110 Mr. Cureie on the Composition of some Fermented Liquors. 



of alcohol in the fluid was ascertained ; then by multiplying the quantity 

 of distilled fluid by the per cent, of alcohol in it, and dividing by the 

 weight of the original fluid, the quantity of alcohol in the liquor is obtained. 

 The following tables show the result of a few of the experiments conducted 

 in this manner. 



There is another method adopted by the excise, which consists in taking 

 the specific gravity of the liquor under examination, distilling about |ds. 

 of it, then filling up to the original bulk with watei', and taking the specific 

 gravity. The second will be greater than the first, as the water is heavier 

 than alcohol ; by taking the diSerence between the two specific gravities, 

 subtracting fi'om 1000, andhy referring to a low wine table, the quantity 

 of alcohol in the liquor is obtamed. Many of the experiments were checked 

 by the second method. 



With the exception of the Prestonpans beer, the wines and Dublin 

 stout, all the specimens were manufactured at the Perth brewery. The 

 Madeira was above forty years old and had been at Calcutta. The Sherry 

 was upwards of twenty years old and had likewise been in India. The 

 Port was about fifteen years old. The Samshoo is a spirit distilled by 

 the Chinese from rice. It had been long in bottle, but was probably 

 imperfectly stoppered. 



TABLE I. 



