civility, convinced me all was not right, and that other materials were within view than simple flour, yeast, and a little inoffensive salt. Let me not, however, be understood to apply this censure indiscriminately; it is aimed only at the guilty; the honest baker will adopt my sentiments, which are merely an echo of a little work published in 1757, intituled, "Poison detected: or, Frightful Truths, and alarming to the British Metropolis," &c. The Author asserts that, "Good bread ought to be composed of flour well kneaded with the slightest water, seasoned with a little salt, fermented with fine yeast or leaven, and sufficiently baked with a proper fire; but, to increase its weight, and deceive the buyer by its fraudulent fineness, lime, chalk, alum, &c. are constituent parts of that most common food in London. Alum is a very powerful astringent and styptic, occasioning heat and costiveness; the frequent use of it closes up the mouths of the small alimentary ducts, and by its corrosive concretions, seals up the lacteals, indurates every mass it is mixed with upon the stomach, makes it hard of digestion, and consolidates the fæces in the intestines. Experience convinces me (the Author was a physician) that any animal will live longer in health and vigour upon two ounces of good and wholesome bread, than upon one pound of this adulterated compound; a consideration
which may be useful, if attended to in the times of scarcity."
After explaining many deleterious effects produced by alum, the Author proceeds, "But it is not alum alone that suffices the lucrative iniquity of bakers: there is also added a considerable portion of lime and chalk; so that if alum be prejudicial alone, what must be the consequences of eating our bread mingled with alum, chalk, and lime? Obstructions, the causes of most diseases, are naturally formed by bread thus abused. I have seen a quantity of lime and chalk, in the proportion of one to six, extracted from this kind of bread; possibly the baker was not so expert at his craft as to conceal it, the larger granules were visible enough: perhaps a more minute analysis would have produced a much greater portion of these pernicious materials."
An Author cannot be suspected of wishing to restrain the inoffensive liberty of the press; but he may, without fear or resentment, venture to reprobate the turpitude which it too often promotes. There have been, and still are, persons who will take a few facts, and compound them with many falsehoods, and, thus prepared, present them to some hungry printer or editor, to answer their own base purposes; the unsuspecting read them with avidity, and public bodies and individuals suffer without remedy; an instance of this description produced the following
address to the community from John Fielding, Esq. in November 1759.
"About twelve months ago a very salutary law took place, to the great benefit of a large and useful body of men, commonly called Coal-heavers. By this law they were not only relieved from the impositions they then complained of, and the profits of their severe labour secured to themselves; but a provision was made for the infirm, sick, and disabled coal-heavers, and their dead buried, by their paying two shillings in the pound out of their earnings into an office established by the said law, and under the inspection of so worthy and so able a magistrate in the City, that it is impossible for any coal-heaver to be deprived of any advantage, privilege, or support, that the nature of this institution entitles them to. On Sunday the 28th of last month, one Patrick Crevey, a coal-heaver, chairman, and an Irishman, was buried according to the usual custom of burying coal-heavers, and was carried from Gravel-lane to St. Pancras church-yard; his corpse being preceded, as is customary, by the beadle of the coal-heavers' office, with a long staff in his hand, the common ensign of his office; the pall was supported by six chairmen, and eight others followed the corpse as mourners in black cloaks; for whenever a chairman is buried, he is constantly attended by as many of his brethren as can be got together: these mourners
were followed by a considerable number of coal-heavers, who walked two and two. This procession gave rise to that extraordinary paragraph in the London Chronicle, on the 30th day of October last, wherein it is confidently asserted, that a Roman-catholic was carried through the streets of London to be buried at St. Pancras, and that the Host was carried, and Priests walked publicly before the corpse; and that the numerous attendants that followed, insulted and knocked down all who did not pay due obedience to their foreign foppery, and beat many persons whom common curiosity excited to ask any questions relative to the said procession. Should any part of this alarming account be true, the offenders cannot be punished with too much severity; but should it be a misrepresentation of facts, the publick would be equally pleased to be undeceived, and he who indiscreetly or wickedly propagated the report without foundation will be the only offender.
"In order therefore to get at the real truth of this matter, a few days ago, the informations on oath of the beadle of the said coal-heavers office, of the pall-bearers, mourners, undertaker, his servant, the landlord of the house from whence the corpse was carried, and some other inhabitants who followed the corpse (several of whom were Protestants), were taken before John Fielding, Esq.; and they all positively declared that
at, or from the house, whence the man was carried to the grave in Pancras church-yard, no Host, representation of Host, crucifix, or other visible and external mark of the deceased Patrick Crevey being a Roman-catholick, was carried either before or after the said corpse; and that no Catholic Priest of any sort, to their knowledge, attended the said burial; but that the said Crevey (though a Roman-catholic) was buried by a Clergyman of the Church of England, and strictly conformable to the ceremonies of the said Church. And the aforesaid beadle, pall-bearers, mourners, and undertaker, further declare, that they themselves during their passage from the house to the grave, neither met with, nor were witnesses to any obstruction whatever; but that they afterwards heard that some of the coal-heavers who were at farther distance from the corpse behind had some dispute, which occasioned blows, with some persons who imitated the Irish howl, and called out Paddy, by way of derision to the deceased and his attendants, &c. &c.
"John Fielding."