it a resemblance to butter, and is then churned and converted into butterine, and reshipped, chiefly to this country. Reports and chemical analyses demonstrating its perfect wholesomeness and its extreme unwhole semeness appear side by side in the paper referred to. Its opponents assert that samples have been found invested with organisms of a parasitic character, which may be transferred in a living condition into the systems of those who make use of it. On the other hand the Board of Health of New York pronounce it to be a "good and wholesome article" of food. In this country a Public Analyst of high reputation is of opinion that "the public should know that genuine butterine, which can be purchased retail at less than 1s. a pound, is often more palatable and more digestible than the inferior Canadian and other butters which are washed up and prepared for the English markets, and sold at a little higher price." However this may be, it is desirable that butterine should not be sold as butter; and proceedings taken under the Sale of Food and Drugs Act in relation to it will conduce to this end.

The percentage of adulterated samples of coffee continues high, mainly in consequence of the practice of selling mixtures of chicory and coffee as coffee, without adequate notification to the purchaser. Of course the mixtures duly labelled as such are not classified as adulterated. It may be interesting to observe, however, that one such mixture, on being analysed, was proved to consist of 90 per cent. of chicory and only 10 per cent. of coffee.

As to the adulteration of mustard, the observations in our last Report still apply. For table purposes, probably many people would not prefer ground mustard seed to the preparations ordinarily sold as mustard, which consists for the most part of mixtures of mustard flour, wheat flour, and a little turmeric. Such preparations, however, if sold as mustard without notification to the purchaser, are classified as adulterated.

Of sugar only one sample was found adulterated out of 243 examined; and experience seems to show that this article is very little tampered with, and that the practice of "sanding the sugar," if it existed in the times of heavy duties and high prices has now been virtually abandoned. Of jam, the one adulterated sample was reported to be extensively composed of seaweed. Of confectionery, all but four samples out of 257 are returned as genuine, from which it may be inferred that the use of poisonous colouring matters is now rare. In one or two cases, however, chromate of lead appears to have been used for this purpose; and in one instance a sample of sweets, sold as "cider cream," was found to consist of strong vinegar, flavoured with a little acetate of amyl, as to which the analyst remarks, that he is "not suprised to hear that an uncomfortable feeling is experienced in the stomach after drinking so delectable a compound."

Of wines, it will be seen that only 56 samples have been examined, and it should be stated that three out of the six reported against were sold as "unfermented wines," and consisted of sugar, water, and tartaric acid, with a little flavouring and colouring matter. Other "unfermented wines" was found to be pure grape juice, mixed with a small quantity of sugar.

The adulteration of beer seems of late years to have been steadily on the decrease, the percentage of adulterated samples having fallen from 9-3 in 1877 to 50 in 1878, and 3-6 in 1879. In the Metropolis, moreover, only one sample out of 98 examined in 1879 was found to be adulterated. In a single instance a trace of tobacco was found, but excess of salt was generally the ground of condemnation. On this point we may refer to the

remarks in our report of last year, merely adding that salt seems to be occasionally employed, not, as suggested, for the sake of inducing thirst, but with the notion of making beer keep the better for it.

As regards spirits it may be said that the adulteration continues to be of an innocuous character, only water being usually added. In comparing the percentage of adulterated samples with that shown in the returns for 1878, it must be borne in mind that, as we have stated above, the standard fixed by the Amendment Act of 1879 is a low one (as any standard of minimum strength must necessarily be), and that much which was before generally ranked as diluted spirit may now be sold as genuine.

