248 
ON COLONIAL WINES. 
remain open for a few seconds, when, if there be any- 
thing wrong with the oil, a well-marked sense of 
bitterness will be experienced, and the worse the oil, 
the deeper will it be. Yet, if a teaspoonful of the 
same oil were put first on the fore part of the tongue, 
no such bitterness would be felt, showing that the first 
taste of sweetness had deadened the other sense. The 
proof then of the suitability of salad oil for human 
consumption has to be sought in every instance in the 
above simple experiment. Eeject all that gives a sense 
of bitterness on the root of the tongue ; it is not fit 
for wholesome human food. 
Supposing the above illustration to be beyond doubt ; 
let it be applied to the present custom among ladies 
when taking wine. They sip, and find it sour. But 
if they took a good mouthful and swallowed it at once, 
all the aroma, the bouquet, &c, would be pleasantly 
experienced, and the sense of having a mouthful of 
wine unmistakably felt. 
Though digressing a little from the purpose for which 
I instituted the above illustration of the two senses of 
taste, I will venture to add (as we British are not 
more an oil-using than a wine-drinking people in our 
native land, and therefore, can hardly be acquainted 
with the experience and practice of nations where it 
enters so largely into daily consumption, and holds the 
place of butter among us), that it should be carefully 
kept from sun-light ; never put on our tables in glass 
cruets, as is the universal custom, but in either suitable 
glazed earthenware, or silver, or tin vessels ; neither 
lead nor unglazed pottery should be in contact 
with it. 
f 
