tht; Shnigfhs a7ul J'alucs of Spirit nous Liqmrs. 207 



with exactness, and whose bulk, stowage, carriage, and in- 

 cuMibrance, would be only half in regard to that~of brandy, 

 or proof spirit ; and it might at all tunes, as occasion called 

 tor It, be mixed into a great variety of extemporaneous liquors, 

 and the exact degree of strength would be always precisely 



cnown. 



" This operation, indeed, in the common way, proves so 

 tedious and expensive, and, after all, so short of expectation, 

 and so generally unsatisfactory, that it is not to be expected 

 that the common distillers, till they have fallen into a better 

 manner of working, should come into the proposal. But if, 

 instead of the connnon way of rectifying by the hot still, they 

 would try the using a large balneum Marice, made of alar^ 

 rectangular boiler, and a set of tall conical vessels, they wfll 

 find that little fire and lutle attendance, and consequently 

 very little expense, will, in this manner, furnish them with 

 spirits reduced at once to this standard, and greatly superior, 

 in all respects, to the common ones of the same strength. 

 In this case there would be no need of any addition of salts ; 

 but the distiller may work more perfectly and more expedi- 

 tiously without them, and thus preserve the line essential vi- 

 nosity of the spirit, which in the common \\-ay of working 

 they constantly lose." 



" The advantage of this method would be yet greater to 

 apothecaries, to the makers of compound cordial waters, 

 who want only a pure spirit of such a strength, and suffer 

 greatly in the fineness and perfection of thei^- commodities 

 by the spirit they are obliged to use having in it a fulsome 

 and nauseoys oil of its own, which will always mix itself 

 with their compositions, and the oils of the aromatics, &c. 

 which they add to it. If spirits were brought to this stan- 

 dard for the market, there would be no possibility of deceit ; 

 and no further exaininalion need be made of it by the buyer 

 than its burning perfectly dry in a spoon." 



So much for the general state of science with respect to 

 matters of this nature. 



§ 16. The only trace which we are able to find of anv at- 

 tempt to define by parliamentary authoritv v/-hat any deno- 

 mination of strength of a spirituous liquor reaiiv signifies, 

 IS by a loose passage in the act 2 Geo. HI. c. 5, which is as 

 follows : " And for the purposes of this act it is hereby tn- 

 acted, by the authority aforesaid, that each gallon of brandy 

 or s|)irits, of the strength of one to six under hydrometer- 

 proof, shall be taken and reckoned at seven pounds and 

 liiirteen ouric«;s the gallon." 



lii« reader will in a moment perceive the striking inac- 



; curacy 



