On Wine . 503 
will hardly tinge the paper at all. Neither pure spirit of wine, 
©r pure water, will produce any change of colour. 
If there be any acid in the brandies, it is owing to the vinous 
liquor from which they are produced being carried into fermen- 
tation, and driven over by careless management in the distillation, 
which is commonly the case especially in Spanish brandy : and 
is so sometimes in whisky ; but not so often. This is an experi- 
ment that any of your readers may try, and satisfy himself of the 
Sruth of. 
After this, are we to wonder at the Dispepsias and Cardialgias 
• — at the indigestions, the acid eructations, the heart burns, the 
gout, the stone, &c. with which great wine drinkers are generally 
afflicted in the decline of life ? 
Your opinion is, and I acknowledge that every day’s experi- 
ence seems to corroborate it, that the constant and regular intro- 
duction of so much stimulating acid liquor into the stomach daily, 
tends to produce the habit of acid secretion throughout the sys- 
tem ; a habit that may be propagated and become hereditary : and 
this is the cause of indigestion, gout, and stone ; and not any mor- 
bid action merely of the solids, unless produced by, and producing 
this acid character, this morbid stimulus of the fluids. Nine 
tenths in number of all the human calculi, consist of acid deposi- 
tion. Those who are afflicted with these symptoms, must perse- 
vere in the exercise of walking ; they must decidedly leave off 
wine ; they must avoid ascescent food ; they must habitually take 
magnesia, or volatile tincture of guaicum, or alkaline liquors 
such as soda water ; and sedulously keep up an active state of thq 
bowels— they must confine their beverage to weak spirit and wa- 
ter; and of spirits, gin and whisky are the most unfashionable, 
but indubitably the most wholesome. By these means, the dura- 
tion of a threatening fit will be lessened, and future attacks gradu- 
ally prevented. 
In England, Porter is, and is deservedly, a favorite beverage 
but that is draught porter. In this country, bottled porter is a 
favorite drink particularly in summer; I never tasted bottled por- 
ter or bottled ale, that did not approach to vinegar. 
Of all wines old and strong Madeira is the best : next to that, 
the Padre Ximenes Sherry and the Pachioretti. Acid as all wines 
are, I do not think that half a pint of generous wine daily, even ha- 
bitually taken, would be attended with any ill effects; for some coun- 
teraction to acidity is afforded, by the quantity of animal food we 
