The Sun.
London, England, 1818-06-04 00:00:00

BREWERIES.

Mr. LOCKHART brought up a Report from the
Committee on Breweries. He felt a satisfaction
in stating that the inquiries of the Committee en-
abled it to bear the fullest testimony to the up.
right characters and conduct of the proprietors of
the eleven principal Breweries, on whom so many
odious suspicions had heretofore rested. With
regard to the price of beer, the Committee would
not hesitate to say, that, considering the prices
of malt and hops, and the expences of -an esta-
blishment where these articles are converted into
liquor, the profits of these gentlemen were by no
means exorbitant ot- unjust. It was further
proved that they had not been in the practice of
mixing with their liquor any deleterious ingre-
dients whatever, and would not suffer any process
to be introduced in their establishments which
could have the slightest pernicious tendency.
With the exception of one house, which had
been detected in the use of salt of tartar, they had
been all decidedly averse to practices of that na-
ture. He thought that it was the bounden duty
of the Excise to admit no relaxation of the laws
against persons convicted of such practices, that
the penalty should be exacted with severity, and
the conviction, with all the cirrumstances, posted
up, so as to obtain the widest notoriety. The.
Committee was unable to extend its inquiries to
the country ; but, as far as it could obtain in-
formation, the accounts were flattering, and the
use of that wholesome beverage was on the in-
crease amongst the lower orders. He would im-
plore the magistrates to exercise all their activity
towards breaking dawn that confederacy, which
was so generally injurious to the health of the
poor.
Mr. J: SMITH declared himself at all times, un-
friendly to the use of gin by the poorer classes,

, .
I;e was acquainted with the characters of the II
houses to which the Honourable Gentleman had
alluded, and knew the proprietors of them to
be persons of respectability and strict late-

Sir 11 VV. RIDLEY thought it incumbent On
hin►, ds Chairman of the Committee, to bear every
testimony in his power to the irreproachability of
the eleven houses, on whom so much odium had
been undeservedly east.- lie fully agreed with the
Hon. Gewlentan who brought up the Report,
that-the heaviest penalty, whiclOhe law admitted
should hr inflicted on-such persons as were con-
victed of the rritue of Mixing a poisonous ingre-
dient with a liquor which constituted so large a
share of human food.
Mr. BENNET concurred with the Floe. Gentle,
man who had just sat down, and he hoped at a
future Opportunity that he would beagle to sub-
mit- to the llou.e some measures, with a view to
regidiat r the abuses so justly the object of univer-
sal complaint. .

Alf. -SM IT!! said, that a cry of monopoly bad
been-raised against certain respectable Brewing-
houses, for. no other reason than that they were.
enabled, by their ample resources, to treat the
public honestly aud justly. The Exci,e had been
alluded to ; now he, as one of the Committee, had
asked. a witness belonging to that establishment
whether they had made any difference in the pe-
nalty Which was to be inflicted on the - person
guilty of n<ing an illegal ingredient only, and the
person convicted of using an ingredient that was
both illegal and deleterious ; the witness replied,
that be was not prepared to answer, but that he.
believed there was no distinction made its the pe-
nalty of each ofEnder.
General ToottNroN billy agreed iothe necessity
of pUnishing to the utmost extent of the late all
persons convicted of illegally using any ingre-
dient in a species of liquor to which the poor had
surfs unlimited access —The Report was ordered
to be printed.