proceed, from the motives which I have assigned at the beginning.

And as the Dutch distillers are under no sort of constraint in their operations, nor have the least reason to hurry them, they take the greatest care to clean after each operation their caldron, and above all their tubs, in which the vinous fermentation is effected; and they never fill them again, but after having thoroughly cleared them from the ferment, which sticks to the sides of the tubs, from the last fermentation, because they know from experience, that the least remains of this matter gives the following liquor a bad taste; for this purpose they clean them with lime water, and never with soap, because the caustic alkali contained in the soap would not fail to give the liquor an urinous taste.

As the Dutch distillers are thoroughly convinced that the success of their operations depends on a slow distillation, they take particular care to have their fire-places constructed in such a manner, that the distiller may have it entirely in his power to abate or accelerate the action of the fire at every moment when he shall think it necessary. It is impossible to fix upon a peculiar form to serve in all cases, as it must naturally vary according to the form of the vessel; but they never lose sight of the following general rules: viz. 1st, That the place which contains the fire must be contrived in such a manner, that the action of the fire operates equally on the whole surface of the bottom of the caldron without being concentrated to one point, where the caldron would be burnt, and unavoidably and immediately communicate to the liquor an empyreumatic taste: by this equal action of the fire, the liquor is heated in a more equal manner, and by a moderate fire; and also quicker than if the fire acted only upon one point. 2dly, That the openings of the fire-places be iron doors, in which are made several small holes, which can be opened and shut, as occasion may be, to accelerate or check the current of air. 3dly, That the chimney be furnished with an iron plate, or damper, placed horizontally, by which the diameter of the chimney can be diminished as often and as much as the distiller chooses, who by this means moderates at pleasure the action of

the fire, and can even stifle it at once, by shutting the openings in the fire-place, and the passage of the smoke into the chimney.

As the vinous fermentation is a point no less important, and one of the principal requisites on which depends the success of the operation, and as this fermentation can only be conducted slowly in a moderate temperature, they take great care that the laboratories, in which the vinous fermentation is effected, be constructed on such principles that the rays of the sun can be prevented from acting upon the tubs containing the liquor subjected to fermentation, by means of windows with shutters made every where opposite to each other, that in extraordinary hot weather a current of fresh air may be obtained to cool the laboratory. The floor is paved with stones, on which from time to time fresh water can be poured, which cools considerably the temperature of the atmosphere in the laboratory; and in winter it can be warmed by means of one or more iron stoves, or, which is perhaps still better, a delft stove, which is made use of in several places in Germany, which are of a more equal, more moderate, and less stifling heat.

It must not be supposed that the distillers in Holland make use of a small quantity of malt, from a persuasion that no geneva can be obtained from the flour of rye, or any other grain, without that addition; the contrary is the truth: I have made several experiments with rye, without the least addition of malt; and I have always obtained the same quantity of spirit, but it was never of so pleasant a taste. This addition is only necessary inasmuch as it assists the fermentation; and that if it be used there is no occasion for so much ferment, and of consequence not so much essential oil is introduced into the liquor, which is the reason that the spirit is of a more pleasant flavour, and not so harsh as that which is made of rye, or any other flour. I must add in this place, that the Dutch distillers are extremely careful to make use only of such rye as is grown on a calcareous or sandy soil, and never employ, if they can possibly avoid it, any corn produced by a fat, clayey ground; and this is the reason why they make use of rye imported from Prussia, grown on a poor soil, and which, according to common report, is dried in kilns before

it is exported, and on this account is known in Holland by the name of dried rye; the grain is small, and very hard and dry; because this rye produces more spirit and of a superior quality to that which is drawn from the rye grown on a clayey soil, and because it contains less oily particles.

On comparing the process of the Dutch distillers with that followed in this country, it will be obvious, at first view, why the spirit, which is distilled, does not possess the perfection of Dutch geneva, either in regard to the flavour or salubrity; and all the questions to be proposed on this subject may be easily answered, from a mature consideration of the difference of these processes; and the prejudice entertained by many persons in this country as well as in Germany, that no spirit of the same quality can be produced in any other country, deserves only to be laughed at. These persons do not consider that geneva is a product of art, which neither depends on the oil nor on the climate of a country as wine does, and that if you employ the same materials, and observe the same process, the result must necessarily be the same; nor is it less evident, that as long as the distillation shall be effected on the principles hitherto observed in England, the perfection of Dutch geneva can here never be obtained. In order to obtain it, government must necessarily cooperate, by giving the distillers full liberty to act and proceed according to their knowledge and experience; and I may hazard, without the least danger, the assertion, that as long as the duty is laid either on the quantity of the wash, or on the capacity of the still, the above can never be attained, and the distillers to avoid their ruin will be obliged to have recourse to pernicious ingredients. In the former case, their interests prompts them to overload their liquids with too great a quantity of grain, which not only causes them to sustain a considerable loss of spirit, because the water, which acts as a solvent to saccharine matter, can only dissolve and keep in a state of solution a certain quantity of that matter; but after it is saturated, the rest of that matter is lost. It further results from thence, that the fermentation, on which the success of the operation chiefly depends, proceeds not as regularly as in regard to a well diluted wash; and on distilling this thick, and as it were

