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holes in the bottom, covered with a piece of thick flannel, on which powdered charcoal is laid, about two inches high. This vessel is placed over another of rather larger diameter, having an aperture near the bottom furnished with a cock; the water to be purified and filtered is poured on the charcoal, through which it gradually passes, and drops perfectly sweet and clear, into the lower vessel; from whence it is drawn off by the. cock for use,

The charcoal should be made about as fine as sand, either by being pounded in a mortar, or ground in a coffee-mill; which last plan is the best, since it leaves the particles more nearly of one size; it must of course be broken into small pieces, before the mill can receive it.

Saw-dust may be burnt into charcoal, and would at once be fine enough for the purpose, if cut from hard wood; but if from soft, it must be pulverised a little

more.

Some little attention is necessary in putting the charcoal into the vessel; a portion of the charcoal, say about half an inch high, must be well damped, and laid in that state on the flannel; then a second portion of about the same quantity, wetted to the consistence of mortar, is to be put on the first; afterwards a third quantity, wetted still more, should be added; and lastly, the remainder, mixed with so much water as to be easily poured on; after standing a quarter of an hour to settle down, water should be poured on, a little at a time, till it begins to drop, which, if proper care has been taken, will be quite clear and sweet, but having a slightly dusty taste, that will go off after a few hours, Should, however, the first running be a little black, it

will not be necessary to disturb the charcoal, because that blackness will soon cease, if water be kept passing through it; and when it once runs clear, will continue to do so for many months, and perhaps years. But although it acts as a filter for so long a time, and will separate whatever of foulness is merely mixed with the water, yet it soon loses the power of attracting that putridity which is in a state of solution; and consequently will not purify more than a given quantity of

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water.

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The following are the results of my experiments on this point.

One quart of powdered charcoal, purified;

One gallon of water, taken from the macerating tubs of an anatomical laboratory, where it had been used for many months without being changed, to soak the flesh from the bones; it was the most offensive water that could possibly be procured. The charcoal rendered it perfectly sweet.

Six gallons of green stagnant water from a pond.

Ten gallons of the worst water found in the casks on a long sea voyage.

Two hundred gallons of such water as is usually drank on a three months voyage; and,

Five hundred gallons of river water taken opposite a large city.

It must be noted, that when charcoal is wanted to purify, it must be fresh burnt; but if only to filter, that precaution is not necessary. When it has lost its purifying quality, it may be recovered again, by being heated red-hot in a crucible, or iron pot, or even an earthen one, over which a piece of tile or plate of iron is loosely laid,

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In taking the charcoal out of the filtering vessel, a layer of about half an inch should be left on the flannel, because in that case, much less care will be required inreturning it into its place again; and the water that first runs, will not have that dusty taste, which it would have if the whole of the charcoal were replaced by that which is fresh burnt.

In pouring on the water, great care must be taken not to disturb the charcoal to any considerable depth below the surface, lest the water should pass too rapidly for complete filtration. This accident may be avoided by laying a piece of paper, or cloth, or even a piece of thin board over the charcoal, to pour the water on.

The size of the apparatus must of course depend on the quantity of water wanted; that now in my Museum is eight inches diameter, and the same depth, and it filters from six to seven gallons every twenty-four hours the holes in the bottom are about one-eighth of an inch in diameter, and distant from each other about half an inch.

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The flannel is of that stout kind, usually made for ironing cloths.

The purifying nature of charcoal has been known for a considerable time; but a simple and convenient way of using it, has not, I believe, yet been laid before the public; nor has its filtering property been at all taken notice of. It has been supposed necessary to use sand or some other substance to filter the water, after charcoal has purified it; but on trying a great variety of substan, ces for filtering, I found powdered charcoal by far the best; it suffers a greater quantity of water to pass in a given time, and renders it more clear; and certainly no filtering apparatus can be made cheaper than this. It is

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also scarcely possible, that a person can be in any situa tion, either at sea or on land, but that he may procure such a one, in case the water he uses requires it. It is more than probable he can find some kind of a vessel in the bottom of which holes may be made: a piece of flannel or blanket to lay over the holes, or in lieu of these, some thicknesses of linen, or canvas, or even some hay, straw, or moss; any thing that will support the charcoal, and yet let the water pass through: and he can find a piece of wood, that by burning to a coal, and quenching, will furnish him with charcoal, which he may reduce to powder with a stone, or hammer, in default of a pestle and mortar, or a coffee-mill.

I am, Gentlemen,

Yours, &c.

No. 79, Great Titchfield-street.

JOHN I. HAWKINS.

Recipe for making Family Wine.

By Mr. W. MATTHEWS of Bath..

From the LETTERS and PAPERS of the BATH and WEST of ENGLAND SOCIETY.

HAVING

AVING in the tenth volume of the Society's Papers been indulged with the insertion of a few remarks on the utility of making family wines from several of our garden fruits; I took the liberty of presenting, at a subsequent general meeting, for its examination, a sample of such wine made under my own notice. It will be within the recollection of different gentlemen, who attended that meeting, that the wine they tasted was deemed a very good, pleasant-flavoured, and useful

article.

article. The price at which it was made * was considered as small, when compared with the uses to which the wine may be applied, even in genteel families, where economy is regarded. But the idea of making such an article in considerable quantities (especially in abundant fruit years), so as to have the power of furnishing sick and sickly poor persons with such occasional refreshment, could not pass unapproved. The oldest wine of this sort which I now have by me, is yet too young to give proof of that excellence, which three, four, or more years will give it; but it is now so rich and valuable, that I can have no hesitation about publishing the recipe by which it is made, and encouraging any of our members fully to rely upon it for success. The fruits used were of the different sorts mentioned in the recipe, excepting gooseberries, and I think nearly of equal quantities, taken out of a private garden, where they would otherwise have turned to very little account. My friends having fully convinced me, that if I give them white wine equally good with that produced, they will not call on me for foreign white wine, of at least five times the price; I have this year taken the advantage of a fine fruit season, and made several hogsheads. If I live to present the Society with a taste of it some years hence, I have no doubt of its being found worthy of their commendation.

I cannot conclude without repeating my recommendation to the owners of gardens in general, to all farmers in easy circumstances, and country gentlemen especially, to regard this useful practice :—and that they may do it

*This will be from 2s. 6d. to 3s. per gallon, according to circumstances.

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