The Sun.
London, England, 1825-07-28 00:00:00

[MORNING HERALD.]
_ . _

When Bruce published his Abyssinian travels,
and for many years after, his details were look-
ed upon, not only as egregious mis-statements,
but the most gross and palpable falsehoods that
ever were invented. Yet subsequent travellers
have proved the truth of his assertions to the
very letter; Poor 'Mr. Accum too, one of the
most useful chemists of the. age, who more
than any other man applied that important
science to the common concerns of life., when
he published his book, intitled " Death in
the Pot," was ridiculed as an imposter; and
his statements as so many vehicles for giving
notoriety to himself and his art. Subse-
quent events, and too frequent experience,
have proved, however, that he, like Bruce,
has been more sinned sgainst than sinning ; and
it would appear from recent disclosures, that
there areHamong us wholesale dealers in the most
poisonous ingredients under the mask of some, et
least, of the first necessaries of life. One of our
contemporaries, with much truth and shrewdness,
attempts to allay all unnecessary alarm, ' by re-
marking that notwithstanding all this, people in
fact live longer, and there is, considering our itss
creased population, less actual disease in the coin!.
try than ever was known. This may be so; but
no thanks to those whose most iniquitous avarice
would enrich itself at the expellee of our general
health and safety. It is stated, among other things,
that some parties at Hull have, for a shamefol
fraud of this description, been fined 10,0001. It
is singular that such a fact as this should only
transpire incidentally. We should be curious
to know under what process such a fine has been
inflicted. Probably it was the penalty attached
to the forfeiture of their contract. If not, or in-
deed if it were, we should still like to see such
persons more openly exposed. If the wretch
who, impelled by hunger, steals a loaf, be ar-
raigned at the Bar of a Court of Justice, and
consigned to ignominious punishment, surely
those who substitute for corn the vilest and most
unwholesome ingredients, deserve every pu-
nishment and discrace which the laws and
public scorn can assign to practices so truly base
and inhuman. There are two points connected
with this subject, to which we. would particu-
larly draw the public attention—the one, the
necessity of avoiding- clasnour, the other that of
providing a remedy for so serious an evil. To
tell the people that what they purchase as bread
is not such, is to make every. baker's shop
an object of suspicion, if not of vengeance.
Such clamour has heretofore been raised, and
raised most unjustly, as it would be upon
this occasiou. We believe that bakers of all
the dealers ;(1 provisions are the [nest hardly
dealt with by the public. It is not with them
that the adulteration of flour takes place, and to
hold them up as delinquents, when they are, in
fact, ground down like the floor itself, is most
unjust. The fraud is committed before the article
reaches the baker. It-is the miller aui mealman
who can subsitute beaus, peas, barley, chalks;
and plaster of Paris,for,genuine wheat. : And ifs''a
remedy we know of none so likely I.O.lieeffectual
las that a' sharp look out should beinstituted to-
wards these 'people, and a law, if necesiary,,

'past to prohibit the manufacturers of bread-
'flour from dealing in any other commodity than
wheat. We are not advocates for restrictions
upon trade ; but if it has been found necessary
to prohibit wine merchants from dealing in
cider, and brewers from possessing many com-
modities, it may become essential that the dealers
in flour should be prohibited, under heavy
penalties, from possessing the means of adul-
tering the staff of life. At any rate, eve-.
ry facility should be afforded to the detection of
such practices; and a publicity should follow de-
tection, which would entail upon the parties such
a degree of shame as might help to deter them-
selves and others from the repetition of such ne-
farious practices. As to the alleged adulteration
of tea, we doubt whether it takes place either
wholly or even principally here, but are inclined
to suspect that the subjects of the Celestial Em-
pire may know quite as much about the matter
as any body.