ページの画像
PDF
ePub

By evaporating this solution to dryness, a white tenacious mass is obtained, which has such an acrid and burning taste, as to affect the tongue like caustic alkalies.

3. By exposing a solution of lime and sugar to the air, after having been filtered into an open vessel, the surface becomes gradually covered with a great number of small crystals; these are succeeded by others whenever, by shaking the liquor, the first form. ed ones are made to fall to the bottom of the vessel. This formation of crystals at the surface continues till the liquor contains no more lime; then the sugar again acquires its proper taste.

4. The small crystals, of which I have just spoken, very readily iose their water of crystalization, by be. ing exposed to the open air; ac. cording to my experiments, I should consider them only as an aerated calcareous earth crystallized.

5. One of the most remarkable properties of the filtered solution of lime and sugar is, that by being made to boil, it soon grows turbid and thick; the lime then falls to the bottom of the vessel, and this precipitate is of a milk-white colour; but as soon as the solution grows cold, the lime again dissolves in it spontaneously, and the solution becomes once more as limpid ⚫ and transparent as it was at first. This phænomenon (which it is rather difficult to explain) was observed by M. de Lassone, when,

in the same manner, he combined the neutral salt of tartar with quick lime. (See Memoirs of the Aca. demy of Paris, 1773, page 191.)

6. Alcohol, or very highly rec. tified spirit of wine, precipitates the lime from the forementioned solution.

7. Mild alkalies, by the aerial acid they contain, produce the same effect.

8. Caustic alkalies do not cause the smallest alteration in the solu tion.

IX. From what I have said it follows, that the union which exists between the saccharine part of honey and the oily part is much weaker than the union between the same parts in sugar. This last cannot be decomposed, in the humid way, except by treating it with nitrous acid; while honey and the sugar it contains, may be decomposed, not only by that acid, but also by mild alkalies, and by lime.

Upon the whole, there appears very little reason to hope that we shall ever be able to obtain honey in the form of sugar; to bring it into that form, something more than a mere separation of its he terogeneous parts seems necessary. It is indeed said, that,' in some kinds of honey, especially in that from Narbonne, crystals of sugar, completely formed, have been ob served; admitting the fact, I consider it only as an accidental circumstance.

USEFUL

USEFUL PROJECTS.

First Report from the Select Committee appointed to take into consideration the present high price of Corn.

THE select committee appointed to take into consideration the present high price of corn, and to collect evidence relative thereto, and to report the same, from time to time, as it shall appear to them, to the house, with their observa tions thereupon, proceeded, in the first instance, to consider such information as had been already collected concerning the same.

They examined, for this purpose, the minutes of the evidence taken before the lords of his majesty's privy council, upon this subject. They received from sir John Sinclair, one of the members of the committee, the substance of such accounts of the state of the late crop of grain, as the correspondence of the Board of Agriculture had enabled them, at the present period, to collect. They had further the opportunity of receiving from ma ny of their members a statement of facts within their own knowledge, or communicated by respectible authorities from their different counties.

They have received also from his majesty's principal secretary of state for the home department, such returns as had been hitherto made to the circular letter written by him by his majesty's command, to the

custodes rotulorum and sheriffs de pute in England and Scotland, desiring them to obtain meetings of the magistrates for the purpose of procuring an account of the state of the late crop: but these returns are not as yet sufficiently numerous or complete to lead to any precise conclusion.

On the whole, however, the general information derived from the sources above-mentioned satisfied your committee, that the crop of other sorts of grain than wheat has been upon the whole abundant, but that the produce of wheat has proved so far deficient as to require the adoption of the speediest and most effectual measures for the re. medy or alleviation of so great an evil. They wore therefore of opi nion, that they should best perform their duty by directing their imme. diate attention to the consideration of such measures; and have, on that account, deferred for the pre. sent pursuing a detailed inquiry into the exact amount of such deficiency; but they propose to report the same more particular ly to the house, when they shall have received such further infor. mation as may enable them to col. lect more fully the general opinion, upon a point which they are sensi ble it is impossible at any time to ascertain with any great degree of accuracy.

The first and most obvious mode of

of supplying this deficiency is, the importation of grain from foreign parts-and for the purpose of forming an opinion as to what may be the prospect of supply om thence, and the most expeaint means to be adopted for procuring it, your committee proceeded to examine such persons, from whose knowlege and experience in the trade of corn they could expect the best information. It appeared from their concurrent testimony, that, though the crop of wheat in the United States of America, and in the countries bordering upon the, Mediterranean, was r presented as abundant; and in the northern and eastern parts of Europe as not materially deficient; yet, as the old stock was much exhausted, and the demand great, the price, ac. cording to the last advices, was every where uncommonly high. But, though there was upon this point some difference of opinion, it appeared upon the whole very doubt ful, whether a supply to any considerable extent could be depended upon from foreign parts, whatever measures might be adopted. Your committee next proceeded to inquire what measures, in the judgment of these person afforded the best probability of obtaining such a supply. They thought it right to bring distinctly under their con sideration the alternative of leaving the hole care of such purchases to the executive government, who would (it was conceived) be in such case the only purchasers, and be publicly known to be so; or of leaving the same to the speculation of individual merchants, encouraged by a liberal bounty on importation, and by a public declaration on the part of government

(as soon as such declaration shall be practicable) of the quantity which they may then have at their disposal in consequence of former orders, and of their intention to give no further orders for the pur. chase of corn, and to sell what may have been procured in limit. ed quantities, and at the market price. It appeared to your com. mittee to be the preponderant opi nien amongst those persons to whom this alternative was stated, that, upon the whole, the restora tion of the trade in corn to its nätural channel, with the additional encouragement of a bounty, was the most eligible mode of endea. vouring to procure from foreign parts such supplies as those markets might be found able to furnish. Your committee were further confirmed in his opinion by the information they received from some of their members, that there were mer. chants who had stated to them their readiness, under those, cir. cumstances, to engage in speculations to a large extent. After a full consideration and discussion of this important point, your committee were of opinion, "that it was expedient for the executive go. vernment to desist from making any further purchases of corn; and that a bounty should be granted upon the importation of certain sorts of grain into this country, for the encouragement of private speculation."

