Taken from an English Newspaper. In the year 1867.
At the Liverpool Police Court, Samuel Johnson, of Priory Mount, Liverpool, was charged with having in his possession certain vegetable and other materials manufactured to imitate snuff. Mr. Dwelly prosecuted on behalf of Inland Revenue. Mr. Rochfort Connor, Supervisor of Inland Revenue, deposed that he visited the premises of Mr. Thos. Hains, a licensed tobacco dealer in Liverpool, on 28th March last, and received a canister from Mrs. Hains, which she purchased from Johnson at the rate of 3s. 1d. per pound, and labelled, “P. Murphy’s Genuine Irish High Toast Snuff.”
He examined the “snuff,” and found it to be composed of the starch and skins of wheat, yellow ochre, and other earth, and totally devoid of tobacco. He afterwards searched Johnson’s premises, and found 48 similar canisters of a similar article, which he seized. The defendant stated that he had received the “snuff” from a house in Dublin, and was to receive 20 percent commission on its sale. Mr. W. Harkness, an Inland Revenue chemist, stated that he had examined a sample of “Murphy’s high toast snuff,” and found it to contain 18 percent of yellow ochre, 56.10 of wheat starch and skins, 20.70 og clay, and 5.20 of moisture, that the articles were well ground and prepared to resemble genuine snuff, and did not contain a trace of tobacco.
In answer to the charge, the defendant said he knew nothing whatever about the composition of the “snuff” and put in a letter, the reading of which caused considerable merriment in court. The magistrate, on consulting, said the defendant had committed a very serious offence, whereby he had incurred a very heavy penalty, and without any extenuating circumstances. This was a positive fraud upon the community, for which the defendant must pay the full penalty of 200 pounds.