Ismglass* 407 
solution, the mass would become brittle in drying;, and 
snap short asunder, which is always the case with glue, 
but never with isinglass ; the latter indeed may be re- 
solved into glue with boiling Vv^ater ; but its fibrous com- 
position would be found impracticable afterwards, and a 
fibrous texture is one of the most distinguishing charac- 
teristics of genuine isinglass. A due consideration, that 
an imperfect solution of isinglass, called Finings by the 
brewers, possessed a peculiar property of clarifying malt 
liquors, induced me to attempt its analysis in cold siiba- 
cid menstruums. One ounce and a half of good isinglass, 
steeped a few days in a gallon of stale beer, was converted 
into good finings of a remarkably thick consistence* The 
same quantity of glue, under similar treatment, yielded 
only a mucilaginous liquor, resembling diluted gum- 
water, which instead of clarifying beer, increased both 
its tenacity and turbidness, and communicated other pro- 
perties in no respect corresponding with those of genuine 
finings. On commixing three spoonfuls of the solution 
of isinglass with one gallon of malt liquor in a tall cylin- 
drical glass, a vast number of curdly masses became pre- 
sently formed by the reciprocal attraction of the particles 
of isinglass and the feculencies of the beer, which increas- 
ing in magnitude and specific gravity, arranged them- 
selves accordingly 5 and fell in a combined state to the bot- 
tom through the well known laws of gravitation ; for, in 
this case there is no elective attraction, as some have 
imagined, which bears the least affinity with what fre- 
quently occurs in chemical decompositions. 
If what is commercially termed long and short stapled 
isinglass be steeped a few hours in fair cold water, the en- 
twisted membranes will expand and reassume their ori- 
ginal beautiful hue,* and by a dexterous address may be 
* If the transparent isinglass be held in certain positions to the 
light, it frequently exhibit;? beautiful prismatic colours. 
