Distilleries,] ON FEES, GRATUITIES, & c. Singlings, and the Charge of Duty when drawn or computed from Still Charges. This Act directed that Feints should not be of greater Strength than Eighty- five per Centum under Proof, and that any Liquor declared as Feints found to be of greater Strength, should be charged as binglings; and further, that all Feints should be either spilled or mixed with the Pot Ale or Wash in the Presence of the Officer; and that for any Decrease of Feints, not justified by the Quantity so spilled or mixed, the Distiller should be charged with One Gallon of Spirits for every Three Gallons of Feints. The Distillers generally complain that they cannot make One Gallon cf Singlings from Four of Wash, nor Two of Spirit from Five of Singlings, and that the Deduction made for Liberty to work is insufficient. As the principal Distilleries of Ireland are situated in Dublin, and the Officer's Duty is nearly uniform throughout every Part of the Country, and a general Remove had taken Place in the Year 1804, we were of Opinion that, without withdrawing the Country Officers from their Stations, the Object of our Enquiries would be sufficiently answered by the Examination of such as we found resident in Dublin. By these Examinations it appears, that a Gauger was appointed to each Distillery, and a Surveyor to survey in which might be One or more Distilleries. These were the Officers im- mediately in Charge; there were, besides, Two Inspectors General, who took Charge of the District of Dublin, One of the Northern, the other of the Southern Part. It was the Duty of the Inspectors General to take the Dimensions of all Appendix, No. 4. Stills in their respective Districts to see that they were conformable to the Shape required by Law, and to ascertain the Content by filling them with Water ; and to gauge and tabulate all the Vessels used in the Distillery ( except theMashKieves and Coppers), and make a Return of these Particu- lars upon Oath to the Board, before a Licence could be granted to any Dis- tiller. The several Dime nsions and correspondent Contents of the Vessels Appendix, No. 5. werethen entered in a Book called a Tabulation Book, of which Four Copies were made, and the Gauger, Surveyor, Inspector, and Examiner of Gaugers and Surveyors Books, had each One. It appears that frequent At- Appendix No 4 tempts were made to deceive the Inspector in ascertaining the Contents of Stills, by lining them with copper- coloured Tiles, and introducing other Substances for the Purpose of lessening their apparent Content 3 too great Circumspection, therefore; cannot be used by the Officer in the Execution of this most important Branch of his Duty. It seems, however, that except on the Application of the Distiller, Re- measurements were seldom taken not- withstanding the Instructions of the Board of Excise on that Head : this Omission considering the Variety of Frauds that have come to light, and the Probability that many have remained undetected, seems to us ex- tremely reprehensible. When any Accident happened to a Still, or any ^ N Alteration had taken Place, the Distiller was required to give Notice to the ppen °' 4* Inspector, who, if the Accident or Alteration was such as might make any Change in the Capacity of the Still, re- measured it. Upon every Measure- ment or Re- measurement of the Body or Head of a Still at the Requisition of the Distiller, the Inspector received from him a Fee of 20 and in some Instances 40 Guineas, and such Re- measurements appear to have been fre- quent. The Inspector was required to see that the Surveyors and Gaugers under him were well acqainted with their Duty, and executed it pro- perly, and to examine the weekly Charge Vouchers of these Officers; but more Appendix, Nos. 4, 12.