But supposing, dear Bull, that all the above “horrid array” of poisoning and stupefying ingredients was “mere fudge,” and that you should have the fortune to deal with a brewer and publican, who have the “fear of the Lord” before their eyes, and who “wax strong in well doing,” recollect that the present manufactured “_entire_ beer” of the most _honest_ trading brewer alive is a very heterogeneous mixture—a composition of all the waste and spoiled beer of the publicans, the bottoms of their butts—the leavings of their pots—the drippings of their machines for drawing the beer—the remnants of beer that lay in the leaden pipes of the brewery, with a portion of brown stout, bottling beer, and mild beer. So admits that “paragon of brewers,” Mr. Barclay. (See Parliamentary Minutes, p. 94.) Surely, John, it is not courteous and loving treatment of thy “better half” and her “dutiful daughters” to expect them to sully their delicate throttles with the leavings and hawkings of some bearish beast of a coal-heaver or a night-man! This, friend John, is one of the “indicia” of the necessity of thy cultivating the clean and wholesome “home brewery” of thy forefathers; and in the promotion of this laudable and necessary undertaking I hope I shall be able to assist thee in my projected work, “THE FAMILY BREWING ORACLE,” and that, by its means, thou wilt be enabled to drink a wholesome and nourishing beverage, either ale or porter, at the trifling cost of from five farthings to three halfpence per pot, after the tasting of which thou wilt never allow a drop of brewers’ or public-house porter, or intermediate beer, or any other vile or new-fangled substitution for the home-brewed liquor of thy ancestors, to enter thy chaps. But, in your honest sincerity and “usually naive manner,” you will exclaim “but we have methods and tests for detecting the adulteration of our native liquor—our vinum Britannicum—our own Sir John Barlycorn.” Aye, have you, Old Gentleman! then I give you joy of your discovery, and hope thou wilt put it into constant practice every day of thy life before thou takest a sup of the delectable and heart-cheering composition. But, for my part, John, give me leave to say that I have always understood that the detection of the adulteration of beer with vegetable substances deleterious to health is extremely difficult, if not beyond the reach of chemical agency or analysis; and in most cases, particularly where cocculus indicus, or its extract, has been used, quite impossible. The tests for ascertaining the admixture of sulphuric acid are more determinate, and are ably detailed in Mr. Accum’s work, p. 193.