62 ALCOHOL IN GREAT BRITAIN AND U. S. 



alcohol drank or produced annually in France, at a low estimate, is 

 86,570,870 or more than 2 gallons for each person. Deducting, as 

 consuming none of this, one-third of the population for children under 

 twelve, and say all the women, which is scarcely supposable, and there 

 will be consumed by each of the 10,167,000 males over ten, between 

 7 and 8 gallons of alcohol. But from this should be deducted, say one- 

 third for exportation, and the amount then consumed by each would be 

 above five gallons. This, though not so apparent in its effects to a 

 stranger as in most other countries, is said to be appalling to residents, 

 especially in the north of France, where it is chiefly drank. Drunk- 

 enness is said to be the curse of the laboring classes; and of the insane, 

 it appears that a large proportion are made so by drinking wine. 



Intoxicating drinks in Great Britain we have briefly noticed, but to 

 make a comparison we might repeat that the amount of beer drank, as 

 stated, is 9| millions of barrels, or 342 millions of gallons. The amount 

 of alcohol in this, at five per cent, is 17,100,000 gallons. The amount 

 of cider drank is estimated, for 1830, at 4,725,000 gallons, the alcohol 

 of which, at 7 per cent., is 330,750 gallons ; the ardent spirits drank, 

 say in 1830, was 27,708,831, the alcohol of which, at 50 per cent., is 

 13,854,415, and the wine 6,434,445, the alcohol of which, estimated at 

 20 per cent., is 1,286,889, making the total of gallons 380,868,276, or 

 near 16 gallons for each person. The total of this in alcohol is 32,- 

 572,054 gallons. Taking the population of 1830 at 24,500,000, and 

 one-third as males over twelve, as estimated with the French, and the 

 amount for each of 8,333,500 persons will be over four gallons. But 

 this does not include the amounts produced by the great numbers of 

 private breweries. 



Drugged beer and spirits," it is said, constitute the staple drink 

 of the great body of the people, especially in the metropolis, where it 

 is rapidly accelerating their degeneracy." The excessive use of in- 

 toxicating liquors in Ireland has been a revolting evil, but the late en- 

 couraging progress of temperance there has most happily produced a 

 remarkable change, whilst in England little, if any change in this re- 

 spect has been, or from appearances is likely soon to be effected. 



The amount of alcoholic drinks in the United States may be determin- 

 ed as follows. There were produced in 1840, 41.402.627 gals, of dis- 

 tilled liquors ; 124.734 gals, of wine, and 23.267.730 gals, of beer. The 

 value of spirits, of grain and other materials imported was $1.592.564, 

 of that of molasses $2.910.791. Of beer, ale and porter $135.485, and 

 of wines $2.209. 176. 



Calculating the above amount distilled to be of spirits 36.343.236 

 gals, and the alcohol at 50 per cent., this would be 18.171.618 gals. ; 

 also the amount of foreign spirits at 2.500.000 gals, and the alcohol at 

 50 per cent, would be 1.250.000 gals. Calculating also the wines im- 

 ported at 4,000.000 gals, and the alcohol at 18 per cent, and the do- 



