lay in your faggot of wood in the usual manner, rather collected in a
mass, than scattered, that a body of concentrated heat may be produced
as soon as possible; over the faggot place the cinders of the preceding
day--piled up as high as the grate will admit, and placed loosely in
rather large fragments--in order that the draft may be free--a bit or
two of fresh coal may be added to the cinders when once they are
lighted, but no small coal must be thrown on at first, for the reason
above stated:--when all is prepared, light the wood, when the cinders
becoming in a short time thoroughly ignited--the gas rising from the
coals below, which will now be effected by the heat, will take fire as
it passes through them, leaving a very small portion of smoke to go up
the Chimney.
The advantage of this mode of lighting a fire is, that small coal is
better suited to the purpose than large--except a few pieces in front to
keep the small from falling out of the Grate--it may be kept in reserve,
to be put on afterwards if wanted. I have frequently known my fire
lighted at 8 o'clock in the morning, continue burning till 11 at night,
without any thing being done to it: when apparently quite out, on being
stirred, you have in a few minutes a glowing fire: it will sometimes be
necessary to loosen, or stir slightly the upper part of the fire if it
begins to cake--but the lower part must not be touched, otherwise it
will burn away too soon.
AIR.
Many Invalids are hurried into their Grave--by the indiscreet kindness
of their friends forcing them from the comforts of Home--for the sake of
Air more abounding with _Oxygen, i. e._ the vivifying part of the
atmosphere:--that great benefit is received from what is _called_ change
of air is true enough--it is seldom considered that there is also a
change in most of the other circumstances of the patient--many, of
infinitely more importance, than that which derives all the credit of
the Cure.
For instance, if a person living in a confined part of the
City--neglecting exercise, harassed all day by the anxieties of
Business, and sitting up late at Night, &c. be removed to the
tranquillity of rural scenes, which invite him to be almost constantly
taking Exercise in the open Air, and retiring to rest at an early
hour--and thus, instead of being surrounded by irritations unfavourable
to Health, enjoying all the "_jucunda oblivia vitæ_" which are
favourable to it--such a Change will often do wonders, and sufficiently
account for the miraculous cures attributed to--_Change of Air_.
Chemical Philosophers assert indeed--that a Gallon of the unsavoury Gas
from Garlick Hill, gives as high a proportion of _Oxygen_, as the like
quantity of the ethereal element of Primrose Hill:--this seems
incredible, and must arise either from the imperfection of the
_Eudiometer_ giving erroneous results, or from the air being
impregnated with matter unfriendly to Health, which the instruments
employed to analyze it, have not the power of denoting:--let any one
thread the mazes of a crowded city, and walk for the same space of time
in a pleasant Country--the animal spirits will soon testify, which is
the most exhilarating.
However, people certainly do live long, and enjoy Health, in situations
apparently very unfavourable to Animal Life.
Our Omniscient Creator has given to our Lungs, the same faculty of
extracting nutriment from various kinds of Air--as the Stomach has from
various kinds of Aliment:--the Poor man who feeds on the coarsest food,
is supported by it in as sound Health, as the Rich man who fares
sumptuously every day.
Well then, in nine cases out of ten, to change the Atmosphere we have
been long accustomed to, is as unadvisable as a change in the Food we
have been used to--unless other circumstances make it so, than the mere
change of Place.
The Opulent Invalid who has been long indulged with a Home arranged to
his humour--must beware (especially during any exacerbation of his
infirmity) of leaving it--it would be almost as desperate a procedure as
to eject an Oyster from his Shells.
EXERCISE.
"By ceaseless action, all that is subsists,
Constant rotation of the unwearied wheel
That nature rides upon, maintains her health,
Her beauty, her fertility. She dreads an instant's pause,
And lives but while she moves."--COWPER'S _Task_.
"The wise, for Health on EXERCISE depend;
God never made his work for Man to mend."
The more luxuriously you live, the more Exercise[49] you require,--the
"_Bon Vivant_" may depend upon the truth of the advice which Sir Charles
Scarborough gave to the Duchess of Portsmouth, "You must Eat less,--or
take more Exercise[50]--or take Physic,--or be Sick."
