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ginally white, but by long keeping they na- 

 turally become a little stained by the cask ; 

 and to give this appearance of age to the 

 brandies shipped for England, burnt sugar 

 and other dyes are added to such an excess, 

 as to destroy the natural flavour of the spirit. 



Private families would do well to buy 

 none but the best pale brandy, and the im- 

 portation of bad brandies would soon cease. 



The fruiterers of London have a consi- 

 derable trade in preserved grapes, which are 

 principally brought from Portugal in large 

 earthen jars, closely cemented down: these 

 grapes add considerably to the luxury of our 

 winter desserts, as they are sold at moderate 

 prices for so rare a fruit. 



This art of preserving grapes was well 

 known to the Romans. Columella gives a 

 particular account of the manner they were 

 preserved, both in his time, and in the time 

 of his uncle Marcus Columella. He recom- 

 mends them to be put into small jars that 

 will only contain one bunch, and that the 

 fruit should be gathered quite dry, when the 

 sun is on it, and after being cooled in the 

 shade, to be suspended in the jars, and the 

 vacua to be filled up with oat chaff, after all 

 the dust has been blown from it. The jars 

 must be well baked or burned, and not such 



