of brandy,—enough certain make the wine quite intoxica- 
therefore sweetness does not 
prove that a wine is unintoxicati When the juice of the 
grape is boiled down, so as to be thick like honey, or even 
solid, then, indeed, it cannot ferment, and may be kept an indefi- 
times the case among the ancients; but w 
they called defrutum, in which the juice was boiled away only 
_ one half, was of this character, that is, thick enough to prevent 
all fermentation, I much doubt. _ This inspissated juice of the 
grape was rather regarded as honey, and so it is called in the Biz _ 
ble, and at the present day in the eastern world it is a very com- 
mon article; but so far asI can learn, by inquiring of several 
missionaries, it is not called wine, but is rather a substitute for 
our honey or molasses. Admitting however that this article was 
sometimes called wine by the ancients, (and I have no doubt of 
the fact,) its use as a beverage must necessarily have been quite 
limited, and therefore this fact does not invalidate my general 
conclusion, that the character of the ancient and modern wines 
in eastern countries was essentially the same. This conclusion, | 
at which Prof. Beck arrived by chemical considerations, in his 
valuable paper on the analysis of wines in this Journal, (Vol. 
XXVIU,) seems now to be still farther confirmed by experiment. | 
I trust that in arriving at such conclusions, it will not be ima- 
gined that I wish to take away any support, or do in fact take 
away any support, from the noble cause of temperance, which I 
have endeavored for so many years to sustain both theoretically 
and practically. ‘True, some able friends of this cause have sup- 
posed the ancient wines to be mostly unintoxicating. But I rest 
and always have rested its support on very different grounds than 
the per cent. of alcohol in the wines of Syria and Palestine. But 
this is a point irrelevant to the present paper, and therefore I 
waive it. 'To find out the exact truth should be the object of 
every scientific investigation, however it may affect opposing 
opinions. 
In the paper of Prof. Beck just spoken of, he has given the anal- 
ysis of a few samples of American cider; and he found in them 
only the average per cent. of 4-68; whereas Prof. Brande gives — 
the average of 7-54 per cent. as the amount in English cider. I 
