358  Sophistication  of  Extract  of  Malt.      j^'^Auri;  fsn'""- 
the  greatest  that  any  of  ns  recollects,  and  at  which  we  were  honored 
with  that  distinction  which  gives  us  a  right  to  use  Napoleon's  vignette 
on  our  preparations. 
"  Before  having  the  same  on  our  labels,  we  sold  a  great  deal  of 
Extract  of  Malt  to  customers  who  indicated  their  satisfaction  by 
continuing  to  favor  us  with  their  patronage  up  to  date  ;  and  we  did 
by  no  means  use  it  to  pretend  merits  not  contained  in  the  preparation 
itself.  We  not  only  desire,  but  are  anxious,  to  see  criticism  upon  our 
preparations.  But  hovf  can  we  like  it,  if  the  critic  (as  Micawber 
says)  is  not  a  critic,  acknowledging  in  his  very  critical  article,  '  that 
it  is  difficult  to  give  an  exact  test  for  the  purity  of  extract  of  malt.' 
From  the  fact  that,  heated  in  an  iron  spoon,  our  Extract  yielded  to 
Mr.  Clacius  the  odor  of  impure  glycerin,  the  deduction  is  made  that 
impure  glycerin  is  used  for  the  preservation  of  the  Extract. 
"  Mr.  Clacius  ought  to  know  that  the  odor  of  all  impure  glycerin 
is  produced  by  acroleine,  generated  by  exposure  to  a  high  tempera- 
ture, and  that  the  very  purest  glycerin,  placed  over  a  spirit  lamp, 
will  yield  acroleine.  He  ought  to  know,  furthermore,  that  acroleine, 
as  also  the  nitrogen  derivatives,  produced  by  the  heating  of  the  albu- 
men of  the  extract  of  malt,  being  more  volatile,  will  cover  up  the 
odor  of  caramel  to  a  large  extent ;  and  if  he,  as  he  condescends  to 
approve  of,  adds  one-eighth  part  of  glycerin  to  the  extract,  he  will 
always  obtain  the  odor  of  acroleine,  if  the  extract  of  malt  is  other- 
wise pure.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  '  a  very  large  yield  '  of  extract  is 
obtained  from  the  malt,  which  then  miraculously  contains  some  cane- 
sugar,  as  we  found  in  some  extract  made  by  a  druggist  in  this  city, 
then  the  odor  of  caramel  will  predominate.  Sugar  of  any  kind  being 
present,  in  but  a  small  quantity,  in  good  extract  of  malt,  if  the  con- 
version is  carried  on  properly,  not  too  far,  when  the  odor  of  caramel 
cannot  be  very  intense. 
"When  we  commenced  making  extract  of  malt,  we  made  it  pure. 
But  during  the  following  hot  season  we  added,  after  consultation  with 
some  prominent  druggists  of  this  city,  some  glycerin,  to  prevent  fer- 
mentation, the  glycerin  being  of  at  least  as  good  a  quality  as  the  best 
in  Mr.  Clacius'  store.  At  that  time  we  made  some  extract  of  malt 
which  did  not  suit  us  as  a  perfect  preparation,  but  upon  solicitation 
of  some  of  our  customers. 
*'We  published  our  objections  to  this  preparation,  which,  neverthe- 
less, was  wanted  in  that  very  state,  in  the  November  number  of  The 