Exercise is the grand power to promote the Circulation through the
capillary vessels, by which the constitution is preserved from
obstructions,--Appetite increased, and Digestion improved in all its
stages,--the due distribution of nourishment, invigorates the Nervous
System, gives firmness and elasticity to the Muscles, and strength to
every part of the System.
Exercise, to have its full effect, must be continued till we feel a
sensible degree of _Perspiration_,--(which is the _Panacea for the
prevention of Corpulence_)--see page 50--and should, at least once
a-day, proceed to the borders of fatigue, but never pass them,--or we
shall be weakened instead of strengthened.
Health depends upon perpetual Secretion and Absorption, and Exercise
only can produce this.
After Exercise, take care to get cool gradually--when your Head
perspires, rub it, and your Face, &c. dry with a cloth:--this is better
for the Hair than the best "Bear's Grease," and will beautify the
Complexion beyond "_La Cosmétique Royale_," or all the Red and White
Olympian Dew that was ever imported.
One of the most important precepts for the preservation of Health, is to
take care of _the Skin_[51].
In Winter, the surface of the Body, the Feet, &c. should be washed twice
or thrice a Week, with water of the temperature of about 98, and wiped
every Day with a wet towel;--_a Tepid Bath_ of the like temperature once
a fortnight will also conduce much to both health and comfort. Some
advise that the surface of the Body be wiped every morning with a wet
sponge, and rubbed dry after, with not too fine a cloth.
WINE.
"Le Vin est l'un des produits de la nature les plus difficiles à
juger et à bien choisir: et les plus habiles gourmets sont souvent
mis en défaut."--_Manuel du Sommelier_, Paris, 1817, p. 1.
Wine, especially Port, is generally twice spoiled--before it is
considered fit to be drank!!!
The _Wine-Maker_ spoils it first, by over-loading it with _Brandy_ to
make it keep.--
The _Wine-Drinker_ keeps it till time has not only dissipated the
superabundant spirit,--but even until the acetous fermentation begins to
be evident,--this, it is the taste now to call "_Flavour_,"--and Wine is
not liked, till it has lost so much of its exhilarating power, that you
may drink a Pint of it, before receiving that degree of
excitement,--which the Wine-drinker requires to make him Happy. We mean
a legal PINT containing 16 ounces.
The measure of a BOTTLE OF WINE ought to be as definitive, as that of a
POT OF PORTER:--is it not astonishing that the Legislature have not
ordered _a Standard and Stamped Quart_, for the Wine-merchant--as they
have a Pot for the Publican?
This would be equally as desirable to the respectable Wine-merchant,--as
to the Public.
It would protect the former against the injurious competition of those
who at present, by vending Wine in Bottles of inferior dimension, impose
on the unwary purchaser under pretence of selling at a lower than the
Market price.
The purchaser of a Dozen Bottles of Wine expects to receive Three
Gallons of Wine.
_Proportions of the Wine Gallon, according to the last
London Pharmacopœia_:--
Gallon. Pints. Fluid Ounces. Drachms. Minims or Drops.
1 = 8 = 128 = 1024 = 61,440
There are 32 ounces in a legal wine quart.
Multiply by 12 quarts in three gallons.
___
384 ounces in ditto.
Measure the number of ounces your bottle holds--divide 384 by it,
and the quotient will give you the number of such bottles required
to contain three gallons of wine.
Some Bottles do not contain more than 26 ounces.
26) 384 (14 Bottles, 1 Pint, and a Quarter.
26
___
124
104
___
20
_Or,_
Multiply 26, _i. e._ the number of ounces
By 12 your bottle will contain.
___
312 the number of ounces
contained in your dozen
bottles, which
Ought to hold 384 the number of ounces in
Subtract 312 Three Gallons.
_________
Divide by the number } 32) 72 (2 Quarts and half a Pint
of ounces in a Quart,} 64 short of measure.
