The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-06-10
FRENCH LIQUORS.

DIR. Charles Chancellor, our consul at
Havre, France, has published defense
Of his report upon the adulteration Of
French wines. He alludes to the
fact that former United States consuls
have made similar reports in reference
to the adulteration Of French brandy. He
says Consul Clifford, at La Rochelle, de-
clared few years ago that not one-half
of the brandy shipped to the United
States was above suspicion, and that
much of il was as deadly as absinthe.
Gen. Roosevelt, our consul at Bordeaux,
reported that more than one-half of the
brandy exported from that port was
adulterated and advised that it be ex-
cluded from the United States as vigor-
ously as American meat was excluded
from France. Not long after this re-
port was made an attempt was made
to assassinate Gen. Roosevelt, which was
attributed to the report made by him on
the adulteration of French brandies.
DR.. Chancellor says that he took up the
study of the question of Irvine making"
in 1894 and in July, 1895, submitted TO
the state department an elaborate report
upon that subject, which was objected
to, on the ground that certain state
ments were not supported by official
figures. He declares that the most es-
sential part Of the report was prepared
from statistical data furnished by the
French department of agriculture and
IN Of 10
drawn from French sources, except the
one statement that Fifteen thousand
casks of wine had recently been de-
stroyed by the municipal laboratory of
Paris, the inspection having failed to
reveal drop Of grape juice This state
ment NJ. Hanotaux, the French minister
of foreign affairs, pronounced ISLANDER
Gus in character and without founda-
ton" DR.. Chancellor says he used
the statement as published in Hygiene, a
scientific and sanitary journal of the
highest responsibility, and subsequently
it was also published in Public Opinion,
London journal of character, and other
trustworthy journals. DIR. Chancellor
says he did not rely solely upon these
published statements, but there were
certain jacts me judce" that tended
strongly to confirm the truth of it,
notably the enactment of French law
that provides for the confscation of wines
prepared by fermentation or distlla-
ton from figs, carombcs. flowers of
Mowra, rice. barley and other saccarine
materials" and none of these sub
stances, he adds. could he accused of an
acquaintance with the juice of the grape.
Dr. Chancellor gives in detail the
numerous instances when laws against
adulteration have been opposed, upon the
ground of an injury to agriculture, and
quotes French scientific authority, VI.
Lancerauy, who. in an address before
the "Societe de Medicine of Paris,' said
that tuberculosis and the most serious
and fatal disorders which atiict the
laboring classes of France must be at
tributed to the use of sophisticated
Wines" which means adulterated wines.
DIR. Chancellor further declares that re-
cent Investigations have established the
fact that while sound, natural wine con-
tans few or no Preventative microbes,
artificial or sophistical wines contain as
many as $4,000 per cubic centimetre of
the most pernicious species of micrococci
and bacteria.
This should be conclusive proof not
only that French brandy and wines that
are shipped and sold to this country are
adulterated, but that they contain poisons
deleterious TO the health of those who
use them. DR.. Chancellor was sur
geon in the confederate army and took Il
high professional position in Baltimore,
Md, after the war, having been for Il
long time dean of the medical faculty of
one of the medical schools of that city
and is both an intelligent and reliable
scientist as well as Il gentleman of UNI
questioned integrity.