DJJfeftatioH on the Jiifhry of Sugar. 9 



fomuch by the antieiUs. Thofe therefore who, from the 

 reafons I have addiu'cd, may be, incHned to bdieve that the 

 fugar of the antieuts was the fame as that now in ufe, will 

 be readily pcrliuided that the anlient fugar di6cred in nothing 

 from ours but iu boilino- alone, and delpumation, according 

 to the phrafe employed bv chemilts. 



In my opinion, the antients were acquainted with a certaia 

 fweet fubftance collected from reeds ; but it cannot be proved 

 in a manner fufficiently fatisfadory that it was the tears of 

 the fame cane or plant from which our common fugar is 

 procured ; efpecially fince there are many kinds of reeds found 

 in India which exude mellcous drops. Left this conjetlure 

 lliould appear to be too remote from the truth, I fliall relate 

 what a jcfuit who had travelled through the fouthern part of 

 America wrote to Francis Mar. Piccolo: "That in India 

 mellcous dew was fometimes fo common that it formed itfelf 

 on reeds in great abundance, and. might thence be coUetSted 

 ■with very little trouble. He tailed thefe drops, and found 

 that they were perfeftly fimilar to fugar m every refpe<£i ex-r 

 cept the colour *." 



In relating the accovmts given by the antients of faccha- 

 rum, I purpofely omitted the words of Alexander of Aphro- 

 difias for two reafons : firft, becaule they are wanting in all 

 the Greek editions of that author, aiid are found only in th«j 

 Latin tranflations ; and therefore it is impoffible to fay what 

 his opinion was.f. In the fccond place, I omitted the paf- 



fage 



auferunt, albos etirvm faciunt denies. Nimirum res eft fuaviflima, neque 

 cum facchari arundinihus qiu; Roinse venundantur, coiiiparanda. Puer- 

 perie ctiam uiuntur otia ex pai:e piimum [orrct'acto, deinde in fiicci arun- 

 diiium uirima ccftura pofito. Supcraddunt vitclios, iquod is cihus amiffas 

 vires maxinie rcficiat, ac ftomachum et iiueftina recreec veiurcmque paul- 

 latim molliat. 



* Lettres edifianirs V. Reauil, p. 164 : Dans !e mois d' Avril de May et 

 de Juin, il tombe avec la rofce une cfjiece de marine qui fe congele et qui 

 s'tndurc:: fur les fcuilles des rofeaux, fur lefquelles on la ramaffe. J'ea 

 ai goute. Ellc eft un pcu moins blanche que le fucrc; mais ellc en a toute 

 la douceur.— VV^e are told alfo that theianie thing takes place in the king- 

 dom of Chili. See F'uLwre in C^inipmclio cLlla Sioria GfOgrophiia N.Uura/e 

 e Civild del Regno el Chile \ Bolcgna 1776, 8vo. p. 13 : and the German 

 tranilation, Hamliurgh 17112, Svo. p. 23. 



t Altxaiuiii Al>biuJijii Protdemata, omnibus Siudio/is non minus ittiUa 

 quam jujunda, Gro'ii ct Latine Joannis Dacdoiti Sindio iliujhnla: Parifiis 

 1541, iimo. lib. ii. § 78. p. 70.6: — Quod facchar Indi appellant, mellis 

 coagulum eft, folc cogente rores, cunverttntc(|ue ad intlli? dulcedinem. 

 Quod idem moire Lib^ni fieri certum eft. Fit facchar id proximum falls 

 globulis, candidum, frai^iie, vim id quoque ttrgendi purgandiquc melli 

 firnilem habet, et, c<j('.tiim litu mellis noftratis, non xque atquc incoftum 

 purgare potcft. Cibo tamen ita aflumtum aptius.ad altnduni eft. — There 



18 



