332 sugar raised in Britain. Feb. lOr 



These, facts have been long known to philosophicai 

 readers, but the circumstance which has deterred any per- 

 son from ever having attempted to extract sugar, on a 

 large scale, from tliis plant, is the seeming difficulty and 

 expensivenefs of the procefs ; a difficulty which, however, 

 appears to be by no means insurmountable in Britain, 

 where large capitals can be applied to purposes of this 

 sort, when suitable returns may be occasionally expected. 

 The expence of the procefs arises from this circum- 

 stance, that the sugar must be extracted from the root by 

 means of ardent spirits ; now, in making such an extract in 

 open vefsels, great must be the waste by evaporation. 

 If, however, the procefs were carried on in close vefsels) 

 no lofs could pofsibly be sustained from evaporation ; and 

 to any person who reflects upon the subject for a moment, 

 it will appear obvious that nothing but the expence stands 

 in the way of having an apartment, made of any size that 

 ihould be required, perfectly close, in which the whcvc 

 procefs of digestion, for making the extract, could be per- 

 formed without the smallest waste. And this apartment, 

 or vefsel, being once made, would stand in very little need 

 of repairs to keep it in perfect good order for many years 

 to come. It is unnecefsary to add, that the extract being 

 once made, the evaporation of the spirit fliould be made ia 

 a still, properly adapted for that purpose ; by which pro- 

 cefs, the spirit would be again obtained pure for carrying 

 on the businefs by a second procefs. In this manner, a 

 stock of spirits once obtained, might be continued for a 

 long time with very little diminution, as to quantity ; and 

 consequently with little expence to the undertaker. 



It is not impofsible indeed but the spirit, during this 

 procefs, might be refined, and improved, so as to become an 

 additional source of profit to the undertaker. But withr 

 out dwelling on that head, or on the collateral advantage 

 the farmer roi^t derive from the leaves, while the plant 



