Board Of Excise, Saturday...
The Times, 1824-12-06T00:00:00

iVlr. Ttiomas Williams, a tobacconist,. carrying on business in 3Bcrmond4ey-street, Southwark, was cliarged on information with having in h1is possession and vending tobacco mixed with certain parious ineredients, for which offcnce he beeame subjected to a penalty of 1001. There were several counts in the information, vary. Ing the .ffence. The defensant did not appear in Court, but his wife attended, and pleaded "not guilty" to the information. Job Douglas, one of the general surveyors to the Excise, deposed, that It was part of his duty to survey the stock of the deferndant, who -was a dealer in tobacco and snuff, iu Bermondsey-street. In conse. quence of having received information that the defendant was in the -abit of selling to thc public a certain spurious mixture other than tobacco, he, on the 10th of July, went into the defendant's shop, and purchased of Amrs. Williams two ounces of tobacco; on its being served him, he examined it, ant! could plainly Perceive that there were particles amongst it other than tobanow. WVitnesR kept the mixture in his possession till the 12th. and then delivered it into the hands of 51r. Hubert, to be analyzed by the usual test. Mnl. Williams recollected serving the officer with the tobacco, and he particularly asked for small tobacco. She aqked him to nanme thc sort he wanted, but he professed to be ignorant, saying it waR for a friend he waanted it, and all he knew was, that it must be a small tobacco, and he finally took two ouncea of the dust, the refuse of the weed. The officar adnmitted asking for a small tobacco, which probably might be the refuse. Thomas Gayton, another officer belongingto the Excise, stated, that he, on the oth of July, bought at the defendant's shop an ounce of tobacco he was likewise served by Airs. Williarms, and upon in. specting it, he felt convinced it was adulterated, and carried it forth. with to Air. Hubert to be properly analyzed. The Co IsRT asked if the defendant kept a lare stock of manu- factured tobacco ? The officers answered in the negative. lmlrs. W'illiams said that her husband's sale of the article at moat amounted to 301b. per week. 'Ur. lubert deposed, that he received the two paTcels of tobacco from 'lb offieers Douglas and Gayton; be had also received from the last-named officer a quarter of a pound of the same article. Wit- ness, on analyzing the single ounca given to him by Gayton on the 8th of July, found it contained two per cent. earthy mat- ter, and four per cent. vegetable matter, which, from the experiments be had made, he discovered was the bark of a tree. Botb the substances posecased no quality or property whatever similar go p tobacco. Witmess here preduced two phials, one of which con- !- tlned a very black liquid, and the other a yellow, which had been eotracted from the matters above spoken of. fie had also analyzed the two ounces given him by Douglas, and found it to contain por. tong of the samne adulterous substances. This waa the case on the part of the Excise. The Co U RT now calied upon Mrs. Williams to account for the rnanner in which she became possessed of the article. Al.rs. Nrilliams said that her husband had purchaled the tobacco in the state they bad sold it, and thought it very hard that the inno. cent should suffer for the guilty. .Ir. MIAYO, the solicitor to the Excise, asked her if she could prove that her husband had bought it in the state it was found: if abe could, it would be very essential to her. AMrs. Williams said she was quite certain it was bought in that state, but was afraid she could not prove it, as they dealt at many wholesale houses, and therefore could not trace where she had bought the tobacco in question. Tite COURT asked her to name the houses at which she dealt. MIrs. WVilliams said, that she made purchases of lesssr. Shade and Co., of Shodwell; Mr. Roberts, in the Borough; and other wholesale dealers. The CastEr COXMarSSIO?Ein said, that if she could show the Court that she had purchased it, and point out the persons who had really sold it, she would throw it off ber shoulders. Iurs. Williams was afraid she could not be so fortunate. (Gayner, the officer, said, that one of the tobacco-dealers Mrs. Wilhiams had nanteai was in the shop when lie-made the purchase, and lie said he always supplied the defendant with the pure article. The COURT, ahtersotne deliberation, found the defendant GuiZly, and ordered the penaltyof 1001. to be reduced to 201. The (isnEr ' uOxrSssirovrt assured Mrs. iViUiams that her husband had been very leniently dealt w7ith; and that if she should be found so offending for the future, the whole of the penalty would ba iuflicted and enforced. BOARD OF EXCISE. SATrTYnA.V Tnr' 9 ADULTERATED TOBACCO.