CUAUVENET, WILLIAM. 



CHEMICAL EXAMINATION, ETC. 83 



1 :it Dartmouth College in 1817, and im- 



iti-ly ciuiiinenced the study of theology, 

 ordained a deacon in the following year, 



a pri<--t in INJII, l>y Hishop Griswold. 



after his ordination ho became rector of 

 liiimamiol Church at Bellows Falls, Vt., where 



utinued his ministry until 1844. During 

 hi-* ( -oniiiM tion with the Bellows Falls society 

 tlio important question regarding lands granted 

 in colonial times by Government to the Epis- 

 copal Church came up for settlement in the 

 Supreme Court of that State, and during the 

 litigation Mr. Chase performed very important 

 v r\ ico for tho denomination. From Bellows 

 Fall-* ho removed to Claromont, N. H., nccept- 

 i;i^ the rectorship of Trinity Church. lie was 

 consecrated Bishop of the Diocese of New 

 Hampshire during the same year, 1844. The 

 State had been included in the Eastern Dio- 

 cese before his consecration. Until 1863 ho 

 performed all tho parochial duties of his rec- 

 torship in Claremont as well as those of a 

 bishop, but was then relieved on account of 

 feeble health. Bishop Chase had many diffi- 

 culties to meet during the more than quarter 

 of a century in which ho was the head of the 

 Episcopal Church in New Hampshire. The 

 prosperity which has attended the denomina- 

 tion in that State is evidence of his untiring 

 labor and energy. Every minister in the dio- 

 cese, whatever his discouragements, found in 

 him a hearty colaborer and a firm friend. He 

 was always on terms of friendliness, and, in- 

 deed, affection, with all other clergymen with- 

 in his jurisdiction. He was universally beloved 

 as a citizen, combining a most amiable disposi- 

 tion with the grace of a refined and cultivated 

 gentleman. After the deposition of Bishop 

 Onderdonk in New York, Bishop Chase was 

 called to this State, and filled tho vacancy for 

 a short time. In 1852 he preached the sermon 

 at the consecration of Bishop "Wainwright of 

 New York. He was a member of the Masonic 

 fraternity, being a Royal Arch Mason at the 

 time of his death. In 1839 he received the 

 degree of Doctor of Divinity from the Uni- 

 versity of Vermont. 



CHAUVENET, WILLIAM, LL. D., an eminent 

 mathematician, professor, and author, born in 

 1821 ; died at St. Paul, Minn., December 13,1870. 

 He was educated at Yalo College, graduating in 

 1840, and soon after his graduation entered the 

 naval service as Professor of Mathematics, and 

 was appointed to tho Naval School, then lo- 

 cated at the Naval Asylum, in Philadelphia. 

 When the school was removed to Annapolis, 

 Prof. Chauvenot remained in connection with 

 it, and was one of the most energetic and effi- 

 cient members of tho board by which its or- 

 ganization was changed into tho present Naval 

 Academy, on tho basis of the Military School 

 nt West Point. Ho resigned his position in 

 tho Academy to accept a professorship in the 

 Washin<rton University of Missouri. During 

 his residence at Annapolis he devoted the 

 greater part of his time, aside from that ro- 



quin-d by tho demands of the institution, to 

 tin- production of his "Manual of Special and 

 Practical Astronomy," which was published 

 by Lippincott & Oo. in 1863. This is a work 

 of purely scientific character, and so remark- 

 able for tho ability and attainments in m:it!i<- 

 maticol science of which it gave evidence, that 

 Prof. Chauvenet's reputation as a mathemati- 

 cian was at once established. Atlcr the death 

 of Prof. Olmstead of Yale College, ho was 

 twice offered tho vacant professorship. lie 

 declined it, but, though he was at this time 

 Chancellor of Washington University, Mis- 

 souri, he accepted in 1868 the Mathematical 

 Professorship in tho University of St. Louis, 

 and prosecuted his labors on another mathe- 

 matical work of kindred character with his 

 Manual of Astronomy. He died before this 

 was quite completed. 



CHEMICAL EXAMINATION OF AMER- 

 ICAN GRAPES AND WINES. The com- 

 parative value of American wines, as indicated 

 by extended analyses of the same, is shown by 

 Prof. C. M. Wetherill. He says : 



" The American vintner has to solve the 

 problem : 'To furnish from our native grapes a 

 wine at as low a cost, and with at least as fine 

 a flavor, as the well-known brands of Europe.' 

 The solution is difficult. Our climate will not 

 permit the European vine to flourish, unless in. 

 California, and the juice of our native grapes 

 contains too much acid and too little sugar to 

 afford a good wine. 



"The localities of the grapes analyzed are 

 stated in the table of results, on page 86. The 

 first column of numbers denotes the percentage 

 of juice in the grape. The results were ob- 

 tained by weighing a quantity of the fruits, 

 pressing it in muslin under a hydraulic pres- 

 of the power of 6 tons, and weighing the res- 

 idue. The juice was then filtered and its spe- 

 cific gravity was taken (col. 2). Column 3 

 gives the percentage of ash of five specimens 

 of juice. 



" The fourth column embodies the important 

 results of the analysis, viz., the percentage of 

 dry grape-sugar in tho juice. The laws of 

 chemistry teach us 'that 92 parts of alcohol 

 may be obtained from 180 parts of grape-sugar ; 

 or, as we may say, for every per cent, of sugar 

 in the juice per cent, of alcohol is possible. 

 A must containing 12 per cent, of grape-sugar 

 cannot possibly give a wine containing more 

 than 6 per cent, of alcohol, unless sugar has 

 been added, or the must concentrated by evap- 

 oration. 



"The last column is no less important, al- 

 though the results are only for nine specimens. 

 It concerns the percentage of acid in tho grape- 

 juice. 



"An examination of the table will show the 

 value of the grapes in percentage of juice, rich- 

 ness in sugar, and freedom from acid. With 

 respect to the amount of juice, there is not a 

 very great difference between the respective 

 specimens : the lowest is No. 6, the highest, is 



