the Strengths and Values of Spirituous Liquors. 307 



*^ one in two:" an(J for all these we have no term what- 

 ever. 



§ 23, The next mode of denomination of which we shall 

 Apeak is that which is founded on the consideration of the 

 proportion of water which it would be necessary to add to 

 or subtract from a given quantity of any liquor, in order to 

 render it of proof strength, and which proportion is esti- 

 mated in hilndrcdth parts of the quantity of the liquor in 

 question. Thus a liquor of which 100 gallons would re- 

 quire the addition of 20 gallons of water to reduce it to 

 the proof strength was said to be 20 per cent, over proof j 

 and one of whieh 100 gallons would have required the s?iIj- 

 traction, if that were possible, of 20 gallons of water to ren- 

 uler it of proof strength (or, which is the same thing, of 

 which 100 gallons might be produced by making up 20 of 

 water to 100, by the addition of proof spirit), was said to 

 be 20 per cent. Under proof. 



§ 24. This latter method of denominating the strengths 

 of these liquors which obtained in consequence of the de- 

 fects and inconveniences already stated in § 21 to have be- 

 longed to that of Mr. Clarke, was, as well as that, founded 

 on the supposition that the quantity by measure of any com- 

 pound of spirit and water wovild be equal to the sum of their 

 quantities before mixture, the principle of concentration 

 (§ 10) being, when it was first adopted, scarcely known. 



If, indeed, this supposition were true, either mode of 

 denomination would, though with different degrees of qon- 

 venience, convey an idea of both the relative strengths and 

 values of the compounds. This, however, being now 

 known to be by no means the case, as has been already 

 stated, it is, perhaps, rather unfortunate that the system of 

 denomination mentioned in the last section has now ac* 

 fjuired such a verv general acceptation, that we may expect 

 that it will not be without some difficulty that the same 

 svstem, onlv so far changed as to render it consistent with 

 the present state of science and truly indicative of relative 

 strcnijths and values, will be received and understood. 



§ 25. If the gallon of proof spirit is to be our standard 

 of comparison, we should of course indicate its tempera^ 

 ture, for quantities by mmsitre are not the same at different 

 degrees of heat (§ 8). We have already supposed this_ to 

 be f)0° (§ 20) : but the gauging or nicasuring and proving 

 of spirituous liquors, both by the revenue officers and deal- 

 tr.<, are performed at various temperatures; and the qu.an- 

 tity of the spirit itself which its measure indicates therefore 

 ^aric« accorUint;Iy. Now if this variation in bulk N\as equal 

 i; 2 in 



