A gentleman having been taken severely ill on two successive days, after drinking each day a pint of Madeira from the same bottle, his apothecary ordered that it should be examined.
“‘The bottle happened to slip out of the hand of the servant, disclosed a row of shot wedged forcibly into the angular bent-up circumference of it. On examining the beads of shot, they crumbled into dust, the outer crust (defended by a coat of black lead with which the shot is glazed) being alone unacted on, whilst the remainder of the metal was dissolved. The wine, therefore, had become contaminated with lead and arsenic, the shot being a compound of these metals, which no doubt had produced the mischief.’” (P. 113, 114.)
For detecting the presence of lead or any other deleterious metal in wine, Mr. Accum recommends the wine test.
We now come to that part of the subject, which, as some persons have thought, is merely the business of ale-drinkers, and their brethren, the porter-drinkers.
“The fraud of imparting to porter and ale an intoxicating quality by narcotic substances, appears to have flourished during the period of the late French war. For, if we examine the importation lists of drugs, it will be noticed that the quantities of cocculus indicus imported in a given time prior to that period, will bear no comparison with the quantity imported in the same space of time during the war, although an additional duty was laid upon this commodity. Such has been the amount brought into this country in five years, that it far exceeds the quantity imported during twelve years anterior to the above epoch. The price of this drug has risen within these ten years from two shillings to seven shillings the pound.... It was at the period to which we have alluded that the preparation of an extract of cocculus indicus first appeared, as a new saleable commodity, in the price-currents of brewers’ druggists. It was at the same time also that a Mr. Jackson, of notorious memory, fell upon the idea of brewing beer from various drugs, without any malt and hops. This chemist did not turn brewer himself, but he struck out the more profitable trade of teaching his mystery to the brewers for a handsome fee. From that time forward, written directions and receipt books, for using the chemical preparations to be substituted for malt and hops, were respectively sold. And many adepts soon afterwards appeared every where to instruct brewers in the nefarious practice first pointed out by Mr. Jackson. From that time, also, the fraternity of brewers’ chemists took its rise. They made it their chief business to send
travellers all over the country with lists and samples exhibiting the price and quality of the articles manufactured by them for the use of brewers only. Their trade spread far and wide, but it was amongst the country brewers chiefly that they found the most customers. And it is among them up to the present day, as I am assured by some of these operators, on whose veracity I can rely, that the greatest quantities of unlawful ingredients are sold.” (P. 157-160.)
Part of these evils the porter-drinkers bring upon themselves.
“One of the qualities of good porter, is, that it should bear a fine frothy head, as it is technically termed: because professed judges of this beverage, would not pronounce the liquor excellent, although it possessed all other good qualities of porter, without this requisite.—To impart to porter this property of frothing when poured from one vessel into another, or to produce what is also termed a cauliflower head, the mixture called beer-heading, composed of common green vitriol (sulphate of iron) alum and salt, is added. This addition to the beer is generally made by the publicans.” (P. 182, 183.) It is added in a note:—”’Alum gives likewise a smack of age to beer, and is penetrating to the palate.’—S. Child on Brewing, p. 18.” “The great London brewers, it appears, believe that the publicans alone adulterate the beer.” (P. 211.)
“Capsicum and grains of paradise, two highly acrid substances, are employed to give a pungent taste to weak insipid beer. Of late, a concentrated tincture of these articles, to be used for a similar purpose, and possessing a powerful effect, has appeared in the price-currents of brewers’ druggists. Ginger root, coriander seed, and orange peels, are employed as flavouring substances chiefly by the ale brewers.” (P. 184, 185.)
We find the following articles, in a list of illegal ingredients, seized at various breweries and brewers’ druggists.