The Sun.
London, England, 1824-11-24 00:00:00

FOR THE SUN.

ADULTERATED BREAD AND: POIITER.
Mn. E.DITOR—In this country Bread and
Porter are in general considered as the first neces.
series of life; and are in fact made so. Whet.
every therefore, in any material degrees affects
these Must .be to the country of the highest im-
portatiOes acid nothing can affect them more es.
sentially than what renders them more or less
wholosotbei The Complaints which have been
frequently Made against them in point of salutari-
ness, are now kindly renewed, especially against
bread ; and certainly I must confess, I think
not without good pounds. Of the justice of Lir.
MANNING'S assertions on the adulteration of
bread, my own taste gives me proof every day
that 1 feed from the baker. _

The learned physician just mentioned states,
that ".the ingredients gererallv added to flour
are six-I.' Bean-meal; 2. Chalk ; 3 %%Idling ;
4. Slaked Lime ; 5. Minn ; and G. Ashes of
Bones. There is besides these," he says, " a
seventh iegredient used, of amore mischievous
quality than any of them; and not so easily dish
covered. The physician," he adds, " will know
what I mean, when I add that its quality is Rif/
focation. To this I attribute the many sudden
deaths after eating. I have separated this from
bread within these few days, and may protidee it
before those who have authority to punish; but
shall be well excused from naming it; lest I
teitch those; who, with sufficient wickedness, are
deficient in knowledge."
're these ingredients, I Ant informed by a per-
son on whose veracity and knowledge I can rely,
may be added a kind of stone, of which, he tells
me, he knows a grinder who furnishes some -
bakers witlehispreparation. I remember having
some years back read of a detection of a large
quantity of ground stone with a baker, and of his
being punished in consequence. A lady, ie
whose word I can also confide,- has within these
few days declared to me, that she herself not
long since met with several bags of whiting going
into a baker's, where she happened to call ou
some business. As to potatoes, which bakers,
are well known to add in great abundance, I
consider them as at least harmless, and 'when
added only in a certain proportion, perhaps even
beneficial. But all the other ingredients before
mentioned are certainly very far from being
harmless, as Oen the bakers themselves know,
and; by their adding jalop to remedy the deleh
terious effects of the other ingredients, prove that
they are sensible of.
Alum, indeed, you will often hear it said, can
not be injurious in the small portion in which it
is-used, while it not only whitens the bread, but
tends to give it a proper degree of adhesiveness.
But what does Dr. UltE, in his Dictionary of
Chemistry, say on this point ? " The habitual
and daily introduction of a portion of ;ilium, how-
ever,small," says he, " into the human stomach
must be prejudicial to the exercise of its functions,
and particularly, in persons of a bilious and cos-
tive habit. And besides, as the best sweet flour
never stands In need of alum, the presence of
this salt indicates an inferior and highly asces-
cent food, which cannot fail to aggravate dys-
pepsiu; and which may generate a calculous
diathesis in the urinary organs. Every pre--
caution of science add law ought, therefore,
to be employed to detect and stop such
deleterious adulterations. It is a serioss
thing for a person of sedentary habits or
infirm constitution to have the digestive pro-
, cess daily vitiated by damaged flour, corrupted
with baser ingredients. Acidity of the stomach,
Indigestion, flatulence; headhaches, palpitation,
costiveness, and urinary calculus, may be the pro-
heist° consequence'. of the habitual introduction
of ucidelous and acescent matter into a frame so
delicately, fearfully, and wonderfully made as
that of the human body."
When, then,' to bread containing such delete.
rious ingredients, is added a beverage containing
still more 'pernicious matter, what a waste of
human health, and consequently of human hap-
piness and human life, must we have to deplore !
Vitriol, tobacco, and nux vomica, are but some
of the poisons with which our porter is charged.
Next to bread this drink is perhaps the most ge.
neral support of human life In this country ; at
least in our cities, towll:siiirsieyin:beendaeuddeidw,io,
ti
titnwv:
diseasesacca n toghnoielsswiai,eraigriswaou•
tb‘fel ceciamliensti
contain the great majority of our population. , Of
es
bread, Dr. MANissiva,
been
f t
iil s b,idel(efaoodtfiruetilteeeqatusttiolat ti;fleo.dtrno‘ ,)fe
tleellhacae
it, or perish instantly ; and infants are an univer-
sal sacrifice." Of porter it may with equal jus-
tice be said, that what,if pure, would be to a nee
flan the draught of health and vigour and anima.
lion, is now become the potion of disease, debi-
lity, and death.
Against the adulteration, therefore; of these
two prime aliments of human life in this calm.
try, it must be of the utmost consequence to pro-
vide a security. What will be an adequate se•
curity, what even a tolerably adequate protec-
tion on this occasion, is the question. An eaten.
sive bread company bus been contemplated as the
defence-door to the oven ; an extensive porter or
brewing company; as such companies exist in
abundance already, will hardly be considered as
any safety-valve' to the barrel. The grand ob-
jection to an extensive bread company is, that
like the porter or brewing companies, it may, or
probably would, establish a monopoly ; for when
it would have ruined all the individual bakers
by underselling, it would be at liberty to give
us whatever mortal mixture it may choose, and
charge whatever exorbitant-price it may please.

