History of Amient and Modern Wines. 135 



Even with Dr. Prout's assistance, our author throws little light 

 upon the changes which wines suffer with age, and in the boitie ; 

 nor is his chapter on the " Mixture and Adulteration of Wines" 

 much more luminous. He concludes as a doctor ought, with an 

 essay " on the Dietetic and Medical qualities of Wine," from 

 which we learn that to most constitutions a moderate use of wine 

 is beneficial as a cordial and stimulant, and that like other poi- 

 sons, when administered with judgment and discretion, it produces 

 good effects. He, however, insinuates, that under any circum- 

 stances wine is to be viewed rather as a medicine than as a beve- 

 rage adapted to common use ; that people in health require no 

 such stimulants, and that by the preternatural excitement of frame 

 which it induces it must infallibly exhaust the vital powers. Un- 

 der the apprehension, however, of injuring the revenue, and wound- 

 ing the feelings of the many respectable persons to be found in the 

 trade, we shall not enlarge upon these topics, nor set forth the 

 multifarious evils which result to individuals and to the community 

 from the use of wine. * 



We have only further to remark, in respect to Dr. Henderson's 

 Work, that its present presuming form of an expensive quarto, is 

 in no way justified, either by its contents or embellishments ; it 

 would have made a respectable and useful octavo, and as such 

 would have had a more extensive circulation; or if he had set his 

 mind upon publishing a fine book, the wood-cuts should have been 

 more nicely executed, and carefully worked off, and there should 

 have been some additional embellishments, for which the drinking 

 vessels of the ancients, the chief varieties of the grape, and 

 sketches in the principal wine districts, would have furnished in- 

 teresting and ample materials. 



* In the Appendix Dr. Henderson refers to Mr. Brande's well-known table 

 of the strength of wines, and accuses him of having had adulterated liquors 

 palmed off upon him undtr genuine names. We were somewhat surprised at 

 this insinuation, as in the original papers in which Mr. Brande established 

 the fact that alcohol is not formed during the distillation of the wine, he par- 

 ticularly adverts to the pains which were taken to procure genuine and un- 

 adulterated samples, and we should presume that his opportunities of obtain- 

 in;j them were pretty extensive. That the strength of the best wines that can 

 be procured is very fluctuating his table amply shews. Dr. Henderson, how- 

 ever, condescends to add, that lie lias abandoned the opinion which he once 

 entertained, of fallacy in Mr. Brande's experiments, and largely quotes tlie 

 table we have alluded to, as standard authority. The fact is, that because 

 certain wines analyzed by Mr. Brando are stronger than those analyzed by 

 Ur. Prout, Dr. Henderson chooses to infer that they " must have been mixed 

 with a considerable quantity of adventitious alcohol." Mr. Brande might re- 

 turn the compliment, by inferring that Dr. Henderson's wines were mixed 

 with a " considerable quantity of adventitious" water ; but we must leave tho 

 chemical gentlcnien to determine this point. 



