1835.] Great Britain and Ireland. 459 



is drawn off into the under-back, which is a vessel adjusted 

 for thus receiving the wort. More hot water is added, and 

 the mashing process repeated, until the grain has been 

 wholly deprived of its saccharine matter, which is generally 

 accomplished by three, or at the most, four mashings, when 

 nothing remains in the mash-tun but the husks, or dratf, 

 which are used as food for cattle. 



4. The Under-hack is a vessel placed under the mash-tun; 

 its use is simply to receive the liquor from the mash-tun, 

 which has become sweet tasted, and is then called worts, 

 possessing a specific gravity exceeding that of water, varying 

 according to the quantity of saccharine matter it holds in 

 solution ; all these worts are in rotation pumped up from 

 the under-back, and the first, or sometimes first and second 

 worts, that is, the worts obtained from the first and second 

 mashings are pumped into the coolers, from whence, when 

 sufficiently reduced in temperature, they are conveyed into 

 the fermenting tun. The subsequent, or weaker worts, 

 produced by the third or fourth mashings, are pumped into 

 the coppers, where, being brought to the proper tempera- 

 ture they are used as liquor in the succeeding operation. 

 Sometimes, instead of being so used, they are boiled down, 

 till, by evaporating a portion of the water, the remainder 

 has been raised to the required strength, or specific gravity 

 which fits it for being sent to the fermenting tuns. The 

 gravity is ascertained by means of an instrument called a 

 saccharometer. 



The first accurate instrument of this kind was invented 

 by Dr. Thomson of Glasgow, about thirty years ago, and 

 constructed by Mr. Allan, of Edinburgh, whose name it 

 bears. It consists of a brass, egg-shaped ball, poised un- 

 derneath, with a stem rising above, which is furnished 

 with a line of numbers, indicating the specific gravity of 

 the sample under examination, at the temperature of 60°; 

 a scale of difference accompanies it, for making corrections, 

 according as the temperature varies, either under or over 

 60°. Its application for revenue purposes in Scotland has 

 been legalized by several acts of Parliament. The saccha- 

 rometer used for revenue purposes in England, is known 

 by the maker's name. Bate. It differs from Allan's, in hav- 

 ing its weights, or poises, under the liquor ; the weights 



