A NEW AND IMPROVED METHOD OF DISTILLING AND RECTIFYING SPIRITS AND STRONG WATERS
Year: 1826

page_text: TRADER
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
FRASER, of Hounsditch, in the City of London, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty King George the Fourth, in and by His
Letters Patent, under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Fourth day of March last, for Himself, His heirs and successors;
did give and grant unto me, the said James Fraser, His special licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said James Fraser, my execu
tors, administrators, and assigns, and every of them, by myself and themselves,
or by my and their deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or such others as I;
the said James Fraser, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter,
during the term of years therein unexpired, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, my Invention of "A NEW AND IMPROVED METHOD OF DISTILLING AND
RECTIFYING SPIRITS AND STRONG WATERS;" in which said Letters Patent there
is contained a proviso, obliging me, the said James Fraser, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, particularly 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 inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within two calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereto had,
will more fully appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Fraser, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is performed, is particularly described in
manner following, that is to say:—
That my Invention consists in an arrangement of parts, by which the pro-
cess of distillation is completed by the vapour or steam of the first or primary
still being made to pass through the interior of the spirit or secondary still by
means of tubes or hollows of any shape or form, or such as are commonly used
for heating by steam, or for the purposes of condensation, but an extensive
surface ought to be kept in view, or by the said steam of the primary still
being made to act on the external surface of the said spirit or secondary still, or
by the said steam or vapour of the said primary still being made to act on the
external part and on the internal part also of the said spirit or secondary still
at the same instant of time, thus placing the contents of the secondary or spirit
still between the entire power of the steam or vapour from the primary still in
its passage or passages into the primary worm or condenser; and such secondary
still can be placed on the top of the primary worm or condenser, or in such
situation as convenience may point out, so that the steam of the primary still is
made to act with effect, as above. The above is the Patent for which I declare
connected with the above system, for which I claim exclusive right, and which
will materially lessen the empyreuma always attached to new-made spirits. I
proceed to describe a simple and efficient process, partly original and partly
the effect of the practice of others, for which I do not claim exclusive right,
but which is necessary to be known to form a more complete and perfect
whole. In the first place surround the primary still with water; when this
water boils, it will also boil the contents of the primary still, and also prevent
the sidiment of the wash or low wine from adhering to the bottom; this bas
been my practice for a considerable time. It is here evident that the water
round the primary still can be heated much above what is required to boil the
primary still, and that the steam of this water can also be made to heat the
wash prior to its entrance into the interior of the primary still, or to boil any
other fluids at a distance from the fire or steam casks, &c., &c. The water
boiler and the primary still being now charged, and both in a state of ebullition,
the vapour proceeds through the head and connecting tube into the secondary
still, from thence to the worm or condenser, and as it is of great importance
to prevent the wash or low wine from boiling over into the worm or condenser,
a check is placed in the secondary still to prevent it. By a check is meant any
opposition at a higher level, so that if room is left between the contents of the
still and the said check, whatever boils up will not be able to get over, but

page_text: remain between both until the fire is damped and the whole returned to the
still, as at first; this check is perhaps three parts up, leaving one for the vapour
to get over, which has also the property of separating the aqueous parts from the
spirit, as the lighter body rises to the top and passes over the said check. The
primary still being now run off is again filled with heated wash; the contents
of the first charge is supposed to be received below the primary worm or con-
denser, into a properly secured recipient; from this recipient it is pumped up
into the secondary still; the wash being highly heated before it passes into the
primary still speedily boil, and its vapour being in contact with the surface
which contains the spirit thus pumped up, the finish or rectification in the
secondary still will proceed rapidly and pass into its own worm or condenser,
and so on into its own recipient as a finished article. It is not difficult
to imagine two primary stills kept in action by one secondary still, nor a
secondary still by the surrounding water of the primary still, nor a rectifying
still being made of the primary still by this system; in fact, this system can
assume any form, and will not only place our distilleries on the most econo-
mical and efficient footing, but save at least fifteen per cent., and yield a very
superior article, whilst it secures the duty to the certainty of a fraction.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, the Fourth
day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
year above mentioned, the aforesaid James Fraser came before our Lord the
King in His 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.
Turolled the same Fourth day of May, in the year above written.