The Sun.
London, England, 1860-12-03 00:00:00

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On Friday a report was printed which has just
been addressed by Dr. Letheby to the Committee
on General Purposes of the City Commissioners of
Sewers, on a subject of considerable interest and
importance—namely, the practical means of apply-
ing within the city of London the Act passed last
session for preventing the adulteration of articles
of food or drink. On the Commissioners of Sewers,
by the statute in question, the duty
developed of
appointing a public analyist of food, within their
extensive jurisdiction, which embraces the Whole of
the city of London, and they recently conferred
that appointment upon Dr. Letheby, who is busily
engaged in making all the necessary arrangements
for carrying out the intentions of the Legislature
in the interest of the health of the civic commu-
nity at large, but more especially of that of the
poorer classes. lie states in his official report, of

pfacE 4D. STAMPED, 51).

mental order, which was read by the Adjutant.'
The regiment then reformed column on the rear
company and "marched past" in slow and quick
time. They then countermarched by companies
twos deep, and next countermarched to the left of
ranks ; this latter movement—a rather peculiar
one—was executed with wonderful precision, as,
indeed, were all the movements of the day.
On Saturday afternoon the members of the 22d
Surrey Rifles assembled at the head-quarters, 66,
Westminster-bridge-road, for parade and a march
out. About 100 men were present, under the coin-
mand of Captain Hickman. At 5.30 the men fell
into the ranks, and marched through the streets,
accompanied by the band, to Battersea-bridge, and
thence across the river to the Middlesex side, and
home again over Westminster-bridge. The appear-
ance of the men were soldierlike and well deserving
of the praise which was liberally bestowed on them.
This corps offers peculiar advantages to young men,
the subscription being 4d. per week, and the cost
of the uniform, which pis smart and of a military
character, only £3 ss.
On Saturday a very instructive lecture was de-
livered in the Quadrangle of the House of Commons
to the members of the London Irish Rifles by their
late adjutant,paptain Mahoney, assisted by Sergt.
Kelly, the musketry instructor, the subject being
the construction of the rifle and the way it ought
to be used. At the conclusion the gallant Captain
was loudly cheered, and promised to continue the
subject on a future day.

