Djftilleries ON FEES, GRATUITIES, & c. of Fermentation progressively to attenuate or lessen the specific Gravity of Wash, this Instrument, wherever it shewed an Increase of Gravity after the Commencement of Fermentation, would infallibly denote the Addition of new or less fermented Wash. To prevent the concealing or privately working off Wash, the Distiller should be required, when any Worts are let down into the Backs, and set for Fermentation, to deliver to the next- Officer who may visit, a Declaration in Writing, specifying the Gravity of the Worts as found by the Saccharometer, their Quantity as taken from the Dip, in wet or dry Inches ( perhaps in both) and the Number of the Vessel in which they are contained. In suggesting the Propriety of taking the Dips by the dry as well as the wet Inch, we have it in View to defeat some, at least, of the many fraudu- ent Contrivances for diminishing the Dip of Vessels; such as the Practice of having false Bottoms, andofsinking Blocks, and other Substances in them} in order to prevent the due Immersion of the Rule; the Distiller might also be prohibited, under severe Penalties, from removing any Wash, till a Gauge and Account had been taken by the Officer. The Officer, im- mediately on receiving the Declaration, might be required to take the Dip} in order to ascertain its Correspondence with the Declaration ; and to pre- vent any Renewal of Backs, at each Visit to try the Gravity of the Wash by a Saccharometer, with which every visiting Officer should be furnished, and instructed to use: and the Dip and Gravitysotaken, as well as the Distiller's Declaration, should immediately be entered in appropriate Columns of his Books; at every succeeding Visit the Gravity should be ascertained, and, when the Fermentation permitted, the Vessel dipped, and Entries made ac- cordingly. Any Increase of Quantity after the Fermentation had subsided, or any Increase of Gravity ( during or subsequent to Fermentation) that had taken place since the Officer's preceding Visit, except such Proportions as may be deemed sufficient to cover casual Inaccuracies, should subject the Distiller to a severe Penalty, and the Back to be charged anew. At the same Time that we suggest these Means of checking the Frauds which have been practised in respect to Wash, we cannot help viewing the present Li- mitation of Time allowed for its Fermentation and Distillation, as occasion- in g both Inconvenience and Loss to the Distiller. The Quantity in which Spi- rits are yielded, depends greatly on the Degree of Attenuation which the Wash has undergone; that is, the Diminution of specific Gravity which has taken place; and in Proportion as the Time for Fermentation is limited, an Inci case of Barm becomes necessary to hasten the Process. In England and Scotland there exists no Regulation, by which the Distiller is constrained to work off his Wash within a given Time j and by the annexed Extract from Appendix, No 27. a Scotch Distillery Book, it appear^, that twenty- seven Days elapsed before the Attenuation was brought to its lowest Point; the Irish Distiller, there- fore, who is compelled to have his Wash distilled at the Expiration of six 46G. III. c. 83. Days, must either submit to sacrifice a Part of its Produce, by using it im- perfectly attenuated, or incur an increased Expence for Barm or Yeast. • The Introduction of the Saccharometer, with such other Regulations as we have proposed, will, we trust, add so much to the Difficulty and Danger of committing Frauds by Means of the Wash, as that, when Experience shall afford Grounds to expect a faithful and vigilant Discharge of Duty by the Officers, this Restriction may be entirely removed. We must here observe, that as the Allowance of longer Time for Fermen- 44 » E tation, /