.535 
D I S 
t> I S 
DISTEMPER, in painting, a term used 
for the working up of colours with something 
besides water or oil. If the colours are pre- 
pared with water, that kind of painting is 
called limning ; and if with oil, it is called 
painting in oil, and simply painting. If the 
colours are mixed with size, white of eggs, 
or any such proper glutinous or unctuous 
matter, and not with oil, then they say it is 
done in distemper. In this manner the ad- 
mirable cartoons at Hampton-court are paint- 
ed. The greatest disadvantage of distemper 
is, that it lias no glittering, and all its colours 
look dead, by which means they appear alike 
in all sorts of lights, which oil colours, or 
even colours in distemper when varnished, 
do not. 
DISTICH, a couplet of verses making a 
complete sense. Thus hexameter and pen- 
tameter verses are disposed in distichs. 
DISTICHIASIS, in surgery, a disease of 
the eye-lids, when under the ordinary eye- 
lashes there grows another extraordinary 
row of hair, which frequently eradicates the 
former, and pricking the membrane of the 
eye, excites pain, and brings on a defluxion. 
DISTILLATION. The objects of distil- 
lation, considered as a trade distinct from the 
other branches of chemistry, are chiefly spi- 
rituous liquors, and those waters impregnat- 
ed with the essential oils of plants, commonly 
called simple distilled waters. The distilling 
of compound spirits and waters is reckoned a 
different branch of business, and those who 
deal in that way are commonly called recti- 
fiers. This difference, however, though it 
exists among commercial people, is not at 
all founded in the nature of the thing ; com- 
pound spirits being made, and simple spirits 
being rectified, by the very same operations 
by which they are first distilled, or at least 
tvith very trifling alterations. See Chemistry. 
The great object with every distiller ought 
to be, to procure a spirit perfectly flavour- 
less, or at least as well freed from any parti- 
cular flavour as may be; and in this country 
the procuring of such a spirit is no easy mat- 
ter. The only materials for distillation that 
have been used in large quantity, are malt, 
and melasses or treacle. Both of these, es- 
pecially the first, abound with an oily matter, 
which, rising along with the spirit, communi- 
cates a disagreeable flavour to it, and from 
which it can scarcely be freed afterwards by 
any means whatever. 
Previous to the operation of distilling, 
those of brewing and fermentation are ne- 
cessary. See Brewing. The fermentation 
Ought always to be carried on as slowly as 
possible, and performed in vessels closely 
stopped, only having at the bung a valve 
pressed down by a spring, which will yield 
with less force than is sufficient to burst the 
vessel. It should even be suffered to remain 
till it has become perfectly fine and transpa- 
rent; as by this means the spirit will not only 
be superior in quantity, but also in fragrance, 
pungency, and vinosity, to that otherwise 
produced, 
V\ i th regard to performing the operation of 
distilling, there is only one general rule that 
can be given, namely, to let the heat in all 
cases be as gentle as possible. A water- 
bath, if sufficiently large, is preferable to any 
other mode, and will perform the operation 
with ail the dispatch requisite for the most 
extensive- business. As the end of rectifica- 
tion is to make the spirit clean as well as 
strong, or to deprive it of the essential oil as 
well as the aqueous part, it will be proper to 
have regard to this even in the first distilla- 
tion. For this purpose, the spirit, as it first 
comes over, should be received into a quan- 
tity of cold water ; as by this means the con- 
nection between it and the oily matter will 
be considerably lessened. For the same 
reason, after it has been once rectified in the 
water-bath, it should be again mixed with an 
equal quantity of water, and distilled a se- 
cond time. Thus the spirit will be freed 
from most of the oily matter, even though it 
has been very much impregnated with it at 
first. After the spirit has been distilled once 
or twice in this manner from water, it maybe 
distilled in a water-bath without any addi- 
tion; and this last rectification will free it 
from most of the water it contains. 
For the distillation^ compound spirits, 
the following practical rules will amply suf- 
fice, and will at the same time afford a com- 
petent view of the general process. 