__
8 ounces.
So, instead of THREE GALLONS--you have only _Two Gallons, one Quart,
and a Pint and a half_.
_The Quantity a Bottle will contain_, may easily be accurately
ascertained, by LYNES'S _graduated Glass measure_, which holds half a
pint, and is divided into ounces, &c.--_it is a convenient vessel to
mix_ GROG _in_.
A PIPE OF PORT contains, on the average, 138 Gallons, of which three
must be allowed for Lees, &c.--This is enough for waste, if the Wine has
been properly fined, and steadily bottled.
A BUTT OF SHERRY contains 130 gallons.
MADEIRA, 110 ditto.
Hogshead of CLARET, 55 ditto.
It is convenient for small Families to have part of their Wine in _Pint
Bottles_.
That Wine is much best when quite fresh opened, is a fact it is needless
to observe,--half a Pint of Wine (_i. e._ 8 ounces, _i. e._ 4 ordinary
wine-glasses) is as much as most people (who have not spoiled their
stomachs by intemperance) require.
The Rage for Superannuated Wine,--is one of the most _ridiculous Vulgar
Errors of Modern Epicurism_,--"the Bee's Wing," "thick Crust[52] on the
Bottle," "loss of strength, &c." which Wine-fanciers consider the Beauty
of their tawny favourite, "fine Old Port,"--are forbidding
manifestations of decomposition, and the departure of some of the best
qualities of the Wine.
The Age[53] of maturity for exportation from Oporto, is said to be the
second year after the Vintage, (probably sometimes not quite so long.)
Our Wine-merchants keep it in Wood from two to six years longer,
according to its original strength, &c.--surely this must be long enough
to do all that can be done by keeping it--what crude Wine it must be to
require even this time to ameliorate it--the necessity for which, must
arise either from some error in the original manufacture,--or a false
taste, which does not relish it, till Time has changed its original
characteristics.
_Ordinary Port_ is a very uncleansed, fretful Wine--and experienced
judges have assured us, that _the Best Port_ is rather impoverished than
improved, by being kept in Bottle longer than Two[54] Years, _i. e._
supposing it to have been previously from two to four years in the Cask
in this Country,--observing, that all that the outrageous advocates for
"_vin passé_"--really know about it, is, that SHERRY _is Yellow_,--and
PORT _is Black_,--and that if they drink enough of either of them,--it
will make them Drunk.
WHITE WINES, especially _Sherry_ and _Madeira_, being more perfectly
fermented, and thoroughly fined before they are bottled--if kept in a
cellar of uniform temperature, are not so rapidly deteriorated by Age.
_The Temperature of a Good Cellar_ is nearly the same throughout the
year. _Double Doors_ help to preserve this. It must be dry, and be kept
as clean as possible.
_The Art of preserving Wines_, is to keep them from fretting, which is
done by keeping them in the same degree of heat, and careful
Corking[55]. "If persons wish to preserve the fine flavour of their
Wines, they ought _on no account_ to permit any Bacon, Cheese, Onions,
Potatoes, or Cider, in their wine-cellars. Or, if there be any
disagreeable stench in the Cellar, the wine will indubitably imbibe it;
consequently, instead of being fragrant and charming to the nose and
palate, it will be extremely disagreeable."--CARNELL _on Wine Making_,
8vo. 1814, p. 124. See also _Manuel du Sommelier, par A. Jullien_,
Paris, 1817.
That MADEIRA (if properly matured before) improves in quality by being
carried to the _East Indies_ and back, by which Voyage it loses from 8
to 10 Gallons,--or to the _West_, by which about 5 are
wasted[56],--however these round-about manœuvres may tickle the fancy
of those folks who cannot relish any thing that is not far-fetched,
dear-bought, and hard to be had, and to whom rarity is the "_sine qua
non_" of recommendation--it is one of those inconvenient prejudices,
from which common sense preserve us!
