348 
halfcervinced’by various other considera- 
tions, was written by General Hamilton. 
Bat some shrewd friends hinted to me, 
that it was far more profitable to make 
beer than books; and that there was no 
comparison to be made between the ac- 
quisition of wealth and of fame. From 
respect to such sound advice | took an 
active share in a brewhouse, but I sold 
itin avery few years. ‘This brings tomy 
remembrance a favourite but strange he- 
verage of the late Sir Edward Walpole. 
Sir Edward was accustomed to drink a 
mixture of red port-wine and sinall beer ; 
aud being perpetually disappomted in the 
quality of the latter, he offered me any 
rice I should demand for fine small beer. 
Tbe time of which I now speak was 
abeut the year 1778. ‘There was a very 
liberal spirit in the housekeepers of the 
metropolis, generally, who were willing to 
give a good price for good ale and small 
beer. There was much bad beer brewed, 
rather, perhaps, from a want of care or 
skill than with the view of sa ving malt. 
Some ale was brewed in London, without 
any kind of adulteration; and although 
the London perter had receded consider- 
ably from its orfyinal standard flavour, 
and, indeed, substance, it oe a very dif- 
ferent drink to any we 
jate years, partaking far less of scientific 
and chemical | brewing. ‘The country ales 
for the London market wére generall 
doctored through and through; and froin 
the spurious flavour so produced, as_ well 
as the stupetying quality, rather than from 
any intrinsic Ee elence. they derived 
that preference which they really and 
genet rally obtained. I have amongst my 
memoranda a remarkable instance of the 
correctness of the public taste. Llow- 
ever, the Latins said, that sometimes the 
people see clearly ; and I hope they also 
goinetimes taste aright. I had long soli- 
cited a certain publica xn to take a load 
of my ale on tnal, for two good rea- 
sons; first, bose, in the commercial 
phrase, he was an undoubted good man, 
and because his house was famous ee 
ale. He remarked to me, that he had all 
his ale from the country, and that his 
numerous customers were so habituated 
and attached to it, that a change might 
be attended with serious consequences to 
him; but out of respect to the pains I 
had taken to induce him, and there was 
another reason, the money I had spent 
in his house, he consented to receive a 
single barrel. I called upon him after 
the barrel had been about half drank, 
. 
Means of extinguishing Fire. 
have tasted of 
fNov. 1, 
and, to my great disappointment, he in- 
formed me that he must drink the re- 
mainder in his family, as his guests would 
not touch my beer a second time. The 
rejected ale was brewed from the purest 
white malt of Ware, and the most costly 
and fragrant pockets of hops which Kent 
or Surry produced. ‘There was not an 
atom, or particle, of any kind of adul- 
teration, not so much as an ounce of 
G. P. or arace of ginger. The length 
drawn was little more than two barrels 
of ale from a quarter of malt; the drink 
was as pellucid and sparkling as Canary, 
and as smooth as Florence oil, and the 
price was two guineas per barrel of thirty- 
six gallons. No man was worse calcu- 
lated than mnyself for a waste-butt, but 
from sheer complaisauce I sat down,: 
and drank with the publican of his ta- 
mous country ale; it was dosed, as 
nearly as I could judge from my palate, 
with bay-salt, sugar, grains of paradise, 
and either opium or coculus indicus. It 
raked my stomach, as though | had taken 
emetic tartar, and I was not rid of the 
thirst it occasioned for several days. 
(Lo be continued. ) 
———4 SS 
To the Hditor of the Monthly Magazine, 
SIR, 
HE account of the company of fire- 
men in Paris with which you favour= 
ed us in your Magazine for June, appears, 
to me to be highly worthy of attentien, 
particularly by those who are of the same 
profession. Fires, as we are there in- 
formed, are more generally and more 
speedily extinguished than with us. 
From what cause does this proceed? 
Water is more abundant with us, our en- 
gines more powerful, nor can I imagine 
that in masculine exertions of whatever 
description, any nation superior to the 
English, in skill, in cour age, or dexterity. 
Instead, therefore -of experiencing the 
dreadful effects of fire ina higher degree 
than at Paris, one would expect quite 
the contrar y- 
There can be no reason, indeed, to sup- 
pose that the firemen of Paris possess any 
mysterious knowledge of their art, un- 
know m to us, or any other superior dex- 
terity in the exercise of it. The plain 
and obvious cause of their speedy extinc- 
tion of fires, is the promptitude with which 
water 1s procured and applied. As soon 
as the engine arrives, water is almost im- 
mediately poured on the flame before it 
has made much progress. But in Lon- 
don how often is it the case, that, after 
the: 
