IMPROVEMENTS IN MANUFACTURING OR IMPROVING FERMENTED AND DISTILLED LIQUORS
Year: 1843

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALONZO
GRANDISON HULL, late of Clifford Street, Bond Street, in the County of
Middlesex, but now of Upper Brook Street, in the same County, Doctor of
Medicine, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-seventh day of October, in the seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Alonzo Grandison Hull, Her especial licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that I, the said Alonzo Grandison Hull, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, and such others as I, the said Alonzo Grandison
Hull, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years
therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in all
Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, and in the Islands of Jersey,
Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MANUFACTURING OR IMPROVING FERMENTED AND DISTILLED LIQUORS;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said Alonzo
Grandison Hull, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, par-
ticularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be enrolled
in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next

page_text: and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as
in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Alonzo Grandison Hull, do hereby declare that the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following description
thereof (that is to say):-
My Improvements in Manufacturing or Improving Fermented and Distilled
Liquors, consists in passing a current of electricity through a current of wine,
spirits, beer, or other fermented or distilled liquors by means of an electrical
apparatus. The object of this process is to improve the quality of the liquor
so operated upon by perfecting the fermentation, and thereby giving to the
liquor a property similar to that usually acquired by age, and likewise affording
a means of separating the acetous part of the liquor from the general mass.
The most convenient mode of effecting this object is by placing the liquor in
a close glass or glazed earthen vessel, and inserting the poles of a galvanic
battery into the liquor, by means of which a current of electricity is carried
through the liquor. The quantity and intensity of the electric fluid required
will depend upon the quantity and condition of the liquor to be operated
upon and the state to which it is desired to be brought, consequently the
space
of time which the process should be continued must depend upon the same
conditions. As these circumstances will necessarily vary in operating upon
different matters, it is impossible that I can describe any defined scale of pro-
portions. I can therefore only state general rules by which operators may be
guided. If, for instance, I take two gallons of new wine and put it into a
close vessel of glass, I should employ an ordinary galvanic battery, made on
the principle proposed by Smee, with half a dozen pair of plates, about six
inches by two inches in area. I generally use one or two pairs of these plates
with a solution of one part of sulphuric acid to twelve of water. The poles
are of platinum; the negative being made of fine wire about one two-hundredths
of an inch, the positive a thin plate one inch by three in area. The poles should
in this case be about six inches apart, the positive being entirely immersed
in the fluid, and the negative inserted only about half an inch into the fluid.
By an apparatus prepared with these conditions I should continue the opera-
tion upon the wine for about a week, watching the effect from time to time,
and if the presence of gas should appear at either pole in any considerable
quantity, then I should find it desirable to lessen the strength of the battery
by weakening the solution until little or no gas is perceptible. The requisite

page_text: time for continuing this operation upon the wine can only be known by tasting
it, as different qualities of wine will necessarily require different quantities and
intensities of electricity.
Having thus stated in general terms my mode of proceeding to improve
wine, I can only further say, any large quantity of wine will require an apparatus
proportionably increased in power. Beer is to be operated upon in the same
way, but it will be found that malt liquors generally will require the process to
be continued for a less time. Spirituous liquors will sometimes need to be
operated upon for a longer time, but in all cases the flavour of the liquor
occasionally tasted must guide the operator. It will require considerable
caution in carrying on these operations upon different liquors to prevent
destroying their natural briskness, which would be the case if the intensity
of the battery is too great. By increasing the surface of either pole of the
battery the intensity of the electric fluid will at that pole be diminished, and
vice versa; and I even sometimes make the negative pole to present the
largest surface, and by bringing the poles closer together the effect will be
increased. By the use of one pole of the battery only the effect may be pro-
duced, but by a much slower process. The most acid condition of the liquor
will always be at the positive pole, and from which any quantity may be
drawn in case the acid should be too redundant to be mixed up with the
mass.
Having now set out the elements of my improved process or mode of operat-
ing upon fermented and distilled liquors, the details of which must be varied
according to the quantities and conditions of the liquors, I, in conclusion, desire
it to be understood that I do not intend to confine myself to the use of any
particular construction or arrangement of electrical or galvanic apparatus, or to
any definite time of operating upon the liquors, or to any precise dimensions
of the conducting poles.
But I claim as the Invention secured to me by the above in part recited
Letters Patent, the application of a current of electricity passed through fer-
mented or distilled liquors by means of any suitable machine or apparatus for
the purpose of improving their condition, or giving them those qualities which
have heretofore been wholly obtained by age, and allowing the acid portion of
the liquor to be partially drawn off if necessary.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alonzo Grandison Hull, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-four.
(L.S.) ALONZO GRANDISON HULL.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Twenty-seventh day
of April, in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid Alonzo Grandison Hull,
came before our Lady the Queen in Her Chancery and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the!
tenor of the Statute in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the same Twenty-seventh day of April, in the year above
written.