The Vulgar objection to _New Wine_--(by which we mean Wine that has been
maturing in Wood two years in Portugal--two in England--and in Bottle
more than twelve months), is, that its exhilarating qualities are too
abundant, and intoxicate in too small a dose--those "_Bons Vivants_," to
whom "the Bottle, the Sun of the table," and who are not in the habit
of crying to go home to Bed while they can see it shining,--require
Wines weaker than those which are usually imported from Spain and
Portugal,--however PORT and SHERRY may be easily reduced to the standard
desired by the long-sitter,--"_paululum aceti acetosi_," will give the
Acid Goût,--"_aqua pura_" will subdue their Spirit "_ad libitum_,"--and
produce _an imitation of the flavour acquired by Age, extempore_--and
You can thus very easily make fine fruity nutritious new Wine,--as
Light,--and as Old[57],--and as Poor, as you please--and fit it exactly
to your customer's palate, whether "_Massa drinky for Drinky,--or drinky
for Drunky Massa._"
_To ameliorate very new, or very old Wine_--mix a bottle of the one with
a bottle of the other--or to a bottle of very old Port add a glass or
two of good new Claret--to very new, a glass of Sherry.
Of all our Senses,--_the Taste_, especially for Liquids, is the most
sophisticated Slave of Habit--"De gustibus, non est disputandum."
The Astringent matter, and Alcohol--which render PORT WINE the prop of
an Englishman's Heart--are intolerable to the palate of an Italian, or
Frenchman.--But a Stomach which has been accustomed to be wound up by
the double stimulus of Astringents, and Alcohol also,--will not be
content with the latter only,--especially if that be in less
quantity--as it is in the _Italian and French Wines_; which, therefore,
for the generality of Englishmen, are insufficiently excitant.
He who has been in the habit of drinking PORTER at Dinner,--and PORT
after--will feel uncomfortable with _Home-brewed Ale_, and _Claret_.
Mr. ACCUM, the chemist, analyzed for the Editor, some PORT and SHERRY of
the finest quality--the PORT[58] yielded 20 per cent--and the SHERRY
19-25 per cent, of ALCOHOL of 825 specific gravity--_i. e._ the
strongest Spirit of Wine that can be drawn, full double the strength of
BRANDY, which seldom has 40 per Cent, and common GIN[59] not more than
30--or 25.
Some people have a notion that if they go to the Docks, they can
purchase a Pipe of Wine for twenty pounds less, than they must pay to a
regular Wine Merchant--and, moreover, have it _neat as imported_--as if
all Wines of the same _Name_, were of the same Quality.
PORT _varies at Oporto in quality and price as much as_ PORTER _does in
London_--it is needless to say how difficult it is to obtain the best
Beer at any price--it is quite as difficult to obtain the best Port Wine
at Oporto, where the very superior wine is all bought up at a
proportionately high price by the agents for the London Wine Merchants.
BRANDIES and WINES _vary in quality quite as much as they do in Price_:
not less than twenty pounds per Pipe in the country where they are made.
The only way to obtain genuine wholesome liquor, is to apply to a
respectable Wine Merchant--and beg of him to send you the best wine at
the regular market price.
If you are particular about the Quality of what you buy--the less You
ask about the price of it the better--if you are not, bargain as hard
as you please.
The Editor buys his _Wines_ of Messrs. DANVERS and CLARKE, No. 122,
Upper Thames Street; his _Brandy and Liqueurs_[60] of Messrs. JOHNSON,
in Pall Mall; and his _Spirits_, &c. of Mr. RICKARDS, Piccadilly.
_A Moral and Physical Thermometer; or, a Scale of the Progress of
Temperance and Intemperance, by_ J. C. LETTSOM, M. D.
LIQUORS, _with their_ EFFECTS, _in their usual Order_.
TEMPERANCE.
70-|-| WATER. } { Health, Wealth,
|-| } {
|-| } {
|-| } { Serenity of Mind,
|-| } {
60-|-| Milk and Water. } {
|-| } { Reputation, long Life,
|-| } { and
|-| } {
|-| } { Happiness.
