entation and cleansing, he has the flavour, fining, and bringing
forward of his _malt wines_, nearly as much as the strength, to consider
and employ his attention.

It will scarcely be supposed that I would make these observations
merely with a view of drawing this comparison, though even it might
throw some light on the subject, without an attempt at supplying the
defects pointed out, and remedying the evils represented.

When the carbonic acid gas, or fixed air, so often mentioned in these
papers may be rendered subservient to part of the improvements I have
in view, and which is the constant, abundant, and uniform result of low
combustion, or vinous fermentation, in proportion of thirty-five pounds
weight to every hundred of saccharine or fermentable matter, fermented
in a due proportion of liquor, or water; from the decomposition of
which last, and the absorption of its oxygen, it is principally
obtained.

We have previously seen that one hundred pounds of fermentable matter
consists of eight pounds of hydrogen, twenty-eight of carbon, and
sixty-four pounds of oxygen; we have also seen that about thirty-five
pounds of carbon is extricated and detached from this quantity of
fermentable matter, properly diluted in water during fermentation;
allowing the usual quantity of spirit at the same time to be formed by
the process of this superfluous carbon, (as it now appears) must come
principally from that decomposition of the water of dilution, and not
from saccharine matter employed, which contains altogether but
twenty-eight pounds of carbon, the whole of which must necessarily go
to the formation of the fifty-seven pounds of dry alcohol produced.

But not to descend too deeply into particulars that might lead into
discussions not absolutely necessary in this place, let us take the
produce of ten gallons of ardent spirit, at one to ten over proof. We
here find that much more carbon has been generated, and given to the
atmosphere, than went to the composition of this quantity of spirit,
independent of the large quantity of alcohol dissolved in, and carried
off by it, in its flight as before observed.

Allowing the average quantity of fermentable matter in a quarter of
malt, barley, or other grain, to be only seventy-five pounds, then four
quarters will be equal to three hundred subtile pounds of raw sugar; or
eighty quarters of the one will be equal to six thousand pounds of the
other, or three tuns weight of unadult