The Sun.
London, England, 1856-08-20 00:00:00

THE SUN:

applicability of the second, unfortunately, there I
can be no doubt. For all useful purposes, so far
as we can see, the Committee might quite as well
have spared themselves their deliberations, and
contented themselves with the presentation of the
evidence taken before them. ?Vith regard to
adulterations of a cheapening and innocuous
nature, by which the public suffer neither i❑
purse nor Health, "it would be difficult, if not
unwise," PM are told, " for the Legislature to
interfere, unless it could do so by requiring that
every such article be sold as a mixture, as distin-
guished from an article in its pure state." Se
far as other adulterations are concerned—those,
to wit, in which " pecuniary fraud or injury to
health" are involved—" it appears to your Com-
mittee," says the Report, "to be the duty of the
Legislature to provide some efficient remedy."

This is certainly a beggarly result, if it is not
something worse. Every intelligent and unbiassed
individual who has respect for the public morals
must, one would have thought, by this time have
arrived at the conclusion that the practice of adul-
teration of any sort cannot but have a pernicious
tendency, and lead to the confusion of right and
wrong. Fadlis descensus averni comes at once to
the recollection, and it ought not to be matter o
surprise if the dealer who begins with cheap
and innocuous adulteration has his moral sense
before long so obfuscated as to see no harm in car-
rying the practice further in matters of trade, and
extending the application of the principle involved
to other transactions of life. The transition, no
doubt, will be a matter of time, and there are
individuals of such sturdy honesty as to resist the
temptation offered with more or less success ; but
what shall be said of the youthful apprentice, whose
previous training has led him to look on even the
appearance of fraud with disgust, when he is called
upon to participate in the act of adulteration, and
has his scruples quieted by the assurance that
what he conceives to be wrong is, in point of fact,
right ? Why, that his convictions as to what is
right and wrong will infallibly receive a shock from
which it will be well if he recover with any guiding
principle of rectitude in the conduct of business at
all. The apprentices of one generation are the
masters of the next, and to nothing but external in-
fluences have we to look for a remedy. It may
be good political economy—which we more than
doubt—but the approval, it is nothing better, by
the Committee of the practice of adulteration,
even with the above proviso, seems to us fraught
with evils innumerable and of a most serious
nature. The opinion expressed by the Commit:-
tee, it is not a recommendation, with reference to
fraudulent or noxious adulteration, simply
amounts to this—the Legislature, we believe,
ought to provide some efficient remedy against
cheating and murder in trade.
So far as the public are directly concerned, the
practice of adulteration in its least offensive phase
is highly objectionable, and may in some cases be
attended with the worst results. The profession of
a chemist is the business of a life, and to be armed
against adulteration is to be possessed of a good I
deal of the knowledge, to say nothing of the expen-
sive apparatus and numerous tests, of the chemist.
The public are delivered over, in a great measure,
to the dealer, for beyond his real or supposed in-
tegrity
there is little else on which they can rely. I
When a buyer asks for one thing, the presump-
tion is he wants that thing, and not a mixture of
that thing with others. Say that he is aware the
practice of adulteration pretty generally obtains, I
how seldom does his knowledge enable him to
discriminate between the pure and the adul-
terated t And, supposing him in possession of
the required knowledge, it will be far from easy for
him always to get the article he wants ; for it is
notcrious that, as the practice of adulteration has
come more and more into vogue, the presentation
of genuine articles has decreased in proportion.
Besides, what may be harmless in its effect on
one man's constitution may be injurious to that of
another. To what complications is not this fac'
likely to lead ? One species of adulteration,
which may be classed under the first head, the
Committee appear to have entirely overlooked.
We mean the adulteration of drugs. The proper
dose of a genuine drug has c3rtain effects the
adulterated article is unable to produce. Say
that in the first instance the adulterated article is
given and fails in its effects—the fault is not at-
tributed to the right quarter, and a second and
stronger dose, obtained at another shop where the
drug is to be had genuine, is administered. The
patient dies—though the foreign ingredient in the
adulterated article were ever so harmless. Legis-
lation to be efficient should be extended to tht.
putting down of the practice of adulteration in
any shape. _

