ADULTERATED DRINKS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 5, 25 February 1871, Page 2

ADULTERATED DRINKS.

[From the Australasian, Feb. 4.] A fortnight ago, a resident in Sydney purchased a rum-puncheon, and, in order that it might be effectively cleansed, he caused the head of the cask to be taken out. Inside the vessel he found about two bucketsful of tobacco, raisins, and pineapple. The publican had probably reduced the strength of the rum by a copious admixture of ' water, and then sought to restore the intoxicating,'properties of the diluted spirit by an infusion of tobacco, while' the raisins and pineapple were added to give it the luscious flavor of “ fine old West India rum.” And in this way the public are being poisoned by wholesale; A malignant ingenuity is perpetually being exercised to devise means of ex-

torting an extra profit from dramdrinkers and brandy-bibbers. The agencies resorted to are simply murderous. They are so in a double sense. They destroy both body and mind. They send some of their victims to the cemetery and others they consign to the madhouse. Our poisoners are more to be .dreaded than the cunning toxicologists of the middle ages, for men and women ,knew their deadly enemies and -suspected the perfume in the glove or the powder in the goblet. But nowadays a stranger may hand you an envenomed draught across the counter, and, politely smiling, thanks you for the coin which he receives in exchange. You imagine you are drinking a wholesome beverage, whereas it may be “ doctored” with oil of vitrol, oil of turpentine, sulphuric acid, quassia, cocculus indicus, tobacco juice, or cherry laurel water. And this goes on from day to day with absolute impunity. Bor of what use are the enactments against adulteration when the giving effect to them is entrusted to the police? They would do their duty by the public, if they could ; but for the detection of adulterated articles of food and drink, you require the services of scientific experts, of men whose educated palates would qualify them to decide if a substance was sophisticated in the first instance, and whose analytic skill would enable them to determine the nature and the amount of deleterious ingredients, in the second. If the inspector of distileries were authorised to take this subject in hand, he would speedily astonish consumers and confound adulterators.”