Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-08-18
ADUErEKNTED- GROCERIES.

since our readers nay recoiiect TO have
seen among our foreign selections, an ar
! l;cle from London paper, stating The va
rious iinposiiions which have been prac-
tise! to a very great extent by the groceis
/ al that city, IN preparing and vending
imitation teas of various kinds, and also
IN adulleraiiny coffee, sugar, tobacco, and
ether groceries. This statement appears
10 have produced a general and thorough
investigation OF the subject, and the CA
tent To which the imposiilons have been
praciised is found 10 be enormous and u
farming. Green tea has for series OF
years been manufactured from The eaves
/ of the white and black thorn, elder aud
| ash leaves, &c. and colored with Dutch
| pink aud verdisris-drugs of Il very poison
| Gus nature. For tile adulteralion of bo-
hea aud black teas, other ingredients, e.
qualIy dcleelriOus IL destructive TO health,
have been used.
Since The publication Of The article TO
which we have alluded above, we have re-
ceived from London pamphlet contain
ing the trials of number o! the grocers
and tea deelers, who had been implicated
by report. From this pamphlet we have
selected tor tins evenings paper, One-of
the most important and interesting trials,
which we doubt moi will be perused with
interest. The defendant III this case it
seems was fined III the sum of eight hui-
dred and forty ponds sterling; and similar
convictions have taken place for this aud
other offences of the kind, where the pc.
nalties found for the crown have amount
ed 10 one Lhousgndtoo hundred and ten pounds
equal TO nine thonsdHd one hundred and
eleceR dollars and tweire cents.
Seventeen persons, among whom are
number of females, have been convicted
and in sevCra! of the cases contained ia
The pamphlet, the penalties imposed are
not stated.
1t is TO be hoped that the strong and
prompt measures adopted so readily by
the public authorities of London, Will eff
tecluaiiy put d stop TO these abominable
practices. Ii appeared from the iestimo-
ny, that this manufacture of Imitation
Tea has been carried on for eleven years
Anccessiveiy the consequence Of which
llus doubtless been an extensive deStruc-
ton of health, and the loss of many lives.
SO great was the excitement III London,
that the principal Tea Traders y! respcc
liability, found II necessary 10 call meet
ing for the purpose Of adopting measures
To detect and expose the real practisers of
the infamous frauds.
The pamphlet before us gives state.
ments of various ether imposiiions, i'll ID
dulterating coffee, pepper, sugars, tobacco,
sausages, gin, milk, &c. with the ingredi-
ents employed, and the process of The
Manufacture. The imitation coffee is
composed OF burnt horse-beans, peas,
Gc. MIXED iii the ratio OF about lib. OF
coffee 10 3 or of the mixture. Sugars
are adullerated with sand {; pepper with
iulier's earth mustard with cheap pun
gent seeds; tobacco with various COM
mon British herbs. Porter and ale are
frequently mixed with drugs OF the most
peynlciUus quality. Port wine, as ii is
called, aud especially that sold at very
low prices, as II is known, has been manu-
idctured from sloe Qruit of the black
thorn) JUICE, British brandy, and iogwood.
Gin. ia order that it may have the grip,
or have the appearance of being parlIcu-
larry strong, is known to be aduiteraied
with decoction OF longpepper, rasmall
quantity OF aqua forts, deadly poison.
Bread, from public conviction, Is known
10 have been made OF mixture OF flour,
ground bone, chalk, and puiverlZedb bones.
Milk ia have been adulterared with white
ning and water. Ssusages are seasoned
with tie seeds Of hemlock, (cicuid oirOsG,
of Linz la short, il is added, there IS
scarcely all article OF ordinary consUmp-
liCu, which is not rendered destructive
by these infamous and fraudulent prac-
tees.
AS some OF the imitation tea described
III the inrcgolng trial, may have found lis
way le America, we think II proper TO
state the manner of discovering ii: Lay
the tea OH weited paper, and rub IL; il
will easily discharge the colouring II re-
ceives from lockwood, Duici: pink, or YER
digrls.
Among these pernicious compositions,
is kind of Coffee, prepared from Indian
wheat and roasted peas, ground together,
aud labelled " AMERICAN Vegetable Poyde,,
6ei3lg a wholesome and nutritious 5ycakjaSt."
We would thank these spectators not to
inpIicaie US in their yiilanics. We have
sins enough of our own 10 answer for,
without having London frauds pa!Ined
upon US. We hope it will be long tine
before such traits fdepravity will be dis
closed OF the American character, DIS We
lave before us and while the petty frauds
OF few OF or C0untrymeD, are confined
10 The manufacture OF ,COOd nHtB,egS and
bass W0Od 1tmpkin seeds, it must at least
be ackno~lcdged that the effects are harm
less. ~. York EUc. Post.
FOREIGN LUXURIES.
In impromytu on the late seizure u sloe tfareS
prepared TO sell for tea.
--- Quod petiS, he est,
Est elubrs.-Hor.
The things you seek. the barS alleges,
Are here at home, in all our hedges.
China aud Porto, nowfdrewell,
Let others buy What you've 10 sell,
Your PORT and your BOhea;
For we've QUE native Sloe divine
Whose fruit yields all our Porto tciae,
Whose ieOCeS make all our Icd.s
Here we get al the meaning cf the remark Of our
dOctvTs, that vine aud teas are Size poison.