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that purpose: for water is a bad ingredient in all vinous liquors.'

One general rule for all fruits, is, to prefs their juice for fermenting, when the fruit is in the greatest perfection for eating.

Apples that have lain any time in heaps, to fweat, are generally covered with a clammy moisture. This fhould be wiped off, for it is a watery juice, which would impoverish the Cyder.' The rotten parts fhould also be cut out, for they communicate to it a putrid tafte.

He is an advocate for racking Cyder off the lees; for repeated experiments have proved, that fournefs in all fermented liquors begins ever at the lees, and therefore the more of them is left among the Cyder, the more readily it will turn eager.'

Chap. III. treats OF BREWING: under the following heads:

1. Of the Choice of Water for Brewing.-Pure Rain-water, as being the lighteft, is efteemed the beft.-Well and Spring waters are commonly hard; and hard water is very unfit for drawing a tincture from any vegetable.-River-water is generally next to rain-water in point of foftnefs.-Pond-water, if pure, is equal to any other for brewing.

2. Of Malt.-Bite a grain of it afunder, and if it taftes mellow and sweet, breaks foft, and is full of flour from one end to the other, it is good. So alfo if it fwims on the furface, when put into the water.-The best way of grinding it, is to bruise it in a mill compofed of two iron cylinders. Thefe bruife the malt without cutting its hufk, fo that the hot water inftantly pierces its whole fubftance, and foon draws forth a rich tincture, with much lefs mafhing than in the common way.' $3. Of Hops. The newer the hops are, the better they will always prove; for the fragrance of their flavour is in fome degree loft by keeping, though they be ever fo well preserved.'

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$4. Of the Brewhoufe, and of the veffels ufed in Brewing. Too great care cannot be taken to keep every veffel perfectly clean and fweet, for if they are tainted, the liquor put into them contracts a difagreeable scent.'

$5. Of the heat of Water for Mashing.-The malt should not be put to it whilst boiling hot.

$6. Of Mashing.-When the water is brought to a due heat, the malt is to be put in very leisurely, and uniformly mixed therewith.Remark. It is found that the grains, after the feveral taps are spent, remain of the fame bulk as before, or at leaft very little diminished. May we not from thence infer, that the part abforbed by the water, and in which the virtue of the malt and the strength of the beer confift, is contained in an exceedingly small compafs? It is indeed true, that hot water and repeated mathes do fwell a little the hulls and fkins of the malt;

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but

but no allowance for this increase will be fufficient to remove the caufe of our furprize.'

$7. Of boiling the Wort.Obfervation:That long boiling of the hop is a pernicious practice, and produceth an inert, auftere, and naufeous bitter, in the place of a pleasant, active, and aromatic one. But every brewer may eafily fuit the degree of bitterness to his own palate, thus Inftead of putting the hops into the wort when this is put into the copper, or before it boils, they may be put in five minutes before the wort is taken off the fire: if this is not fufficient to give the defired degree of fragrant bitter, ten minutes may be taken; and fo on to the time which fhall be found to anfwer. I prefer putting the hops to wort towards the latter end of the boiling, rather than at the beginning, because the continued boiling of the liquor will diffipate their fragrance, even though the hops are taken out of the wort.'

As the defign of boiling the wort is to clear the liquor of impurities, and to obtain the virtue of the hop; a much less time than ufual will be fufficient. 'It is, in fact, of greater confequence than is generally imagined, that the wort be not boiled longer than is neceffary; because that longer boiling discharges it of fo much air, that the fermentation often becomes imperfect: it gives, efpecially to strong extracts, a vifcidity which fermentation can fcarcely ever get the better of, and it inevitably disperfes the fragrancy of the hops. From what I have feen, I am well affured, that from 20 to 30 minutes boiling is fufficient for ftrong extracts, and from 30 to 60 for fmall beer.'-This. method of boiling frong beer a fhorter time than small, may (for any thing we know) be very right; tho' we apprehend it to be juft the reverfe of the common practice.

