The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-01-10
For Wine e,Drinkc..s.

nlShes most valuable and useful in
formation to the advocates of tenn
perance; out, after reading his letter,
the consumers of foreign wines will
discuss their Bordeaux" with faith
somewhat shal> en- in its purity.
The writer says that very little, if
any, good, unadulterated, wholesome
wine Is sent to this country. "The
stuff sent is generally of the vilest
description, and destitute of the sug-
gestlon of the juice of the grape. 1t
is generally made of water or the
poorest oin orclinoi7e, unfit to drink,
and favored with an article called
essence of medoc. one bottle of
which gives flavor and boquet to five
barrels OF vine" He also says:
t'Tne wine costs about ten cents a
bottle to manufacture, including the
profit, which is not small. Within
week past, one house in New York
has sent an order here for one hun
dred thousand ca: IS of wine, of va
rlous brands, for which they proposed
to pay five francs per case The
house here declined to undertake to
supply wine of that character, as it
had reputation established The
cost Of bottling and packing wine,
In uding the filling and corking of
tls bottles, placing upon them the
proper capsules and labels, and pre-
e.1,
four francs, thus leaving one franc
only per case for the mixture which
the enterprising and high-toned New
York house proposes to supply the
people of the United States. AL
though the firm referred to declined
to fill the order, the agents of the
New York house have found firm
that will undertake the job, and sup
ply the labels of all the choicest
brands of white and red vines of
France. Besides this vile stuff, which
is sent from here to food the Ame-
rlcan market, and poison the Ame-
rican people, q large quantity of oils
OF nedoc, essences of sauterne and
stuff Of that kind, by which choice
old wines are manufactured in New
York, are also shipped. They cost
ten francs per bottle, and each bottle
f1avors from three to five barrels of
the mixture, which, when nicely bot
tied and labelled, passes among those
unaccustomed to good w;~r rs the
verltable article. Bordeaux is full o,
wine swindlcrs. About fifteen houses
IN the city are respectable and re-
liable, and the balance Of fifteen hun
tred or more are guilty OF the most
shameful deceptions and swindles. I
regret to say that the sH}pok to the
United States as TIE gre2!Ssa1arket for
their vile compounds, and it is equally
as dlsagreeable to state that they are
not disappointed i'll their expecta-
tlons; and, while on the subject, |
may rs well say that the article of
brandy sent from the Cognac and
Rochelle districts is equally as vile
and impure.
1T Is unpleasant to be compelled
to dlsabuse the minds of a people OF
the common impression that because
wines and brandies are imported from
France, they are pure It is not so.
Not one-fiftleth part of the wines sent
from bordeaux are what they p:lrport
to be, and but a small portion of the
brandy is pure. They have all the
external brands and marks of genuine
articles, but the articles themselves
are bad and unfit for use.
\ GREAT NATURAL CURIOSITY
The Sentinel published at Jackson
vile, Oregon, Of the 18th ult., says:
Several OF our citizens returned
last week from a visit to the Great
Snnksn Lake, situated in Cascade
Mountains, about rs miles north east
from Jacksonville. This lake rivals
the famous valley of Sinbad the
sailor. 1t is thought to average 1000
feet down the water all round. The
walls are almost pei pendicular, run
nlnS down into the water, and leav-
ing no beach. The depth of the
water IS unknown, and its surface is
smooth and unruffied, and it lies so
tar below the surface of the mountain
that the air currents do not affect it.
Its length is estimated at II miles.
and its width at 10. There is an
island Ia Its centre having trees upon |
it. No living man ever has, and pro
badly never will, be able to reach the
waters edge. 1t lies silent, still and
mysterious in the bosom of the ever
lasting hills, like a huge well scoped |
ont by the hands of the giant genii
OF the mountains, in the unknown |
ages gone by, and aroaud it the pri
meval forests watch and ward ;lre
keeping. The visiting party fired q ,