Iron County register., 1880-02-12
DR.. Richardson's Cellar of Wonderful
Wines.

Wlu66.
DR.. Benjamin Ward Richardson, the
eminent English physician and medical
author, is character as rare as the
Oldest of the wines which Sir Walter
Trevelyan has bequeathed to him. The
gift of a well stocked cellar OF
precious wines, endless in variety and
with ages running far back into the last
century, would delight the heart and
win the lasting gratitude of almost any
other merry Briton. BUTT proves to be
white elephant on the hands of the
learned and abstemious author of the
" Ministry of HEALTH
DIR. Richardson has not only preached,
but practised, teetotalism. He had bold
ly declared that old port, which English
men love next to their country and roast
beef, has produced more gout, rheu-
matism, and neuralgia than any other
agent in the world. No wonder, then,
that he suspected joke was being
played upon him when he was officially
notified that a stranger to him, Sir
Walter Trevelyan of Wellington, had
bequeathed to him a magnificent cellar
of wines "to be applied to scientific
purposes cellar especially rich. in
what the donee has especially denounced
old port. When, however, the pom
derous rusty key of the cellar door was
delivered up to the Doctor there was no
longer room to doubt the stern reality
of the situation.
After DIR. Richardson had recovered
from ''the first effect of these tidings,''
which was " sufficient to take away the
BREATH" he visited Sir Charles and
Lady Trevelyan at Wellington to gaze
upon but not taste his vinous treasures
and learn why they had so nlysteriously
been thrust upon him. He found that
Sir Walter had come into possession of
Wellington on the death of his father in
1S4S. At that time some of the wines
in the cellar were sold, but the choicest
brands were kept. Sir Walter neither
touched, tasted nor handled ardent
spirits of any kind. Nor are we in
formed that his guests Jared any better
than himself in this respect. But he
delighted to take them down into the
cellar and show them what precious old
stuff was there slowed away. He
would discourse most learnedly on the
contents of the bins, but it is not record
ed that he drew any corks except once,
in 1857. On that occasion he invited
of friends to the cellar and
treated them to the usual antiquarian
discourse. At dinner, however, he
opened bottle of very ancient Malm-
soy sack, which the company pro-
perfect.
On making a personal inspection of
his treasures, DIR. Richardson found the
wines stored away in the most careful
and, in many instances, almost
buried in fungus. Some of the bottles
were laid on their sides, and Others
were placed upright. In some
cases the name of the wine,
and of the merchant with the year
Of vintage, was stamped on metal labels.
In other instances the names were paint
ed on labels of wood, some of which
had so rotted that the inscription could
not be read. DR.. Richardson found
about 90 varieties of wines and spirits.
There were champagne, port,
claret, Cyprus, hook, white port,
Pruniac, st. George, sack Tokay,
Malmsey sack, Frontignac, Placentine,
sherry sack, a white wine not
arrack, brandy, whisky, gin,
beer and cider. The list which Sir
Walter had left for DR.. Richardson gave
the dates of a number of specimens.
The Tokay and St. George had been
bought of Mr.. Edward Wortley in 1852.
The date of the Cyprus was 1852; the
rum or kirsch before 1777; the claret
and four hook magnums were in the
cellar before 1777. There were Madeira
of 1sO3-1s; port, 1920; ST. Peray, 1884;
and sherry, 1918. Other brands were
marked "old.''
AS yet, DR.. Richardson has not
drawn cork. He is carefully guarding
his sacred trust, and earnestly meditat-
ing what to do with it. ''The an
tiquaries,' he says, "who are curious
about wine may rest in peace until
some ingenious suggestion of practical
kind breaks the charm by showing how
one total abstainer can make use of
wine which another total abstainer has
left him in trust for the purposes of
science. .-NeW York Sun.