WAS 



and cowardly race. The Ofagcs have their villages on the 

 Miflburi. The Kanfas were, a few years ago, the molt 

 abandoned tribe of the MifTouri, robbing traders and all 

 trading whites ; but of late, in confequence of a fevere de- 

 feat from the Panis, in which their greatell warriors fell, 

 they have been humbled. They are brave, and are efteemed 

 great warriors. They have their villages on the Kanfas 

 river. Their country abounds with the beaver, but they do 

 not hunt much. They fpeak the Ofage language with fome 

 difference of dialeft. The Mahas, or Oo-ma-ha, refide on 

 the Maha creek, about 80 leagues above the latter, in fome 

 villages, and raifc corn. They are a friendly and induftrious 

 people, and have a confiderable trade. Their language is 

 that of the Ofages. All the Sioux bands, except the 

 Yankfons, make war upon them. Their numbers have been 

 lately much reduced. 



WASEN. See Wesen. 



Wasen, a town of Auftria ; 8 miles S.S.W. of St. 

 Polten. 



WASERHITEN, a town of the duchy of Carinthia ; 

 2 miles N.W. of EberndorfF. 



WASH, the difliller's name for the fermentable hquor, 

 made by diflblving the proper fubjeft for fermentation and 

 diflillation in common water. 



The wafh of the malt-diililler is made by mixing the 

 water hot with the malt ground into meal. If the water be 

 too hot, the mixture will become gluey ; and if too cool, a 

 part of the virtue of the malt will be loll. Under the right 

 application of the water is to be confidered the proper man- 

 ner of agitating the mafs, fo that all the parts of the aqueous 

 fluid may come fully and freely in contaft with the foluble 

 particles of the fubjeft. When once the water is well fatu- 

 ratcd by (landing on the malt a proper time, it may be drawn 

 off, and frefli poured on, till at length the whole virtue, or 

 all the fugary fweetnefs of the malt is extrafted, and nothing 

 but a fixed huHcy matter remains behind, incapable of being 

 farther difToIved by the afticjn of hot or boiling water, or of 

 being advantageoufly waflied or rinfed out by the bare affu- 

 fion of cold. This artificial and external agitation, or llir- 

 ring about of the mafs, is neceffary not only in the common 

 way of brewing for the malt-diftillery, but alfo in that more 

 expeditious way, now in ufe with fome, of reducing the 

 operations of brewing and fermenting to one, and grinding 

 the malt to a fine meal, which is to be kept in the wafli 

 during the whole time, and even put into the ftill with it, 

 and worked together. The ftirring may be repeated to 

 great advantage more than once in each operation, as at the 

 affufion of every parcel of frefh water, in the common way, 

 and at any (Tiortly diilant times in the (hort way, in which 

 it is of greater fervice. 



The difference of feafons is found to require fome alter- 

 ation in the direftion and management of the bufinefs of 

 brewing for the malt-diftillery. Tlie water mull always be 

 ufed colder in funimcr than in winter, and tlie tinfture muft 

 be cooled fuddenly in clofo fultry weather, to prevent it 

 from becoming eager or four. The fummer feafon alfo 

 gives malt an over-forward difpofition to ferment, and this 

 impairs the quantity of fpirit, and is to be checked by the 

 addition of a quantity of unmalted meal, which, being lefs 

 difpofcd to ferment than the malted meal, will rellrain and 

 moderate its impetuofity. Tlie adlion of fermentation works 

 fuch a change in the body of the tintture or lolution, called 

 the wadi, as to render it feparablc by the ai'lion of fire, into 

 parcels of matter that arc ipecificaliy different, and of a 

 nature entirely foreign to what the fame liquor would have 

 j"!elfied witliput the fermentation. With rcfpedl to the 



WAS 



proper workings of this liquor, great regard is to be had 

 to the containing veffel. Its purity, and the provifion for 

 its occafional clofenefs, are the things to be principally con- 

 fidered. Though it is neceffary that the veffel be perfeftly 

 clean, yet in the cleanfing of it great care mull be taken 

 that no foap, or other unAuous body, be ufed, for this 

 would check the fermentation in it ; and for the fame 

 reafon, all flrong alkaline lixiviums are to be avoided. 

 Lime-water, or even the turbid folution of quick-lime, 

 however, may be fafely ufed for this purpofe ; and this 

 is, indeed, particularly proper to deflroy a prevailing acid, 

 which is very apt to be generated about the fides and 

 bottoms of thofe veffels, if the warm air has accefs to them, 

 and thus prevents the order of the fermentation. 



It is a very prejudicial miftake, in the bufinefs of fer- 

 menting the walb, to fuppofe that the free concourfe or 

 admifTion of the external air is neceffary to tiie operation. 

 The contrary is the truth, and a great advantage wilt be 

 found in praftifing upon this fuppofition. A conftant in- 

 flux of the open air, if it does not carry off fome part of 

 the already-formed fpirit ; yet certainly catches up and 

 difTipates the fine fnbtle oleaginous and faline particles, of 

 which the fpirit is formed, and thus confiderably leffens the 

 quantity to be procured. This inconvenience is wholly 

 avoided by the way of clofe fermentation, by which all air, 

 except that which is contained in the veffel, is kept out. 



This method of clofe fermentation is practicable to good 

 advantage in the fmall way of bufinefs ; but it requires 

 fuch a confiderable time, that it will never be liked by the 

 large dealers, who are in a manner forced to admit the 

 free air, and thus fultain a very confiderable lofs in the 

 fpirit, only to get the operation over in a proper time. 

 Excepting for the neceflity of expedition of this kind 

 among the lar^e dealers, it is certain that this flow and 

 imperceptible vinous fermentation is greatly preferable, on 

 all accounts, to the other. 



The operation is known to be over in this clofe way of 

 fermentation, as foon as the hiffing iioife ceafes, and can no 

 longer be heard on applying the ear to the veffel ; and 

 when, on opening it, the liquor is found to be clear, and of 

 a vinous pungent tafte ; when it is arrived at this ftate, it 

 fhould be fet by for a time in a cooler place than that in 

 which it was fermented ; in this manner it will thoroughly 

 purge itfelf of its lees, and will become perfectly clear, 

 vinous, and pungent ; in tiiis ftate it lliould be drawn clear 

 off from the lees, and immediately committed to the ftUl ; 

 and by this method a perfectly pure vinous fpirit will be 

 procured, much better than that which can be obtained by 

 the common way, which thofe who work large quantities 

 fall into for the fake of expedition. 



The particular intention of the operator may render va- 

 rious other additions neceft'ary ; thus fome, to difpofe the 

 wafh to yield more fpirit, or to give the fpirit a greater 

 degree of pungency and a better flavour, add to it the 

 ftrong and pungent aromatics ; the clieapeft chofen for this 

 purpofe, and the moft ufed, are the cortex Winteranus, 

 ginger, and grains of paradife. 



In the common way, thefe additions, however, do very 

 little, though, by a proper artifice in the management, 

 they may be made of confiderable ufe. Upon this foun- 

 dation ilands a very inftruftive method, uled abroad, of 

 making geneva ab online, by mixing llie bruifcd juniper- 

 berries among the malt, and lirewing tlie whole together; 

 by this means a compound tincture, or wafli, is prepared, 

 wliich, by fermentation and dillillalion, affords a fpirit much 

 more intimately and liomogcncoufly impregnated with the 

 4 Y I cfTcncc 