The death of Lord Shrewsbury makes the Earl of
Derby the premier Earl of England, and the Earl of
Uork the premier Earl of Ireland.
The Earl of Malmesbury kit Heron Court, near
Christchurch, last week, to visit the Earl of Lonsdale
at Lowther Castle, Cumber'anii.
The Hor. and Rev. E. D. Thigh, 8.A., has been pre-
sented to the rectory of Rotherfield, near Tunbridge
Wells, a benefice worth nearly 2.0001. a year. Patron,
the Right Hon. Rev. Earl of Abergavenny.
A line of steamers is about to be established between
Hamburg and the Brazil, calling at Southampton. The
steamers employed will be British-built ones. Hamburg
is the European market for Brazilian coffee,
The exact amon,,t of specie shipped by the Pera is
516,5801., of which 499,0601. is silver for Aden, Bombay,
Madras, and Calcutta, and 17,5201. gold for Alexandria,
Ceylon, and Madras.
Miss Buller, of Downes, whose father, as chairman of
the Bristol and Exeter Railway Company, was at the
Exeter station on Friday last, to be in attendance on her
Majesty, bad the honour of presenting the Queen with
a choice bouquet.
Lord Lyttelton laid the foundation stone of a new
Mechanics' Literary Institute, at Stourbridge, on Mon-
day. His lordship was assisted in the ceremony (which
was of v. very interesting character) by Lord Ward, Mr.
J. H. Foley, M.P., and other gentlemen resident in the
county. The institution is to be erected by private sub-

seri ption.
MANCHESTER TRADE REPORT.—MANCHESTER, Tues.
day.—With somewhat less settled prospects of harvest
weather, the yarn market shows a less sanguine aspect
to-day than during the past fortnight, yet the engage-
ments of manufacturers are sufficiently large, in conse-
quence of the extensive business of the last few weeks,
to prevent the slightest feeling of depression, and the
market remains firm at previous advanced quotations.
At a meeting of the Clarendon (Jamaica) Mining
Company, held yesterday, Mr. Cater presiding, the re-
port was unanimously adopted. The management, which
is conducted with economy, appears to afford satisfac-
tion, and the latest advices from the property indicate a
steady improvement. Including a cash balance of
10,8531., the assets available are upwards of 11,0001.
Arrangements will be made for bringing the company
under the provisions of limited liability.
THE LATE EARL OF SHREWSBURY.—The existence of
the cholera in an alarming form at Lisboa renders it
extremely doubtful whether the body of the Earl of
Shrewsbury will be brought back to England at present.
However this may be arranged by his lordship's execu-
tire, Mr. Sergeant Bellasis, Q C., and Mr. J. R. Hope-
Scott, Q.C., we believe there is no doubt that it will
he ultimately deposited in the chapel at Alton, in which
the remain, of the late earl and countess are deposited.
About 30 miles of the railroad between Lisbon and
Badajoz, on the frontiers of Spain, will be open next
month. The whole line will be about 150 miles in
length. Four steam-packet lines are about to be imme-
diately established, or improved, from Lisbon to the West
Coast of Africa to the Azores, Brazil, and England.
These lines have unusual privileges from the Portuguese
Government, and English talent and capital will be
partially employed on them. The terminus of the
English packet lane in this country will be Milford
Haven.
LORD PALMERSTON AND THE CHUROH.—The First
Minister of the Crown has at present in his gift unbe
stowed ecclesiastical patronage to the extent of upwards
of 30,0001. a-year. The bishopric of London, which he
has at his disposal, is worth, under the new arrangement,
10,0001. a-year ; and the bishopric of Durham, 8,0001.
Two bishops of smaller sees will doubtless be translated
to these, which will give an increased patronage of
10,000/. a-year. Then the noble lord has vacant the
deanery of Westminster,:worth 2,000/, a-year ; and there
is the bishopric of Graham's Town, over which he will
have some control, worth 8001. a•year. So large an
amount of church patronage has not fallen at one time
tci the gift of the Prime Minister for many years.