’ 
Distillation of Ardent Spirit.  O5e 
his own experiments, forms a spirit. This observa- 
tion was suggested on my first reading Dr. Penning- 
ton’s Inaugural Dissertation; but, in order more 
fully to satisfy myself, I took a gallon of wort, to 
which I added, at a proper temperature, two ounces 
of yest. The mixture was made in a glass jar, and I 
observed all the signs of .a beginning fermentation, 
such as a motion excited in the liquor, the bulk of 
which was increased and rendered turbid by the ap- 
pearance of opake filaments, together with an in- 
crease of heat. After it had stood three quarters 
of an hour, I distilled it, but not a drop of spirit 
came over, It may be urged, that this is but a ne- 
gative fact; but (when we observe that a similar 
change is effected in the dough to that in the fer- 
menting malt liquor, in an equal length of time, 
when we see the products of each turn out exactly 
alike, and when we consider that dough of itself 
ferments in a few days, without the addition of yest) 
we have, at least, presumptive evidence that the 
raising of bread is a beginning of fermentation. 
I have made some additional experiments to pro- 
duce artificial ferments from molasses, sugar, honey, 
and the expressed juice of ripe fruits; but as I found 
them all much inferior to the flowers of wine, or 
common yest, my subsequent experiments were all 
assisted by the latter. 
When I mention the quantity of yest used, I 