50-|-| Small Beer. } {
|-| } {
|-| } {
|-| } {
|-| } {
40-|-| Cyder and Perry. } { Cheerfulness,
|-| } {
|-| } {
|-| } {
|-| } { Strength, and
30-|-| Wine. } {
|-| } {
|-| } {
|-| } { Nourishment, when taken
|-| } {
20-|-| Porter. } {
|-| } { only at Meals, and in
|-| } {
|-| } {
|-| } { moderate Quantities.
10-|-| Strong Beer. } {
|-|
|-|
|-|
|-|
0-|-| INTEMPERANCE.
|-|
|-|
|-| }{ VICES. }{ DISEASES. }{PUNISHMENTS.
|-| }{ }{ }{
10-|-|Punch. }{Idleness. }{Sickness, }{
|-| }{ }{Puking, and }{
|-| }{ }{Tremors of the }{Debt.
|-| }{Peevishness.}{ Hands in the }{
|-| }{ }{ Morning. }{
20-|-|Toddy and Crank.}{ }{ }{Black Eye.
|-| }{ }{ }{
|-| }{Quarrelling.}{Bloatedness. }{
|-| }{ }{ }{
|-|{Grog, and }{ }{Inflamed Eyes. }{
30-|-|{Brandy and }{Fighting. }{ }{Rags.
|-|{Water. }{ }{Red Nose and Face. }{
|-| }{Lying. }{Sore and swelled }{Hunger.
|-| }{ }{ Legs. }{
|-| }{ }{ }{
40-|-|Flip and Shrub. }{Swearing. }{Jaundice. }{Hospital.
|-| }{ }{ }{
|-| }{ }{ }{
|-|{Bitters infused}{Obscenity. }{Pains in the Limbs,}{Poor-house.
|-|{in Spirits. }{ }{ and burning in }{
50-|-|{Usquebaugh. }{Swindling. }{ the Palms of the }{
|-|{Hystericwater. }{ }{ Hands, and Soles }{Jail.
|-| }{ }{ of the Feet. }{
|-|{Gin, Anniseed, }{Perjury. }{Dropsy. }{Whipping.
|-|{Brandy, }{ }{Epilepsy. }{
60-|-|{Rum, and }{Burglary. }{Melancholy. }{The Hulks.
|-|{Whisky in the }{ }{Madness. }{
|-|{_Morning_. }{ }{Palsy. }{Botany Bay.
|-| }{Murder. }{Apoplexy. }{
|-|{Do, during }{ }{ }{
70-|-|{the _Day and_ }{ }{ }{
|-|{_Night_. }{Suicide. }{DEATH. }{GALLOWS.
_Those who drink Wine[61], &c. for the purpose it was given_, as a
Cordial, to cheer the Circulation, when it falters from Fatigue, Age, or
profuse Evacuations of any kind, "for the Stomach's sake," as St. Paul
recommends it, and for our "often infirmities" as a medicine--will
understand, that of all the ways of saving, to run any risk of buying
inferior Wine, is the most ridiculously unwise Economy.
To _Ice Wine_ is another very unprofitable and inconvenient custom--and
not only deteriorates its flavour, but by rendering it dull in the
mouth--people are induced to drink too much, as they are deprived of the
advantage of knowing when they have got enough--for as soon as the Wine
becomes warm in their Stomachs,--the dose they have taken merely to
exhilarate them--makes them drunk.
_The true Economy of Drinking_,--is to excite as much Exhilaration as
may be,--with as little Wine.
We deprecate the custom of _sitting for Hours after Dinner, and keeping
the Stomach in an incessant state of irritation by sipping
Wine,--nothing can be more prejudicial to Digestion_[62]--it is much
better to mix Food and Drink--and to take them by alternate
mouthsful.--See page 11.