In rectifying and distilling compound 
goods, a smaller still is known to make a 
cleaner and better commodity than one that 
is larger: and one that is half a hogshead 
gage, over and above your hand breadth 
depth from the edge or top of your still, is 
accounted the fittest size for a moderate 
trade ; 'both as it may be managed without 
fatigue, and as it produces encouraging profit 
much superior to the fund it requires. When 
you erect and place your still, and other 
utensils, let it be if possible in a building, out- 
house, or shed, separate from, but nearly ad- 
joining to, your dwelling-house or shop, to 
prevent any hazard which may arise by fire, to 
which all spirituous goods are liable; and no 
otherwise to be extinguished but with a wool- 
len blanket or rug, drenched in water, and cast 
upon the flame, which extinguishes it by ex- 
cluding the air. Let the work-house be large 
enough, notorily in regard to your still, worm- 
tub, and pump, which must be all placed in a 
row, or ranged together, to contribute to your 
working with ease and pleasure, but because 
your spirits which are for distilling must lie 
in some proper place or part of your work- 
house, to be near at hand to charge your still 
with, and at some reasonable distance from 
the lire : and also that you may have room 
enough for placing all your empty vessels, 
tubs, cans, and other utensils properly be- 
longing to the distilling-trade, to have them 
near at hand oa all occasions; and let your 
still-house floor be paved with broad .stones 
or flags, having a descent to carry off all the 
wash from your still, your hot liquor from 
the worm-tub, and other occasional slops, 
which will be made by washing your casks, 
Ac. by which your still-house floor will always 
be kept clean. 'They are usually kept in a 
cistern underneath, and pumped up as want- 
ed. It is absolutely necessary, that there be 
. sufficiency of water where your pump is to 
be sunk, both to keep your worm-tub conti- 
nually cool, to make up all your goods to 
their proper strength, and to serve all other 
occasions whatsoever ; it matters not whether 
your water be soft or hard, if you have 
plenty of it. 
Your still must be placed upon brick-work, 
having an ash-hole of 24 inches long, nine 
inches broad; and to the iron bars, where 
] your fire is to be under your still, 21 or 22 
D I S 
inches high; made somewhat sloping, the 
belter to command the ashes. When the 
brick-work is made about the height last- 
mentioned, you must place your grate-door 
(both of strong iron) before, or in the front 
of the stove, or place, where your fire is 
to be made under your still. * The iron 
door and frame must be about ten inches 
long, and eight inches broad ; close behind 
the door and frame must be placed two 
cross iron bars, about two inches and a half 
broad, half an inch thick, and 15 or 16 inches 
long; both ends of which bars must be laid 
about three inches into the brick-work, for 
fixing them the better ; and the upper part 
of it must be about half an inch lower than 
the upper edge of the door-frames. Just be- 
hind the said two iron bars must be placed 
another flat iron bar, about an inch and a 
half broad, half an inch thick, and sixteen 
inches long, fastened in the brick-work as the 
former, and near an inch lower: upon which 
fast-mentioned flat iron bar, your iron grate 
must rest at the higher end ; * and the other 
ends of your iron grate must rest upon an- 
other flat iron bar of the same dimension, 
fastened at the furthest end, or most distant 
part of your still-bottom. The iron grate 
must consist of about eight bars of inch- 
square iron, but exactly of one length, made 
broad, or flatted diagonally, at each end, to 
rest on the two cross iron bars, so that the 
upper part of the square bars must be even 
with the higher part of the flat iron bars on 
which they rest, that the fire-shovel, or coal- 
rake, may run smoothly along them. The 
square iron bars must lie about eighteen 
inches long, and laid loose within an inch 
breadth of each other upon the two broad 
iron bars, as firm as you can, yet so that they 
may be put in, or taken out,‘as occasion re- 
quires; then raise your brick-work, so that 
your still-bottom, when fixed or rested 
upon it, may be about 10 or 12 inches 
above the iron grate, that the lire raav have 
room to play ; and the part of the brick-work 
under the still, where the fire is placed, and 
as far as it extends within the stove, must Ire 
inlaid with hearth inch-tiles, or fire-brick, 
well fastened with such mortar as will abide 
1 he fire much longer than common bricks. 
Let not the fireplace be too broad, wherein 
your workman’s judgment will have regard 
to the sides not being of the same thickness 
with the bottom of your still. There must be 
left a sloping place, or hole, proper for con- 
veying the smoke into the flue and round the 
still into the chimney; which flue must be 
carried up a convenient height, to draw the 
smoke, and carry it off. Let your still-cock 
come so far through the brick- work, that your 
wash may run out either into cans, or other- 
wise, as you have conveniency for conveying 
it away. The brick-work about your still 
must be exactly round, as high as the upper 
nails of your still, sloping from the flame 
lest any liquor boil over, and very well mor- 
tared, and covered all round with coarse can- 
vas or hop-sack, to keep the lire closer in, 
the wall from cracking, and your clothes from 
being injured, and the flue must be plaistered 
well within. 
Your worm tub must be placed very near 
your still, upon a strong wooden frame accord- 
ing to the size of your tub, which must be six 
or eight times the ’capacity of your still, so that 
. every stave of the tub may rest firmly ugqn 
