pected to contain capsicum, Guinea pepper, or grains of paradise, be evaporated to dryness in a water-bath, the residual matter will, if the sample had been adulterated, taste of the above-mentioned substances, and in proportion to the quantity present.

Detection of Cherry Laurel Water, or Spirit of Almond Cakes. Take a portion of the suspected brandy, and distil it very nearly to dryness, add to the distilled liquid a slight excess of caustic potash, and evaporate until the bulk of the liquid is considerably diminished. Divide the evaporated liquid into two equal portions, to the one add a few drops of a solution obtained by dissolving protosulphate of iron (green vitriol) in water, and exposing the so made solution to the action of the air for a short time, (ten or twelve hours), and a few drops of a solution of potash. If now a little hydrochloric acid be added, and the liquid acquires a blue tinge, the brandy under examination has been falsified with cherry laurel water, or spirit of almond cake.

The rationale of the above process is as follows, both cherry laurel water and spirit of bitter almond cakes contain hydrocyanic (prussic) acid. When brandy thus adulterated is distilled, hydrocyanic acid passes over with the spirit, and on the addition of caustic potash, is converted into cyanide of potassium. It is then concentrated by evaporation, and the addition of the salt of iron and hydrochloric acid, causes the formation of Prussian blue, which is a certain indication of the presence of hydrocyanic acid, and consequently of cherry laurel water, or spirit of almond cakes.

The following process can be performed on the other half of the liquid. This method has lately been described by Liebig, and is far more sensitive than the above, so that smaller quantities of the substances in question can be detected.

Hydrochloric acid, in slight excess, must be added to the reserved portion of liquid, and then a drop of sulphide of ammonium added, and the whole heated until colourless. If now a little perchloride of iron be added, a blood-red colouration will immediately

ensue.

This depends on sulphocyanide of ammonium being formed by the reaction of sulphide of ammonium on hydrocyanic acid, which strikes a blood-red colour with a persalt of iron, in common with all the soluble sulphocyanides.

Gin is usually adulterated with water, in considerable quantity; sugar is also added, and a mixture composed of alum, carbonate of potash, almond oil, sulphuric acid and spirit of wine, this compound not only fines the gin, but communicates to it the property of "beading," or hanging in pearly drops or beads on the sides of the glass containing it. When gin does this, it is generally supposed to be strong in proportion as it beads, and the above mixture com

municates to weak gin that property, so that it will be evident gin can be considerably diluted with water, and yet, by the addition as above, appear its proper strength.

Shannon gives the following recipe for the reduction of unsweetened gin :

"This done, let one pound of alum be just covered with water and dissolved by boiling; rummage the whole well together, and pour in the alum, and the whole will be fine in a few hours."

"To prepare and sweeten British Gin.†-Get from your distiller an empty puncheon or cask which will contain about 133 gallons. Then take a cask of clear rectified spirits, 120 gallons, of the usual strength as

* A technical term.

† Shannon on Brewing and Distilling, p. 199.

L

rectifiers sell their goods at; put the 120 gallons of spirit into your empty cask.

"Then take a quarter of an ounce of oil of vitriol, half an ounce of oil of almonds, a quarter of an ounce of oil of turpentine, an ounce of oil of juniper berries, half a pint of spirits of wine, and half a pound of lump sugar. Beat or rub the above in a mortar. When well rubbed together, have ready prepared half a gallon of lime water, one gallon of rose water, mix the whole in either a pail or cask with a stick, till every particle shall be dissolved, then add to the foregoing, twenty-five pounds of sugar dissolved in nine gallons of river or Thames water, or water that has been boiled, mix the whole well together, and stir them carefully with a stick in the 133 gallon cask.

"To force down the same, take and boil eight ounces of alum in three quarts of water for three quarters of an hour, take it from the fire and dissolve by degrees, six or seven ounces of salt of tartar. When the same is milk warm, pour it into your gin, and stir it well together as before for five minutes, as you would a butt of beer newly fined. Let your cask stand as you mean to draw it. At every time you purpose to sweeten again, the cask must be well washed out, and take great care never to shake your cask all the while it is drawing."

Mr. Accum mentions that diacetate of lead is em ployed in fining gin, but I have never yet detected it. When present, it can be readily recognised by the means pointed out for the detection of lead, page 39.

In shrub, and in some brandies, copper is present, this I believe to be accidental. It can be detected as at page 68, with ferrocyanide of potassium.

In all these cases where the spirit is weakened by the addition of water, some acrid substance, as grain of paradise or Guinea pepper, is added for the purpose of procuring a false strength.

The amount of spirit contained in brandy, gin, &c., can be determined in the same manner as the spirituous contents of beer and wine.

The following table of substances which furnish alcoholic liquids, and the countries producing them, may prove useful and interesting :