j8o December 1748. 



marjh grapes, but the Rnglijh call them/a* 

 grapes ; they have not an agreeable flavour, 

 and are feldom eaten by the inhabitants of 

 this country, who makeufe of a fmall kind 

 of wild grapes, which grow on a dry foil,, 

 and pretty late in autumn when they are 

 quite ripe, are eaten raw, and have a very 

 good flavour, being a mixture of fweet 

 and acid : fome people dry thefe grapes 

 when gathered and bake them in tarts, &c. 

 they likev/ife make ufe of them as dried 

 fweetmeats. The Swedes formerly made a 

 pretty good wine from them ; but have 

 now left it off. However fome of the En- 

 glijh ftill prefs an agreeable liquor from 

 thefe grapes, which they aflured me was as 

 good as the beft claret, and that it would 

 keep for feveral years. 



The manner of preparing this fort of 

 wine has been defcribed at large in an al- 

 manack of this country, for the year 1743, 

 and is as follows : the grapes are collected 

 from the twenty firfl: of September to about 

 the eleventh of Nove?nber,. that is as they 

 grow ripe : they muft be gathered in dry 

 weather, and after the dew is gone off: 

 the grapes are cleared of the cobwebs, dry 

 leaves, and other things adhering to them. 

 Next a great hogfhead is prepared which has 

 either had treacle or brandy in -, it is warned 



very 



