174 TIMEHRI. 
precipitation of part of the calcium sulphate and carbonate present in 
the well water by the alcohol. During this part of the investigation it 
was found that the amorphous organic matters precipitated by the addi- 
tion of the well water to the “faulty” rums were largely soluble ir 
solutions of caustic soda or potash, or of the hydrate or carbonate of 
ammonia, 
Attempts were made to prevent the formation of the precipitate with 
Liverpool well water, by acidifying the rum slightly with acetic acid or 
with butyric acid, but were quite without success. 
When, however, the “faulty” rum was rendered faintly alkaline by 
the addition of caustic soda or of carbonate of ammonia, a precipitate 
was produced, and after this had settled, the rum when mixed with 
Liverpool well water remained perfectly clear except for a slight 
precipitate of calcium sulphate and carbonate. These observations 
pointed out one mode of overcoming the difficulty by rendering the 
rum very faintly alkaline with caustic soda, or preferably with a solu- 
tion of ammonium carbonate soon after the rum is coloured. By 
this proceeding the depth of colour of the rum is distinétly increased, 
but an objeétion arises with regard to the injury which may be done to 
the flavour of the spirits by the addition of an alkaline substance. 
A further question now arose :—might not the matter precipitable by 
the Liverpool well water be derived from the casks in which the rum is 
exported and not from the spirits or from the caramel used for colour- 
ing? Several samples of freshly coloured rum were examined and were 
found in'every case to stand the test with the Liverpool well water, only 
faint precipitates of calcium sulphate being produced at low tempera- 
tures whilst the bulk of the samples after mixture with the water 
remained clear for many days. 
Samples of staves from various sources were supplied to me by 
Messrs. Booker Bros & Co., and were, after being split up into thin 
pieces, soaked in alcohol for several days. Being split into small pieces 
exposed relatively a large surface of the stave wood to the solvent action 
of the alcohol. 
All the kinds of staves experimented with were found to give up 
colouring matters to the alcohol. After standing for two days, the 
alcohol was tested, and was found to remain clear when mixed with dis- 
tilled water, but to give decided precipitates or flocculencies with Liver- 
pool well water, identical in characters with those characteristic of 
** faulty” rum, 
Ai 