. .
This objection, the late Lord Mayer qrged witli
considerable force ; and certainly the ex:art:4lle...
Of the emensive companies of Atri:
very favourable promise of what should be .et.-;
petted from extensive companies in ally
Between the baker's trade tihd that of ,the
brewer, however, there is this differenae, that
for. the latter, to carry it on, even almost
on the most.. limited scale, there must be
large capital ; while, for the former, a .very
Wiling capital,with also a Much less :degree
of skill and dexterity, will serve. ft there=
fore may be. urged, that front a Baiting Com-
party, however extensive, the;ftire can hello
danger of a monoply, as it can be so easily up,
posed., or competed with ; and that indeed
.to ei
Company; however extensive, deriving no pe
either privilege or etclusive advantage, from' the
government or laws, and supported only on the
fair principle of competition, the term mono»
poly:is 'OIIOIIY inapplicable, In the legal or
technical senses certainly the term monopoly cute
not properly be applied to Stich a COMpany. But
Jr; by the power of capital, a company, or a mire.;
ber of companies, could purchase up the e!itire,- •
or nearly the entire; of a commodity,. and could
afford, by Selling at a loss for a tittle to. ruin any
not very wealthy co:epetitor; it surely could
establish a Monopoly in ettect ; as is the actual
case in the brewing and oil trades ; and as the
wish to gain is no less prevalent with an eaten.
sitetornpany than with an individual, we have
little reason to expect that such a company
would not do all in its power to establish a mo-nopoly in effect, by which it would hope to ob-
tain greater gains than by any other method. if
one large baking company would !tat be Boni-
dent for this purposo, ri re* such companies
would, for they could combine, as it is said the
brewers OW oil merchants do..

What then would be my remedy ? It would
he the very simple one of appointing to every
district a chymical tester or analyzer; to whom
the Anoyanee Jury, or the Inspectors of IVelgfit4
and 111.-asUres, should he impowered to curry a
sample of any bread or porter which they inay
suspect of adulteration. If such hread or porter
were, on being tasted or analyzed, found adul.
teratedohe baker or publican from whom it
was token should be fined; but should be paid
the value of what had been taken from him,, if it
should be found pure. In case of its beineoUnd
adulterated,y the baker or publican coUld Prove
that it was so before it left the miller's or brewer'i,
the• miller or brewer should repay the baker of
publieati, and should also pay the present fine
for adulteration to the King. The mode ofjest-
ing ur analyzing also should, be made as public
as 'possible ; and any person suspecting his bread
a porter of being adulterated, 'should be entitled
to carry a sufficient sample of it to the tester of
his district, who should be boitud to analyze it,
and ninke•his report to the Annoyance Jury.

Such seems to me the hest security agai►ast the
adulteration of the articles of nutrition 'in ques-
tion; and, Its if it be not so, the mention of it in
your valuable Paper may lead some other person
to devise a better. Your giving these few observa-
tions a place in your columns marserve the Pub-
lic, and will oblige,
Sir, your most obedient FerOant4
A -BREAD

5....--The easiest method of testing bread
according to Dr. AIANNINq, the following
the' crumb of, u loaf be sliced. thin, and put with
a great deal of water into a large earthen pipkin.
Let this by put over a very gentle fire, anti kept
a long tim, moderately hot, and the pap being
poured off, the hone ashes or other ingredients
will be found at the bottom.

A Orin has been brought fontard by Mr. ball:,
dale, civil engineer, for the improvement of the,port of Leith,
which promises to greatly benefit those interested) in the ni
venues of the harbour and docks, and, indeed, the inha-
bitants of Edinburgh and Leith generally. Air.. Landalo
proposes to tun out two rough stone breakwaters, from
Leith•Pier, and from the east end of Newhaven, until they.
nearly met, and form a contracted entrance, at the depth of 13
feet, at low water' spring tides,—the flowing and &tux
of the tide through which will greatly increase the depth of
water in the channel of the harbour, and at the same time enable
the London and other steam-vessels to land their passengers pt
the quay at all periods of the tide. By the use of steam-boats to
towing the stone vessels, or flats for conveying the storm;
it is calculated that the expense of 'such an undertaking
may be greatly reduced, and as one of the effects of it will be
to materially • asaist in embanking the sands of Leith, 'an offer
of a large sum has, we learn, been made to the city Of Erbil.
burgh towards the execution of the plan, on condition 4.4* the
subscribers receiving the right of property to the stok.--
, (Edinbnr,gh Courant, Nets. 20.)
•

Three per Cents. at Pari—and,Rlo,ooo or
ve30,000 to be gained by the risk or only
e 4. 19,. ! ! This is literally the case, as litssi
guarantees to those who may purchase at sus
OFFICES any of the Stock Prizes in the present
Scheme, at least ZlOO in Money fur every 13,100
3 per Cents. lie also pledges himself to every
Purchaser at HIS OFFICES to return 118 foe
every Whole Ticket, and in Proportion for Shares,
to those who '4O not: obtain a good Prize on the
16th December, if ;applied for wphio Ten Days
from that ',late, and as the Two R 20,000 Prizes
must be drawn in the first five minutes, and all
the other capitals (including BOTH the X3OOO.
Prizes), may be drawn (lust day, it Is certain that
massy Persons may. gain • large fortunes by that
day's Drawing, and no one need
gratisrisk anttoreietlrsaont
X-1. ins. by a Whole Ticket, or. Os. Off, by a Six-
teenth : the full particOars of this advantagedus
tinloisdit;,soof adventure
ffieei 4cmoarlythliiitl:Eiatri
o,Charing
Cross;
where the Grand- Prize of TuinTy TliousAsn
PovNers, No. 15,756, drawn on Wednesday, the
3od,ooolnsit.ailtrize‘sv,as sold i
anti 23
other
Shares.ittercapialsA,
all
r Two
I:wu
within a Month,