“The principal alkaline salts which are added to snuff are chloride of sodium or common salt, carbonate of potash, and carbonate of ammonia, all of which are allowed by Act of Parliament, and therefore no exception can be taken to their addition, so long as the total quantity does not exceed 26 per cent. in the dry snuff. In addition to alkaline salts, snuffs usually contain from 25 to 45 per cent. of water, with the exception of a kind of snuff called ‘High Toast or Irish Blackguard,’ which is very dry and contains from 5 to 8 per cent. Sometimes they also contain a considerable quantity of sand. In the several hundred samples of snuff which I have had occasion to examine for different manufacturers the average quantity of sand was about 5 per cent. in the dry snuff, and sometimes fell as low as a half per cent., but in many samples the quantity exceeded 10 per cent., and in one case I found as much as 30·94 per cent. of sand in the dry snuff. The greater part of this sand is probably derived from the sweepings of tobacco, on which duty has been paid, and I have no doubt the snuff manufacturer considers himself justified in selling it as snuff. But it appears to me to be very desirable in the interest of snuffers, that some limit should be placed on the quantity of sand which may be sold as snuff: more especially as the particles of sand are frequently very sharp, and have a tendency to produce inflammation of the mucous membrane of the nose, and it is to this, probably, that we owe the popular notion that snuff is sometimes mixed with ground glass to give it additional piquancy. “When from any cause snuff is spoiled, the manufacturer may export it, and obtain a drawback of 3_s._ 7_d._ per lb. on the real tobacco which it contains. “The Government standard for tobacco is as follows: Per cent. Organic matter 70·52 Inorganic 15·48 Water 14·00 —————— 100·00 “This is equal to 18 per cent. of ash or inorganic matter in the dry tobacco. This standard is in my opinion too high, as the average percentage of inorganic or ash in the dry leaf tobaccos which I have examined is 20·32, and the stem from which snuff is largely made contains still more. The result is that the tobacco manufacturer not only loses the value of the tobacco over and above the duty, but also a part of the duty which he has paid. This matter concerns the tobacco manufacturer alone, but I would point out that the authorities in Somerset House in fixing such a high standard for tobacco are benefiting the public at the expense of the manufacturer, whereas in the case of milk the low standard which they employ is a loss to the public and gain to the dishonest dealer.”