Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-05-14
AalIp dnian ( antrIfan
A Wine Drinking N9fiOn--Absence Of
IntoxicarfOn.


Hon james o. Putnam, now in Earepe, writes
from Spain to the Bufa,o Ad0stissr an interesting
letter in regard to grape raising BE says:
A few cents everywhere buys bottle Of vine
SITS use is universsl-there is never meal without
it.
What is the effect Of this abundance and this uni
Versal use upon the habits OF the people?
1 can only answer thai have sought the most in
tellieent sources Of information, and have had tut
one reply and that has been cosfrmed by my oSn
observation which has not been uning1isitiEe that
drunkenness is not a vice % the osuatry that ex>
cessive drinking OF Intoxicating liquors ls not lts
habit: that while there are exceptional cases, as
nation it s Of sobriety IL IS not true that there
ia M drunleuness but a. is rare, not hSbual even
in individuals aud is not felt as public evil Nor
is II true that the wines drank in great will
NOT inioxicate Yea viii think my curiosity little
impertinent-but have visited hospitals both in
Portugal and Spain and inquired Of their physicians
if they ever hsd cases Of de9iylns tremals--that
scouree which, in country, opens the gateway
10 death to so mary gifted and noble Raiures--sDd
their universal reply has been that ii disease
unknown 10 The country. Private practitioners told
me the same thing.
During the three months have spent in Spain,
Ihave seen but single instance Of intozieaiioE;
this was on q ''bul>fght' day at Grenada. Another
thing have observed, there is IN Spain no Constant
dvam drinking. First let me say that the hotels in
this country have no bar or saloon. The loungers,
and the country swarms vita them, visit the cafes
and club-houses. The hotels are as quiet as pr
Vsta dwelling But if you were to visit those even
ing resorts Of the people to their life you might
find them sll drinking nothing stronger thsn cof
fee or lemonade, without spiuts Of any SORT Nc
10 paricularizs any further, will give you singh
experience Il is representative fact, and there
fore more significant.
made the passage OF. the BereRgeur, a Spanish
steamer, from Cadiz to Havana oyage of tEent
days. There were fity-fOur first CABIN ami nifty
seven second cabin passengers among taem hall
dozen young army officers, the way ID their regi
ments in Hsvsns. There were but eight or ten ia
dies and ell the passeng gers but two, Spanlmds
There was no bar or ''saloon," or anything answer
ing TO them, on the steamer, nor is there n any c
the Spanish steamers. The oOmmen wine CT ia
country was furnished as part Of the breakfast an
dinner, of which all drank-but very moderately
and SO far as l observed, IF nothing else. The chi
exceptions were a Frenehman, ana a Spsniard VII
had spent his days in England.
never saw passenger drink ng spirits Of an
sort with those two exceptions, and those not
any excess except at their meats. There ooul
hardly have been more sobriety Of conduct If il ha
been a body Of delegates 70 temperance conEtI
ton Ii was so novel st ambOat experiences
me, that on my arrival at Haysna l asked tie stew
ard Whist amount Of liquors Of all sorts hs6 bee
sold during the voyage. And what result do SO
suppose the examjnat on Of his books gave US
revealed an aggregate sale Of sixteen bott-fs
brandy and twonty-iour bottles of extra VINES
the whole one hun red and eleven passen gers, q
told, during the entire voyage Of twenty days.
Every evening would End fifteen twenty pa
sengers playing the usual steamboat games, b
without spirits Of any SOFT ID drink. tdink sco
of men passing three hours Of evening in thO
steamboat amusem6nts, With no beverage but Il
and coffee, is sPestsole you must 60 beyond q
States u see. l was so impressed with this, to n
entirely neE observation in steamboat life, that
inquired Of the commanding officer il This sobrie
He ,rad maj
the Spaniard was very moderate drinker Of T.
stronger liquors, but tina, men, and childrt
drank the wines of the country at tteir meall.