New-York tribune., 1878-07-06
COGNAC AND IT'S BRANDY.
THE TOWN AND ITS TRADE.

HE TOWN AND lis lhAlJIH
VISIT TO THE GREAT HoUsEs-Hsromc BUILD
INGs USED As sToREHOUsEs-UNUsUAL DEPREs-
SION OF BUSINESS.
FRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUSE
CoGNAC, May "a" There is but one Cognac,"
| unused my companion, as we threaded our way yes
terday, umbrellas in hand, through the narrow
winding streets Of this ancient little city" and
Brandy" added, &" is ITS profit"
IL is related that not many years ago, the Bishop
| of the neIghbcring city of Angouleme called at
the Vatican to pay his respects TO Pms TX. Ushered
into the presence of the Sovereign Ponti, the visit
ing dIgni;ary announced his title. 81 have" said
he the honor to be your IIOlnesSsvery humble ser
want, the Bishop of AngoulGme." His Holiness nod
died. and his benevolent face mOmentarily assumed
an expression of doubt and inquiry, as if TO recall
exactly where the Angou6me Sec located.
And of Cognac,' added the Bishop. "Ah," said
the good Pope, with a gusto, i've know where
COgnac is."
So does everybody knOw-evcTybOdy, at least, who
calls for "pony brandy" at fifty cents a glass
everybody who whether in South America, Aus
traa. Algeria or Ncw-York, has heard the names of
Hennesscy MaTtel Otard and Dupuy. But to
few Of all the hundreds of thousands to whom those
words are familiar has il happened to visit tins
quaint little town. and see for themselves the store
houses from which IL annually sent out enough OF
the precious liquor to float half dozen goodsized
ironcads
1t is difficult to imagine more picturesque or
peaceful scene than that through which the River
Charente passes in its course through this city Pop
lar-lined as indeed, are most of the rivers OF
France spanned by an imposing stone bridge with
generous arches, through which you catch glimpses
of ancient mills and shaded roadways, and little
dots of green islands overlooked on citLcr bank by
hull, ig
hasty picture of the little stream which bears upon
its peaceful current the barges upon which the
brandy product Of COgnac shipped to the sea
gong vessels near the seabOaTd. Over all hOyers
dreamy sense of antiquity, an ndeiinablc presence
of glories long gone by The warehouses of Otard,
DupUy & Co., for instance were in the sixteenth
century the royal palace Of FRANCOIS /. The adj
joining stOrehOuses and offices of Hennessey ~ Co.
were in old times the abode of Franciscan monks,
and through the long wareroOms. now crowded with
punchcOns and ticrces and tanks, and rcdoent with
favOrs of the vines, the COrdecrs in old times
piously counted their beads and mcditatcd on
mortal dcpravty.
Without its brandy interest COgnac, as the reader
may have already inferred, would go the "demni-
tion bow-wows.' Take away its bakers dozen of
principal shippers, aud grass would grow in the
streets. The brandy men are the fcudal lords-the
city and its suburbs, one comes unexpectedly upon
princely residences-palaccs of stone-surounded
by parks laid out in the most approved style of mod
ern landscape gardening lit with gas, luxuriously
furnished possessing in fact. every comfort that
king could wish for The llenuesscy place, about a
quarter of an hour distant from the city's centre,
comprises an area Of lawn and grove and garden
covering 100 acres and the house itself s marvel
of luxury The tOwnspeOplc, on the other hand,
numbering some - 900, all more or less depend
inf fart flltT
money put In circulation by the brandy trade and,
in common with that trade they feel tho unparal-
lelcd depression marking the present period.
"For fifty or sixty years past,' said Mr. Henncssey
to me yesterday, "such a crisis has not been known
in the trade" IIo attributed this to- possibly. ex-
cessve shipments last year, and TO the fact that
sellers were drawing upon their reserve stock In
preference to making further purchases at the higher
rates, caused | suppose by the damage done by the
phyloxera. quarter of the brandy district was
last year rayaged 10y this troublesome insect The
French Minister of Agriculture directed his per-
sonal attention to discovering some means OF arrest
ing the evil but in vain The worm dld ms Httie
work thoroughly and WELL and the probability is
that American buyers, hearing III advance ot Its
prospective ravagcs ordered large cOnsignments In
anticipation of the increase IN prices which, III
fact, ensucd.
BE this as IL may Cognac is undergoing q season
of unwonted dulness. One of the larger brandy
houses lately discharged sixty emplOyes, having
still employed 200, of whom onc-half, they told
could easily be spared. This is fact seriously
worth looking at, and will imagine furnish many
a crumb of comfort 10 Francis Murphy and his CO.
labOrCrs in the temperance cause. Here are some
figures which put the matter in still clearer light
viz:
Brandy shipped to the United states May 1877 500 900
Brandy shipped the United states May 1873. 2J,sOO
Here is a falling off of nearly twO-thirds. Who will
explain itH That the trade will continued TO de-
crease, or even remain in the present state Of de-
preston is. think doubtful. The month Of May
being as it were, between two seasons was the dull
lest of the year. and il may be that the last months
decrease is ascribable to increased shipments at
earlier dates, in anticipation of the proposed ad
valorem tariff. We shall have toiwait until say
September, before any deduction of permanent
value can be made from the figures gwen above
Give the brandy growers good crop this year, with
no reappearancc of the phylOxera, and all may yet
be well. month ago. as may well be imagined, the
campagnard or yIne-grOwer was on the qui yIve.
Jack Frost was his principal bugbear and cold,
chilly night brought him frghtful visions OF hunger
and the pOOr-hOuse. At one time the atmosphere
was SO cool that neIghbOring vine grower rising
together too fresh and bracng for his ideas of safe
brandy crop, at betoOk himself to the held,
and heapng hastily together a pile Of brushwoOd,
kludled il in hope of warming the air and keeping
off the dreadful frost. This Is fully equal 10 the en-
terpTise of the Yankee stOvedealer who claimed TO
have invented base-burner that would warm
forty acre lot"
-
OBITUARY.