The Sun.
London, England, 1860-03-16 00:00:00

SUN, FRIDA''

be necessary that the whole of an estate should be
administered in bankruptcy as at present. The
office of messenger to the Court of Bankruptcy
appeared to be one which was much abused, as
the individual so called received emoluments
varying from £1,200 to £1,700 per annum,
while the duties were discharged by a man who
was paid 3s. 6d. a day for his services. It was in.:
tended, therefore, to do away with the messengers,
and to transfer their duties to the official assignee.
The power of giving certificates of a different class
would no longer be vested in the judge, but a
power would be given to him to suspend dis-
charges, while cases of fraud would be sent to the
criminal courts. With regard to the provinces, it
was proposed that as the present commissioners
died off their functions should devolve upon the
judges of the county courts. With respect to the
expenses of the court, it was proposed that the
stamp fees payable on registration deeds of arrange-
ment and composition would produce a sum of
£60,000 per annum, sufficient to meet the expenses
of the court.

The bill, which gave general satisfaction, was
highly approved of by Sir F. KELLY, Mr. E.
JAMES, Mr. MALINS, and others.

Caveat Emptor—mind what you buy—is the
rule for us all. But what if the rale be insufficient
to protect us from fraud—is the vendor not to be on
his guard against the gains of imposture ? Here
Mr. ROEBUCK, and Sir G. C. LEWIS leans to him,
join issue with Mr. SCHOLEFIELD and the other
promoters of his bill against the adulteration of
food. " Much may be said on both sides," it is easy
to remark; but on which side may most be ■aid,
and truly said, is the practical question ? The
committee on the subject, and the majorities of the
House of Commons, affirm that the buyer, in addi-
tion to his own caution, ought to be protected by
proper legislation against the man who would sell
him water, alum, and potatoes, in the shape and
appearance of quartern loaves of bread; the other
party says that the social penalties are already suf-
ficient.

But are they sufficient? Facts seem loudly to
answer, no. There seems, in truth, to be nothing
but the proverbial " egg and nut" which is not
adulterated; and even the privileged egg must not
be too vain. Its very shell is easily made to appear
that of a new-laid one, although it may be very dif-
ficult to tamper, by admixture, with its contents.
An egg's age is, in truth, as great a mystery as a
lady's; and there is no family Bible to peep into in
the case of the egg. No one thinks of denying that
every article of grocery, of drugs, of condiments of
all kinds, as well as all that proceeds from the bake-
house and confectioner's shop, contains something
over and above what it professes to be, and always,
of course, something cheaper ; frequently something
deleterious, or, at least, something not so whole-
some as the pure article. In jewellery and textile
finery the deterioration of the article, while the
appearance is to a great extent preserved, does not
in the least endanger the health and constitutions
of her MAJESTY'S lieges. In food it must be the
reverse. Even if we but eat potato four, when
we should have good wheaten flour, we must suffer
in the diminished formation of bone and muscle.
But many things are far worse than this. The
effect of alum on our system may be disputed; it is
certain, however, that it enables the baker to sell
us inferior flour, and a great deal of utterly worth-
less water, instead of " the staff of life." But the
adulteration of some articles of daily use with even
the poisonous oxides of lead is proved to be com-
mon. We ourselves once knew a respectable gentle-
man who was made dangerously ill by the adultera-
tion of snuff with lead.

Now it seems to us quite fair to ask—Why, when
a dealer offers to sell us bread, or to sell us "tea,
coffee, tobacco, and snuff," he should be allowed
to sell us anything else ? And this is the question
answered by Mr. SCHOLEFIELD'S bill. If we are
offered bread, and alum or anything else mixed with
it, the demand is merely that we should be told
that it is bread and alum. People may mix things
as they please, just as they now may chicory and
coffee, but they must tell us that they mix thenp
What honest man can well object to this ? Why
should it be more objectionable than the obligation
to sell a pound for a pound or a yard for a yard ?
It is said that we cannot generalise our supervision,
and apply it to everything. That, however, seems
to be no objection to our supervising quality as
well as weight, as far as we can.
As to the main objection—that of interference
between buyer and seller, and the contrariety of
this to the principles of free trade, the objection
applies equally to interference with weights and
measures. In time, shops which sold by short
weights, or which curtailed a lady's muslin purchase,
would no doubt be known and shunned. Indeed
the detection is far easier in such a case ; if loss of
reputation were penalty enough, a fortiori, there-
fore, we might leave every dealer to sell by what
weights he pleased. We properly anticipate such
fraud, on the ground that customers cannot have
standard weights and measures always at hand;
much less could any of them have the chemical
test and the microscope always in their pockets,
and yet more, the skill to use them. To us it seems
therefore very clear that all the reasons which can
be assigned for providing responsible supervisors of
weights and measures, apply with much greater
force to the appointment of responsible analysts of
articles of food.

We are told, indeed, that half-a-dozen competent
men could hardly be found in the kingdom. This
is not true. For the most subtle chemical or micro-
scopical investigations the number of qualified per-
sons may be limited. But who contemplates con-
victing men of adulterations as difficult •f detection
as the alleged poisons of Dr. SMETHURST. No
bench of magistrates would, or ought to, convict
in such difficult cases. The worst and most com-
mon kinds of profitable adulteration are even now
well understood, and few medical men who have
passed the hospitals with credit would be unable
to prove the presence or absence of the adulterat-
ing article. It is also less quantitative than qua-
litative analysis which is needed; and the latter ;s
of course much easier. Some measure of the kind
ought therefore, we think, to become law, and diffi-
culties will soon vanish.

The Right llon' Benjamin and Mrs. Disraeli
entertained at dinner on Wednesday, at their residence,
Grosvenor-gate, the Marquisi acild Marchioness of Salisbury,
Viscount
and
drand Lady Burghley, Lady
Viscountess Campden, Baron
the Duchess of Montrose
yan111:.1. Mr.e.°Atle' Sir William
Iljtoirthicsachilhlranude'Miss Rothschild, .
slies and Lady Edith
JoiFerguson,ffe,
LordSi rßSotbaeffrotrd Montague,and 1., Lady
of the mail steamers having The Admiralty superintendents at the mail Bail
npgacbkeeent
ports will in future be called superintendents of contract
packets, in consequence
transferred from the Admiralty to the Post-office and Board
of Trade.
The Spanish man-of-war steamer Alava arrived
at Southampton yesterday. She will undergo some rep • s
at that port. This steamer was formerly the Lebanoa,- repair
was employed in the African trade before she belonged to
Spain. She is a Scotch built ship.
The electric telegraph has now been extended to
Bourneniouth, in Dorset. This place is becoming very
populous on account of its being a favourite resort for in-
valids.
The Committee of Joint-stock Banks yesterday
determined to recommend to the private establishments
that the general hour for closing on Saturdays should be
fixed at 3 o'clock, instead of 4 o'clock as at present. The
question will be decided by the private bankers on Monday
next, and no doubt is entertained that three will the hour
adopted. The agitation on the question commenced by the
expression of a desire on the part of a majority of the lead-
ing commercial houses that the closing on Saturdays should
take place at 2 o'clock.