Bombay.) 



ORIENTAL COMMERCE. 



145 



bums away with a fragrant smell, leaving only a small quantity of light- 

 coloured ashes. That which is small, dark-coloured, and opaque, should be 

 rejected. Freight 16 Cwt. to the ton. 



Arrack, — This spirit is manufactured at several places in the East 

 Indies — Goa, Columbo, and Batavia. This is a branch of trade, of whieh 

 the Dutch have almost deprived the Portuguese, the art of making it being 

 transferred for the most part from Goa to Batavia. Goa arrack is both 

 double and treble distilled ; it is weaker than that of Batavia, but lias a 

 peculiar and agreeable flavour, which makes it preferred to the other sorts. 

 The Columbo arrack is inferior. 



There are various accounts of the materials used, and the mode of 

 making arrack; and the disagreement of these accounts seems to arise from 

 the general appellation of arrack being given in most parts of India to every 

 kind of spirituous liquor. The natives call our gin, English arrack. It is 

 certain that the flavour of the several kinds of arrack differs as much as 

 those of brandy, rum, or any other spirituous liquors. The Goa arrack is 

 invariably made from a vegetable juice called toddy, which flows by incision 

 from the coco-nut tree : when a sufficient quantity of toddy is procured, it 

 is left to fermeut, which it soon does ; when the fermentation is over, and 

 the liquor or wash has become a little tart, it is put into the still, and 

 suffered to work as long as that which comes over has any considerable 

 taste of spirit. The spirit thus procured is the low wine of arrack, and so 

 poor a liquor, that it will soon spoil if not distilled again, to separate some 

 of its phlegm : it is therefore immediately poured back into the still, and 

 rectified to that very weak kind of proof-spirit in which state we generally 

 find it. The arrack we meet with, notwithstanding its being of a proof- 

 test, according to the way of judging by the crown of bubbles, holds but a 

 sixth, and sometimes but an eighth part of pure spirit; whereas our other 

 spirits, when they shew that proof, are generally esteemed to hold one-half 

 pure spirit. 



Batavia arrack is obtained by distillation from rice and sugar ; it is 

 said that the Chinese junks import large quantities of samshew, a hot, fiery 

 spirit from China, which is mixed with the arrack ; but it is more probable 

 that it is consumed by the numerous Chinese who reside in that settlement. 



The following arc the East India Company* s Regulations for shipping 

 Arrack, <$rc. — No arrack, or other spirits, are permitted to be shipped in 

 India, or China, on any of the Company's ships returning to Europe, ex- 

 cept such as shall be for the use of the ship^s company on the voyage, or in 

 the immediate privilege of the commander and officers. 



Each cask or chest, shipped for the use of the ship's company, shall be 



K 



