I Have No Hesitation In
Saying That In The Whole Of West Africa, In One Week, There Is Not
One-
Quarter the amount of drunkenness you can see any Saturday night
you choose in a couple of hours in the
Vauxhall Road; and you will
not find in a whole year's investigation on the Coast, one-
seventieth part of the evil, degradation, and premature decay you
can see any afternoon you choose to take a walk in the more densely-
populated parts of any of our own towns. I own the whole affair is
no business of mine; for I have no financial interest in the liquor
traffic whatsoever. But I hate the preying upon emotional sympathy
by misrepresentation, and I grieve to see thousands of pounds wasted
that are bitterly needed by our own cold, starving poor. I do not
regard the money as wasted because it goes to the African, but
because such an immense percentage of it does no good and much harm
to him.
It is customary to refer to the spirit sent out to West Africa as
"poisonous" and as raw alcohol. It is neither. I give an analysis
of a bottle of Van Hoytima's trade-gin, which I obtained to satisfy
my own curiosity on the point.
"ANALYSIS OF SAMPLE OF TRADE-GIN.
"With reference to the bottle of the above I have the honour to
report as follows: -
It contains - Per cent.
Absolute alcohol . . . . . 39.35
Acidity expressed as acetic acid . 0.0068
Ethers expressed as acetic acid . 0.021
Aldehydes.
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