We regret to find that drugs continue to be largely adulterated, no less than 171 samples being reported against out of 613 submitted to analysis. One result of adulteration of drugs is that a person habituated to the use of a certain medicine in an adulterated state, may be seriously affected by suddenly taking the genuine article. Thus "paregoric" is a popular domestic medicine, practically identical with the officinal preparation formerly called compound tincture of opium, of which opium is the leading ingredient. Certain samples, however, of so called paregoric which were analysed in Derbyshire, contained no opium whatever, and large doses might be habitually taken without producing the sedative effect desired, whereas if the patient were suddenly supplied with genuine paregoric, and were to take it in the quantities to which he had been accustomed, the change might be attended with unexpected and possibly disastrous results. Similarly, in the case of sweet spirits of nitre, some samples were found entirely destitute of the nitrous ether which is the most important constituent of the real compound, and others were diluted with amounts of water varying up to 40 per cent. of the whole. Cream of tartar has been found largely mixed with sulphate of lime; and tartaric acid with lead in quantity sufficient to injure health. Fluid magnesia has been reported to have only 3.3 grains of magnesia per fluid ounce, instead of the 5 grains which is the proper proportion; and tincture of rhubarb bought at one shop has been found of scarcely more than half the strength of that bought at another. We must repeat the opinion which we have expressed in former years that this state of things demands serious attention, and that strong efforts should be made to secure the sale of genuine drugs of proper strength.

Of the articles not specified by name in the Table, we may particularise, among those broadly classified as adulterated, samples of infants' food, of sardines, and of ærated waters, which contained lead in greater or less proportion. The introduction of this substance in the processes of manufacture had been doubtless unintentional, but was not the less unwholesome on that account. In the case of the ærated waters the analyst for Newport (Mon.) observes that "lead is a cumulative poison, and as it is somewhat readily acted upon by prepared water charged with carbonic acid gas, this metal should not be used in the construction of the apparatus employed." He further reports, what has been observed in many instances elsewhere, that some of the samples of so-called "soda water contained no alkali whatever, but consisted simply of water charged with carbonic acid gas.

In several cases the specimens of vinegar analysed were found to be infested with immense numbers of particularly active animalcules, known as vinegar-eels; and in one instance hydrochloric acid was reported to have been added to vinegar.

Of the 17,049 samples above referred to, the greater part were purchased by officers appointed under section 13 of the Act of 1875, and only 528, or little more than 3 per

cent., by private individuals. It is significant that in the latter class of samples the proportion adulterated is 25 per cent., compared with 14.5 per cent. in the former. In some articles the difference is especially marked. In milk, for instance, of the 176 samples procured by private purchasers, no less than 80, or 45.5 per cent. were adulterated; while of the inspectors' samples the proportion was 18.6. Of course this difference is mainly to be accounted for by the fact that a private individual does not, as a general rule, take the trouble and incur the expense of submitting a sample for analysis, unless he has very strong grounds for suspecting adulteration. But there is reason to believe that in some cases the inspectors appointed under section 13 are known to the tradesmen, and are supplied, when recognised, with articles superior to those which would be sold to an unofficial customer. An illustration of the practice referred to is furnished by the analyst for Cumberland, who reports that a sample of milk contained such an abnormally high percentage of cream as to suggest the idea that the vendor, knowing the purpose for which the milk was bought, determined to supply the inspector with a good article, and added a considerable proportion of cream to it." No doubt in some cases adequate precautions have not been taken to ensure that the articles purchased on behalf of the Authority are fair specimens of those usually sold to the public; and difficulty in this respect has perhaps occasionally arisen from an erroneous assumption that the officers authorised under section 13 of the Act must personally make the purchases, and that, therefore, in order to escape detection, an adulterating tradesman has only to make himself acquainted with the officers so authorised. We may, however, observe that there is nothing in the Act to prevent the inspector from taking proceedings under it when the actual purchase has been made, not by himself, but by a substitute; and as a matter of fact, it is not an infrequent practice of inspectors to adopt this course.

