I 



VINOUS FERMENTATION. 35 



perlence ; we ought, leaving them all out of the queftion, 



to deduce from obfervation the theory, which we are too apt to 



form beforehand. If the genius of Stahl, inftead of giving Stahl mifled by 



birth to phlogifton, a being that never exifted but in the JjyP^^^^'J^' J^* 



briihant imagination of that extraordinary man, had inter- periment. 



rogated nature by means of experiment more than he did, 



perhaps it would not have gone aftray ; perhaps Stahl would 



have difcovered the truth, and deprived France of the glory 



of having produced the author of the modern theory of che- 



miftry. Such is the courfe I have purfued. Before I formed Faasobferved 



or adopted any fyftem, I obferved fads, and deduced from ^ 



them confequences, which, it appeared to me, muft guide us 



to the view of what paffes in hquors under fermentation. But 



in a fubje6l of fuch nicety nothing is more eafy than to deceive 



ourfeives ; and it is particularly for the purpofe of correding 



my notions, if they be not juft, that I fubrait to the clafs the 



refult of my inquiries *. 



My firft obfervations were made on the juice of goofeberries. He firft examla- 

 vvhich I had^ ftrong reafons to prefer to any other ; its fermen- |y.J°°3^g J^JJJ 

 tation proceeding with moft celerity, fo that it is confequently meriting moft 

 beft calculated to throw light on the caufes that produce it. ^"'*^^ ^5 

 All my refearches were direded at firfl to difcover the matter, in order to dlf- 

 that ferves as a ferment. It would be making a great ftep, asThe'fermtn/* 

 and almoft refolving the problem, or at leall difcovering a 

 number of truths not yet known, to determine the nature of 

 this matter, and toafcertain whether it be always one and the and whether it 

 fame, or whether there be feveral that poflTefs this property, fubftance*^ or*"^ 

 This important queftion had ftruck me long ago : I had even feveral. 

 meditated upon itoccalionally, and promifed myfelf to attempt 

 its folution, when the Inftitute propofed it as a fubjed of a 

 prize. This was an additional ftrong motive to my purfuing 

 it. 1 was far from being difpofed to admit feveral fermenta- Hefuppofed it 

 live principles ; «very thing led me to believe, that there was Jl ^'^^^^^ 

 but one, and that it was none of thofe hitherto fufpeded, fince 

 in fafl neither extraftive matter, nor mucilage, nor tartar, &c. 

 ads upon fu^ar. But this required pofitive demonftration ;an'i this, though 

 and though I have yet no abfolute proofs of it, as it is by no "d,' mS'prt."' 

 means demonftrated, that there are feveral, and one is ob- bable. 

 jerved on all occafions, this opinion feems to me at prefent to 

 deferve the preference. 



. * This paper was read to the National Inftitute. 



D2 Though 



