The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-09-29

donia" and 'sparkled enamel pelng
made in Venice for the English market
in the time of Charles II. for the fine
sack laid down in bottles, such as Pc
pys speaks Of.
French wines had not yet been much
shaken in public esteem by Spanish
sack. The blow which was to befall
them came from an unexpected quar-
ter Howell, in his letter to Lord Cliff
ford of 1884, speaking of wines from
the Spanish Observation-Disclosures Sher-
ris, Tents and Alicants-says that lit
tie of the last named comes over right
and that consequently the winners
make Tent, i. e., Rinto, which is a
name for all wines in Spain except
white" to supply the place OF 1t. He
adds that Portugal affords no wines
worth the transporting. But the
heavy and rasping vintages OF the va
lenCian and Catalonian Riyieras con-
tinued to find favor in England with
harddrinking folk until the end of the
century.
AS early as in 1854 Howell spoke IA
vorably of the white wine of Rtbadvia
on the Mimic river in the Spanish from
tier province Of Galicia, adjoining that
of the Upper Douro, the port wine dis
trict of Portugal. That q great inn
proVement was at that time taking
place in the vintages of the Upper Dou
TO is indicated by the fact that in 1869
the duties had come to be identical on
the wines of France and Portugal. In
1898 and in 1897 higher dues were levied
upon French wine. Under these fiscal
conditions the imports from Oporto
and Lisbon rapidly increased, and al
though the natural character of the
wine was quite altered in favor Of it as
against the noble wines of France
which had been paramount In Eng
land almost since Anglo-Saxon times,
and were now at last deposed. In 1903
the Port Wine treaty, negotiated by Mr..
Methuen, admitted Portuguese wine at
a duty of one third less than on those
of France, Portugal, receiving English
manufactured wooden goods at one-half
less duty than was levied upon the like
productions of other countries. The re-
markable results were that from 1907
to 1878 the proportions of French and
Portuguese wines imported into Eng
land were 5 per cent of the former and
95 per cent. of the latter. From 17s4 70
the end of the century the proportions
were ror Portuguese so per cent, and 70
per cent for all other wines. After the
signing of the treaty the quality of the
wine deteriorated. and prices rose on
the establishment of the Oporto Wine
company In 1855 The greatest con-
sumption of port in England was dur
ing the period of 1S25-1S29.
In the meantime the importation of
French wine into Scotland and Ireland
greatly increased; neither nation well
coined port with the ardor of the Eng
lish; indeed, Homes well-known coup
let assures us that 1t was as poison"
to the stern Caledonian Many and
cordial are the illusions to the plenty,
cheapness and goodness of claret in
Scotland throughout the eighteenth
century, the Border counties also bene-
fitting, while both Pope and Boiling
broke congratulated the fierce Dean of
st. Patrick's on his exile to country
where French wine had not been under
mined by port. In these hard times
one reads with something akin to
envy that Portugal wines neat and
natural We're to be obtained in English
taverns in the early part of the elgh-
tenth century at fourteen and sixteen
pence quart Review.