the court to
mitigate the penalty. He was convicted in the penalty of 50_l._

_The King against Thomas Owen._--The defendant, an extensive dealer in
tea and coffee, appeared to an information charging him with having in
his possession, and selling, a quantity of deleterious ingredients, and
mixing them with coffee.

Charles Henry Lord deposed, that on the 26th of February, he found, at
the shop of the defendant, nineteen pounds of a composition consisting
of beans and pease ground, and prepared so as to imitate coffee. He also
discovered two pounds and a half of a mixture of coffee and vegetable
powder. On the same day he proceeded to another shop of the defendant,
and he there found five pounds more of the same stuff.

Samples of the composition, in its mixed and unmixed state, were
produced.

Mr. Lawes addressed the commissioners on behalf of the defendant, in
mitigation of punishment; for he did not mean to deny the offence. His
client was a very young man, and had been most unfortunate in business.
He was not aware until lately of the existence of any law by which it
could be punished.

The Commissioners observed, that they had a double duty to perform,
namely, to protect the revenue from fraud, and to prevent the public
from being imposed upon and injured by ingredients served to them
instead of the food they intended to purchase. The fraud upon the
revenue was, in the estimation of the court, the least part of the
offence. Under all the circumstances, however, the court was inclined to
be lenient to the defendant.

He was convicted in the penalty of 50_l._ for each quantity of
sham-coffee.

Mr. Greely and Mr. William Dando were fined 20_l._ each; and Mr. Hirling
and Mr. Terry were fined 90_l._ each for selling spurious coffee.

The adulteration of ground coffee, with pease and beans, is beyond the
reach of chemical analysis; but it may, perhaps, not be amiss on this
occasion to give to our readers a piece of advice given by a retired
grocer to a friend, at no distant period:--"Never, my good fellow," he
said, "purchase from a grocer any thing which passes through his mill.
You know not what you get instead of the article you expect to
receive--coffee, pepper, and all-spice, are all mixed with substances
which detract from their own natural qualities."--Persons keeping mills
of their own can at all times prevent these impositions.

_Adulteration of Brandy, Rum, and Gin._

By the Excise laws at