Your committee next proceeded to the consideration of the amount and distribution of such bounty. They had been informed that, from the abundance of the crop of wheat in the countries bordering upon the Mediterranean, there might be a considerable disposeable surplus

in those markets; but that, from the high price of freight and insur. ance from those ports, and from the difficulty of procuring shipping to go thither in ballast, a larger bounty would be required to encou. rage private speculation in that quarter than in any other; they were therefore of opinion, that a bounty of twenty shillings per quarter, and a proportional bounty per barrel, should be given on any number of quarters of wheat, weighing not less than 440 pounds avoirdupois, or on any number of barrels of flour, weighing not less than 196 pounds avoirdupois, which shall be imported into Great Britain from any port of Europe south of Cape Finisterre, or from any port in the Mediterranean, or in África, before the 31st day of August, 1706; until the quantity of such wheat and flour, taken together, shall equal

300,000 quarters.

They were further satisfied, upon the best information they could collect, that from the other parts of Europe, and from America, a bounty of 155. per quarter, upɔn a certain quantity of wheat, and of 10s. per quarter, of all exceeding it, would be sufficient to give a fair chance of procuring for the British markets a large proportion of whatever supply those countries might be expected to furnish beyond their own consumption: and they were therefore of opinion, that a bounty of fifteen shillings per quarter, and a proportional bounty per barrel, should be given on any number of quarters of wheat, weighing not less than 440lb. avoirdupois, or on any number of barrels of flour, weighing not less than 1961b. avoirdupois, which shall be imported from all other parts of Europe, be

fore the 31st day of August 1796; until the quantity of such wheat and flour, taken together, shall Your equal 500,000 quarters. committee were also of opinion, that a bounty of fifteen shillings per quarter, and a proportional bounty per barrel, should be given on any number of quarters of wheat weighing not less than 440lb. a. voirdupois, or on any number of barrels of flour, weighing not less than 195lb. avoirdupois, which shall be imported from any of his majesty's colonies in America, or from the United States, before the 31st of August, 1796; until the quantity of such wheat and flour, taken together, shall equal 500,000

qrs.

Your committee were also of opinion, that a bounty of ten shillings per quarter, and a proportio nal bounty per barrel should be givca on any number of quarters of wheat, weighing not less than 440lb. avoirdupois, or on any number of barrels of flour, weighing not less than 1961b. avoirdupois, which shall be im orted into Great Britain before the 31st day of August 1796, and on which none of the before-mentioned bounties shall have been paid.

Your committee being convinced, that if a considerabie quantity of Indian corn could be obtained (which from the abundance of that crop appears not improbable) it would afford a ma eril relief, were also of opinion, that a bounty of five shillings per quarter, and a proportional bounty per barrel, should be given on any number of quarters of Indian corn, or on any number of barrels of Indian meal, which shall be imported into Great Britain before the 31st day of August 1796; until the quantity of such Indian

corn

corn and meal, taken together, shall equal 500,coo quarters. Your committee were also of opinion, that a bounty of three shillings per quarter, and a proportional bounty per barrel, should be given on any number of quarters of Indian corn, or on any number of barrels of Indian meal, which shall be imported into Great Britain before the 31st day of August, 1796; and on which the before mentioned bounty shall not have been paid.

Your committee have some reason to believe, that there may appear such a deficiency in the crop of rye, as may lead to the applica tion of similar measures for the en. couragement of the importation of that species of grain, as have been recommended respecting wheat; but they do not yet consider their information upon that point as sufficient to authorize them, at the present moment, to report any opinion to that effect.

Your committee have thought it incumbent upon them, humbly to suggest such measures as have hitherto appeared, in their judgment, the most likely to facilitate the procuring, without loss of time, in the least exceptionable manner, and on the least unreasonable terms, the largest supply of grain from fo. reign parts, which, in the present relative state of the markets, they can be expected to afford.

It was

particularly with a view to expe. dition that they have suggested the proposed plan of arranging the bounty. But they feel it, at the same time, their indispensable duty expressly to state, that they are far from entertaining any opinion that any supply, by importation, can be depended upon to such an amount as to remove the necessity of

recurring to every other practicable and reasonable mode, by which the present scarcity may be relieved; and particularly of attending to strict economy in the consumption of wheat and flour, and of promoting the substitution, to a certain extent, of other articles of food.

They intend to proceed immedi ately to the consideration of these and other parts of this extensive and important subject; and will, with the permission of the house, report, from time to time, such opinions as they may be enabled to form thereupon.

Secord Report from the Select Committee appointed to take into consideration the present high price of Corn.

THE select committee appointed to take into consideration the present high price of corn, and to collect evidence relative thereto, and to report the same from time to time, as it shall appear to them, to the house, with their observations. thereupon,-have received, since their last report, further informa. tion respecting the deficiency in the crop of rye, and the great want of that article in those parts of the country where it forms the principal subsistence of the people; and they are thereby induced to think that similar measures ought to be adopted for the encouragement of the importation of that species of grain, as have been recommended respecting wheat. They beg leave therefore to submit their opinion to the house, that a bounty of ten shillings per quarter should be gi ven for every quarter of rye, weighing not less than fifty pounds per bushel, which shall be imported into Great Britain before the 30th day of September, 1796, until the

quantity

« 前へ次へ »