The Portland daily press., 1882-01-24

Mr.. EDITOR: The Scientific American OF the
2lst contains an account Of the manufacture of
"Old Crusted Port before an audience, at a
cost of Eve farthings bottle, equal to enc cent
and quarter. DR.. Collenette, the lecturer, is
of the Island Of Guernsey, not of Jersey. |
know him well, having besn his guest there in
that old feudal part of the British dominions,
brought TO the British crown by William the
Conqueror from Normandy, to which it be-
longed. In the Island there are at this day
many of the laws and usages Of the old feudal
time. Here is good place to tell a story of
DIR. Colenette, before l give that of the
"Old Crusted Port
Not long after had entered the Doctors
fine, old-fashioned house, little boy of five
years entered the room. "Ah!'' said the Doc
tor, there is the little drowned boy; come
shake hands with the stranger" "What is it
about the drowning?' 1 asked. This is the
story: When the little fellow was about two
years old his bonnie had him in child's car
riage for an airing, and in course of the walk
left the carriage and child moment at a
friends door. On coming out, the child was
missing Instant search for him, in great
alarm, was made in all directions, and at length
in looking into well, they saw some part OF
the child's white skirts in the water, under
some loose boards that had covered the well.
A great outcry was heard by an old man liv-
ing in the next house, who climbed over the
dividing fence and came to the well. AT the
moment, aforementioned that he had in his
house a grappling-iron, that he had made the
last thing of all on the day when he finished
his apprenticeship a blacksmith. He
climbed painfully over the fence once more,
laid his hand upon the ms ument promptly,
as he knew where it was; but there was no
rope to it. He went to his own well and took
the rope frcm the bucket, climbed once more
over the fence with his apparatus and after
some time pulled the boards from the body of
the child and fastened the iron securely into
its clothes and raised it carefully from the well.
At the moment when the child was brought to
the top, the old man was seized with sudden
and violent access of asthma, and was the
point of letting go the rope, when the Doctor,
who had been reached by the alarm, caught it,
and brought the child to the upper air. For
five hours the Doctor was iDcessantly at work
upon the body before it manifested the least
sign of life, but shortly after that it was out of
danger. Five hours!
Now for the Wine Story, as related by the
Scientific American.
ARTIFICIAL PORT WINE.
Dr. Collenette, a Jersey Guernsey physician
OF temperance principles, lalely gave lecture
on the M. nufacture of Old Crusted Port. One
of the audience was requested to purchase
from local wine merchant of repute bottle
of port, for which he paid six shillings (S1.50).
This, with cobwebs, Sc, was placed on the
lecturers table. DIR. Collenette then stated
that he would in the course of a few minutes
produce similar article at a cost of five far
things. A judge, gentleman said to be well
qualified, was then elected by the meeting.
committee was chosen to come upon the plat
form and witness the operation; this consisted
of weighing out ingredients. The basis of the
composition was cider; bIllock's blood was
used for rich tawny color; tartaiic acid to
give age; cream Of tartar, mixed with gum
water, was smeared on the inside Of the bottle,
and gave beautiful crust. Outside, cobwebs,
dust and whitewash were applied to give an
ancient look, and the bottle was stopped with
a well stained cork. The expert was intro.
duced, and tasted glass from each bottle, de-
claring, with knowing wink at the audience,
that the wine Ia CoLlenette was the genuine
article The temperance audience of course
appla1ded to the echo" n. d.