Brandy, liquor, a certain portion of brandy is added to it, after injurious in its which it may be kept for some time. The effect of this effect. f addition is to put a stop to that salutary process of fermen tation which was going slowly forward, and gradually maturing the native vegetable acid into vinous liquor, which being at last blended with the saccharine vinous juice, produces that warm exhilarating fluid which cheers the heart, and invigorates the strength of man. In this way the sharp insipid and poor liquor which was first tasted is, by a slow process, which requires a great length of time to complete it, converted into rich pleasant wine, possessing, in a great degree, that high zest which constitutes its principal excellence. "My experience does not yet enable me to speak with certainty respecting all the circumstances that may affect the flavour, or augment or diminish the strength of wine, or accelerate or retard the time of its ripening. But my opinion at present is, that a great part of the flavour of affected by the wine depends considerably upon the skin of the fruit, The flavour skin of the fruit. which may be augmented or diminished by the degree of pressure the fruit is subjected to, and other particulars connected with it; or by the macerating the fruit more or less in the juice before the skins be separated from the pulp: and that the ultimate qualities of the wine are considerably affected by the proportion of the original native acid of the fruit, conjoined with the saccharine part of the juice. It seems to me very evident also, that the saccharine juice can be more quickly brought into the state of wine than the Some sooner fit acid portion of it, and that of course those wines that confor drinking sist entirely of saccharine matter, flavoured only by some than others. pleasing vegetable perfume, such as cowslip or elder-flower wine, and others of similar sorts, may be sooner brought to be fit for drinking than those in which the juices of fruit form a considerable ingredient; and may be also made of a weaker and lighter quality. And that fruit-wines, in proportion to the diminution of the quantity of fruit to that of sugar, or in proportion to the quantity of acid in the fruit, may be accelerated or retarded in the progress of fermentation; but that strong full-bodied wine, of good flayour, must have a considerable proportion of native acid, and and requires to be kept a long while before it can attain its ultimate perfection. "I have had too little experience in the practice of Grape wine making grape wine to enable me to speak with precision. The flavour of different kinds of grapes we know varies considerably, which must affect the wine; but other circumstances in the process must affect it greatly. It is the only fruit known in this country that affords juice in abun dance sufficient to admit of being made into wine without the addition of water, or rich enough without the use of sugar. Two years ago the season was so favourable, that my grapes (the muscadine) ripened completely, and I determined to try to make some wine of them without either sugar or water. The juice was squeezed out by hand without any pressure, as I had no press. It fermented very well, and after a proper time it was tried. The liquor tasted sweetish, but wanted much of the vinous zest we wished for. This arose, I have no doubt, from the want of a due proportion of native acid, which would have been probably supplied by a complete pressure of the must, had I possessed the means of doing it, especially if the bunches of grapes had not been separated from the small foot-stalks to which the berries adhere. But not having a quantity sufficient to make it worth while to have a press, I thought of another method of attaining the end I aimed at, to which I was Birds and ver forced to resort; on finding that birds and vermin are min fond of so greedy of the grape, that it is a matter next to impossible to preserve them for any time bere in quantities after and frequently they are ripe without being broken, which, by letting the occasion a musty taste by juice flow out, lodges between the berries in the clusters, opening them. and there becomes mouldy, and communicates a musty taste that cannot be got rid of. grapes. "To avoid all these evils, I determined to gather the fruit Attempt to when it is so far ripened only as just to begin to be pecked remedy this. by the birds. As the juice possesses at that time more vegetable acidity, and less of the saccharine taste than when fully ripe, I conceive that the wine made from it will be sharper, and have a higher zest than the other; but dreading that the juice might not be sufficiently matured to do by itself, I added a portion of sugar and water to the juice, and the grape. and have put it by for trial. It fermented well, and the liquor has at present as promising an appearance as I could wish. Should this mode of making grape wine succeed, it will be by far the cheapest wine we can make in this country; for the quantity of juice yielded by the grape is so much more abundant, aud so much richer than that of our other fruits, and it is so much easier to be gathered and otherwise managed, that it must be much more desira Advantages of ble. The quantity of fruit produced too is much greater when the vines are properly managed, than can be gotten from the same extent of ground of other fruits, as to give it a decided preference on the whole. I have