(which are always coloured with red lead, verdigris, and other potent poisons,) to children, who are apt to put every thing, especially if it gives them pleasure, into their mouths. The mischievous consequences occasioned by the use of sugar confectionary, coloured with metallic and vegetable poisons, are provided against by the French Government, by being under the surveillance branch of the police, entitled the Council of Health, by whom an ordonnance is issued, that no confectionary shall be sold, unless wrapped up in paper, stamped with the name and address of the confectioner; and the ordonnance further provides that the vendors shall be held responsible for all accidents occasioned by confectionary sold in their shops. M. Chevallier has, in the Journal de Chimie Médicale for Jan. 1831, discussed this subject with considerable ability. “The foreign conserves, such as small green limes, citron, hop-tops, plumbs, angelica roots, &c. imported into this country, and usually sold in round chip boxes, are frequently impregnated with copper.” Indeed, most of the _delicacies_ and “good things” to be obtained in confectioner’s shops, are tinted with all the colours of the rainbow, by the agency of lead, copper, brass, arsenic, or some other poisonous metal. The presence of lead and copper is readily detected by pouring liquid ammonia over the article suspected of being adulterated with the first mentioned metal, which will acquire a blue colour; and sulphuretted hydrogen, acidulated with muriatic acid, where the second article is suspected to have been made use of in the adulteration, when the article will assume a dark brown or black colour. The adulteration by means of clay may be ascertained by dissolving the suspected article in boiling water, when the sediment or precipitate at the bottom of the vessel ready discovers the fraud. For the purpose of communicating an almond or a kernel flavour to custards, blanc-mange, and other productions of his art, and to render them grateful to the palates of his customers, the pastry-cook flavours them with the leaves of the poisonous plant, the cherry-laurel. And the basis of his favourite blanc-mange often consists of the shreds of the dried bladders of horses, the skins of soles, and other animal membranes, as cheap substitutes for isinglass. Among his less objectionable sophistications may be mentioned, his fabrication of creams, custards, tarts, and other kinds of pastry, from rice powder and skimmed milk. The negus and lemonade made by pastry-cooks, and the punch of public and coffee-houses, are made of tartaric acid, as a cheap substitute for citric or lemon acid.