The Sun.
London, England, 1818-05-18 00:00:00

LAW I'ELLIGENCE.

COURT OF KI,NG's BENCH, MAY 16.

THE MING V. J,,SFPH ESQ..

- - _
This was an indictment- preferred against the
defendant, charging him with having, in his char
racier of treasurer of .the parish of St. Matthew,
llethnal-green, misapplied certain souls of money,
the propery of the This proceeding arose
out tit the disputes have so long divided
that parish ; and in consequence of which, pro-
tions had been instituted by Mr. Merceron
against the Rector and some -other individual
; and by them also against Mr. Mer-
cer:in. Toe specific cli:i?ge now preferred
fiLzainst the defendant, was his having, without
ii 5 being aii.thorised so to do, applied a sum of
9l 41. part of the money Collected for poor's rates,
to the discharge of the solicitor's bill, and other
exp noes arising out of those prosecutions. On
the part of the prosecution it was contended„ that
Illr. Merceron hairdone this unauthorised, as he
emicavouted to get his accounts passed with-
their being examined in the usual form, and
lvnen only five or six of the parishioners were
present. On the part of the defendant, it was
contended that he had acted with the authority
and approbation of a majority of the parishioners,
and that his accounts had been regularly audited.
of evidence was examined, and the case
occiyitel the whole of the day. The result was,
that the Jury found the defendant—Guilty.

COURT OF EXCHEQUER.
mirrATION TEA.

THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL, V. PALMER.

This was an information filed by the Attorney-
General against the defendant, which chirged
him, being a dealer in, and seller of, tea, with
haviog in his possession a quantity of sloe-leaves
and whitethorn leaves, fabricated into an imitation
of tea, whereby he forfeited 101._ for every pound
Nveight of such imitation. There were other
counts charging tie effenee differently, to all of
which the defendant pleaded not guilty.
Mr. DauriortY stated the case to the Jury, and
observed, that the universal use of tea made this
question of universal importance. It was lament-
able to think, that in this great town there were
persons who were in the daily habit of selling de-
leterious drugs, under different masks ; and that
while the public were imagining they were drink-
jog at their weals nutritious beverages, they were
in het swallowing a slow but certain poison.—
They bad already heard, during the present sit-
tings, tha! those who supposed they were drink-
ing e(,ffee were deceived, and were in fact drink-
iug neither more nor less than au infusion of
scorched peas and beans. This they were told
- was in itself harmless, and he believed, at least,
thel e was no mixture of unwholesome inre-
*do--103. No, so in the present case, for be should
_prove that the tno,l pernicious drugs had been
useo ; :not it .vas clear that all ranks of society,
whet male or female, were alike exposed to
lbeii'ktf.c,s. The deletidant, Mr. Palmer, was a
grocei, kilo' had no doubt r•-•apea no small-advatr-
tage tiom jiia lielariOtaS trairu It would appear
tha: a r,go:ar niintif.4elory of this imitatiou Lea,
tots tt t% as called, was established in Goldstone-
street, and he should call a witness who would
go through the whole histor'y of the transactiou•
,Th e panties by whom the manufactory was con-
ducted, was a person of the uarue of Procter, and
anothet peison Baffled Juillt Malios, the son of
Alalios, carrying out hu'iness in a place
called NArthemherl.ind-alley, Fenchurcb-street,
professedly as a coffee-roaster: These two per-
sous eug3ged others to furnish them with 1t ates,
which, after undergoing a certain process that
be would describe, were sold to and drank by the
public as tea. Tire parties gathering the leaves,
which were of the white and black thorn tree,
were paid at the rate of 2(1. per pound for the
produce of their labour. These leaves, in order
to be cooverted into tut article resembling black
tea, were it st boiled, then baked upon an iron
plate ; and, when dry, rubbed with the hand, in
order to produce that curl which the genuine tea
"had. This was, in fact, the most wholesome part
of tie operation ; for the colour, which was yet to
be given to it, was produced by logwood; whether
this was an injurious ingredient or not, lie dill not
k no w ,bot he ht Bever! few of his auditors would will-
ingly drink an infusion of that dye. With regard to
- the green tea, that was manufactured in a manner
more destructive to the constitution of those by
whom it was drank. In this part of the business it
appeared that the leaves, after having been pressed
and dried, were laid upon sleets of copper, where
they received their colour from an article known
by the name of Dutch Pin,k, some of which (a
powder of a yellowish hue) he -held in his hand.
One of the component parts of this powder he
understood to he white lead ; hut to this he would
not pledge himself. The other article used in
producing the appearance of the fine green bloom
which was observable. on the China tea, was,
however, decidedly a deadly poison ! He alluded
to verdigrise, which, it appeared, was added to
the Dutch pink in order tti complete the opera-
tion. (A "feeling of horror seemed here to per-
vade the whole Court.) This was the case which
be had to bring before them ; and hence it would
appear, that at the moment they were supposing
they were drinking a pleasant and nutritious be-
' yerisge, they were, in fact, in all probability
drinkiog_ only the produce of the hedges round
the metropolis, prepared for the purposes of de-
ception in the most noxious manner. He could
Dot be accused. of a desire w inflame the minds of
the Jury by exciting their privtite feelings, be-
cause no end could be gained by such an attempt.
Be went for positive penalties, and the verdict
'could be given only according to the limits of
legal enactment. He trusted he should be en
able to trace to the possessions of the defendant
eighty pounds weight of the commodity be had
been describing ; and if so, he should entitle the
-Crown to penalties amounting-in the whole to
840/. a sum by no means large, when compared
with the enormity of the offence.
Thomas Jones deposed, that he knew a person
of the dame of Procter, and was employed by him
at the latter end of April, 1817, to gather a quan-
tity of black and white thorn leaves. Sloe leaves
were the black them. He also knew aperson of the