Private perfons, who would regard only pleasure and health in their malt liquors, fhould never exceed eight, seldom fix, bushels of malt to the hogshead of their strongest beer. When it is only of this ftrength, it will never hurt them, unless taken to great excefs; and at the fame time it will be ftrong enough to exhilarate the fpirits fufficiently to enliven converfation. The quantity of hops must be fuited to the taste of the drinker, and to the time that the liquor is to be kept. The common allowance is, from one pound and an half' [a very fmall allowance, truly!] to three pounds for a hogfhead. For very strong beer, fome go as far as fix pounds.-Small beer fhould always be brewed by itself; and in that cafe, two bufhels and an half of malt, and a pound and an half of hops, are fufficient to make a hogfhead.'

$10. Of fermenting Malt Liquors.

Caution When the fermentation is at its height, all the

dirt, or foul yeaft, which rifes on the furface, must be carefully kimmed off, whatever be the quality of the liquor.'

Though it be not common to rack beer off from the hogfheads into whi it is firft put; yet as the lees in the cask will be conftantly rifing upon every change of air, and so produce frequent frettings, or flight fermentations, to which it is often owing that beer becomes foon hard, or contracts a degree of acidity; it seems to Mr. Mills highly adviseable, the better to prevent this, to rack the beer off into perfectly clean and sweet casks, as foon as it is become tolerably clear. The cause of the frettings being hereby removed, the liquor thus managed will remain long in a state of perfection, and probably become thoroughly fine without the affiftance of art.

11. Of the Distempers of Malt Liquors.-Among others, incident to beer, Mr. Mills mentions its appearing ropy: which, he fays, is very difficult to cure.-We have known it effectually cured, by putting a bunch of hyffop into the cask.

Chap. IV. treats of Diftillation; and Chap. V. Of Vinegar.But we pafs from them, as it is high time we should, to Part VI. in which the Author speaks of the culture of fome plants which though not neceffarily included in the general management of a farm, are nevertheless, objects of great benefit to the public, as well as to the husbandman who rears them judiciously. These are Hemp, Flax, Madder, Woad, and Weld or Dyer's-Weed.Concerning the culture of each of these plants, he has collected (chiefly from M. Du Hamel) a variety of feemingly good directions for the particulars of which, we muft, however, refer to the work itself-which is concluded with an

APPENDIX,

'containing corrections of, and additions to, all the five Volumes.

Thefe additions (which are pretty confiderable) we shall hope to fee inferted in their proper places, whenever a new Edition is 'called for; which may probably be the cafe foon: as we really think Mr. Mills's Work, a very judicious compilation, upon the whole, and highly deferving the notice of the public. We only wish that he had been somewhat more liberal of his own reflections upon the quotations he makes; a task, which (if we may judge from a few fpecimens of that kind) he seems very capable of performing; and which we would therefore beg leave to recommend to his confideration, upon a revifal.

In the Preface to this volume, (which was published with the last number) he mentions the prefent Work as being only the first part of his general plan: but what that plan is, he does not say. He hints, however, that what still remains to be done will require fo much time and labour, that, confidering his bad ftate of health, it is impoffible for him to promife when it may be in his power to finish it. A Com

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A Comparative View of the State and Faculties of Man, with thofe of the Animal World. 12mo. 3s. bound. Dodfley.

TH

HE following Difcourfes, (fays the Editor, in an Advertifement prefixed to them) were originally delivered in a private literary fociety, without the moft diftant view to theit publication. It muft, in truth, be acknowledged that the Reader will find in them many hints thrown out on Subjects of confequence, which are not fo fully and accurately profecuted as their importance requires; befides that the Sentiments are often expreffed with a freedom, which, however allowable in a private company, may perhaps be deemed too bold when offered to the Public. All this the Author himfelf was fully fenfible of, though he had neither leisure nor inclination to alter them.

