Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-01-03
Drinking in ENGLAND -.

a correspondent OF the New ork Sun wife;
| q very interesting statistical report upon Tue
| Drinking Habits OF the English" he a!:J
| makes allusion to criticism upon his letter bya
party signing himself Frank Former -
III SAWS:
ssi that 'la England e7erybody-sppro1i.
mstely spesk ng-drnk wine ale or beer" NJ.
f. retorts with delicate thrust Ct Sarcasm tn.:
l should inform myself that ia England ale i,
beer" There lie made something OF q mistake.
True i. is that here the nomenclature Of mst
drinks is not the same as in the United States,
but I maintain tn 8. ale is not necessarily bee.
in England. The ususge in that matter differ:
even in various parts or England ITSELF but in
London beer is understood TO mean porter, and
not ale or stout st all. In Whtsker's Almanac.
standard statistical authority, for 1877, in Civ
ing the value OF the export of mslt drink from
the United Kingdom, the author uses the woc1s
ale and beer" ct is on page 1879 and her
Majesty's Commissioners of Customs in their
last report, the twenty. first, use the same word:
repeatedly. do not wish to change the lsngu-
age l first used, though did not then thinki OF
any mportsnce to make a hae distinction, even !:
any existed.
Mr.. Fermer says tina! Tin actual pecunis:y
value the consumption Of whiskey, rum and gin
is far greater then that CT wine ale or beer
Tha! is s magnificent blunder. will give lz'
ures to illustrate. In round numbers, Gses:
into1icstin g drinks, Excise duty i, paid or
60, 200, coo bushels of malt. used for home con-
sumption. That represents fully 1853, 00J
gallons Of malt drinks, which At say g. GEMS
gallon, is worth over S400 COG. 0OJ, or much more
than bslf Of the total Foreign and domestic
spirits consumed yesrly amount to CO..
gallons, valued at $22l, COO. Coz. It will he seen
tn st the actual pecunsry value OF spirits, in.
stead Of being far greater than III At ofthe Others
is only mere trife more than half as great He
seems to have been guessing at his curious resut.
from. the receipts of customs duties The reve.
nue. from spirits is. indeed. nearly three timer ~
great as from malt drinks, but that gives no idea
Of the quantities used Of each, or Of their values:
About lhree-fourths CT sll spirits used comes
from sbrosd and pays duty. The malt drink;
are almost wholly made at home, and though
their quantity and value are each greater than IN
the case ofspirits. the revenue is much less.
Yes abstinence is looked upon as q whim,"
there is nothing more certain, should say, thar
rence's permissive bill would indicate that, a
bill more moderate in its provision can scarcely
be imagined It simply provides thst the peo.
ple shall have the power 10 veto the giving OF
licenses in their own localities 1t amounts 70
nothing moro or less tha2 that and yet tbs:
moderate bill has never had more than 1856 votes
in the House q Com mons, out Of total OF G.!
votes. Such 10 IN e. Lord Bssconfeld, Sir Stsf'
f I'd Northcoie, tie late George Ward Hunt!
Mr.. Roebuck, Prof Favcett. Mr.. Forster, tho
Right Hon. Claiborne Hardy, Sir Charles Dilse
and Sir Michasl Hicks Beach vote agxins. it.
Even Mr.. John Bright AID Mr.. Gladstone have
never voted for it They stay sway altogether
when the bill comes 70 vote The fact is tbs!
when people so universally drink, as in BnG.
land, they cannot afford 10 have public place: OF
decidedly low repute. but naturally lift the pub
lie houses up, and make them decent too-tba!
is msasurably decent