Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1905-03-02
No. 9.

date when sugar was first introduced
into England is difficult to ascertain.
One OF the earliest references to sugar
in England is that OF 100000 pounds Of
sugar being shipped to London in 1919
by one Loredanao n merchant Of
Venice, to be exchanged for wool. In
the same year there appears in the ac-
counts OF the chamberlain Of Scotland
a payment at the rate of Is. Gid. per
pound for sugar Writing In 1880,
Chaucer mentions the sweetness Of
sugar allegorically.
The art Of refining sugar and making
what is called loaf sugar was invented
by Venetian citizen toward the end
Of the fifteenth century. This same
art was first practiced in England in
1914, the adventures being Thomas
Gardiner and Sir William Chester, as
sisted by three yenetians. They were
proprietors Of the only two sugar
houses in England, but the profits aris-
ing from this concern were at first
small, as the sugar refners at Ant
werp could supply the London market
cheaper. Eventually war stopped the
intercourse between London and Ant
wsrp, and these two houses supplied all
England for a space of twenty years
aud greatly enriched the proprietors,
whose success induced many others to
embark in the same trade. In 1896
Sir Thomas Mildmay tried to create a
sugar trust On the pretext that frauds
were practiced in refining sugar he pc
titioned Elizabeth to grant him a IL
cense for the exclusive right of refin-
ing sugar. for term Of years. but the
queen refused the request.
Meanwhile the Spaniards had become
In their turn the great disseminators Of
the sugar cultivation. The cane was
planted by them in Madeira in 1420; it
was carried to the West Indies in 1906,
and it spread over the occupied por-
tions Of South America during the six
teenth century. Yet sugar continued
to be costly luxury, an article sub
ject to the control Of the physician and
confined to the apothecary's shop, till
the increasing use Of tea and coffee in
the eighteenth century brought 1t into
the list of principal food staples.
Sugar was believed to be an antidote
to alcohol. Bacon warmly supports
the theory Of the power of sugar not
only to render wine less intoxicating,
being mixed Herewith at the time OF
drinking it, but also when eaten after
ward to remove the i'll effects OF too
eopious hbations of unmingled wine.
Falstaff, it may be remembered, al
ways took sack and sugar" A Gu
iious echo Of this theory cropped up at
tho Lamson murder trial. The pris-
oner pleaded that the sugar brought
into the room to serve as suitable
vehicle for the aconitine which he in
tended to administer to his victim was
really introduced to counteract the in
fuence of some strong sherry they
were drinking. The great Duke Of
Beaufort, who was a heavy drinker,
for forty years before his death used
pound Of sugar daily in his wine.
The increased use Of sugar was cred
tied with having extinguished the
plague in Europe; it certainly contrib
)ted to suppress the native malady OF
England, the scurvy. There used to be
n custom In Wales on Ascension day
for children to form parties to take
sugar and water at a neighborlng well.
Each child was provided with sugar
and a cup. The day was usually desig-
mated sugar and water day. The
superstition was that all who drank
Of the mixture there on that day would
| be proof against illness and protected
| frcm evil spirits for twelve months.
| Hone mentions a similar custom being
prevalent in Derbyshire on Easter SUM-
day under the name OF sugar cup
ping"
Sugar tongs Mt meals came In during
the reign of Queen Anne, and the use
Of them was long confined to British
households. DR.. Johnson Is commonly
supposed not to have been oyernice
about his table manners, but he pro-
nounced the French ian indelicate peo-
ple'' because they knew not the article
when he visited Paris In 1775. The in
cident that excited his disgust occur
red at a party at Nine. Du Bocaze's.
The footman took the sugar in his fin
gers and threw it into the doctors cof-
fee. II was going to put 1t aside"
said the doctor; "but, hearing 1t was
made on purpose for me, cen tasted
Toms fingers" A famous parliamen-
tary anecdote hinges on sugar. Pitt
UIord Chatham) when speaking, prob
ably on the West Indian slave ques-
ton, began his speech, Sugar, Mr..
Speaker" the popularity Of its COM
mencement eliciting roar OF laughter
from the house. Nothing daunted,
Pitt began, Sugar Mr.. Speaker" The
laughter was renewed, but not so We
hemently. A third time the great or
ator reiterated the same formula In
voice of thunder, turning round about
with a look which effectively stopped
any further display OF risibility and
amid perfect silence continued bis
speech.
All other sugars besides cane sugar
and sugar Of milk were unknown until
the year 1747, when a German chemist
named Margraff first produced sugar
from white beet root. No practical use
was made of the discovery during his
lifetime. However, in 1799 his pupil
and successor, Achard, established
beet sugar factory in Silesia, soon aft
er which the chemists Of France, at
the instance OF Napoleon, largely ex-
tracted sugar from the beet root. 1t
was not. however, till after 1880 that
the Industry secured firm footing,
but from 1S40 onward 1t advanced with
giant strides.-London Globe.