The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1857-06-13
To our intelligent Topper Fellow
Citizens.
From the Middlebury Register.

tiC lcstiLuOHt VI tlc lWO pINhClpdl NhpoilSio
OF gin, MIR. Udolpho Wolfe, and the London
Cordial Gin frlan, as published over their re-
spective signatures in the New York papers,
by which it appeared that one hundred thou
sand dozens of Cordial had been sold, and
but single cask imported, so far as appeared
by the books of the Custom House; and that
the Schiedam Gin was base and deleterious
compound of poisonous drugs dissolved in
corn whiskey. With this evidence before us,
We Immediately conclude it was the safest
course to let gin alone for the present, and
addict ourselves to some less noxious stimu-
liant.
Accordingly We turned our attention to
Brandy, which, though very expensive and
difficult to procure, had yet the advantage of
flavor and fashion to recommend it. We
found nothing like a genuine article could be
procured at wholesale in any of our cities, at
less price than six or seven dollars per gal
lon, and We wondered how our taverns, and
groceries could afford it at II - cents per
snifter, particlarly as the freights BY express,
loss and risk of contraband trade would nee
essarily eat considerable of hole into the
profits, to say nothing of an occasional fine
to be added to the loss However, SO shrewd
chaps as the rum sellers must understand
their own business, and it WIS no affair of
ours.
Before we had sent our Demijohn We en-
countered an article in Pcrter's Spirit of the
lines, sporting newspaper, and one which
is apt to deal much in cant, on subject of
this character, which commenced in staring
foIS oft,. IL. al
signs on Rail Road Crossings, as follows,
"BEwARE OF BRANDY The Editor then
went on to state, that the article which is
bought under custom house lock and kew as
come from France. is nothing but colored
alcohol favored with few drops of the
poisonous oil of Cognac that through the
failure OF the grape crop not one twentieth
part OF the demand for brandy can be sup
piled that it is well known fact among the
drinkers in New York. that there is scarcely
bar-room in that city which contains one
drop of pure brandy and closed with an
earnest recommendation. that We should
adopt something as daily beverage. that is
at least shade lighter than hcll-frc"
After cogitating on this. it is needless to
say We did not send for Brm,Iy.
We thenrcvertcdto Whiskey. which though
certainly very vulgar drink might vet in a
case of " sickness be used with impunitv We
asccrtaincd that good old Boston whiskev "
could be got at about three dollars per gal
lon. We soon found. however. that the chance
for getting genuine article was very slim
indeed. That IN nine cases out of tenyou mi ght
be perfectly m't of purchasing spurious and
poisonous drink. For a gentleman direct
from Bourbon County who. we know. was re-
liable. and an excellent Judge. assured us that
but fifteen hundred barrels of whiskev per
year were made in that county. and conse-
qucntlv that more than half million of bar
rcl> consumed by the country per annum
were wretched limitations. colored and flavor
cd for purposes of criminal deception. Be
sides. we accidentally came upon the state
ment of distinguished chemist. bv which it
appeared that large majority of instances
he found upon analysis. quantities of sulphur
&c acid. and occasionally specimens in which
"a quart of the liquor contained poison enough
to eat hole through a mans stomach" Ii
also turned out on further inquiry. that guam
titles 81 s''yrhnine are freely used in the
. ','"''''.--.-'-- L. .I~"" ..;r"rn,s,".,~.,- -
thought it best to forego the wLi<keu
! Nothing remained them in shape of aleo-
hollc liquors proper. except recourse to Rum.
Of course nobody but fool expects in these
days to get any of this from jamaica or else
where abroad. 1t has been understood for
years that no rum can be got at any price
except the domestic article As this is fam;l-
iarly known as "rot-gut" and is sure to Kill
at forty rods. We did not spend much time
IN finding out particulars. 1t was enough
for lis that everybody who used it habituallv
was sure of dsiirium tcmcus in couple of
years unless he was fortunate enough to be
cut of 10y accident before that time had clap>-
ed. As we had no partaitv to seeing" snakes
IN our boots We concluded to profit bv the
examples around us and let Odd Mcdford "
and other clearly asccrtancd poi>ons alone.
! Our investigation of Wines came suhstan-
tally to the same result. Every intelligent
topper knows that Champaign. as used in this
country. is Il villainous kink of native cider,
doctored and druSged into flavor and etFer-
vcSccncc. and generally with a perccptihle
base of sugar of Lad With regard to the
other wincs.aS well as to corroborate our views.
we suhjoln the statement of Dr. Hiram Cox.
chemical Inspector Of alcoholic liquors at Gin
cinnati. He states that During two wears
he has made two hundred and fortv-nine in
spections of various kinds of liquors. and
has found more than nine-tenths of them
poisonous connections. OF brandy he does
not believe there is gallon of pure in a
hundred gallons, the limitations having corn
whiskcy for basis, and various poisonous
acids for the condiments. Of Wines not a
gallon in a thousand. purporting to be Sher-
~. Port, Sweet. Malaga, &c. is pure hut they
are made of water, sulphuric acid. alum.
Guinea pepper, horse-raddish. &C., and many
Of them without single drop of alcoholic
spirit"
Now if these are facts-and the evidence
seems conclusive our large cities. and in
sight of the Custom Houses. where imposi-
tionis readily detected we ask in all conscience.
what must he the nature of the stuff which
is furtivcly dealt out behind the door and in
the darkness of night: procured bv men UNI
acquainted with the markets. and dealing with
the most INSCRIPTIONS of men. sumptuouslv
struggled into the country, and" divided in
violation of law?
A REMARKABLE CASE.-On the first of
April last, a Mr.. Ellis, of Henrietta. New