250 Analysis of Wines from Asia Minor, Palestine, &. 
ion of this subject. But it 
yses of wines from some of the 
n Asia, whence the wines of 
was put in requisition in the di 
has seemed to me that a few ana 
most famous localities of weste I 
Scripture were obtained, would do much more towards settling 
the question as to their alcoholic ch racter, than the most ingen- 
ious philological criticisms. And I iy I was surprised to 
find that no such analysis had been ma le. I wrote, therefore, 
to my friend, Rev. Henry J. Van Lennep, American missionary _ 
at Smyrna, requesting him to send me specimens of the common 
wines of Palestine, Syria, and Asia Minor. As Mr. Van Lennep 
was a native of Smyrna, I thought he would be better acquai 
ed with the proper localities than a foreigner, and be more sure — 
of obtaining specimens in an unenforced and unadulterated state ; 
while the fact that he was educated in this country, would make 
him fully acquainted with the precise object I had in view. I 
was particular to request him to send no specimen but the pure 
juice of the grape, to which no ardent spirit had been added. 
To my request he kindly attended, though with no small trouble. 
of wine from the Levant. I have met with a good deal of diffi- 
culty in obtaining specimens from Syria and Palestine, or rather in 
getting them transported from thence. For what with quaran- : 
tine regulations, delays of vessels, &c. it is now more than a 
year, I think, since I wrote to some of the missionary brethren 
at Beyroot and Jerusalem on the subject. I now forward to Bos- 
ton, to your address, a box containing the following: one bottle | 
of wine from Mount Lebanon, one year old, and another from 
the same place, six years old; two bottles from Hebron, age un- 
known; one bottle from Corfu, age unknown ; one bottle from 
Syria, place and age unknown; one bottle from Cyprus, not old; 
one bottle from Samos, not old; one bottle from Rhodes, one | 
year old; one bottle from Smyrna, new, that is, about a year old. 
1 hope the custom-house officers will not open the box, and shall 
therefore write the contents on the outside. But with all the 
precautions I have taken, I should not be surprised should they 
all, or many of them, reach you soured. Then, instead of yout : 
laboratory, they will take their place in your store-room, and 
whenever you have salad on your table, you will please pour 02 
the vinegar to my health—a sour health to be sure !” | 
