APPENDIX. 



ON THE 



ACIDITY, SWEETNESS, AND STKENGITH OE 

 DIEEEBENT WINES. 



(From the Proceedings of the Royal Institution of Great Britain.} 



BY 

 THE EDITOR. 



In the Philosophical Transactions for 1811 and 1813, Mr. 

 Brande has given a table of the strength of wine, beer and 

 spirits : if these fluids acted on the system only as stimulants, 

 no further experiments would be required to enable any one 

 to determine their comparative medicinal and dietetic values ; 

 but wine and beer contain many other substances besides 

 spirit and water. Acids, sugar, ethers, salts, and colouring 

 matter are all also present in varying proportions ; and it 

 must at least be known which wine or beer is most sweet, 

 and which is most acid, as well as which is most strong, 

 before any satisfactory answer can be given whether port or 

 sherry, claret or champagne, bitter beer or brandy should be 

 taken. It would also be very desirable that the amount of 

 salts and volatile ethers should also be known ; but the 

 large quantity of fluid requisite for the analyses renders the 

 questions relative to these substances still more difficult to 

 answer. 



