216 
BRITISH PHARMACEUTICAL CONFERENCE. 
standing some time, and being roughly filtered, are submitted to two different 
processes, in order to separate the naphtha from the acid portion of the liquid. 
In one process the naphtha is distilled direct from the crude liquor, in the other 
the liquor is first neutralized with lime, and then distilled; in both cases, how¬ 
ever, heat is applied till about one-fifth of the contents of the still has condensed 
in the receiver. The weak spirit thus obtained is next subjected to repeated 
distillation, in order to obtain the spirit in a more concentrated form ; it is 
finally rectified with lime, or with a mixture of lime and caustic potash. The 
naphtha as thus obtained, and as is usually met with, is possessed of a very pe¬ 
culiar strong and disgusting odour, and in this state it is mixed w T ith spirit of 
wine, and renders it unpotable by communicating to it its own disgusting odour 
and flavour. By this admixture with naphtha the spirit becomes totally un¬ 
fitted for all the purposes of a beverage, and therefore the revenue is not on 
that account at all injured. I am well aware, however, that many erroneous 
notions exist as to the security this admixture of naphtha with the spirit affords 
to the revenue, but as the results of many experiments, made both on Esch- 
wege’s patent naphtha and the ordinary naphthas, with the object of finding an 
answer to the question of the Conference, I think I am perfectly justified in, 
boldly stating that at present there are no known practicable means of separating 
the naphtha from methylated spirit , nor do I believe it can, nor have I heard of its 
having ever been clone. 
Whilst maintaining the utter impossibility of separating the naphtha from 
the methylated spirit, I do not deny the possibility of purifying the spirit from 
the empyreumatic oils upon which the odour of the naphtha previous to admix¬ 
ture depended. I am well acquainted with a patent process by w T hich naphtha 
itself may be rendered as odourless as spirit of wine. I have a copy of the pa¬ 
tent, and have had at different times, samples of this purified naphtha, and of 
the oils obtained from it and upon which its odour depends; the wdiole of which 
were placed at my disposal to aid me in my researches by the kindness of M. 
Eschwege, the patentee of the “ Pure Wood Naphtha.” Nevertheless , I am 
convinced that there is not the slightest danger to be apprehended to the revenue 
from this source,—it is impossible to adopt this process to any extent without the 
knowledge of the excise; an extensive system of filtration and distillation , and con¬ 
sequently almost sure detection, coupled with its illegality , renders the revenue per¬ 
fectly safe. Although heartily wishing That pure spirit of wine, duty free, 
could be supplied for other purposes, such as that of pharmacy and per¬ 
fumery, for which methylated spirit does not at all answer, it will at once be 
obvious to all that such cannot be under existing circumstances. I feel con¬ 
vinced too, that the Board of Inland Revenue would gladly grant the boon, if 
it could be granted without danger to the revenue, but as there appears to be 
no means of so granting it, w T e must continue to use a duty-paid spirit for those 
purposes, as heretofore. 
It has, I believe, been stated that a considerable amount of methylated spirit, 
either “ cleaned” or “ uncleaned,” in a highly cordialized and flavoured state, 
found its way into use as a beverage under the names of “ Gindee ” and “ Indian 
Brandie.” As such was a decided fraud upon the revenue, and as no ready me¬ 
thod of proving the presence of naphtha appears to have existed, it leads me 
next to consider the best means of detecting it, and its behaviour with reagents 
of various kinds. 
# Ure’s test for naphtha—the only one, I believe, formerly used or known—con¬ 
sists in adding to the suspected spirit caustic potash ; if naphtha were present 
the spirit w T as to turn brown, no change of colour w r as taken to indicate the 
sample to be pure spirit of wine. This test, however, is not at all a reliable one, 
the change of colour w T as principally due to the action of the potash upon the 
empyreumatic oils dissolved in the naphtha; these being absent, there would, of 
