ON DIFFERENT SPECIES OF SUGAR. 30^ 



as possible. The following are the qualities jf this new- 

 kind of sugar. 



It has a considerable resemblance to the head of a caull- Qu;,i;ties of 

 flower, is perfectly white, and does not attract moisture. Its ^^^ crystals. 

 sweet, agreeable, and cool taste Is less saccharine than that of 

 common sugar, has ne resemblance to the flavour of honey, 

 but it leaves on the tongue something T can t describe of 

 farinaceous. It is easy to conceive, that if it were employed 

 to sweeten any thing, more would be reqnislte than of honey 

 or common sugar. 



If it be burned it diffuses the smell and usual fnmes of 

 burned sugar. Alcohol dissolves it without any residuum, 

 and by evaporation it separates afresh into granular concre- 

 tions. Lastly nitric acid converts it readily into oxalic. 

 The melasses that drains from it is nothing but the second The fluid 

 kind of honey, of which I shall speak, mixed Avith a little por^'O"- 

 gum, which alcohol instantly demonstrates. 



, The second kind however must not be considered as per- This no( free 

 fectly free from common honey, because the solubility of ^'"°'^ ^°^^^ 

 the latter in common honey and in alcohol are two causes ^^^^^' 

 that prevent obtainingan accurate separation of them. We 

 may succeed better by leaving a solution of honey in alcohol 

 to evaporate in the open air, for then the first crystallizes 

 and leaves the second tolerably pure. The honev of the 

 mountains of Moya for instance, which is of a superior 

 quality, affords in this way thirty-nine or forty per cent 

 of crystals, while by washing in alcohol we separate only 

 five or six and twenty. 



The fluid honey obtained in this manner is a sugar, that Qualitesofthe 

 retains a perfect transparency ; and however long we boil it, fluitl portion. 

 its appearance will only be that of a thick turpentine. It at- 

 tracts moisture, and is the second part of the sugar, which 

 formed with the first the honey that has just been examined. 



I have not examined their proportion in other sorts of 

 honey, for want of time ; but till this inquiry is extended 

 to more, we may deduce from these facts some useful in- 

 ferences respecting the nature of sugar. 



In the first place they show us, that the sugar collected ^^^^^^ 

 from flowers by the bees is of two species. They show us per"Ss! ^^° 

 too, that these species, vmited in honey, and compared with 



the 