This little Work, however, notwithstanding its imperfections, has, in the Editor's opinion, a very confiderable degree of merit; and in these fentiments he has the honour of being joined by feveral of the Author's friends of great distinction in the Republic of Letters. He has taken the liberty, therefore, of offering it to the Public, almoft without the Author's confent, though not without his knowledge: how far he has been his friend in fo doing, that Public, to whofe candor he fubmits it, muft determine.'

Such are the modeft terms, in which the Editor fpeaks of a performance, which every man of taste, will, we are perfuaded, perufe with pleasure; as it abounds with just remarks on many ufeful and entertaining fubjects; while an original vein of thinking runs through the whole of it: and, what is very uncommon in original thinkers, the Author writes with temper and moderation. He appears to be well acquainted with human nature, to poffefs delicacy of fentiment, and fenfibility of heart; and, what must naturally procure him the esteem of every benevolent reader, to be a fincere friend to the highest and best interests of humanity.

He fets out with a fhort account of the different and oppofité views that have been given of human nature, of the manner in which enquiries into it have been profecuted, of the peculiar difficulties attending the ftudy, and the reafons why fo little progrefs has been made in the knowledge of it. He then proceeds, in the remaining part of his firft difcourfe, to make some obfervations on certain advantages which the lower Animals seem to poffefs above us, and to enquire more particularly into the comparative state of mankind and the inferior Animals. This part of the work contains fome very useful remarks; the subject is curious and interefting, and we fincerely with the ingenious

1 Written by Dr Gregory. of Aberdeen

Author

Author had treated it at more length, as he feems well qualified for profecuting fuch enquiries with fuccefs.

In the four remaining difcourfes, he confiders the uses that mankind make of thofe advantages which they poffefs above the reft of the animal creation, and which are principally derived from reason, the focial principle, tafte, and religion. He then proceeds to confider the effects which a fuperior understanding has in promoting the happiness of the individual, and to point out fome of the inconveniencies that attend it. The bulk of mankind, he observes, look upon a person of distinguished genius with that awe and diftant regard that is inconfiftent with confidence and friendship. They never unbofom themselves to one they are afraid of, nor lay open their weakneffes to one they think has none of his own. For this reafon we commonly find men of genius have the greatest real affection and friendship for fuch as are very much their inferiors in point of understanding; goodnatured, unobserving people, with whom they can indulge all their peculiarities and weakneffes without referve. Men of great abilities therefore, our Author fays, who prefer the fweets of focial life and private friendship to the vanity of being admired, muft carefully conceal their fuperiority, and bring themfelves down to the level of those they converfe with. Neither must this seem to be the effect of a defigned condefcenfion; for this is ftill more mortifying to human pride than the other.

In regard to the focial principle, he obferves, that it does not appear to have any natural connexion with the understanding; that perfons of the beft understanding poffefs it frequently in a very inferior degree to the rest of mankind; and that the idle, the diffipated, and the debauched, draw moft pleasure from it. Not only their pleasures but their vices are often of the focial kind. This makes the focial principle warm and vigorous, and hence perhaps there is more friendship among them than among men of any other clafs, though confidering the flightnefs of its foundation, fuch friendship cannot be fuppofed to be very lafting. Even drinking, our Author obferves, is found favourable to friendship, efpecially in northern climates, where the affections are naturally cold; as it produces an artificial warmth of temper, opens and enlarges the heart, and difpels the referve natural perhaps to wife men, but inconfiftent with friendship, which is entirely a connexion of the heart.

The advantages derived to mankind from tafte, by which, fays our Author, is meant the improvement of the powers of the ima gination, are confined, he obferves, to a very fmall number. The fervile condition of the bulk of mankind requires conftant labour for their daily fubfiftence. This of neceffity deprives them of the means of improving the powers either of imagination or of reafon, except in fo far as their particular employments make

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