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RUM.

Derivation

of

Name

Whence

Procured

Its

Manufacture

Its

Price

Trade

Rum.

THK

etymon

of

the

name

of

this

spirit

is

some-

what

dubious.

Some

have

it

that

it

was

formerly

spelt

(as

it

now

is

in

French)

Rhum,

and

that

it

is

derived

from

rheum,

or

^ei/yua,

a

flowing,

on

account

of

its

manufacture

from

the

juice

of

the

sugar

cane.

Others

say

that,

as

rum

has

the

strongest

odour

of

any

distilled

spirit,

it

is

a

corruption

of

the

word

aroma.

Rum

is

made

from

the

refuse

of

sugar,

and

can,

of

course,

be

produced

wherever

sugar

is

grown.

This

is

notably

the

case

in

the

West

Indies,

and

the

best

rum

comes

thence.

The

finest,

and

that

commanding

the

highest

price

in

the

market,

is

from

Jamaica

Martinique

and

Giiadaloupe

perhaps

come

next

;

and

Santa

Cruz

has a

very

good

name.

British

Guiana,

the

Brazils,

Natal,

Queensland,

and

New

South

Wales

all

produce

it.

It

is

made

from

molasses

and

the

skimmings

of

the

boiling

sugar.

Molasses

is

the

syrup

remaining

after

153