Our "VINUM BRITANNICUM"--good Home-brewed Beer--which has been very
deservedly called "_Liquid Bread_," is preferable to any other Beverage
during Dinner or Supper--or _Port_ or _Sherry_ diluted with about three
or four times their quantity of Toast and Water--(No. 463*): undiluted,
these Wines are too strong to be drank during Dinner,--they act so
powerfully on the feelings of the Stomach, that they dull the desire for
solid Food, by producing the sensation of Restoration,--and the System,
instead of receiving material to repair and strengthen it,--is merely
stimulated during the action of the Vinous spirit.
However, the dull stimulus of Distention, is insufficient for some
delicate Stomachs, which do absolutely require to be screwed up with a
certain quantity of diffusible Stimulus[63],--without which, they cannot
proceed effectively to the business of Digestion,--or indeed any other
business--we do not recommend such, especially if they have passed the
Meridian of Life, to attempt to entirely wean themselves of it--but
advise them, _immediately after Dinner_, to drink as much as is
necessary to excite that degree of action in their System, without which
they are uncomfortable, and then to stop.--See Observations on
_Siesta_.
Now-a-days, _Babies_ are brought to table after Dinner by Children of
larger growth--to drink Wine,--which has as bad an effect on their
tender susceptible stomachs, as the like quantity of ALCOHOL would
produce upon an Adult.
Wine has been called "the Milk of Old Age," so "Milk is the Wine of
Youth." As Dr. Johnson observed, it is much easier to be abstinent than
to be temperate--and no man should habitually take Wine as Food till he
is past 30 years of age[64] at least;--happy is He who preserves this
best of Cordials in reserve, and only takes it to support his Mind and
Heart when distressed by anxiety and fatigue. That which may be a
needful stimulus at 40 or 50, will inflame the Passions into madness at
20 or 30--and at an earlier period is absolute Poison.
Among other _innumerable Advantages which the Water-drinker enjoys_,
remember he saves at least FIFTY GUINEAS per annum--which the Beer and
Wine drinker wastes--as much to the detriment of his health, as the
diminution of his Finances: moreover, nothing deteriorates the sense of
Taste so soon as strong liquors--the _Water-drinker_ enjoys an exquisite
sensibility of Palate, and relish for plain food, that a Wine-drinker
has no idea of.
Some people make it a rule to drink a certain number of Glasses of Wine
during and after dinner, whether they are dry, or languid, or not--this
is as ridiculous as it would be to eat a certain number of Mutton Chops
whether you are hungry or not. The effect produced by Wine is seldom the
same, even in the same person--and depends on the state of the animal
spirits at the time--whether the stomach be full or empty, &c.
The more simply Life is supported, and the less Stimulus we use, the
better--and Happy are the Young and Healthy who are wise enough to be
convinced that Water is the best drink, and Salt the best sauce.
But in Invalids past the Meridian of Life, we believe as much mischief
is going on when our Pulse hobbles along as if the Heart was too tired
to carry on the Circulation, as can possibly be done to the constitution
by taking such a portion of Wine as will remove the collapse--and excite
the mainspring of Life to vibrate with healthful vigour.
The following is the Editor's plan of taking liquid food at
Dinner,--when he cannot get Good Beer:--he has two wine glasses of
Sherry, or one of Whiskey[65], or Brandy, (No. 471), and three-fourths
of a pint of good Toast and Water, (No. 463), (which when Dyspeptic he
has warmed to about Summer Heat, _i. e._ 75 of Fahrenheit,) and puts a
wine-glass of Sherry, or half a glass of Whiskey, &c. into half a pint
of the water, and the other glass of Sherry, or half glass of Whiskey,
&c. into the remaining quarter pint--thus increasing the strength of the
liquid towards the conclusion of Dinner, after which he drinks from two
to four glasses of Port or Sherry--as Instinct suggests the state of the
circulation requires--if it be very languid, a _Liqueur_ glass of
JOHNSON'S[66] _Witte Curaçoa_[67] is occasionally recommended as a
renovating _Bonne Bouche_--about a quarter of an hour after dinner, he
lies down on a Sofa, and sleeps for about half an hour--this has been
his custom for the last twenty years--half an hour's horizontal posture
is more restorative to him--than if he had sat up and drank three or
four more glasses of wine.