Weekly Trinity journal., 1860-05-12

Startling Facts for Brandy Drinikers.

If habtual swillers of the article designated
brandy are not seized with at least an imaginary
unpleasant feeling in the region where the arti-
Gle next stops after passing their lips, when they
read the following. vouched for by the New
York Journal Of Commerce, we are mistaken in
the general desire of mankind to prolong life to
the longest possible period. About threeftths
of the people of Trinity county are particularly
invited to peruse it:
Dr. Cox, Chemical Inspector of Liquors in
Hamilton county, Ohio, has been lecturlng in
New York on the adulteraton of liquors, and
accompanying his remarks by illustrations. The
Doctor stated that he had been analyzing liquors
for five years and during that time had analyzcd
2,279 samples. alcoholic and malt and had found
only $50 that were really pure. Two hundred
and fifty were mixed liquors. All the remainder
were adultcrated with prussic acid, sulphuric
acid, pepper, stramonium, strychnine, &c. In
Philadelphia the Doctor had anayzed samples
from twenty or thirty stores. In one article OF
lager bier the chemical test gave him sulphurlc
acid, alum, salt and sulphatc of iron. He could
not detect single grain of malt in it, lie did
not find Il single sample of pure brandy in Phila-
delphia While reading his lecture on brandy
in PHILADELPHIA, liquor dealer in the audience
stcpped forward and produced specimen OF
brandy, and offered the Doctor large sum OF
money if he could detect the slightest trace OF
adulteration in it. He had $50, 600 worth OF the
same brandy in bond and knew that it was pure.
The Doctor subsequently analyzcd it, and found
not single drop OF pure brandy-nothlng but
whisky fusil oil, nitric ether, pepper, and other
Ingredients In Cincinnati, he had been called
upon by q gentleman who had obtained some
New York pure brandy" from drug store, for
his wife. who was in delicate health, and had
given her spoonful OF it, thereby making her
very unwell. The Doctor examined two casks
of the brandy at the drug store, by request ot
this gentleman. and found sulphuric acid and
prussc acid. The latter ingredient was obtained
from cherry laurel or bitter almonds From
three to five ounces of sulphurc acid or oil OF
vitrol are put into a barrel of whisky to convert
it into " brandy Sulphuric acid he detected
by the use OF ltmus paper, and prussic acid by
a solution of potash He directed the druggist
not to sell any more of that " New ork brandy"
The Doctor then proceeded III presence of the
audience, to analyZc a sample Of d" old otard'
brandy. lie poured some of it into tumbler
and dipped in piece of litmus paper, the color
I Of which was changed from blue To u red
showing the presence OF sulphuric acid. The
Doctor then tested for prussic acid, and demon
strated its presence in the brandy by turning the
liquor to Il blue color. The Doctor tested some
port wine, and found a large proportion OF sui
phurc acid in it--applying chloride OF barlun
as Il test. lie also found no alcohol in the port,
whereas there should have been from nineteen to
nearly twenty six hundredths of alcohol. lie
had found in " still Catawba" only four per cent.
of alcohol and considerable copper. The Doctor
alluded to cases within his knowledge, where
the use of drugged liquor had caused DEATH and
concluded his lecture, which had been given in
rather II rambling style, owing to the illhealth
of the speaker, and frequent interruptions by
nqurers among the audience