, is possessed
of 'great intelligence, maturity of judgment and
much taut and firmness.
ADULTERATION OF SNUFF.—Mr. Phillips, the
Principal of the Government Laboratory, states in
his report this year that while he can say that few articles
of consumption are now sold in so genuine a state as tobacco,
and that the use of prohibited materials in the manufac-
ture of snuff is now but seldom attempted, he has to repre-
sent that there is a form of adulteration of the latter article
far more injurious than the comparatively mild sophistiea •
tions sometimes discovered. The law permits the use of
lime water in the manufacture of high-dried snufft, such as
Irish and Welsh, but it does not state what proportion of
lime shall be present in the water, although there can be
little doubt that a perfectly clear soilVion of lime in water
was meant. Many manufacturers, how-ever, assert that
such a solution is useless, and persist in the Ilse of what
may be termed " lime wash," or a thick mixture 0: undis-
solved lime and water. Sever al unsuccessful attempts huve
been made within the last two years to suppress the very
gross practice, which is still growing, of using such a
mixture; and probably until the use of life in the manu-
facture of snuff is absolutely prohibited the fraud can
never be crushed. It has been generally understood
that lime was essential in the preparation of high-dried
snuff; but a fine specimen of such snuff, made by an emi-
nent firm in Ireland, has recently been analysed, the re-
sult being that no more lime was present than what may
be found in normal American tobacco ; and it is believed
that the same firm strenuously opposed the legalising the
use of lime-water, and still maintain that lime, even in
small quantity, deteriorates the quantity of snuff. The
vicious form of adulteration referred to is almost entirely
confined to the north of Ireland, where it appears the habit
is vary prevalent among the women employed in the linen
and other factories of taking snuff highly charged with lime,
and which is known as "white snuff;' and the manufac-
turers allege, in extenuation of their dishonest practices,
that no other description of snuff is acceptable to their cus-
tomers, apparently forgetting that thy themselves have, by
their long- continued illicit practices, engendered the habit
which they now seek to bring forward as a plea for their
ftaudalent transactions. There have lately been submitted
to Mr Phillips several smplea of snuff obtained from
manufacturers in Belfast, in which it was impossible to say
from a mere inspection whether lime or tobacco predomi-
nated ; and he has received information from respNtable
members in the trade that some manufacturers do not even
care to use a mixture of lime and water, but actually grind
up dry limo R ith the tobacco in the process of manufac-
ture. The evil in question appears to demand, both upon
social and fiscal considerations, an immediate remedy. It
can never be suppret.sed under the existing law, and the
lonly effectual course to be adopted is the entire prohibition
of the use of lime in the manufacture of snuff. Mr Phillips
has reason to believe that the ebnoxious rractice is distaste-
ful to many manufacturers, who, however, feel compelled
in self-defence to adopt it, and that, its continuance is
mainly due to the unscrupulous operations of one or two
ule)PlieFe of I'i4f,