New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-04-07
LECTURE on ADULTERATED LIQUORS

Mr.. CHAs. A. SEELY, chemist of No. 424 Broadway
gave lecture last evening the Adulteration OF Ii
quors, in the Lecture Room Of the Thrteen!h-stree
College. lie said that alcohol was a product Of IA
ture il produced in all grapes which dropped whs
thsy were ripe. Wine had been much thought of
days past from Noah to Christ In ancient times Their
was nothing bat wine; up to the fourteenth centr
there was dstllaton; all he of alcohol
praisiDg. Alcohol was Arabic for the Liquor" Tn
Latin for il was aqua rltG, waer Of ife and eau de
rie was the French name for brandy. Whisky was
iskebogka Irish fJr water of hfe,-a word sometimes
spelled usluebaugh. Mr.. Seely explained briefly the
mode of making the different liquors pure and ex-
planned the chemical composition of alcohol the differ
ences in the flavor and odor of wines were owing
TO the differences 10 the amount Of sugar,
volatile oils, and mineral matters. In Distilled Ii
Quors the volatile oils passed over with the alcos
hol. All wines contained acid, and all distilled
liquors had tendency to become souri, drop Of sui
phuric acid in barrel VI water would change htmus
paper TO red. In genuine wues the acid was t2-sarc;
IN alcohol il was acetic There was also sulphuric
acid in wines, in the form Of silphate OF potash.
Casks were fnmigated With sulphur, producing sui
phurous acid which absorbed oxygen, became supburc
acid and united with potash. Acetlc acid was nearly as
harmful as sulph1ric. A great deal OF the vinegar
which vas sold was sulphurc acid and water. Vine
gar wasnow made from alcohol, by exposing j.. much
Diluted to the action of the air. In many factories
where oil of vi:riol used, they made lemonade
with water, few drops of sulphuric acid 70 make 1t
sour, sugar and oil OF lemc1 de old not think that
III sre was enough uiphurc acid in distilled liquors
to DO any injary. The existence OF salpnsse
Of potash in wire was one OF the best evidences OF
eenuneness. There was generally also tannin In VINE
Poufng this into Dhae OF iron, II would form an inf
lie bad sent 10 place where he sure ID &c. the
aors. liquor; he had seen reports Of persons gong
crazy on liquor from this place. he had oo,sned
nes y half pint OF what they called brandy i2r I'VE
cents, and nearly much more OF similar IL lnoIi
called m u, for similar This wonld % abous on
cents per gallon. On asking for gin tho ans yer was
given: Oh you don't want GIN ga is om.y yr ss.s
brandy and subjected IL TO the tests TO which d. Cox
snbiscted bia brandy without discovering any OF inc
wonderful things which the Docsor %u. nc s saSn
smelt tle liquor, discovering nfsI pica $4,000
Tasting H. he dscovered that was highly peppered
and spiced Pouring little on his hand 'nis mayor
passed OH and lett the persistent od9r OF IoseI on
much of as 70 indicate the worst KIND Oh rye
lie supposed that il made of the cheapest KIND OF
yVbisky costing - or 30 cents gallon, nred up with
Guinea pepper. BE tiought this liquor no worse tnsn
real strong BRANDY the Pper was deleteou but ne
bad seen farmer eat hs saxor ~ fs
whisky was owing 10 the employment OF tut IRE
for dlstlpe and Of the Scotch to the use Of peat Ii
would DO IDLE 10 use peat now, when two or three
Srops of croosote would make several gallons OF COM
mon whisky into Scotch whisky. He thought II posi-
bic that wines might yet be made chemically which
would be preferable TO the genuine. Mr.. Sicily spent
the remainder of the evening in producing beautiful
che micailcolors, and in making additional experiments
with his cheap liquors. He found that in specimen
o. salt sold by the grocers there was more
sulphuric acd than in any of his liquors. Ar article
purPorting to be from The TRI3uss vas read, and g
reply BY Cincinnati paper. Mr. SRELr said that the
story about stry ehn in whisky was rid ,ulous half
a grain of stryebniI would make gallon of water
30 bitter that no one would drink it. In conclusion he
said that 1t was one of the greatest blessings and
curses Of ma1.