Previous Page  46 UA-58907690-1 Next Page
Information
Show Menu
Previous Page 46 UA-58907690-1 Next Page
Page Background

46

that

practices,

such

as

I

have

pointed

out,

do

exist

;

and

when

it

is

considered

that

the

evils

consequent

upon

them

fall

most

heavily

on

the

poorer

classes

of

society,

no

one

will

deny

that

this

system

calls

loudly

for

the

interference

of

the

Government.

The

idle

reply,

that

the

weaker

such

a

compound

as

Gin

is

made,

the

less

injury

it

is

likely

to

work,

is

no

answer

to

such

a

case;

because,

although

strong

1

Spirits

may

be

mischievous

to

the

health

and

morals

of

the

lower

classes,

the

drinking

such

compositions

as

I

have

described

must

also

be

per-

nicious

in

the

highest

degree

to

the

constitution

and

comfort

of

the

people

;

and

tends

only

to

enrich

a

class

of

the

community,

who

have

neither

ho-

nesty

nor

usefulness

enough,

to

entitle

them

to

the

wealth

they

obtain.

In

presenting

my

Readers

with

a

scale,

showing

the

different

proportions

of

water

necessary

to

re-

duce

100

gallons

of

Gin,

twenty-two

per

cent,

un-

derproof,

at

9*.

4d.

per

gallon,

to

the

relative

prices

at

which

it

is

advertised,

viz.

9s.

4c?.

;

8*.

;

7*.

(id.

;

6s.

Qd.

;

and

5*.

9d.

per

gallon,

I

should

premise

that,

although

I

have

set

the

limit

at

that

quantity,

for

the

sake

of

conciseness,

the

best

judges,

or

those

whose

consumption

is

the

most

con-

siderable,

make

it

up

in

vats;

and

that

the

larger

the

dimensions

of

the

vat,

the

greater

extent

of

re-

duction

the

Gin

will

bear,

and

the

better

is

the

fic-

titious

flavor

concealed.

The

quantity

of

lump

sugar used

to

100

gallons

of

Gin,

varies

from

twenty-five

to

thirty-five

pounds,

according

to

the