312 METHOD OF DISTILLING 



before they lighted their fire, they luted on a fhort tube 

 of a like bore; placing the pot, and directing its fpout 

 fo as that, when filled with water, it threw a conftant 

 and uniform dream of it, from about a foot high, or 

 nearThe center of the bottom of the copper-pot, where 

 it was diffufed pretty completely over its whole fur- 

 face ; and the water falling down into the upper part 

 of the pan of the adkur, it thence was conveyed through 

 the fquare hole, already mentioned, by a trough luted 

 on to it for that purpofe, to a cooling receiver a few 

 feet from the furnace ; from which they took it up 

 again to fupply the upper pot, as occaiion required. 



As their ftock of water, however, in this fort of cir- 

 culation, was much fmaller than it feemingly ought to 

 have been, being fcarcely more than fix or eight gal- 

 lons, it too foon became hot; yet, in fpite of this dif- 

 advantage, that fo eafily might have been remedied, 

 and the fhortnefs of the conducting tube, which had 

 nothing but the common air to cool it, there ran a 

 (Iream of liquor from the ftill ; and but very little va- 

 pour riling from it; beyond any thing I had ever feen 

 from ftills of a much larger fize, fitted with a worm 

 and cooler. In about three hours time, indeed, from 

 their lighting of the fire, they drew off full fifteen bot- 

 tles of fpirit; which is more by a great deal, I be- 

 lieve, than could have been done in our way from a 

 Hill of twice the dimenfions. 



The convenience of a worm and cooler, which arc 

 no fmall expcnce either, I have myfelf often expe- 

 rienced ; and if thefe could be avoided in fo fimple a 

 way that might eafily be improved, the hints that are 

 here offered may be of fome ufe. The thin metal head 

 is certainly well adapted, I think, to tranfmit the heat 

 to the water, which is conflantly renewed ; and which, 

 if cold, as it ought to be, mud abforb the faiteft 

 poffible: whereas, in our way, the water being confined 



in 