just now in my cellar above forty gallons of that wine made from the grapes that were gathered from a wall of about fifteen yards in length, and fifteen feet high. Nor was that crop above the average. Neither had that wine above half the quantity of sugar that other fruit wines would have required. I have no doubt that were vines raised from seeds of the best and earliest sorts, and carefully selected when they come to bear, we might thus obtain a grape that would ripen very well in this country without the assistance of a wall.. It is by no means improbable that such a vine was once known in England. Black currant ranks next. "Next to the vine, I agree with you in thinking that the black currant is the best fruit we have of that kind for ma king wine. I have seen some of it that was truly excellent. It would be of great use for giving flavour to some other wines. "When I began this letter I thought that I had nothing to say; but being once begun, it has run on to an enormous length. I hope you will forgive me for it. I now speak little, and write less: and it requires an effort for me to begin with either; but, like a disorderly clock, when I am once fairly set agoing, I run on perhaps without rhime or rea◄ Wishing you success in all your useful pursuits. son. VII. Description of the Mineral Bason in the Counties of Mon- sin containing ore in South 1 THE irregular oval line, delineated on the annexed Limestone bamap (Plate IX.) shows nearly the inner edge of a lime- all the strata of stone bason, in which all the strata of coal and iron ore coal and iron (commonly called iron stone) in South Wales are deposited; Wales. the length of this bason is upwards of 100 miles, and the average breadth in the counties of Monmouth, Glamorgan, Carmarthen, and part of Brecon, is from 18 to 20 miles, and in Pembrokeshire only from 3 to 5 miles. of the centre and on the 2. On the north side of a line, that may be drawn in an On the north east and west direction, ranging nearly through the middle the strata rise of this bason, all the strata rise gradually northward; and to the north, on the south side of this line they rise southward, till they south to the come to the surface, except at the east end, which is in the south. vicinity of Pontipool, where they rise eastward. the surface 3. The depths from the surface to the various strata of Depths from coal and iron ore depend upon their respective local situa- vary. tions. 4. The deepest part of the bason is between Neath, in Deepest part of the basin. Glamorganshire, and Llanelly, in Carmarthenshire; the Uppermost uppermost stratum of coal here does not extend a mile in stratum. 5. The next stratum of coål, and those likewise beneath Second and it, lie deeper and expand still longer and wider, and the lower strata. lowest which are attended by parallel strata of iron ore, of which there are in some situations about 16 accompanied by irregular balls or lumps of iron ore, occupy the whole space between Llanmaddock Hill, near the entrance of Burry river, to Llanbidie, from the Mumbles to Cribbath, from Newton Down to Penderryn, from Castle Coch to Castle Morlais, and from Risca to Llangattock, and in * From the Philos. Trans. for 1806, p. 342. length length on the south side of the bason from Pontypool through Risca, Tinkwood, Llantrissent, Margam, Swansea Bay, and Cline Wood, to Llanmaddock Hill, and on the north side through Blaenafon, Ebbw, Sirhowy, Merthyr, Aberdare, Aberpergwm, Glyntowy, Llandibie, and the Great Mountain, to Pembrey Hill, near Llanelly in Carmarthenshire, and their depths are at the centre range of strata from 6 to 700 fathoms. Strata running 6. The strata of coal and iron ore running from Pemthrough Carbrey Hill, through Carmarthen Bay and Pembrokeshire to marthen bay and Pembroke St. Bride's Bay, are only a continuation of those in the shire. counties of Glamorgan and Carmarthen, which lie next to and parallel with the north side of the bason, all the remaining strata rising southward; and the middle ranges on the north side of the bason, are lost between where they meet the sea near Llanmaddock Hill and the south side of Pembrey Hill, in their course towards Pembrokeshire, in consequence of a contraction of the sides of the mineral bason, or rather by its becoming shallower; for in Pembrokeshire none of the strata of coal or iron ore lie above 80 or 100 fathoms deep, consequently all those which do not lie above 5 or 600 fathoms in Glamorganshire and Carmarthenshire have not reached this county, by reason of the bason not being of sufficient depth and width to hold them. Strata at the east end of the basin. 7. The strata of coal at the east end of the bason running from Pontypool to Blacnafon and Clydach, and on the north side from thence to Nanty Glo, Ebbw, Beaufort, Sirhowy, Tredegar, Romney, Dowlais, Penderryn, Plymouth, Cyfarthfa, Abernant, Aberdare and Hurwain Fur. naces and Iron Works, are of a cokeing quality, and thence the whole strata of coal to St. Bride's Bay alter in their quality to what is called stone coal, (the large of which has hitherto been used for the purposes of drying malt and hops, and the small, which is called culm, for burning of limestone); the several strata of coal from Pontypool, on the south side of the bason, through Risca, Llantrissent, Margam, and Cline Wood, to Burry River, Llanelly, and the south side of Pembrey Hill, are principally of a bituminous or binding quality. 8. Notwithstanding |