over-saturated wash, the distiller introduces into his caldron a great quantity of oleaginous particles, and of consequence into his spirit more essential oil, especially if the distillation be pushed on with vivacity; besides that this thick wash, from the rapidity of the distillation, is likely to communicate to the spirit an empyreumatic taste, which would obstruct its sale if the rectifier did not correct this fault by noxious additions.

In the latter case, the interest of the distiller demands that he must conduct the distillation rapidly, and with a violent fire; the result of which is, that all the essential oil rises with the spirit, and that it also must contract an empyreumatic taste. It further results from this rapid mode of working, that the distiller does not allow himself sufficient time entirely to empty his caldron, or to clean it carefully, as well as the other utensils; which in my judgment must have a strong influence on the salubrity of the spirit on account of the verdigris, which, from want of cleanness, forms itself into the caldron and worm, if they are made of copper; and as the distillations succeed each other in so rapid a manner, the distiller cannot allow the liquor sufficient time to ferment slowly; he must therefore make use of more ferment, which cannot but produce a bad effect, both in regard to flavour and salubrity. They who assert that a rapid distillation has no influence upon the taste and flavour of the spirit, either try to deceive, or are ignorant of the first principles of the art of distillation; and in order to confound them, we have only to ask this question, Why are we obliged to distil fine and delicate liquors in balneo maria (a bath of water) to give them that fine flavour which causes them to be so much esteemed? The answer is, because in this case, the action of the fire is not immediately directed against the vessel which contains the liquor, and because the heat is equal and uniform, and cannot be encreased by the vivacity of the fire, because water which is in a state of ebullition cannot assume a higher degree of heat, and thus the liquors cannot contract any empyreumatic taste. If the fire had not any influence upon the spirit, these precautions would certainly be fruitless.

Persons who are of opinion that a rapid distillation has no influence upon the salubrity of the spirit, are equally mistaken. No one endowed with common sense, and possessed of the least know

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ledge of the art of distillation, can call it in question, that by a violent fire all the essential oil must be made to rise with the spirit, and the fiery and indigestible qualities of this oil, so copiously mixed with this spirit, are too well known to admit of the least doubt. They not only possess the property of intoxicating quickly, and causing head-ache, but also effect so very strongly the nervous system, as to cause a trembling when taken in any excessive degree; and in general it may be fairly asserted, that adulterated spirits possess the quality, in common with bad wine, of causing head-ache and trembling when drunk in an extravagant manner; which is not the case after an excess committed in drinking good and pure wine: and I rather incline to think, that by this rapid distillation some particles of copper are disengaged, and rise and mix with the spirit, because the wash contains some small quantity of acids, which with the aid of an excessive heat acts upon the metal, as all other acid solvents do upon metals in proportion as they are assisted by heat; and this is perhaps the reason of the blueish colours discernible in spirit distilled by a violent fire.

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But supposing that a rapid distillation cannot produce any fects hurtful to health, per se, it is at least self-evident it is excessively pernicious in its consequences, because the rectifier is absolutely obliged to employ poisonous ingredients for the purpose of destroying the empyreumatic and unpleasant taste, which the essential oil has communicated to the liquor; and which simple rectifications, however multiplied, cannot by any means effect.

Before I explain these means it will be necessary to observe, that unprincipled distillers, in employing these means, have two different objects in view; namely, to destroy the bad taste of the spirit; and, secondly, to increase the quantity of spirituous matter, and thus to procure by those additions a greater quantity of spirit from a given quantity of wash than they could obtain by a natural process.

To obtain the former object the distillers make use of pure alkali, caustic alkali, and Glauber's salt, which possess a peculiar quality to absorb the essential oil; but on the other hand, they communicate to the spirit their most volatile particles, which their great volatility renders extremely pernicious, and also impart to the liquor an extrémely urinous taste, not less unpleasant; in or→