The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1860-08-30

letter rublished in your issue of the 10th, comment
inc upon an article Of mine upon the disuliatIon oil
rum, &c, l would beg leave respectfully to state that'
although no one can be too careful in writing to a
newspaper for publication, as MEG justly Observes
still one can hardly be held responsible for errors Of
the Printer. My only wonder is that was let oil so
easy, taking it for granted, as Mr.. MEG. no doubt
did, that l had the unparalleled etfrontery TO say TO
the public that only one half gallon proof spirit could
be obtained from fourteen gallons molasses, Wheh
tbe same result has been got from fourteen pounds,
or little more than one gallon. Upon discovering
that and other errors. wrote to have them corrected,
and it. no doubt. has been done. Had Mr.. Nee.
=. been less hasty with his flint he would not have
had quite so much TO complain about. | did say that
the skimmings from the clarifer were never taken in
any country 10 make rum ; it might have been more
correct to have stated that, in my experience | had
never known of it being taken for such n purpose,
nor do l believe it. There is no rum in 1t, It being
merely scum, and of course good for nothing.
Mr.. MEG. saws that my observations upon sugar.
boiling are contrary to all practical experience This
is n mistake I have seen more practice in that way
than any other. I only wrote of the manner sugars
were made at some of the West India Islands when l
was there, and l presume they are made in the same
way still. I have often seen sugars carted off in a
a. q man NNANa
cargo before the hurricane months set in, sutjectIng
the vessel to a double insurance and had they not
been boiled up to a high heat, the ore-half would
have been pumped up as bilge- water. never knew
Of any other reason assigned for SO doing than that
they might have such a body as TO stand the passage
home, and I so stated it, believing it to be true, as |
do now. 1T st. Croix, sugars are made in exactly
the same way that they are made here that is, to
strike at the granulating point, the tests taken to
discover that being different from what Mr.. MEG.
describes, but leading to the same results; although
these signs were wholly and entirely known to US,
and Of course nothing new.
In conclusion. 1 will now enicavor lin my humble
capacity, and the limited means ut my disposaD to
put this controversy in a proper light, and have done
with it forever. Without any regard to the practice
Of 'l~ T-I7r5e. r~coivoa opinion from Theoretical talent
published in books, and with all due Difference to
Mr.. McGregor's practical knowledge, 1 take the
liberty to state that every planter upon these Islands.
Of so minded may have his sugars boiled up to rs
high a heat as the ingenuity Of man ever devised in
any country since the making of sugar first was a
trade. There is no witchcraft about it. When
ready. it appeals to two senses urging the ne
cessity Of being taken of, as clearly and unmis-
takably as tho alarm clock, appeals to only one. Is
it then better TO take off the sugar At the graduating
point, in order to make the very best sugar and much
less Of it, and TO have the moiasses boiled over at a
great expense and loss Of time, so as to obtain a
second quality sugar; or Is it best to boil up so high
that at one operation the quality Of moasses may be
diminished one half or more, without anything else
than a mere nominal additional expense being incurr-
to gain the result Of such a sugar that will be
equal in value to two-thirds Of the very best sugar,
one-third of the second quality mixed together;
] presume that the planters upon these Islands are
not so poor but they can well afford to try the ex-
pertinent, nor yet so rich rs TO refuse to do II, keep
a faithful and true account Of the returns from
both plans and taking on to the one they may like the
lgihbOut respect TO persons. doctors may dis
agree and 4 certain new craft might be endan-
yeled - by such an innovation as this; nevertheless,
am Of opinion that some one viii try it. If from
.~wo-thiris to three fourths Of the molasses could be
yot rid Of in this way, would it not be the best news
he planters have had yet; l cannot say positively
low much molasses may be consumed by this mode of
more than oue-haIf and less than
hree-fourths, Let it not be supposed that this will
.estroy the capitalization of the sugar; it will have a
grain if not destroyed in the cooler. P.
Hio, Hawaii. Aug. ~, 1860.