Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-03-22
AnuLrERArroN or IlauoRs.

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The opinion begins to prevail pretty
generally that prohibitory legislation
against liquor is a failure in prevent
ing its use as beverage, and even its
more free use. Those who seek to pre-
vent or even lessen the evils of intern
perance must turn their efforts in an
other direction. Old people remember
that the free use of the liquor manufac-
tured half century or more ago, did
not exert the deleterious effects on the
human system that those of more
modern times do. This is explained by
the fact that the liquors of those early
days were pure, and that the pure ar
ticle is much less hurtful than the COM
pounds that pass for liquors IN later
times. In these days liquors are known
20 be doctored to an extent that Is
frightful. Many of the compounds
that men drink by the glassful and
smack their lips over, are nothing but
poisonous. DR.. Harold, of London,
has examined, for instance, nineteen of
the best samples of sherry he could
procure. The result is:
81. The whole of the wines, without
exception, were fortified with extra
neous spirit to large extent. This
spirit, doubtless, in nearly all cases, and
probably in every case, is derived either
from corn, beet-root or potato, and not
from the grape; while the average
amount of proof spirit furnished by the
must from which sherries are made at
Heres, according to the best authori-
ties, is about 10 per cent; the lowest
quantity found was 29.732, and the
highest 1924, the mean being 35.477
per cent.
so. Seventeen of the nineteen sam
pies were decidedly 'plastered. The
quantity of sulphate of potash found
in the wines, after deducting three
grains per bottle-this being the ut
most amount ever met with in natural
sherry-ranged from $50 to5l.6 grains
per bottle. These quantities give 900
grains as the lowest, and 1895 grains
as the highest amount per gallon.
SO. In addition to the fortifying and
plastering, five of the wines contained
considerable amounts of cane sugar,
the presence of which affords, of course,
clear evidence of adulteration.
II. Two of the sherries-those de-
nominated "Hambro" sherries-con-
tanned very little wine at all, but con-
sisted chiefly of spirit, sugar and water,
favored; in fact, these mixtures could
hardly be said to have any claim to be
regarded as wines at all. F."
What is true as to sherry wines is
equally true to almost all other liquors
of the finer grades. To such an extent
are these authorizations carried that it
is difficult to get a pure article. The
practice of adulteration is not new
one by any means. A few days ago E..
D. Mansfield, in an article in the
Cincinnati Gazette, stated that the ex-
port of whisky from Ohio in 1858
amounted to about 25,OOO,OOO gallons,
and added:
at is probable that with some mix
ture of the wine lees and little astrin-
gent bark it made about as good mer-
charitable brandy as is usually sold.
On this head l will give little illustra-
ton: An old merchant of Cincinnati
was always a dealer in liquors, and,
withal, a most thorough master of
making liquors. He could make any
thing, from Bordeaux wine to good
French brandy, without any trouble of
importing them, or any necessity
for grapes. He gave me this practical
illustration of the liquor trade. One
morning, some forty years ago, he saw
in the Gazette an advertisement
of one of his fellow merchants which
announced pure French brandy, the
genuine article, at $3.50 per gallon. AL
though red brandy was not then over
one-third the present price, yet he
thought it strange that 1t could be so
cheap. So he walked of to the other
merchant and asked him if that brandy
WAS genuine. l1C Sttlu nC WIS HuAlC
sure oft. Might he then taste it out
of the barrel? Yes; and down cellar
he went and tasted of the brandy, and
told the merchant it was very good, and
came away. On the end of the barrel
(which he went to see) was his OigR pri-
rate mark. He had exported his own
made brandy to New Orleans at 81 per
gallon, whence it was resold by one of
the first merchants there, and imported
into Cincinnati"
The liquor business is full of such
adultertions as this, only in a worse
form perhaps. As to the harm which
such adulterated liquors do it is wholly
unnecessary to speak. This practice
should be prevented by the passage and
enforcement of stringent laws in every
State.