REPORT OF SociETy’s MEETINGS, 171 
The following Report of the Agricultural Committee 
was read and taken for notification :— 
.Georgetown, March roth, 1897. 
To the President and Members of the 
Royal Agricultural and Commercial Society. 
Gentlemen,—In accordance with the Government Regulations, under 
which the Agricultural Committee of the Society are permitted to have 
free samples of articles of general interest to the Colony, I have the 
honour to lay over a report on so-called “ Faulty” Rum, by the Gov- 
ernment Chemist, which the Committee consider to be of great 
importance. 
I have, &c., 
S. BELLAIRS, 
Hon. Secretary, Agricultural Committee, 
REPORT ON “ FAULTY” RUM, 
- Not unfrequently during recent years complaints have been made by 
purchasers of Demerara rum in England that the rum was “ faulty,” and 
in many cases considerable reductions have been claimed in consequence 
from the market price, and thus, to a considerable extent, the trade of 
the colony in rum has been crippled; the lower prices obtained when 
the rum has been classed as “ faulty ” not being remunerative. 
Rums have been and are classed as “ faulty” when on admixture with 
water in such proportions as to reduce the strength to 25 o/o under 
proof, which in the case of our rums means approximately their dilution 
with an equal bulk of water, the diluted spirits, either at once or after 
standing for some hours, become cloudy, either depositing on longer 
standing a more or less copious precipitate or showing the presence, in 
greater or less abundance, of floating flocculencies. This so called test 
appears to be made at times with cold water, at times with boiling water, 
but in both cases the rum is left to stand for several hours before a final 
decision as to its quality is arrived at. 
Very many samples of so called “ faulty ” rum have been, from time to 
time, sent back to this colony, and have here been re-tested with ordinary 
rain water or with distilled water. As a rule almost all of these samples 
have remained perfectly clear, and the reason for their having been 
classed as “faulty” has appeared to be a mystery. 
On a few occasions rums have been found to become cloudy upon 
dilution with pure water, and the causes of this have been proved in 
some cases to be the presence of a caramel in the colouring matter easily 
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