We may refer with satisfaction to the passing of the Sale of Food and Drugs Amendment Act of 1879, to which we called the attention of the Authorities in our circular letter of the 31st December last, and which has effected some important amendments in the law. By expressly declaring that when an article may have been purchased solely for analysis, it shall be no defence to allege that the purchaser was not prejudiced thereby, it disposes of the objection to which we have previously referred, as for a time interrupting the administration of the principal Act; and it also enacts that it shall not be a good defence to prove that the article analysed, though defective in nature, or in substance, or in quality was not defective in all three respects. It makes special provision for procuring samples of milk in course of delivery, under contract, to the purchaser or consignee, and it is hoped that this enactment, by making the consignor liable to a penalty, will afford to dairymen protection against the consignment to them of adulterated milk. A further amendment of the principal Act is made by the clause which extends its operation to articles sold in the streets.

The difficulty, on which we enlarged in our last Report, of determining, in the absence of a recognised standard, the precise point at which a compound of alcohol and water ceases to be spirit and becomes spirit-and-water, has been finally disposed of by the provision that the sale of spirits, to which only water has been added, shall not constitute an offence under the 6th section of the principal Act, if such admixture has not reduced brandy, whisky, or rum, more than 25°, or gin more than 35°, under proof. In one or two instances it seems to have been assumed that this amending provision operates to prohibit

altogether the sale of spirits under the standard strength, but we have had no hesitation in expressing our opinion that the clause in question does not affect the operation of section 8 of the principal Act, and that the vendor of any spirits reduced by water below the standard strength would not be guilty of an offence under the last-named Act, if he could show that adequate notification of the dilution had been given to the purchaser.

Other clauses effect certain changes in the incidence of the charges of the execution of the Acts, and make special provision with regard to the time within which a summons is to be served, and also with regard to the period to be allowed before such summons is returnable.

We trust that under the law as it now stands, it will be found practicable still further to reduce the amount of adulteration. The progress already made is substantial, and would, no doubt, be much accelerated, if private individuals would avail themselves more largely of the legislative provisions for their own protection.

The following is a list of the total number of samples, examined and adulterated, in England and Wales, during 1879:

Mr. J. Carter Bell, Analyst for Salford, in his quarterly report states:-During the quarter ending September 30, 1880, I have examined 154 samples. Of these 24 were adulterated, consisting of 9 milks, 9 wines, 5 breads and 1 butter. The five breads contained a chemical compound which is known by the name of baker's mixture. This is now being sold in Salford to bakers for the purpose of mixing with inferior flour. It is made from phosphates of alumina, lime and magnesia, with sulphuric and hydrochloric acids, and I have found that it has the effect of spoiling the bread, and making it injurious to health. It also contained a considerable amount of arsenic, the consequence of its being made from impure materials. I need not say how dangerous it is to introduce such a mixture into bread. I have also examined nine samples of so-called unfermented wines and two of ordinary tent wines. Of these nine samples, three bearing labels stating that the bottle contained "pure grape juice," "virgin fruit of the vine," &c., consisted of sugar, tartaric acid, salicylic acid and colouring matter with a considerable quantity of copper -the result doubtless of ignorant or careless manufacture. Grape juice was in my opinion entirely absent. Another sample, labelled "Pure and genuine unfermented fruit of the vine," was evidently a composite article artificially made, and so carelessly prepared as to contain alchohol. One sample of unfermented wine imported from abroad contained some grape juice, but the presence of alcohol and an abundance of yeast cells showed that fermentation had not been arrested. One example was labelled "The Selected Wine of the Temperance Fraternity." This was an ordinary low class fermented wine containing a large amount of alcohol. Of the nine samples of the so-called unfermented wines only one was genuine, and what it professed to be, "Pure grape juice entirely free from alcohol. " The samples of tent were sweet and highly alcoholic wines, one sample containing as much as 40 per cent. of proof spirit. This wine had evidently been strongly brandied, no natural wine containing anything like this proportion of alcohol. The number and variety of these so-called unfermented wines testify to a large demand for articles of this class, but my examinations point to the necessity of a very careful discretion in their selection. Three samples of water taken from the lodge of a manufactory were so highly contaminated with sewage matter as to make them dangerous to health. The report was adopted.