which we give the material portions, that two
classes of adulteration are aimed at by the Act—
first, those occasioned by the mixture of any ingre-
dient or material injurious to the health of persons
eating or drinking it; and secondly, those accom-
plished by the mere admixture of a substance not
injurious to health, but in fraud. As examples of
the first class, he mentions the use of poisonous
pigments for colouring confectionery; of red lead
in Cayenne pepper and curry powder; of chromate
of lead in custard powders ; and of the salts of
copper in pickles and preserves. Of the second
'class, he refers to the addition of inferior nutritive
matters to bread, as potatoes and rice ; the mixing
of cheap farinas, as potato starch, the starch of
curcuma, wheat, rice, bread-fruit, &c., to arrow-
root; chicory and roasted corn to coffee; inferior
roots, &c., to chicory ; mustard husk and farina to
pepper ; flour to mustard ; water to milk ; oxide of
iron to cocoa and chocolate, and the various facings
or glazings of inferior tea. A third class of adul-
terations, he says, occupy an intermediate place;
fur, while they are undoubtedly frauds, they are,
perhaps, also injurious to health—as the addition
of alum or sulphate of copper to bread ; sulphuric
acid to vinegar ; plaster of Paris and chalk to con-
fectionery and mustard ; the various sophistications
of ale and porter; and the still more objectionable
adulterations.of wines and spirits. All these may
be properly made the subject of analytical inquiry,
for they clearly come within the compass of o the
Act. It is necessary, he says, that according t its
provisions the different stages of the investigation
shall be conducted in a systematic manner. First,
in respect of the purchasing of the article, in all
cases the purchaser of an article suspected to be
adulterated shall, directly he has purchased it, and
before he removes it from the shop, give notice to
the dealer, or the person serving him, that he in-
tends to have the article analyzed, so that the
dealer may have the opportunity of accompanying
him to the analyst or of securing the article in such a
manner as to prevent it from being tampered with.
Secondly, as regards the analysis, wherever an
analyst is appointed any purchaser of an article of
food or drink shall be entitled, on payment to the
analyst of a sum not less than 2s. 6d. nor more
than 10s. 6d., to have the article analysed, and to
receive from him a certificate of the result. Con-
sidering, however, that it is not easy or practicable
to draw up a scale of charges for the various kinds
of investigations contemplated by the act, and that
the fee named will rarely cover the expenses of the
analysis, it will, Dr. Letheby thinks, be expedient
to fix an uniform charge intermediate in the scale,
say'Ss--for each analysis. This will prevent a great
deal of complexity, and will at the same time show
that the object of the charge is not to cover the ex-
penses of the inquiry, but rather to guard the
dealer against unnecessary annoyance and ground.
less complaint. The poor, hewever, who are the
chief sufferers from adulteration, will, he fears, be
unable to pay the fee named; and, unless some-
thing be done to assist them in the matter, they
will be shut out most completely from the benefits
of the Act. He suggests, therefore, that the Com•
missioners of Sewers give to ,the analyst a discre-
tionary power to conduct such inquiries for the
poor without fee. It is necessary, however, that .
a complaint should come to him from apoor person,
and the complainant should be entitled to leave
with the analyst a sample of the suspected article,
together with the name and address of the dealer ;
an if in the judgment of the analyst the matter is
sufficiently serious to demand inquiry, he shall be
at liberty to instruct the inspector to purchase a
sample of the suspected article at the place named,
and then to submit it to analysis free of charge.
It is also a question for consideration whether they
may not with great public advantage authorise
their inspector of meat and of markets to pur-
chase samples of food or drink which he sees
exposed for sale in the city, and which he suspects
are adulterated. This duty comes very properly
within the functions of his office ; for in the 52d
clause of tLeir Act of 1851, it is provided that the
inspector of meat and of markets shall have power
Ito seize and dispose of any "unsound or unwhole-
some meat, fish, poultry, fruit, vegetables, or other
provisions unfit for the food of man," provided he
sees such articles exposed or offered for sale within
the city. He may, therefore, exercise this duty in
the proper functions of his office, and with great
benefit to the public. Lastly, in respect of the
certificate, it is constructed so as to indicate the
object of thei inquiry, and to express the result of
the analysis. It also expresses the opinion of the
analyst—whether the article is adulterated or not,
and whether the article is so adulterated as to
be injurious to health. These, indeed, are the
several points to which the Act has directed atten-
tion ; and in giving expression to them it is neces-
sary, on the one hand, to be very explicit, so as.
to expose fraud, and on the other, not so em-
phatic as to furnish a puff for the rivalries of trade.
At the end of every quarter it will be his duty to
submit to the Commissioners a tabular statement
of the analytical work done, specifying the articles
examined and the names and addresses of the per-
sons from whom they were purchased. The pub-
lication of that table in his quarterly report will.
doubtless have a beneficial tendency. If it be
necessary to go further with the inquiry, it must
be prosecuted by the purchasers of the adulterated
articles, who will have to take the matter before
the justices, where the certificate of the analyst
will he received as evidence.

Yesterday (Sunday) the members of the East:end
company assembled at their drill ground, and
under command of Lieutenant Irwin, marched to
St. James's Church, Stepney, where a sermon was
delivered by the rector. At the conclusion the men,
who mustered in great strength, marched back to
their quarters.
On Saturday afternoon the members of the
London National Rifles mustered in full uniform at
the Wellington Barracks, and, accompanied
by the drums and fifes of the Guards, pro-
ceeded thence, under the command of Major Wal-
misley, over Westminster-bridge, through Stam-
ford-street, across Blackfriars-bridge, along Far-
ringdon-street, Holborn, Oxford-street, Regent-
street, Parliament-street, to Westminster, where,
after a few words from their commanding officer,
they were dismissed. Including officers, the num-
bers present were not far short of 200 men. The
London National Rifles now number between 400
and 500 members, and have already organised two
bands—one of brass instruments and another of
fifes and drums, and it is confidently anticipated
that when they are enrolled their numbers will be
considerably augmented, as the corps presents
peculiar 'advantages in many respects to clerks,
working men, and others. The officers and men
have given constant attendance to drill during the
last four months, and have attained a very credit-
able state of efficiency, under the tuition of some
of the non-commissioned officers of the Guards.