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( 32

is now carried on with a rapidity that wouldalmoft exceed belief were it not perfectly wellauthenticated. 3 After fucceffive improvementsand a confiderably complicated apparatus, a ftillhas been conftruCted which contains only 40gallons in the body and 3 in the head, inwhich the time of charging, boiling and run-ning, and letting off the waite- liquor, amountsonly to two minutes and three-quarters when thecharge of wafh is 16 gallons, which is two-fifths of the whole contents. In rectification,which is a flower procefs, the charge is 24gallons, and the time of dittiiling about tenminutes. This rate of working however is farbeyond the ordinary rate.

It is not neceflary to malt grain in order tomake it ferment fufficiently to yield a good fpirit,and not only barley but any other grain willanfwer the fame purpofe. In this country amixture of barley and malt is generally pre-ferred; in Holland the very fineft geneva ismade from wheat and malt, but more commonlyfrom malt and rye, which latter yields morefpirit than wheat. Very fuperior care andattention feems to be bellowed in conductingthe whole procefs.

The greater number of diftillers proceed inthe following manner. 13 A quantity of rye-flourcoarfely ground is mixed with a third or fourthpart of malt and put into the fermenting tubwith cold water, ftirring it well with the handsto prevent the meal from clotting. Sufficientwater is then added of a blood warmth, afterwhich the ferment is mixed with the whole,which'is compofed of the yeatt of former ope-rations dried and kept for a certain time. Ifthe weather is favourable and the heat wellregulated, the fermentation begins in fix hours,and terminates on the third day, and the liquorbecomes tranfparent and aflumes a hot pungenttafte. The diftillation is then proceeded uponimmediately, before the liquor turns four, whichis avoided as much as poffible. The diftillationis. conduced very flowly, that the fpirit may beas little as poffible impregnated with the oil ofthe grain, to which much of the unpieafantflavour of the ordinary fpirits is juitly attri-buted. The firft fpirit is then rectified by afecond diftillation over juniper-berries, or indouble Geneva by a third procefs. In fome ofthe ordinary forts however the juniper-berriesare mixed with the fermenting materials, andone diftillation fuffices. In the common genevaor gin vulgarly ufed in this country, the fine

• Report to the Houfe of Commons on. the Dill Meries in Sco• EdwwtU’j Hiftory ot the Weft Iniieii

8 ) SPI

juniper flavour is coarfely imitated by turpen-tine.

Rum is prepared by diftilling a fermentedliquor made from melaffes, and other refufefaecharine matter which is procured duringthe manufacture of raw fugar in the WeftIndies. The common procefs in Jamaica is thefollowing. 0 The materials for the fermentationare, molafles or the treacle which drains fromthe fugar, fcummings of the hot cane juice, orfometimes raw cane liquor, lees or dander asit is called, and water. The dunder anfwersthe purpofe of yealt, and is ufually prepared bya feparate fermentation of cane fweets andwater. The materials being mixed in due pro-portions, (which are about equal parts offcummings, dunder, and water) the fermenta-tion begins very foon, and in 24 hours the li-quor is fit for the firft charge of melaffes,which is added in the proportion of 3 gallonsfor every x00 gallons of the liquor. Anothercharge is added in a day or two afterwards.The heat in fermentation fhould not exceed90° or 94 0 , fo that in this climate it is neceflaryto keep the fermenting tubs as cool as poffible.The fermentation falls in fix or eight days, andthe liquor grows fine and fit for diftillation. Inabout two hours after lighting the fire the fpiritbegins to run (m a ftill of 1200 gallons) and itis collected as long as it remains inflammable..

The firft fpirit is called in the country, lom•wines , and it is rectified in a fmaller ftill to theJamaica proof, which is that in which olive oilwill* fink. About 220 gallons of proof rum-are obtained from 530 gallons of low wines. ■

SPIRIT OF LIBAVIUS. See Tin.

SPIRIT OF MINDERERUS. See Ace-Tite of Ammonia.

SPIRIT OF NITRE. See Nitric Acidv

SPIRIT OF SALT. See Muriatic Acid .

SPIRIT OF SULPHUR, or of VITRIOL.See Sulphuric Acid .

SPIRIT OF TURPENTINE. See Tur-pentine .

SPIRIT OF WINE. See Alcohol.

SPIRITUS RECTOR. See Aroma.

SPONGE.

This fubflance was examined by Mr. Hat«-chett in his feries of valuable experiments on-the component parts of animal membrane. 1When fponge has-been immerfed in dilute ni-tric acid for a fortnight, the acid becomes paleyellow and is changed to an orange by pure

■land, Dr. Jeffray's Memoir. *■ Ibid. Mr. Croekecn’s Mem*a Phil. Tranf. for i?oo, p. 33?.