“To increase the intoxicating quality of beer, the deleterious _vegetable_ substance, called _cocculus indicus_, and the extract of this poisonous berry, technically called _black extract_, or by some, _hard multum_, are employed. Opium, tobacco, nux vomica, and extracts of poppies, have also been used.—This fraud constitutes by far the most censurable offence committed by unprincipled brewers. And it is a lamentable reflection to behold so great a number of brewers prosecuted, and convicted of this crime. Nor is it less deplorable to find the names of druggists, eminent in trade, implicated in the fraud, by selling the unlawful ingredients to brewers for fraudulent purposes.” (P. 205, 206.) Then follows a list of thirty-four convictions of brewers, for receiving or using illegal ingredients.—We perfectly agree with the following observations. “That a minute portion of an unwholesome ingredient, daily taken in beer, cannot fail to be productive of mischief, admits of no doubt: and there is reason to believe that a small quantity of a narcotic substance (and cocculus indicus is a powerful narcotic), daily taken into the stomach, together with an intoxicating liquor, is highly more efficacious than it would be without the liquor. The effect may be gradual; and a strong constitution, especially if it be assisted with constant and hard labour, may counteract the destructive consequences perhaps for many years. But it never fails to show its baneful effects at last.” (P. 209, 210.) We now come to the business of another small portion of the community, namely, the _tea-drinkers_. Perhaps the following descriptions will assist them in forming a diagnosis. “All the samples of spurious green tea (nineteen in number) which I have examined, were coloured with carbonate of copper, (a poisonous substance), and not by means of verdigrise, or copperas.” (P. 240.) “Mr. Twining asserts, that ‘the leaves of spurious tea are boiled in a copper, with copperas and sheep’s dung.’” (P. 240. Note.) “Tea rendered poisonous by carbonate of copper, speedily imparts to liquid ammonia, a fine sapphire blue tinge. It is only necessary to shake up in a stopped vial, for a few minutes, a tea-spoonful of the suspected leaves, with about two table-spoonsful of liquid ammonia, diluted with half its bulk of water. The supernatant liquid will exhibit a fine blue colour, if the minutest quantity of copper be present. Green tea, coloured with carbonate of copper, when thrown into water impregnated with sulphuretted hydrogen gas, immediately acquires a black colour. Genuine green tea, suffers no change from the action of these tests.” (P. 241.) The following extracts may perhaps prove interesting to _brandy-drinkers_.